Prime Minister hopeful that peace talks with TTP will be successful; IED blast in North Waziristan agency kills two; IED blast in Khyber agency kills two; One militant killed in Swat operation; Police arrest three on extortion charges; Militants throw bomb into polling station in Indian-administered Kashmir; Media regulator holds hearing on closing Geo/Jang group; Former Chief Justice dismisses accusations of poll rigging; Prime Minister says Pakistan will maintain policy of non-interference in Middle East; Pakistan sets up polio immunization stations following WHO warning.
TTP Peace Talks
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On Monday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif told reporters from BBC Urdu that he was hopeful that peace talks with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) would be successful, despite the fact that some factions within the TTP were unhappy about the ceasefire, which expired on April 10. Prime Minister Sharif urged the TTP to give up violence and accept Pakistan’s constitution in order for talks to be successful.[1]
Militancy
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On Tuesday, an improvised explosive device (IED) blast killed two and injured three at a bazaar in Miram Shah, North Waziristan. According to intelligence sources cited in Dawn, the two deceased were members of the Punjabi Taliban. An article in the Express Tribune, however, reported that those killed and injured by the blast were local tribesmen. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.[2]
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On Tuesday, an IED blast killed two people who belonged to anti-Taliban militia Tauheedul Islam (TI) and injured three in Landi Kotal, Khyber agency.[3]
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On Tuesday, security forces in Mingora, Swat district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa killed an alleged militant in a clash. Two other militants were injured. This was the second day of an operation in the Mingora area, which has reportedly resulted in the deaths of five militants.[4]
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On Monday, police arrested a businessman on charges of extorting money from traders and wealthy people in Rawalpindi on behalf of the TTP. Police also arrested two others on extortion charges, but neither of the individuals had links to the TTP.[5]
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On Tuesday, unidentified militants threw a bomb at a polling station in a school in Rafiabad, Baramulla district, Indian-administered Kashmir. There were no casualties.[6]
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According to a Monday report in Radio Free Europe, fighting in northwest Pakistan has severely damaged the traditional tribal networks among the Pashtun population. According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, 2,000 tribal elders have been killed in the last decade, with 1,200 dead in North and South Waziristan agencies alone.[7]
Domestic
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On Tuesday, Pakistan’s media regulator will hold hearings on closing the Geo/Jang news network. According to a Monday report in The Wall Street Journal, the military has been pushing for the closure of the organization after it accused Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of trying to murder Geo TV presenter Hamid Mir.[8]
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On Tuesday, former Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s claims that Chaudhry participated in rigging the 2013 election were “baseless.”[9]
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On Tuesday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif addressed a session of the Envoys Conference in Islamabad, where he stated that Pakistan would maintain a policy of non-interference in the Middle East, and that he hoped to develop closer bilateral relations with all countries in the region.[10]
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On Tuesday, a spokesman for the Ministry of Health stated that Pakistan will set up mandatory polio immunization stations at its international airports, border crossings, and seaports following the World Health Organization’s warning on Monday.[11]