65-member tribal jirga agrees to oust foreign fighters in 15 days and work to restore peace in North Waziristan; Tribal elders complain the government has not made arrangements to provide for IDPs from North Waziristan; Ongoing TTP infighting kills seven more militants in North Waziristan; Member of the government-nominated negotiating committee says there is no change for peace talks following Wednesday’s attack in Rawalpindi; Foreign Affairs Ministry condemns assassination attempt on Afghan Presidential Candidate in Kabul; Indian Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Sharif may meet at annual UN gathering; Indian Prime Minister accepts President Obama’s invitation to visit Washington, D.C. in September; Geo News sues ISI for defamation; Pakistani Electronic Media Regularity Authority suspends Geo News license for 15 days, fines Geo $100,000; MQM Chief shifted from hospital to police station in London; National Assembly passes three bills to amend Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997; Standing Committee on Foreign Relations members agree that Pakistan should maintain neutral policy toward Afghanistan; Suicide bomber kills one, injures four in Karachi.
Military Operations in the Tribal Areas
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On Friday, a jirga representative in North Waziristan, Maulana Muhammad Din Haqqani, stated that a 65-member jirga of Uthmanzai and Daur tribesmen agreed to oust foreign fighters from the agency in 15 days, assuring Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Sardar Mehab Ahmed Khan and Peshawar Corps Commander Lt. Gen. Khalid Rabbani that the tribes would make all efforts to restore peace throughout North Waziristan. The Taliban group in North Waziristan led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur recently vowed to fight against the government in if it launched a military offensive in the area, contrary to terms of a long-standing but now defunct non-aggression treaty between the government and Gul Bahadur’s group. Today’s jirga demanded that the government cease all military operations in North Waziristan, adding that the crisis should be settled through dialogue.[1]
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According to a Friday report in The News, tribal elders in North Waziristan have been complaining that the government forced civilians to flee their villages during the recent air strikes, but made no arrangements to provide food or shelter to the people who fled. A district administration official stated that 3,000 displaced families (about 19,000 individuals) had been registered there, so far, but that the administration has not received instructions to make arrangements for the displaced persons.[2]
TTP Infighting
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On Friday, infighting between followers of Hakimullah Mehsud, led by Commander Shehryar Mehsud, and the Khan Said Sajna faction of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) killed seven militants, five of them belonging to the Shehryar faction, and injured three in the Wacha Mela area of North Waziristan. According to an article in the Express Tribune, two of the deceased were key commanders of the two groups.[3]
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In a Friday report in The News, senior journalist Salim Safi stated in a Geo News program that the infighting among TTP factions has not reduced their fighting power. Safi also commented that the security situation in the areas of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan had been deteriorating while anti-Pakistan sentiment in Afghanistan was on the rise.[4]
TTP Peace Talks
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On Friday, Rustam Shah Mohmand, a member of the government-nominated negotiating committee, stated that “there are no chances of peace talks in the near future” following the killing of two Pakistan Army colonels in Rawalpindi on Wednesday. TTP committee member Maulana Yousaf Shah, however, said that the TTP is still interested in resuming peace talks with the government.[5]
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On Thursday, a senior TTP leader told reporters at BBC that the TTP is interested in pursuing peace talks if the government is serious about negotiation, but added that the TTP will respond to attacks by the government with further attacks.[6]
Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations
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On Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement condemning the terrorist attack on Presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah’s convoy in Kabul, which killed several people.[7]
India-Pakistan Relations
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On Thursday, unnamed sources stated that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi may meet with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during the annual United Nations (UN) gathering. Prime Minister Modi tweeted that he was “happy to receive a sari” as gift for his mother from Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif. Earlier, Mr. Modi has sent a shawl for Mr. Sharif’s mother.[8]
U.S.-India Relations
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On Thursday, sources stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accepted an invitation from President Barack Obama to come to Washington in September, where the two leaders will discuss bilateral matters.[9]
Geo News
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A Friday report issued by Geo News stated that the Jang media group is suing the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for defamation and accusing the news outlet of being “anti-state.” The Pakistani Electronic Media Regularity Authority (PEMRA) on Friday suspended Geo News’ license for 15 days and fined the media group $100,000 following a complaint against Geo TV filed by the defense ministry.[10]
Domestic
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On Friday, London Metropolitan Police moved the in-custody chief of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Altaf Hussain, from a hospital to a police station. Police arrested Hussain in London on Tuesday on money laundering charges. Yesterday, he underwent an angiography and was discharged before being shifted to the station for questioning.[11]
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On Friday, the National Assembly passed three bills that will amend the Anti-terrorism Act of 1997. One of the bills, the Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2014, will require that security forces “seek permission from a Grade-17 officer or a magistrate” before firing on suspects.[12]
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On Friday, at a public hearing organized by the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Relations, members agreed that Pakistan should maintain a neutral policy toward Afghanistan and should take necessary measures to handle any adverse fallout in Afghanistan, as experienced after the withdrawal of Soviet forces in the 1990s.[13]
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On Thursday, Senator Pervaiz Rashid said that militants who conducted attacks on security forces and institutions would be treated as enemies, adding that the government would negotiate with those who were serious about peace talks.[14]
Militancy