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Pakistan
Statement:2008
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Date
Incidents
January - 2 
Asif Ali Zardari, the PPP co-chairman and husband of the slain leader, rejected the president’s decision to invite Scotland Yard and demanded a UN probe similar to the investigation into the death of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
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Asif Ali Zardari, the PPP co-chairman and husband of the slain leader, rejected the president’s decision to invite Scotland Yard and demanded a UN probe similar to the investigation into the death of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
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January - 2 
President Pervez Musharraf said on January 2 that investigation into the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto would be carried out with the help of the Scotland Yard, according to Dawn. In his address to the nation, he said British Prime Minister Gordon Brown had accepted Pakistan’
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President Pervez Musharraf said on January 2 that investigation into the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto would be carried out with the help of the Scotland Yard, according to Dawn. In his address to the nation, he said British Prime Minister Gordon Brown had accepted Pakistan’s request to send Scotland Yard investigators. The president claimed that confusion relating to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, whom he repeatedly called Shaheed (martyr) in his 30-minute speech, would have to be removed and that all kinds of photo-clips and witnesses would be examined with the help of British police to arrive at a conclusion. He said Pakistan’s law-enforcement agencies would now have all possible forensic and technical support of Scotland Yard. "I am sure now all doubts will disappear about the killing of late PPP [Pakistan People’s Party] leader who was a great supporter of democracy and an ardent critic of terrorism and extremism," Musharraf said. President Musharraf directly accused Baitullah Mehsud and Maulana Fazlullah of killing Benazir Bhutto. "I have no doubt that Baitullah Mehsud of South Waziristan and Fazlullah of Swat, who were previously involved in the killing of many innocent people including those in Sargodha, Kohat and Rawalpindi, have got Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto killed," he claimed. The president also announced that he had directed the caretaker prime minister to prepare a "compensation package" for the poor people who had suffered financial losses during three days of violence.
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January - 2 
The Election Commission of Pakistan on January 2 delayed the general elections slated for January 8 until February 18, according to The News. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Justice (retd) Qazi Muhammad Farooq, made the announcement at a press conference in Islamabad and appealed to all political
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The Election Commission of Pakistan on January 2 delayed the general elections slated for January 8 until February 18, according to The News. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Justice (retd) Qazi Muhammad Farooq, made the announcement at a press conference in Islamabad and appealed to all political parties to accept this decision in the national interest and actively participate in the electoral process. The CEC claimed that keeping in view the ground realities and the task of making preparations again following large-scale rioting, it was impossible for the commission to hold the polls on January 8. He said the elections had been postponed due to the violence and rioting, and also because the month of Muharram was commencing.
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January - 3 
According to The Post, hundreds of Pakistani families have poured across the border into Afghanistan in recent days as clashes between different clans continued on the 13th day in the Kurram Agency of the FATA. Six people are reported to have died and 11 inured in the fresh clashes. Afghan officials
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According to The Post, hundreds of Pakistani families have poured across the border into Afghanistan in recent days as clashes between different clans continued on the 13th day in the Kurram Agency of the FATA. Six people are reported to have died and 11 inured in the fresh clashes. Afghan officials said about 900 families (most of them Sunnis) have fled across the border in the past two weeks to the Khost and Paktia provinces. While the Khost Governor Arsallah Jamal stated that about 400 to 500 Pakistani families had fled to the province, Abdul Rahman Mangal, the deputy governor in neighbouring Paktia province, said about 480 families had come to the border districts there, including about 20 to 30 Afghan families who were living in Pakistan.
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January - 3 
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, son of the slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and recently appointed chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party, is on the hit-list of radicals, according to the Website of the British newspaper The Sun. The Website quoted Taliban cleric Maulana Mohavya Irshad as saying,
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Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, son of the slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and recently appointed chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party, is on the hit-list of radicals, according to the Website of the British newspaper The Sun. The Website quoted Taliban cleric Maulana Mohavya Irshad as saying, "Bilawal is a target now." Speaking at the Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) in Islamabad, the 24-year-old cleric said: "I don’t know much about Bilawal. I only know he is a liberal person which is a deviation from Islam. True Muslims will not allow him to go against Islam… These true Muslims will be horrified to see an image of Bilawal dressed as the devil while standing besides a pretty girl at a decadent party at Oxford University."
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January - 3 
President Pervez Musharraf on January 3 denied accusations that the military or intelligence services were involved in the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, The Post reported. Speaking at a news conference in Islamabad, Musharraf said he had invited British investigators to assi
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President Pervez Musharraf on January 3 denied accusations that the military or intelligence services were involved in the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, The Post reported. Speaking at a news conference in Islamabad, Musharraf said he had invited British investigators to assist in the probe into her death to dispel any suspicions about official involvement in her assassination. "We don't mind going to any extent, as nobody is involved from the government or agency side," he said. He also denied there had been a security lapse and implied that Benazir, who was greeting supporters through the sunroof of her armoured vehicle at the time of the attack, was partly responsible. "Who is to be blamed for her coming out her vehicle?" he asked. Acknowledging the reports that the crime scene had been quickly hosed down, possibly destroying evidence, he said: "I am sure that they did not do it with an intention of hiding some secrets or that the intelligence agencies instructed them to hide secrets," Musharraf told reporters. He insisted there had been no security lapse when she was killed at the campaign rally in Rawalpindi. The president said Benazir had gone ahead with the rally while ignoring the threats. He said she was provided with adequate security, including a bulletproof rostrum and a police chief of her choice for the area. Two aides next to her in the car survived, he said, adding that she died only when she decided to ride above the sunroof of
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January - 10 
Army troops have been deployed in 22 districts of Punjab to protect people and vital installations during Muharram in view of the security alarm raised by the suicide bombing, Dawn reported. The Rangers will protect important installations like airports, railway stations, Pakistan Television and rad
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Army troops have been deployed in 22 districts of Punjab to protect people and vital installations during Muharram in view of the security alarm raised by the suicide bombing, Dawn reported. The Rangers will protect important installations like airports, railway stations, Pakistan Television and radio offices, Chief Minister’s Secretariat, Governor’s House and civil secretariat. The overall law and order would be the responsibility of police and troops would stand by at designated places and could be called in for assistance in case of an emergency at one-hour notice, said Home Secretary Khusrao Pervaiz Khan. All Muharram processions and meetings in Lahore would be heavily protected, to “deny space to terrorists”, he said.
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January - 10 
Bomb disposal officials at the site said the bomber triggered a device possibly carrying more than 15 kilograms of explosive material and steel-balls, which affected an approximate area of 50 meters in diameter. The bomb disposal experts added that the bomber had used a high potency, locally-made de
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Bomb disposal officials at the site said the bomber triggered a device possibly carrying more than 15 kilograms of explosive material and steel-balls, which affected an approximate area of 50 meters in diameter. The bomb disposal experts added that the bomber had used a high potency, locally-made device, in which ball bearings – a quarter of an inch in diameter – had been used as splinters. Police constable Jameel Ahmed said the attacker was a young man. “He parked his bike, walked to the police and blew himself up,” Ahmed said. The Punjab Inspector General of Police Ahmad Nasim told reporters that “The target was the police force.”
