Supreme Court Chief Justice retires; Pakistan wants Iran to ensure Pakistan will not be subject to American sanctions for building the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline; December 2014 no longer target for completion of pipeline; Acting inspector general of the Frontier Corps Balochistan appears in the Supreme Court; 700 missing persons shifted to internment centers; Ministry of Defence seeks review of Supreme Court verdict in missing persons case; U.S. Special Representative on Afghanistan and Pakistan confident that Afghanistan will sign Bilateral Security Agreement; Prime Minister looks to enhance relations with European countries; Prime Minister says that restoration of dialogue with India is a top priority; IMF considers approval of second installment of $545 million to boost Pakistan’s foreign currency reserves; Finance Minister says government has a plan to build up Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves; PTI’s support in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa reportedly declining; Police arrest four in Punjab University hostel; Gunmen kill one, injure another in Indian-administered Kashmir; protesters close shops and injure three in Quetta.
Domestic
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On Wednesday, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry stepped down as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The former chief justice attended a full court reference in his honor. Chaudhry has been Chief Justice since 2005.[1]
Iran-Pakistan Relations
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According to a Wednesday report in The Express Tribune, Pakistani negotiators have indicated to Iran that they expect Iran to solve the problem of possible U.S. sanctions against Pakistan before moving forward with construction of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline. According to a Wednesday report in The News, the two sides no longer consider a December 2014 target for completion of the pipeline feasible. They have agreed to meet soon to agree on a new deadline.[2]
Missing Persons Case
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On Wednesday, the acting Inspector General of the Frontier Corps Balochistan, Brigadier Khalid Naseem, appeared in the Supreme Court over the Balochistan missing persons case. The court asked for the date at which the missing persons would be produced and adjourned until December 19.[3]
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On Tuesday, the Task Force on Missing Persons submitted a report stating that around 700 ‘missing persons’ have been shifted to internment centers in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) during the last few months. The Deputy Attorney General Muzamil Khan said that members of the task force had visited internment centers to verify the information about the detainees.[4]
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On Tuesday, a Ministry of Defence official said that the Ministry might seek a review of the Supreme Court verdict in the case of the 35 missing persons. Despite conflicting reports, the official also stated that these persons were not held by the army or intelligence agencies.[5]
U.S.-Pakistan Relations
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On Tuesday, the U.S. Special Representative on Afghanistan and Pakistan, James Dobbins, expressed confidence that the government of Afghanistan would sign an agreement that will allow for some 12,000 U.S. troops to remain in the country after 2014. He also noted that all regional powers other than Iran, as well as Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, had encouraged President Karzai to sign the accord. President Karzai is scheduled to visit India later this week, which officials in the U.S. think could have a positive impact on the pending Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA).[6]
Europe-Pakistan Relations
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On Tuesday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif stated that Pakistan is looking forward to enhancing cooperation with Europe in trade, investment, energy, infrastructure, education, and development. Sharif expressed his confidence that improving ties with European countries would boost Pakistan’s economy, curb extremism, and improve stability.[7]
India-Pakistan Relations
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On Wednesday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that the resumption of dialogue with India is a top priority for his government, adding that closer ties between Pakistan and India could improve the economies of both countries and improve stability in the region. On Wednesday, the Indian High Commissioner, T.C.A. Raghavan and Prime Minister Sharif met to discuss India-Pakistan relations.[8]
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According to a Wednesday article in The News, the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) executive board is scheduled to meet in Washington, D.C. on December 19 to consider whether to approve releasing the next $545 million installment of Pakistan’s $6.67 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) loan.[9]
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On Tuesday, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said that the government has “a clear roadmap to build foreign exchange reserves up to $20 billion over the next three years,” though he did not go into detail about the plan.[10]
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According to a Tuesday report in The Wall Street Journal, support for Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party is eroding in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The citizens of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa interviewed in the article criticized the PTI for focusing on American drone strikes, and publicity-garnering stunts like blocking North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) supply lines, instead of working to improve the province’s economy.[11]
Militancy
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On Tuesday, officials at Punjab University handed over 16 illegal residents to the police, all of whom were found in the rooms of Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) members. According to a PU spokesman, the raid proved that IJT was involved in providing shelter to non-students and criminals in the University hostels.[12]
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On Wednesday, police in Lahore searched another hostel at Punjab University and arrested four people who were living in the hostel illegally. Police, in coordination with University officials, have been evicting illegal residents amidst reports that IJT members were hosting suspected terrorists.[13]
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On Wednesday, unknown militants killed an Indian Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officer and injured another near Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir.[14]
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On Wednesday, protesters associated with an unspecified religious group in Quetta fired at shopkeepers who did not follow their orders to close their shops, injuring three.[15]
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On Wednesday, police recovered the bodies of three people, two of which showed signs of having been tortured in Saeedabad, Karachi. Police and Rangers also arrested 110 suspects across Karachi in targeted operations.[16]
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On Tuesday, a bomb exploded outside the house of a leader of an anti-Taliban committee in Mohmand Agency, damaging a car and part of the house. There were no casualties. [17]
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On Tuesday a bomb exploded outside the house of a police offer in Wadpaga on the outskirts of Peshawar. There were no casualties[18]
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According to a Wednesday article in The News, 26 districts in Punjab province have been declared “sensitive” in response to ongoing violence. The News reports that the Army and Rangers will be deployed in these districts to avert any incidents during the observance of Chehlum of Hazrat Imam Hussain, a Shia religious observance of the 40th day following the death anniversary of Imam Hussain.[19]
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On Wednesday, an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated at a customs building in Torkham, Khyber agency, on the Afghan border. No casualties have been reported.[20]
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On Wednesday, a blast in Quetta was reported. It is unclear whether it was a bomb and whether there were casualties.[21]
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On Monday, a bomb blast in Mardan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa damaged a house, but did not result in casualties.[22]