MQM chief Altaf Hussain arrested by UK police in London on money laundering charges, Karachi experiences severe unrest due to MQM supporters’ protesting; Afghan government seeks U.S. assistance against alleged Pakistani rocket attacks; Russia lifts arms embargo against PK, in talks to supply gunships including Hinds; North Waziristan officials tell tribes to expel militants or face collective punishment.
MQM Leader Arrested
-
Leader of the Muttahaida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Altaf Hussain was arrested in London on Tuesday on charges of money laundering. After initialing denying reports of Hussain’s arrest, MQM leaders later admitted he had been taken into custody by authorities in the UK. Karachi, the MQM’s main power base, experienced widespread unrest as MQM supporters enforced a city-wide strike and torched several vehicles and shops in anger at the news.[1]
North Waziristan
-
Government officials in North Waziristan on Sunday told local jirgas of the Uthmazai Wazir and Daur tribes that they need to expel militants operating in the area. Failure to do so would incur government action against the tribes under the collective punishment clause of the Frontier Crimes Regulation, a special legal code governing the tribal areas. Officials imposed a curfew in the agency on Monday.[2]
Afghan-Pakistani Relations
-
The Afghan government on Monday sought out assistance from the U.S. against alleged Pakistani rocket attacks on its territory. Afghan officials claim the U.S. is bound to assist it in countering “external threats” under a “strategic partnership agreement” between the two governments.[3]
Indo-Pak Relations
-
Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan on Monday stated that Pakistan sought “good neighbourly relations” with India, but that relations could not improve unless India displays “seriousness” in resolving core issues such as Kashmir.[4]
Russo-Pak Relations
-
Russia on Tuesday lifted an arms embargo against Pakistan that had been in place since the Soviet era and is currently holding talks on “supplying Islamabad with combat helicopters,” including Mi-35 Hind gunships.[5]
Militancy
-
Eight people were killed and at least six others injured on Tuesday when a bus travelling to Parachinar hit a landmine in the Khotma area of Kurram agency.[6]
-
Two soldiers were injured on Monday when a roadside bomb detonated as troops carried out a search operation in the Shish Mahal Mamazai area, Dawezai, Mohmand agency.[7]
-
Two people were injured on Monday when a bomb blast hit a freight train travelling from Quetta to Iran through Balochistan’s Dalbandin area. The remote-controlled device also damaged the tracks on the Pak-Iran Railway Line. Officials said Baloch separatists were suspected of carrying out the attack.[8]
Domestic