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January - 11 
AFP quoted the State Department official Tom Casey as saying, “I’m unaware of any proposal from any US official arguing for unilateral military action in Pakistan.”
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AFP quoted the State Department official Tom Casey as saying, “I’m unaware of any proposal from any US official arguing for unilateral military action in Pakistan.”
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January - 11 
The army has withdrawn soldiers from key check posts in North Waziristan and a tribal jirga (council) is negotiating a peace deal between pro-Taliban militants and the government, official sources and military spokesman said on January 11, reports Daily Times.
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The army has withdrawn soldiers from key check posts in North Waziristan and a tribal jirga (council) is negotiating a peace deal between pro-Taliban militants and the government, official sources and military spokesman said on January 11, reports Daily Times.
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January - 11 
The Pentagon is extremely concerned about al Qaeda operations in Pakistan, said US military chief Admiral Michael Mullen said on January 11, Daily Times reported. “We know it is having a significant impact, not just in Afghanistan, but certainly there are concerns about how much they have turned inw
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The Pentagon is extremely concerned about al Qaeda operations in Pakistan, said US military chief Admiral Michael Mullen said on January 11, Daily Times reported. “We know it is having a significant impact, not just in Afghanistan, but certainly there are concerns about how much they have turned inward inside Pakistan. I am extremely concerned about this,” he told a press conference. He, however, added that the US was mindful of Pakistan being a sovereign country, saying, “It is really up to President (Pervez) Musharraf and his advisers in the military to address that problem directly.”
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January - 12 
Tank police officials said that militants attacked a garrison, the police lines and a picket with rockets and heavy gunfire, Dawn reported. The building of a vocational college where troops had been stationed also came under attack. The security forces retaliated with gunfire and the clash went on f
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Tank police officials said that militants attacked a garrison, the police lines and a picket with rockets and heavy gunfire, Dawn reported. The building of a vocational college where troops had been stationed also came under attack. The security forces retaliated with gunfire and the clash went on for two hours. A policeman, identified as Latifullah, who suffered injuries died later.
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January - 14 
He said during a press conference in the provincial capital Quetta that terrorism and subversive activities increased in Balochistan by 19 per cent during 2007. About 186 people were killed and 445 injured in 540 incidents of terrorism and sabotage. He said that police had recovered 1,855 kilograms
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He said during a press conference in the provincial capital Quetta that terrorism and subversive activities increased in Balochistan by 19 per cent during 2007. About 186 people were killed and 445 injured in 540 incidents of terrorism and sabotage. He said that police had recovered 1,855 kilograms of drugs, over 1,000 weapons and 18 kilograms of explosives during the year.
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January - 14 
The Interior Ministry has warned security agencies that militants of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and Taliban are plotting to attack eminent political and religious leaders and religious places in nine cities during Muharram, Daily Times reported. "Yes, we have received these threats," said acting Is
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The Interior Ministry has warned security agencies that militants of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and Taliban are plotting to attack eminent political and religious leaders and religious places in nine cities during Muharram, Daily Times reported. "Yes, we have received these threats," said acting Islamabad police Inspector General Nadeem Baloch. Two intelligence reports received by the ministry said attacks were likely in Islamabad, Peshawar, Bahawalpur, Vehari, Jhang, Hyderabad, Karachi, Dera Ismail Khan and Quetta. A notification by the National Crisis Management Cell of the Interior Ministry said militants would try to attack Muharram processions, Imambargahs and Majalis. The intelligence reports stated that Senator Abid Hussain, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid ex-MNA from Jhang, Waqas Akram Sheikh, and Allama Sajid Naqvi are likely targets. Three jackets meant for suicide attacks have been delivered to LeJ cadres in Jhang, it added. According to the reports, 300 militants from tribal areas, including local and Afghan Taliban, have been assigned targets and sent to the settled areas.
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January - 14 
The Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema, meanwhile, confirmed that the bombing had been pre-planned and was not a suicide attack. He reportedly told PTV that no VVIP movement had been planned near the scene of the blast. The attack occurred when President Pervez Musharraf was visiting the
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The Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema, meanwhile, confirmed that the bombing had been pre-planned and was not a suicide attack. He reportedly told PTV that no VVIP movement had been planned near the scene of the blast. The attack occurred when President Pervez Musharraf was visiting the city and Pakistan People’s Party Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari had just returned to Karachi.
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January - 15 
The Interior Ministry said on January 15 that political leaders face a looming threat of terrorist attack and advised them to comply with its security instructions to avoid unnecessary exposure, according to Dawn. “We have issued security advisory to the politicians across the board,” Interior Minis
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The Interior Ministry said on January 15 that political leaders face a looming threat of terrorist attack and advised them to comply with its security instructions to avoid unnecessary exposure, according to Dawn. “We have issued security advisory to the politicians across the board,” Interior Ministry spokesman Brig (retd) Javed Iqbal Cheema said at his weekly press briefing in Islamabad. According to him, “After the assassination of Ms Bhutto it is of paramount importance that political leadership is sensitised about looming threat. They should adopt a security conscious approach.”
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January - 16 
Gerry Ackerman, chairman of the congressional subcommittee that held a hearing on Pakistan on January 16, has called for a "fundamental reappraisal of US assistance to Pakistan." He said, "The United States is at a crossroads with Pakistan. It is clear that despite the deaths of many, many Pakistani
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Gerry Ackerman, chairman of the congressional subcommittee that held a hearing on Pakistan on January 16, has called for a "fundamental reappraisal of US assistance to Pakistan." He said, "The United States is at a crossroads with Pakistan. It is clear that despite the deaths of many, many Pakistani soldiers and police, the fight against terrorism has not gone the way we would have hoped. It is equally clear that Pakistan is no closer to genuine democracy and arguably a good bit further away. It’s time to change course and build a new and different relationship with Pakistan," Daily Times reported.
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January - 16 
The Director General Military Operation (DGMO) Major General Ahmad Shuja Pasha said on January 16 that the army had achieved a primary target of the Rah-e-Haq Operation in Swat by clearing the valley of miscreants and establishing the writ of the government there, according to Daily Times. "The misc
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The Director General Military Operation (DGMO) Major General Ahmad Shuja Pasha said on January 16 that the army had achieved a primary target of the Rah-e-Haq Operation in Swat by clearing the valley of miscreants and establishing the writ of the government there, according to Daily Times. "The miscreants have been pushed to the Peochar area and to the snow-capped mountains, and peace has returned to the valley," Pasha briefed journalists in Rawalpindi. He said the Rah-e-Haq Operation started on November 13, 2007 and was jointly executed by the 23rd Division of 10 Corps and 17th Division of 11 Corps. "The army cleared the valley by December 24," he said. Pasha said 36 soldiers had died and 72 were injured in the operation, while nine civilians had died and another 45 injured. Gen. Pasha informed that 10 senior aides of the militant leader had been arrested and Maulana Fazlullah himself narrowly escaped arrest on quite a few occasions. He said a total of 617 suspects had been arrested but most of them were released after interrogation.
