TTP- and government-nominated negotiating committees meet in Islamabad to discuss ceasefire, talks; Gas pipeline destroyed in Balochistan; Body of militant involved in Peshawar attack found wearing military uniform; Defence Ministry requests Geo News be shut down for accusing ISI of involvement in attempt on journalist’s life; Supreme Court may prosecute military personnel in missing persons cases; Supreme Court blocks election of ASWJ leader to parliament.
TTP Peace Talks
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On Wednesday, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan convened a meeting of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)-nominated and government-nominated negotiating committees in Islamabad to discuss the extension of a ceasefire with the TTP, the release of non-combatants, and the establishment of a “peace zone.”[1]
Militancy
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On Wednesday, a bomb blast destroyed a gas pipeline in Pir Koh, Dera Bugti district, Balochistan.[2]
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On Tuesday, the body of militant who was involved in Monday’s attack in the Badhaber area of Peshawar was found wearing a security force member’s uniform. The attack killed five policemen and an ambulance driver.[3]
Domestic
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On Tuesday, the Defence Ministry filed a request that media outlet Geo News be shut down for running what it terms a “vicious campaign” against Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Geo News accused the ISI of being responsible for the attempted murder of its reporter Hamid Mir on Saturday. The Defence Ministry asked for a revocation of Geo News’ broadcasting license and for criminal charges to be brought against the organization.[4]
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According to a Tuesday report in The Wall Street Journal, the Supreme Court may prosecute military officials who have refused to produce missing persons, who are believed to number in the hundreds or thousands. The government failed to meet an April 16 deadline to produce the missing persons and also argued that the military personnel responsible for the disappearances should be tried in a military and not civilian court.[5]
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On Tuesday, the Supreme Court blocked the election of Maulana Ahmad Ludhianvi, the head of the banned Sunni sectarian group Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), to the National Assembly from Jhang district, Punjab. Ludhianvi originally lost to Sheikh Mohammad Akram of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) during the May 2013 general election, after which an election tribunal overturned the vote on allegations of voter fraud and the winning candidate defaulting on a loan. Yesterday, a court suspended the election tribunal’s order.[6]