Pakistan may agree to drone strikes if it is given more control of them; U.S. Congress passes bill linking aid to Pakistan to reopening of NATO supply routes; India and Pakistan accuse each other of initiating firing incidents along Line of Control; Pakistan and Iran may turn gas pipeline deal into bilateral treaty to avoid sanctions; Afghan Taliban says that Mullah Baradar is not negotiating with Afghan government and is still under arrest in Pakistan; Religious political group calls for immediate talks with TTP; Army operation in North Waziristan may have killed as many as 70 civilians, though curfew on the agency is briefly lifted; TTP confirms that commander in charge of suicide bombings is dead; Two dead and 24 injured in Karachi bomb attack; Gunmen injure six in Karachi; Polio worker in Khyber agency killed, resulting in withdrawal of polio workers in the agency; Police kill suspected terrorist in Dera Ismail Khan; 15 clerics arrested in Punjab to stop sectarian violence; Report says that less than half of Pakistani lawmakers pay taxes; Musharraf trial moving forward in civilian court.
U.S.-Pakistan Relations
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According to a Monday Reuters report, former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director Robert Grenier said that Pakistan might consent to continued drone strikes on its territory if it is given more of a role in running the program.[1]
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Late Thursday night, the U.S. Senate passed the 2014 Defense Authorization Bill, which had already been passed by the House of Representatives. The White House has indicated that President Barack Obama will sign the bill. The bill promises $1.5 billion for Pakistan in 2014, a reduction from $1.65 billion in 2013. The bill also ties the aid to Pakistan reopening North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) supply lines and a certification by the Secretary of Defense that Pakistan is taking action against terrorists on its territory.[2]
Militancy
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On Friday, the curfew in North Waziristan agency was lifted briefly to allow some people to travel in and out of the agency, though thousands remained stranded in Bannu district, Khyber-Pakhutnkhwa. Residents of Mir Ali, the main target of the recent army operation in North Waziristan, said that the damage to the town is substantial, and a Dawn report on Saturday puts the total death toll in recent clashes at 53. The ISPR responded, saying that the operations were phased and planned out, and not a punitive attack on the town after five soldiers were killed and over 28 injured in a bomb attack on Wednesday. The ISPR also denied that the fighting was the beginning of a larger North Waziristan operation. A Monday report in Reuters quoted a local elder as saying that that about 70 civilians had died in the fighting. According to the report, local Taliban commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur has threatened reprisals if the operation does not stop immediately.[3]
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On Sunday, shells reportedly fired by security forces hit a house in Manan Kot, North Waziristan agency, injuring two people.[4]
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According to a Friday report in The Long War Journal, the TTP has released a video eulogizing Qari Hussain, a senior TTP leader who was in charge of training suicide bombers. Hassain has been described by the TTP as a “martyr” several times, but this is reportedly the first official eulogy issued by the group acknowledging his death. The video did not specify the date, location, or manner of his death.[5]
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On Friday, a bomb attack targeting a policeman killed two people and injured 24 in Old Sabzimandi, Karachi. The targeted policeman was unharmed, but another policeman was injured. Police indicated that the TTP is believed to be behind the attack.[6]
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On Sunday, unidentified gunmen injured six people in an attack in the Macher Colony area of Karachi.[7]
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On Saturday, an unknown gunman killed a polio worker in the Ghundi area of Jamrud sub-district, Khyber agency. After the attack, polio volunteers withdrew from Khyber agency.[8]
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On Saturday, two mortar shells landed in the army garrison in Landi Kotal, Khyber agency. There were no casualties.[9]
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On Saturday, police killed an alleged terrorist and arrested three others in the Zamirabad area of Dera Ismail Khan district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The police claimed that they were repelling an attack by terrorists.[10]
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On Friday, three alleged militants were arrested in Shadi Khel, Kohat district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The militants were en route to Kohat city when their motorcycle was stopped and a bomb was discovered.[11]
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On Friday, a bomb went off near a house in Phandu, Peshawar district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. No casualties were reported.[12]
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On Sunday, the government of Punjab ordered the arrest of 15 hardline Sunni clerics to avoid sectarian clashes during a Shia mourning procession scheduled for Wednesday.[13]
India-Pakistan Relations
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According to an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release, Indian troops opened fire across the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir on Friday. The firing took place in Jammu district in the south of the state. ISPR reported that Pakistan responded and that the incident ended with no casualties. Indian sources said that Pakistani forces fired across the line of control in adjacent Kathua district on Thursday, injuring one Indian soldier.[14]
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According to a Monday report in The Express Tribune, Pakistan is planning to use the Tuesday meeting between the Indian and Pakistani Directors General of Military Operations (DGMO) to press for a larger role for the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan in Indian-Administered Kashmir.[15]
Iran-Pakistan Relations
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According to a Sunday report in The Express Tribune, Pakistan and Iran are considering turning their gas pipeline project into a bilateral treaty, because they believe that this may allow Pakistan to continue involvement in the project while avoiding U.S. sanctions.[16]
Afghan Reconciliation Process
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According to a Monday report in The News, the Afghan Taliban released a statement saying that Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the former deputy leader of the organization, is not authorized to hold reconciliation talks with the government of Afghanistan. The statement also claimed that Baradar is still being held in Pakistan.[17]
Talks with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan
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On Saturday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that he is committed to negotiating with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). He also condemned violence based on religious hatred and said that Pakistan will protect its religious minorities.[18]
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On Sunday, the Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC), an umbrella group of religious and political organizations, including the Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam-Sami (JUI-S) and the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), called for immediate talks with the TTP and an end to military operations in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).[19]
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On Saturday, army chief General Raheel Sharif said that, while he supports the government’s talks with the TTP, the army will not tolerate terrorism, and will respond to any attacks.[20]
China-Pakistan Relations
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According to a Monday report in The Frontier Post, a Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman said that China plans to continue its cooperation with Pakistan on civil nuclear power, and that China’s cooperation is strictly for civilian purposes.[21]
Domestic
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According to a Saturday report in The News, in approving a $553 loan tranche to Pakistan on Thursday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has required that Pakistan implement structural reform and improve external buffers.[22]
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According to a Monday Reuters report, approximately half of Pakistani lawmakers paid no taxes this fiscal year, and many of those who did paid less than $100. The report claims this could endanger aid to Pakistan, as aid from some countries, like the UK, is contingent on more Pakistanis being brought into the tax net.[23]
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According to a Monday report in Dawn, army chief General Raheel Sharif made six appointments of recently promoted three-star generals. Sharif made Lieutenant General Javed Iqbal the Corps Commander for Bahawalpur; Lt. Gen. Zamirul Hasan the Adjutant General at General Headquarters; Lt. Gen. Obaidullah Khan Khattak Commander of the Army Strategic Force; Lt. Gen. Ikramul Haq Inspector General Training and Evaluation at General Headquarters; Lt. Gen. Zahid Commander of the Army Air Defence Command; and Lt. Gen. Tariq Jilani Chief of Logistics Staff at General Headquarters.[24]
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According to a Monday report in The BBC, the treason trial against former President Pervez Musharraf will move forward, with Musharraf expected in court on Tuesday. The Islamabad High Court dismissed a petition filed by Musharraf on Saturday arguing that only a military court can try the former president. Musharraf’s lawyers also appealed to the United Nations on Friday, arguing that his trial will be a “show trial.”[25]