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January - 17 
President Pervez Musharraf said on January 17 that the nuclear assets have been dispersed and placed under multi-tiered security safeguard, dismissing reports about threats to country's nuclear programme, Associated Press of Pakistan reported. He said the National Command Authority was looking after
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President Pervez Musharraf said on January 17 that the nuclear assets have been dispersed and placed under multi-tiered security safeguard, dismissing reports about threats to country's nuclear programme, Associated Press of Pakistan reported. He said the National Command Authority was looking after the country's nuclear assets with a Strategic Planning Division fully capable of ensuring the safety of installations. Musharraf also said the country currently faced three major challenges; terrorism and extremism, transition to democracy and need to sustain socio-economic growth. He said a few "misguided and lunatics" were attempting to force their way of life on the majority, but vowed that such elements will not succeed. "There is no place for al Qaeda in Pakistan... we cannot allow al Qaeda to operate and commit acts of terrorism here or elsewhere… neither can we allow Taliban's here or any support to them. No militants can be allowed here," he observed.
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January - 18 
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Michael V. Hayden said in an interview published on January 18 that former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was killed by al Qaeda and allies of Baitullah Mehsud, according to Daily Times. He told Washington Post that this combination was also behind a new
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The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Michael V. Hayden said in an interview published on January 18 that former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was killed by al Qaeda and allies of Baitullah Mehsud, according to Daily Times. He told Washington Post that this combination was also behind a new wave of violence threatening Pakistan’s stability. Hayden said Benazir Bhutto was assassinated by fighters allied with Baitullah Mehsud, with support from al Qaeda’s terrorist network. Hayden said, "This was done by that network around Baitullah Mehsud. We have no reason to question that." He described the assassination as "part of an organised campaign" that has included suicide bombings and other attacks on Pakistani leaders. He added, "What you see is, I think, a change in the character of what’s going on there. You’ve got this nexus now that probably was always there in latency but is now active: a nexus between al Qaeda and various extremist and separatist groups..."
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January - 21 
In a related development, a spokesman for militants in North Waziristan, Ahmadullah Ahmadi, asked the military authorities not to use bases in their area against militants in South Waziristan. “Taliban will withdraw from peace talks if security forces use our soil against us,” Ahmadi said. Militants
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In a related development, a spokesman for militants in North Waziristan, Ahmadullah Ahmadi, asked the military authorities not to use bases in their area against militants in South Waziristan. “Taliban will withdraw from peace talks if security forces use our soil against us,” Ahmadi said. Militants in North Waziristan had on January 21 extended a cease-fire till January 27.
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January - 21 
The 12 Pakistanis arrested had made recent trips to Pakistan, according to the report. The group received an order to carry out an attack in Barcelona from figures high up within al Qaeda hierarchy during a meeting at a training camp in Waziristan. Announcing the arrests on January 19, Spain’s Inter
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The 12 Pakistanis arrested had made recent trips to Pakistan, according to the report. The group received an order to carry out an attack in Barcelona from figures high up within al Qaeda hierarchy during a meeting at a training camp in Waziristan. Announcing the arrests on January 19, Spain’s Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba declared that an imminent attack by "highly organised radical Islamists" had been foiled. "Here we are looking at a well-organised group who were going beyond ideological radicalism to acquiring materials to make explosives and therefore eventually to carry out violent attacks," he said. "During our searches, we found various materials which could be explosives or be used to make explosives," he told a press conference in Madrid. Four timing devices as well as computer equipment were recovered.
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January - 21 
The group of alleged Islamist extremists arrested in Barcelona at the weekend were planning suicide attacks on Spanish soil allegedly under orders from al Qaeda in Pakistan, AFP quoted press reports as saying. Citing sources close to the investigation, the daily El Periodico de Catalunya said "the t
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The group of alleged Islamist extremists arrested in Barcelona at the weekend were planning suicide attacks on Spanish soil allegedly under orders from al Qaeda in Pakistan, AFP quoted press reports as saying. Citing sources close to the investigation, the daily El Periodico de Catalunya said "the terrorist action averted on Saturday ... was decided several months ago by the central al Qaeda network in Pakistan… Those who gave the order are to be found in Pakistan. They were preparing suicide attacks. Those that came here were ready to commit suicide."
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January - 22 
President Pervez Musharraf on January 22 ruled out the possibility of Pakistan’s break-up and its nuclear arsenal falling into the hands of al Qaeda or Taliban, according to Daily Times. Speaking at the French Institute of International Relations in Paris, he said extremists were only three percent
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President Pervez Musharraf on January 22 ruled out the possibility of Pakistan’s break-up and its nuclear arsenal falling into the hands of al Qaeda or Taliban, according to Daily Times. Speaking at the French Institute of International Relations in Paris, he said extremists were only three percent of Pakistan’s population and the 500,000-strong army protected Pakistan and its nuclear arsenal. He said Pakistan Army was one of the most disciplined armies in the world and there was no question of any junior officer taking over or attempting a coup. “I can assure you that nothing will happen in Pakistan… Pakistan is not a banana republic,” he stated. A Shia-Sunni conflict existed but it could not harm Pakistan’s integrity, he opined. An Associated Press report quoted President Musharraf as saying that Pakistani troops were operating against terrorists and “not going around trying to locate Osama Bin Laden and Zawahri”. “It’s more important to battle the remnants of Afghanistan’s former Taliban militia,” he said. Also on January 22, President Musharraf met his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy who pledged support to Pakistan in the fight against terrorism, AFP reported.
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January - 23 
As clashes intensified, militants’ spokesman Maulvi Umar told Dawn that the conflict could expand to other areas of Waziristan if the government did not halt the operation.
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As clashes intensified, militants’ spokesman Maulvi Umar told Dawn that the conflict could expand to other areas of Waziristan if the government did not halt the operation.
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January - 24 
Military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said 10 soldiers were killed in two days of fighting as the security forces (SFs) stormed militant positions in several towns, including Spinkai Raghzai in Srarogha near Jandola, Mohammad Nawaz Kot in Tiarza and Makeen. He said the SFs destroyed the maxim
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Military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said 10 soldiers were killed in two days of fighting as the security forces (SFs) stormed militant positions in several towns, including Spinkai Raghzai in Srarogha near Jandola, Mohammad Nawaz Kot in Tiarza and Makeen. He said the SFs destroyed the maximum number of militant hideouts in these areas and cleared the towns from the miscreants. Abbas added that 40 militants were killed during the fighting while many others sustained injuries. He also said the troops arrested 30 militants who were trying to escape during the clashes. He said eight soldiers died in Spinkai Raghzai and two others in Mohammad Nawaz Kot. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed to have captured five soldiers and taken into custody five trucks loaded with heavy arms and ammunition, supposed to be delivered to the SFs fighting against the militants in South Waziristan. The troops backed by tanks and gunship helicopters moved from Jandola and Chagmalai towards Mandana on early January 24. Sources said that fighter aircraft targeted the suspected militants’ positions in Kotki village, 15 kilometers from Jandola town.
