U.S. drone strikes kills four; Pakistani officials condemn drone strike; Pakistan to table a resolution at the Human Rights Council to discuss the use of drones; Top priority of Pakistani government is to improve relations with India; Dialogue between India and Pakistan is the only way to resolve issues; India and Pakistan agree to joint patrol mission on the border; Islamabad High Court rejects former President Musharraf’s pleas; Anti-terrorism court charges Member of the National Assembly (MNA) for his involvement in killing law enforcement personnel; Kidnapped U.S. development worker appeals to U.S. President; Blast in Khyber agency injures one; Police arrest four near Nowshera; Militants kill two in Karachi; Karachi police arrest three.
Drone Strikes
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On Wednesday, a U.S. drone strike killed four militants near Miram Shah, North Waziristan agency. Officials suspect that those killed in the strike were of Afghan origin.[1]
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On Thursday, Pakistani officials condemned the U.S. drone strike near Miram Shah in North Waziristan agency that killed four suspected militants. In response, an estimated 150 supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party briefly blocked trucks carrying North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) supplies through the Chaman crossing near Quetta, Balochistan.[2]
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On Thursday, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a formal statement saying that Pakistan will take advantage of the growing international consensus against drone strikes to table a resolution at the Human Rights Council forum in Geneva to discuss the use of drones. A spokesperson from the Foreign Office, Tasneem Aslam also stated that the relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan will continue after 2014, in particular on the economic and energy sectors.[3]
India-Pakistan Relations
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On Thursday, the Prime Minister Special Adviser on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz, stated that it is the government’s top priority to improve relations India and neighboring countries.[4]
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On Wednesday, India’s Minister for External Affairs, Salman Khurshid, stated that dialogue between India and Pakistan is the only way to resolve issues between the two countries.[5]
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On Wednesday, officers from India and Pakistan’s border forces agreed to jointly patrol the border between India and Pakistan to stop illegal smuggling.[6]
Domestic
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On Thursday, the Islamabad High Court rejected three pleas submitted by the former President, Pervez Musharraf, against the formation of a special court to try him for treason. According to the verdict announced by the court, Musharraf’s objections had no legal status.[7]
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On Thursday, an anti-terrorism court in Karachi charged Shahkehan Baloch, a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Member of the National Assembly (MNA), along with several others, for his involvement in the killing of Lyari gangster Arshah Pappu on March 16, 2013. Shahjahan has been in jail over 30 times over his resistance to law-enforcement operations in Lyari and over the killing of law-enforcement personnel.[8]
Militancy
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On Thursday, a U.S. development worker, Warren Weinstein, who was kidnapped in Pakistan by al Qaeda two years ago, released a video appealing for U.S. President Barack Obama to negotiate his release.[9]
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On Wednesday, an improvised explosive device (IED) blast killed one person in the Tirah valley of Khyber Agency.[10]
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On Wednesday, police arrested four persons, including two militants, in Akbarpura, Nowshera district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP).[11]
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On Thursday, unknown militants shot and killed a local officer bearer of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in Karachi’s Korangi Industrial area and another individual in the North Karachi area. Additionally, the New Karachi Industrial police arrested three individuals allegedly involved in target killings.[12]