Interior Ministry confirms that 19 TTP prisoners have been released; TTP and government negotiating committees meet; Prime Minister holds high-level meeting on TTP talks; TTP extends ceasefire until April 10; Jaish al Adl releases Iranian border guards; Afghanistan and Pakistan close border post ahead of Afghan elections; Two injured in Charsadda district blast; One dead and four injured in Nowshera district blast; Former President Musharraf ordered to appear in court on April 25.
Talks with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan
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On Thursday, the Interior Ministry said that 19 prisoners belonging to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had been released by the government. This was confirmed by the Prime Minister’s Office shortly later, recanting a denial issued early on Thursday. TTP intermediary Muhammad Ibrahim Khan said that the TTP knew only what was reported by the media about the release of prisoners.[1]
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On Friday, TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said that the TTP shura has decided to extend its ceasefire until April 10 at which point the TTP will decide what to do next. The announcement came shortly after the government announced the release of 19 TTP prisoners.[2]
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On Friday, the government and TTP negotiating committees met, according to TTP committee member Maulana Yusuf Shah.[3]
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According to a Friday report in Dawn, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chaired a meeting with other high-level officials, including army chief General Raheel Sharif, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief General Zaheerul Islam, and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. They discussed the progress of talks with the TTP, Afghanistan and the kidnapped Iranian border guards.[4]
Iran-Pakistan Relations
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On Friday officials from Iran and militant group Jaish al Adl both said that the four Iranian border guards who were kidnapped have been released and handed over to Iran. Iranian officials also disputed reports saying that a fifth guard had been executed by Jaish al-Adl, claiming that all five had in fact been returned to Iran.[5]
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According to a Friday report in The News, the dispute over the kidnapped border guards has strained relations between Iran and Pakistan. Iran had criticized Pakistan for its inability to recover the guards and accused Pakistan of sheltering Jaish al Adl, the group responsible for the kidnappings.[6]
Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations
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On Friday the Chaman, Balochistan border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan was closed from both sides. The closing comes ahead of elections in Afghanistan and is meant to prevent militants from crossing the border to carry out attacks.[7]
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A Friday Express Tribune article noted that, unlike in the past, Pakistan appears to have no preference for any of the candidates in the Afghan election. The article asserted that Zalmai Rassoul is perceived as being favored by President Hamid Karzai, who has become increasingly unfriendly towards Pakistan, and Abdullah Abdullah is a Tajik, and Pakistan prefers Pashtun leaders in Afghanistan. The article said that Ashraf Ghani lacks strong ties to Pakistan.[8]
U.S.-Pakistan Relations
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On Thursday, Mark Fitzpatrick, a retired U.S. diplomat and nuclear safety expert advocated for a deal between the U.S. and Pakistan based on the 2005 U.S.-India nuclear deal. He said that a deal would allow for greater security of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal and could stop an arms race between India and Pakistan.[9]
Militancy
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On Friday, a blast at a National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) office in Tangi, Charsadda district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa injured two people.[10]
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A bomb concealed in a toy killed one person and injured four others in Khaki, Nowshera district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Friday.[11]
Domestic