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January - 24 
Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) President Shujaat Hussain’s brother Wajahat Hussain and son Shafay Hussain landed at the Islamabad Airport on PIA flight PK-786 on January 24, after British officials allegedly detained and deported them after they had landed at a London Airport from Spain, accor
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Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) President Shujaat Hussain’s brother Wajahat Hussain and son Shafay Hussain landed at the Islamabad Airport on PIA flight PK-786 on January 24, after British officials allegedly detained and deported them after they had landed at a London Airport from Spain, according to Daily Times. According to sources, the pair was given deported passenger status. The immigration officers offloaded them from the plane and detained them for questioning. Geo News television channel quoted sources as saying that the airport officials had doubts that the two detainees might have links with the 11 Pakistanis who were arrested in Barcelona a few days ago for their alleged links with terrorists. Wajahat and Shujaat’s son came to London to mobilise the Pakistani community ahead of President Pervez Musharraf’s address, according to sources. The British Foreign Office spokeswoman Natasha Khan confirmed the arrests, saying, "Six men were detained at the airport on 22 January and were released on 23 January. We sincerely regret any inconvenience, any distress caused. They are free to return to the UK and their visas have not been affected."
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January - 24 
The Interior Ministry has warned the provinces that 13 suicide bombers have entered Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore from the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and may carry out attacks in these cities, Daily Times reported. According to Geo News, the ministry revealed in a letter written to the prov
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The Interior Ministry has warned the provinces that 13 suicide bombers have entered Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore from the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and may carry out attacks in these cities, Daily Times reported. According to Geo News, the ministry revealed in a letter written to the provinces and security agencies that terrorists have formed a new group by the name of Al-Quds Army and that 13 of its newly trained suicide bombers have entered major cities for subversive activities. The ministry has also warned security agencies and the provinces that two extremists of Maulana Fazlullah’s Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM) have entered Sindh and Balochistan.
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January - 25 
However, ISPR Director General Major General Athar Abbas said around 25-30 militants and two security forces personnel were killed, adding that 10 personnel were injured. He denied militant’s claims of having killed seven soldiers and taken another 15 hostage. “At present, the aim is the recovery of
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However, ISPR Director General Major General Athar Abbas said around 25-30 militants and two security forces personnel were killed, adding that 10 personnel were injured. He denied militant’s claims of having killed seven soldiers and taken another 15 hostage. “At present, the aim is the recovery of trucks [of food and ammunition] and if the resistance grows, then the operation may continue till the army takes control of the area,” Abbas said. Reports said that the security forces had imposed a curfew in the region.
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January - 28 
Officials in Peshawar confirmed the presence of the militant groups in Darra, adding that the groups had focused on "extending sway" to Peshawar. They said, "Today, both the Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad have a strong presence within 20 kilometers of Peshawar." The unnamed officials said, "Th
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Officials in Peshawar confirmed the presence of the militant groups in Darra, adding that the groups had focused on "extending sway" to Peshawar. They said, "Today, both the Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad have a strong presence within 20 kilometers of Peshawar." The unnamed officials said, "The fact of the matter is that some of the groups, such as Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Muhammad and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, are very active around Peshawar and Kohat district, especially in areas close to the Kohat-Rawalpindi Highway." The officials also stated that the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi was the "most active group" in Darra.
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January - 28 
The security forces on January 28 claimed purging Darra Adam Khel and the surrounding hills of the militants amid reports of heavy shelling and artillery fire that continued till afternoon. "The troops are in full control of the town and the adjoining mountains. Besides, the Friendship Tunnel is als
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The security forces on January 28 claimed purging Darra Adam Khel and the surrounding hills of the militants amid reports of heavy shelling and artillery fire that continued till afternoon. "The troops are in full control of the town and the adjoining mountains. Besides, the Friendship Tunnel is also under control and will take some time to be reopened for general traffic," military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told The News.
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January - 31 
Senior al Qaeda commander Abu Laith Al-Libi has been killed in Pakistan, CNN quoted "a knowledgeable Western official and an unnamed military official" as saying, according to Daily Times. The 41-year-old Libyan was active in operational planning and training, and according to the US official, "not
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Senior al Qaeda commander Abu Laith Al-Libi has been killed in Pakistan, CNN quoted "a knowledgeable Western official and an unnamed military official" as saying, according to Daily Times. The 41-year-old Libyan was active in operational planning and training, and according to the US official, "not far below the importance of the top two al Qaeda leaders" – Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al-Zawahiri. He was placed on the US military’s most wanted list in 2006, behind Laden, Zawahiri and Taliban leader Mullah Omar. AP news agency said a Website used by militant groups carried a statement in the name of Al-Fajr, al Qaeda’s media wing, saying "he was martyred with a group of his brothers in the land of Muslim Pakistan." The statement was referring to a missile strike at Khushali Torikhel in North Waziristan on January 28. 10 militants, two women and three minors had died in the missile strike. However, a US military official with the Combined Joint Task Force-82, the anti-terror unit responsible for searching Libi in Afghanistan, told CNN he had no information on Al-Libi’s death, but added that CJTF-82 did not collect information from outside of Afghanistan and would be informed of targeted operations only "if the Pakistani military share that with us". AP said Pakistan’s Interior Ministry officials did not confirm Al-Libi’s death and were "still trying to gather details on the missile strike." Pakistani Interior Ministry spokesman Brigadier Javed Cheema told AFP that "We have no information of his killing."
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February - 4 
Beebarg Baloch, a spokesman for the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), claimed that the BLA had attacked security forces (SFs) in Kahan and Siha Giri area of Kohlu district and that SFs had suffered heavy losses. He claimed that BLA was also involved in attacking a police vehicle in Quetta and blowing up
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Beebarg Baloch, a spokesman for the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), claimed that the BLA had attacked security forces (SFs) in Kahan and Siha Giri area of Kohlu district and that SFs had suffered heavy losses. He claimed that BLA was also involved in attacking a police vehicle in Quetta and blowing up power pylons in Dera Allahyar and Hub. However, official sources denied that SFs had come under any attack.
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February - 4 
The death toll in the blast that occurred when a suicide bomber crashed his bike into an armed forces bus carrying students and officials of Army Medical College, near the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi at around 7.25am (PST) on February 4, sources said, according to Daily Times. An eyewit
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The death toll in the blast that occurred when a suicide bomber crashed his bike into an armed forces bus carrying students and officials of Army Medical College, near the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi at around 7.25am (PST) on February 4, sources said, according to Daily Times. An eyewitness said the suicide bomber hit the 30-seater bus in front of National Logistic Cell offices close to the GHQ, blowing away the roof, windows and doors of the bus. Several other vehicles were also damaged. A van carrying schoolchildren was also partially damaged, but the children remained unhurt. R.A. Bazaar police Station House Officer Raja Basharat Abbasi told Daily Times that it was a suicide attack. According to him, it was yet to be established if the suicide bomber had been riding a bike. The dead included four members of the security forces, according to a military statement, reported AP. A female major was among the injured, the military official said. Meanwhile, Caretaker Federal Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz told reporters in Islamabad that Baitullah Mehsud may be involved in the suicide attack as only he had the ability to carry out such attack. The interior minister said that security agencies of the country were being targeted as police and army were taking effective action against the militants.
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February - 5 
600 suicide bombers are present in Karachi and they are planning a major attack, revealed two militants Qasim Toori and Danish alias Talha during interrogations by law-enforcement agencies, according to Daily Times. Most of the suicide bombers are also former students of Islamabad’s Lal Masjid. The
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600 suicide bombers are present in Karachi and they are planning a major attack, revealed two militants Qasim Toori and Danish alias Talha during interrogations by law-enforcement agencies, according to Daily Times. Most of the suicide bombers are also former students of Islamabad’s Lal Masjid. The militants confessed, "Around 600 Jundullah militants are present in Karachi. They are mentally prepared and trained to commit suicide attacks." They also confessed that they had robbed foreign banks and dispatched the money to their headquarters in Wana in South Waziristan, from where their needs for weapons, explosives and other necessities were being met. The two militants, who were captured along with women and children during a raid in Sector-17A, Shah Latif, on January 29, were handed over to the Anti-Violent Crime Unit. A third militant, who was killed during the raid, was identified as Gohar Muhammad alias Abrar Keamari Wallah, according to Special Investigations Unit DSP Wasif Qureshi.
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February - 5 
Political turmoil in Pakistan has not seriously threatened the military’s control of its nuclear weapons "but vulnerabilities exist," United States (US) intelligence said in a report on February 5, according to Daily Times. "We judge [that] the ongoing political uncertainty in Pakistan has not serio
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Political turmoil in Pakistan has not seriously threatened the military’s control of its nuclear weapons "but vulnerabilities exist," United States (US) intelligence said in a report on February 5, according to Daily Times. "We judge [that] the ongoing political uncertainty in Pakistan has not seriously threatened the military’s control of the nuclear arsenal, but vulnerabilities exist," said the annual threat assessment, which was delivered to Congress by US intelligence Chief Mike McConnell. The report said, "We judge that the [Pakistan] army’s management of nuclear policy issues — to include physical security — has not been degraded by Pakistan’s political crisis." The report also warned of threats of terrorist attacks against the US, as al Qaeda improves its ability to identify, train and position operatives for such operations. It said an influx of new western recruits to al Qaeda’s safe havens in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) had been detected since 2006. "Al Qaeda is improving the last key aspect of its ability to attack the US — the identification, training, and positioning of operatives for an attack in the homeland," the report said. McConnell, meanwhile, said Pakistan’s Tribal Areas were providing al Qaeda "many of the advantages it once derived from its base across the border in Afghanistan, albeit on a smaller and less secure scale".
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February - 5 
The United States intelligence believes that Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and other Kashmir-based insurgent groups will continue to plan and execute "attacks" in India, reports Indian Express. Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnel has said that, "The intelligence community asses
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The United States intelligence believes that Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and other Kashmir-based insurgent groups will continue to plan and execute "attacks" in India, reports Indian Express. Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnel has said that, "The intelligence community assesses that Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and other Kashmir-focussed groups will continue attack planning and execution in India. Shia and Hindu religious observances are possible targets, as are transportation networks and government buildings." McConnel, while speaking to the Select Senate Committee on Intelligence, also said that, "We judge Kashmir-focussed groups will continue to support the attacks in Afghanistan, and operatives trained by the groups will continue to feature in al-Qaida translational attack planning.
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February - 6 
Taliban spokesman Maulvi Umar on February 6 declared a unilateral cease-fire from South Waziristan to Swat, saying no security forces would be targeted. "We will not attack any security person, be it in Waziristan or in Swat (district)," he told Daily Times from an undisclosed location. Maulvi Umar
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Taliban spokesman Maulvi Umar on February 6 declared a unilateral cease-fire from South Waziristan to Swat, saying no security forces would be targeted. "We will not attack any security person, be it in Waziristan or in Swat (district)," he told Daily Times from an undisclosed location. Maulvi Umar denied the cease-fire was the result of "secret negotiations", claiming the Taliban were responding to a reduction in the military’s attacks on them. "We will not attack the security forces till [our] next announcement," he said, adding, "We see a marked decrease in intensity of attacks on us." Tribal sources said a Taliban shura (council) had decided on the cease-fire after the government had "agreed to meet certain points." However, the military said that operations against militants would continue. "This (Taliban ceasefire) is [a] one-sided (announcement). We received no formal communiqué," military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said.
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February - 7 
An investigation team on February 7 arrested two more suspects, Hasnain and Rifaqat, from Rawalpindi for their alleged involvement in the assassination of former Prime Minister and Pakistan People’s Party chairwoman Benazir Bhutto, Daily Times reported. City Police Officer Saud Aziz said the police
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An investigation team on February 7 arrested two more suspects, Hasnain and Rifaqat, from Rawalpindi for their alleged involvement in the assassination of former Prime Minister and Pakistan People’s Party chairwoman Benazir Bhutto, Daily Times reported. City Police Officer Saud Aziz said the police were interrogating the suspects. "These are important arrests. Investigations are under way," Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema told Reuters. An unnamed senior security official told AFP that the two men arrested had ties with Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud. "It is a major breakthrough. These two men were involved in the assassination and they are from a militant group which is relatively new," the official said, adding, "Their tentacles are from the tribal region and Baitullah Mehsud."
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February - 8 
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) disagreed with Scotland Yard’s findings about Benazir Bhutto’s murder, claiming she was killed by an assassin’s bullet. "The party is still looking at the Scotland Yard report — however, it is difficult to agree with its findings," PPP Information Secretary Sherry R
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The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) disagreed with Scotland Yard’s findings about Benazir Bhutto’s murder, claiming she was killed by an assassin’s bullet. "The party is still looking at the Scotland Yard report — however, it is difficult to agree with its findings," PPP Information Secretary Sherry Rehman said. "We do believe that she was killed by an assassin’s bullet," she added. "This report gives us all the more reason to ask for an international probe at the UN level that looks into the hand that pulled the trigger, looks into the sponsorship and financiers behind it," she said.
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February - 12 
The deployment of army troops for maintaining peace in different parts of the country during the elections began on February 12 and the government declared over 19,000 polling stations ‘sensitive’ and imposed a complete ban on carrying and display of weapons in the vicinity of the stations. "Army ha
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The deployment of army troops for maintaining peace in different parts of the country during the elections began on February 12 and the government declared over 19,000 polling stations ‘sensitive’ and imposed a complete ban on carrying and display of weapons in the vicinity of the stations. "Army has started mobilising and moving to the areas and the deployment will be completed by February 15," Interior Ministry spokesman Brig (retd) Javed Iqbal Cheema said at his weekly press briefing in Islamabad. According to a categorisation, 64,175 polling stations are being set up, of which 19,380 have been declared ‘sensitive’. The number of ‘most sensitive polling stations’ stands at 8,928 -- 3,787 in Punjab, 1,575 in Sindh, 1,094 in the NWFP, 1,350 in Balochistan and 1,122 in FATA. The spokesman said that some areas in the NWFP, Balochistan, FATA and Sindh had been declared ‘high-risk’. They are Swat, Shangla, Lower Dir, Malakand Agency, Hangu and Tankand Bannu in the NWFP; South Waziristan Agency, North Waziristan Agency, Mohmand Agency, Bajaur Agency, FR Kohat, Darra Adam Khel and Bannu in FATA; parts of the riverine belt known as Kacha Area in Sindh; and Kohlu, Dera Bugti and Killa Abdullah in Balochistan.
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February - 12 
The Pakistan Army said on February 12 that it had no plans to withdraw its officers working in the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), contrary to the policy it had adopted for other civilian departments, according to The News. "Who will work there if we call them (our people) back from the ISI," sai
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The Pakistan Army said on February 12 that it had no plans to withdraw its officers working in the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), contrary to the policy it had adopted for other civilian departments, according to The News. "Who will work there if we call them (our people) back from the ISI," said ISPR Director-General Major General Athar Abbas. Although, the prime minister of Pakistan heads the ISI, the ISPR chief maintained that the Army’s presence in the agency was required to keep it working.
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February - 12 
The Taliban on February 12 claimed responsibility for the abduction of Pakistani Ambassador to Afghanistan, Tariq Azizuddin, and said they would release him in return for the arrested Taliban commander Mullah Mansoor Dadullah, Daily Times quoted Geo Television as saying. Azizuddin had gone missing o
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The Taliban on February 12 claimed responsibility for the abduction of Pakistani Ambassador to Afghanistan, Tariq Azizuddin, and said they would release him in return for the arrested Taliban commander Mullah Mansoor Dadullah, Daily Times quoted Geo Television as saying. Azizuddin had gone missing on his way from Peshawar to the Torkham border crossing on February 11 when he lost contact with authorities in the Khyber Agency. Dadullah was arrested in Quetta on the same day. Geo Television quoted the bureau chief of an Arab television channel as saying that the local Taliban had asked tribal elders to convey their message to the Pakistani government. "We have heard this news on TV channels… However, we have not received any formal information to this effect," Interior Ministry spokesman Brig (r) Javed Iqbal Cheema told reporters. Cheema also said the government did not know who had abducted Azizuddin or what had happened to him. Asked if the government would trade Dadullah for Azizuddin, Cheema replied, "I cannot say anything."
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February - 13 
A five-man group was involved in the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, but their link with militant commander Baitullah Mehsud has not been established, Chaudhry Abdul Majid, the Additional Inspector General of CID who is heading the government’s investigation into the assassina
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A five-man group was involved in the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, but their link with militant commander Baitullah Mehsud has not been established, Chaudhry Abdul Majid, the Additional Inspector General of CID who is heading the government’s investigation into the assassination, told a press conference on February 13, according to Dawn. He said of the five, two had been arrested, the man who fired shots later blew himself up and the fourth, another suicide bomber who was at the other end of Liaquat Bagh, escaped. The “handler” is yet be traced. “The planning of the Dec 27 assassination of Ms Bhutto was made by the group in Nov 2007,” he said, adding: “Their link with militant commander Baitullah Mehsud has not been established so far.”
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February - 17 
A senior investigator said on February 17 that the suspects arrested in Benazir Bhutto’s assassination were part of a team instructed to kill her and Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud was mastermind of the plot, Dawn reported. CID Assistant Inspector General of Police Chaudhry Abdul Majeed said at
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A senior investigator said on February 17 that the suspects arrested in Benazir Bhutto’s assassination were part of a team instructed to kill her and Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud was mastermind of the plot, Dawn reported. CID Assistant Inspector General of Police Chaudhry Abdul Majeed said at a press conference in Rawalpindi that Baitullah Mehsud had financed the assassins and given them instructions to assassinate Benazir Bhutto. Majeed said that five important suspects had been arrested by Pakistani Joint Investigation team in connection with the assassination as two of them, Aitizaz Shah and Sher Zaman, had made important disclosures about her assassination. Majeed also said that the team instructed to kill Benazir Bhutto had been motivated after she announced to come to Pakistan and pledged to take action against Taliban terrorists, in case she came into power.
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February - 17 
Election Commission (EC) on February 17 announced that it had postponed the February 18 polls in NA-37 Parachinar. EC Secretary Kanwar Dilshad told Geo Television that the general elections had been delayed after the provincial government requested the centre to do so in view of the volatile securit
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Election Commission (EC) on February 17 announced that it had postponed the February 18 polls in NA-37 Parachinar. EC Secretary Kanwar Dilshad told Geo Television that the general elections had been delayed after the provincial government requested the centre to do so in view of the volatile security situation that had gripped the area after the suicide blast.
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February - 18 
19 people were killed and 157 others were injured in countrywide election-related violence on February 18, caretaker Interior Minister Lt-Gen (retd) Hamid Nawaz told Dawn. However, according to independent reports, the number of casualties may be higher. The minister said that nine died in Punjab, s
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19 people were killed and 157 others were injured in countrywide election-related violence on February 18, caretaker Interior Minister Lt-Gen (retd) Hamid Nawaz told Dawn. However, according to independent reports, the number of casualties may be higher. The minister said that nine died in Punjab, seven in Sindh and three in NWFP. He did not give any casualty figures for Balochistan, where four people were reported to have been killed. According to independent reports, the overall death toll in the country was 26. "Despite 19 deaths, the government considers the election quite peaceful with no incident of terrorism in any part of the country… We are happy that neither any incident of terrorism nor any obstacle in the election process was reported in the country," the caretaker minister said. Private TV channels reported that clashes between supporters of different political parties occurred in Khairpur, Gujranwala, Chakwal, Kamoki, Mirpur, Jacobabad, Muzzafargarh, Mandi Bahauddin, Dera Ghazi Khan, Sargodha, Charsadda, Sukkur, Gujar Khan, Shikarpur, Hangu, Gakharmandi, Sialkot, Samandri, Sanghar and Peshawar. Polling is reported to have begun at a slow pace as voters appeared to be wary of violence. However, as the day progressed, the voter turnout improved and according to unconfirmed reports, it is estimated to be 35 percent. Ambassadors of UK, US, Japan, China, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Iran, South Asian Association of Regional Corporation (SAARC) and European Union Countries visited different polling stations in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad and expressed their satisfaction over polling process, security arrangements and performance of elections staff. The government has deployed 81,000 troops and nearly 400,000 police personnel to provide security to the more than 64,000 polling stations, a third of which had been declared sensitive. The Chief Election Commissioner Justice (r) Qazi Muhammad Farooq said on February 18-night that the Election Commission had fulfilled its responsibility to hold free, fair and transparent elections, Associated Press of Pakistan reported. "We have not received any complaints so far, but if we receive any, action would be taken," he said.
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February - 18 
President Pervez Musharraf on February 18 promised to work with whatever new government emerges from the parliamentary elections. According to AP, he told PTV after casting his vote that, "I will say from my side, whichever political party will win, whoever will become prime minister and chief minis
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President Pervez Musharraf on February 18 promised to work with whatever new government emerges from the parliamentary elections. According to AP, he told PTV after casting his vote that, "I will say from my side, whichever political party will win, whoever will become prime minister and chief ministers, congratulation to them on my behalf. And I will give them full cooperation as president." "We must come out of this confrontationalist approach and get into a conciliatory mode. I myself will remain committed to politics of reconciliation with everyone," Reuters quoted Musharraf as saying at a polling station in Rawalpindi for the PP-9 and NA-54 constituencies.
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February - 18 
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) emerged as the single largest party in the National Assembly followed closely by the Nawaz Sharif-led Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) in the elections held on February 18, according to The Hindu. The PPP led with 87 seats out of 272, followed by 66 for the PML-N, and
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The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) emerged as the single largest party in the National Assembly followed closely by the Nawaz Sharif-led Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) in the elections held on February 18, according to The Hindu. The PPP led with 87 seats out of 272, followed by 66 for the PML-N, and 38 for the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q). Among the smaller parties, (ANP) the Muttahida Qaumi Movement won 19 seats and the Pakhtun nationalist Awami National Party got 10 seats. The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, a religious coalition which won 59 seats in 2002, was able to win only three this time. Other political parties - the PPP-Sherpao, the Balochistan National Party, the National People’s Party and the PML-F - got one, one, two, and four seats, respectively, according to Daily Times. Independent candidates won 27 seats. In the Punjab province, the PML-N won 101 seats out of 280, while the PPP and independent candidates got 78 and 35 seats, respectively. The PML-Q got 66 seats. In Sindh, the PPP won 65 seats out of 125, while the MQM and the PML-Q got 38 and nine seats, respectively. The PML-N failed to win a single seat while one independent candidate was successful. In Balochistan, the PML-Q won 17 seats out of 44, while the PPP won seven seats. Independent candidates won ten seats. In the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), the ANP won 31 seats out of 85, while the PML-Q and the PML-N have won six and five seats, respectively. The PPP won 17 seats in the NWFP. In the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), six constituencies out of a total of 12 have been officially announced. Elections in two of the constituencies were postponed. As all the candidates in the region contested the elections as independent candidates, no political parties won any inroads in the region. At a press conference following a central executive committee meeting of the PPP, co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari staked the party’s claim to form the government at the Centre with the help of allies. The party is reportedly in a position to form the Sindh provincial government by itself. "We intend to make government in all four provinces and at the Centre, so we will act as the government-in-waiting with our allies… Our endeavour and our policy is to form a national consensus government that will take along all political forces," Zardari said.
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February - 19 
Zardari and Nawaz Sharif on February 19 separately called for President Pervez Musharraf to quit after his allies were defeated in the general elections, according to Daily Times. "Musharraf had said he would quit when the people tell him to. The people have now given their verdict," Nawaz told a pr
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Zardari and Nawaz Sharif on February 19 separately called for President Pervez Musharraf to quit after his allies were defeated in the general elections, according to Daily Times. "Musharraf had said he would quit when the people tell him to. The people have now given their verdict," Nawaz told a press conference in Lahore. "We will now take this demand (of the president’s resignation) with us to the parliament and see which political forces support us," Zardari told BBC. Earlier, talking to reporters at a press conference at Zardari House in Islamabad, he said he would form a coalition government, but ruled out an alliance with the PML-Q.
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February - 21 
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) agreed on February 21 to form coalition governments, including with the Awami National Party (ANP), Daily Times reported. "We have agreed on a common agenda. We will work together to form the government in the centre and
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The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) agreed on February 21 to form coalition governments, including with the Awami National Party (ANP), Daily Times reported. "We have agreed on a common agenda. We will work together to form the government in the centre and in the provinces… We will ensure that you complete a full five years’ term," Nawaz Sharif told a press conference in Islamabad after talks with PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari. Zardari said there were "a lot of grounds to cover" between the two parties, but added: "Inshallah (God willing) we will be meeting off and on. In principle, we have agreed to stay together." Also on February 21, the PPP and the ANP agreed to work together for the supremacy of parliament, judicial reforms, provincial autonomy and war on terror, Zardari and ANP President Asfandyar Wali told reporters after their meeting.
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February - 22 
Malakand Region Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Syed Akhtar Ali Shah said on that all police stations and check posts in the militancy-hit Swat district had been restored. Restoration of police stations and check posts comes weeks after a military operation started against militants loyal t
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Malakand Region Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Syed Akhtar Ali Shah said on that all police stations and check posts in the militancy-hit Swat district had been restored. Restoration of police stations and check posts comes weeks after a military operation started against militants loyal to pro-Taliban cleric Maulana Fazlullah who made an unsuccessful attempt last year to take over the district and establish ‘Islamic administration.’ Shah said that police personnel had also been deployed at the restored police stations and that they had resumed their professional duties.
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February - 24 
The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) said on February 24 that they were ready for peace talks with the new Government, but only if it rejected President Pervez Musharraf’s “war on terror” in the country’s tribal belt, according to Daily Times. A TTP spokesman quoted Baitullah Mehsud as calling for ne
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The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) said on February 24 that they were ready for peace talks with the new Government, but only if it rejected President Pervez Musharraf’s “war on terror” in the country’s tribal belt, according to Daily Times. A TTP spokesman quoted Baitullah Mehsud as calling for negotiations with parties that beat the president’s allies in elections. “The Taliban movement welcomes the victory of anti-Musharraf political parties... and announces its willingness to enter into negotiations with them for bringing peace,” Taliban spokesman Maulana Omar said, quoting a statement by Mehsud. “Whoever makes the government, we want to make it clear to them we don’t want fighting. We want peace, but if they impose war on us, we will not spare them,” Omar told journalists in Peshawar by telephone. He urged the new administration to “avoid repeating the mistakes of the Musharraf government.”
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February - 26 
The Interior Ministry said on February 26 that security forces had arrested more than 440 militants, including 60 would-be suicide bombers, in the last three months, Daily Times reported. Interior Ministry spokesman Brigadier (r) Javed Cheema told reporters, "Security agencies have arrested 442 terr
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The Interior Ministry said on February 26 that security forces had arrested more than 440 militants, including 60 would-be suicide bombers, in the last three months, Daily Times reported. Interior Ministry spokesman Brigadier (r) Javed Cheema told reporters, "Security agencies have arrested 442 terrorists and militants during the past three months. From 60 of these terrorists, suicide jackets and other material was confiscated, which shows the law enforcement agencies are in protective mode and stopped them from launching suicide attacks." Cheema said that 17 suspects had been arrested in Punjab, 26 in Sindh, 13 in the NWFP and 122 in Balochistan, Dawn reported. Similarly, 124 alleged militants were arrested in Swat while 140 surrendered to security forces. He said that 45kgs of explosive, eight detonators with leads, five remote controls with chargers and 10 hand-grenades had been seized in Punjab. 43 kilograms of explosives, 44 detonators, two rocket-launchers and 53 hand-grenades were seized in Sindh. In the NWFP, 50,096 kgs of explosives, 26 hand-grenades, 10 explosive jackets, 16 dynamites, 14 detonators, four rocket-launchers, 11 missiles, 32 mortar shells and 24 safety fuses were recovered. The spokesman said that from February 1 to date, 770kgs of explosive had been seized and two explosives-laden vehicles impounded in Swat. He added that 18 explosive devices, 96 detonators, 75kgs of explosive, 112 hand-grenades, 246 mortar shells, 56 mines, 19 rocket launchers and four AA guns had also been seized from the militants.
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February - 26 
The military said on February 26 that the killing of the army’s surgeon general and seven other persons in a suicide bombing a day earlier was likely in retaliation to operations against militants near the Afghan border, according to Daily Times. "I think apparently it is in response and reaction to
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The military said on February 26 that the killing of the army’s surgeon general and seven other persons in a suicide bombing a day earlier was likely in retaliation to operations against militants near the Afghan border, according to Daily Times. "I think apparently it is in response and reaction to the Pakistan Army’s operations against militants in South Waziristan and other places in FATA," military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told AFP. Exact details would be known once the probe into the incident was over, he added. A number of people suspected to have links with the suicide attack have been arrested, according to interior ministry spokesman Brig Javed Iqbal Cheema, Dawn reported. "Investigators have found important leads to the Rawalpindi blast and the arrested men are being interrogated. But at this stage we cannot make them public," he said in Islamabad on February 26.
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February - 26 February - 27
Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz Khan said on February 27 that a tribal militant commander and mastermind of two suicide attacks on the former interior minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao and killer of a serving Intelligence Bureau (IB) official was killed in an encounter with security forces on February
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Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz Khan said on February 27 that a tribal militant commander and mastermind of two suicide attacks on the former interior minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao and killer of a serving Intelligence Bureau (IB) official was killed in an encounter with security forces on February 26, according to Daily Times. "Abdul Siar, head of Siar group in the Tribal Areas, was killed on Tuesday in an encounter between security agencies and his men between Charsada and Mohmand Agency," Hamid told reporters after attending a National Public Safety Commission meeting. Nawaz said almost 116 innocent people had died in various terrorist attacks by Siar and his men in various parts of the country. He said security forces had also arrested two of Siar’s men during the encounter.
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February - 28 
At least 10 suspected militants were killed in a missile strike on a house in South Waziristan early on February 28, according to Daily Times. The dead were believed to be of Pakistani and foreign origins, residents and officials said. The attack occurred at approximately 2AM in Kaloosha village, 10
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At least 10 suspected militants were killed in a missile strike on a house in South Waziristan early on February 28, according to Daily Times. The dead were believed to be of Pakistani and foreign origins, residents and officials said. The attack occurred at approximately 2AM in Kaloosha village, 10 kilometres west of Wana, headquarters of South Waziristan. "Nine militants were killed instantly while a wounded Punjabi militant passed away hours later in a local hospital," the residents said. Security officials also put the toll at 10. However, local news agencies reported that 13 people were killed in the attack and several others injured. It is the second such attack in the area after militant commander Nek Muhammad was killed in a missile attack in June 2004. Resident Sharifullah said three missiles hit the house of Afghan national Sheroo, who hailed from the Zalikhel tribe, which is allegedly harbouring foreign and local militants. "There was no immediate information about the presence of any high-value target," an unnamed official told AFP. Armed militants cordoned off the incident site after the missile strike, the residents said, adding that four unidentified ‘guests’ had arrived late on February 27 at the destroyed house. Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told AFP that the deaths were caused by explosive material stored in the house, adding that 10 to 12 people were killed in the blast. "As per our information it was an explosion caused by explosive material in the house." However, a security source based in Peshawar said that the missile was fired by a US drone at about 2am. A spokesman for the United States-led coalition force based in Afghanistan said it had "no reports" that either it or the separate North Atlantic Treaty Organisation-headed force were involved in the strike. Sources said that the militants belonged to the Abu Hamza group whose leader was said to be a follower of local militant commander Maulana Nazir, according to Dawn. Nazir won government’s support after launching an armed campaign against Uzbek militants in the Ahmadzai Wazir area in April 2007. A spokesman for Nazir denied the killing of Arabs or Turkmens in the attack and said that some Afghans had died. "They were common Afghans and had been living in the area for a few years." He claimed that missiles had been fired from Afghanistan.
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February - 29 
The Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) has directed the police to make fool proof security arrangements as three to five suicide bombers have entered the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, The Post reported. Sources in the interior ministry said that the ministry had cautioned the Punjab
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The Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) has directed the police to make fool proof security arrangements as three to five suicide bombers have entered the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, The Post reported. Sources in the interior ministry said that the ministry had cautioned the Punjab government about the entrance of suicide bombers who may target the intelligence agencies' installations and political figures.
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March - 2 
According to Daily Times, there were no security arrangements for the assembly, arranged in a shady clearing surrounded by tall trees. The explosion occurred when most of the people had dispersed and noted elders of the five tribes were discussing forming committees to implement the jirga’s decision
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According to Daily Times, there were no security arrangements for the assembly, arranged in a shady clearing surrounded by tall trees. The explosion occurred when most of the people had dispersed and noted elders of the five tribes were discussing forming committees to implement the jirga’s decisions, witnesses said. They said the bomber was between 18 and 22 years old and had a thin beard. "The suicide bomber was an 18-year-old boy. His face is recognisable and initial investigations indicate he was a resident of Darra Adam Khel," senior local official Saleem Gandapur told AFP.
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March - 2 
The US could spend more than $400 million in the next several years to enhance the Frontier Corps (FC), including building a training base near Peshawar, a senior US administration official said, The News reported. The Pentagon has spent about $25 million so far to equip the FC with new body armour,
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The US could spend more than $400 million in the next several years to enhance the Frontier Corps (FC), including building a training base near Peshawar, a senior US administration official said, The News reported. The Pentagon has spent about $25 million so far to equip the FC with new body armour, vehicles, radios and surveillance equipment, and plans to spend $75 million more in the next year, US newspaper The New York Times reported on March 2. At the request of the Chief of the Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, the US Central Command two weeks ago sent a four-member intelligence team, led by a lieutenant colonel, to work closely with Pakistani intelligence officers in Islamabad, the newspaper reported.
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March - 2 
The US embassy in Islamabad on March 2 expressed grave concern over the statement of caretaker Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz claiming that US was behind lawlessness and terrorism in Pakistan, according to Daily Times. "The US Embassy describes as ‘untrue’ recent claims made by Pakistan’s Interior Mi
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The US embassy in Islamabad on March 2 expressed grave concern over the statement of caretaker Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz claiming that US was behind lawlessness and terrorism in Pakistan, according to Daily Times. "The US Embassy describes as ‘untrue’ recent claims made by Pakistan’s Interior Minister concerning the United States," said a statement from the US embassy. In his interview with an Arab television channel, Hamid Nawaz had said that the United States, India and Afghanistan were involved in creating lawlessness in Pakistan and that it was believed that US and Afghanistan were backing militant outfits involved in terrorism in Pakistan.
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March - 3 
According to The News, at least 10 people were killed and six others injured when dozens of armed men belonging to the Khyber Agency-based Lashkar-e-Islam (LeI) attacked Shiekhan village on the outskirts of Peshawar, capital of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) with rocket launchers and other
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According to The News, at least 10 people were killed and six others injured when dozens of armed men belonging to the Khyber Agency-based Lashkar-e-Islam (LeI) attacked Shiekhan village on the outskirts of Peshawar, capital of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) with rocket launchers and other sophisticated weapons before bulldozing a shrine and four houses on March 3. Some sources put the death toll at 16 and said 15 of the deceased were villagers. Police had to fire teargas shells to disperse hundreds of angry villagers who blocked the main Bara Road to register their protest against the LeI militants. "Dozens of armed men of Mangal Bagh-led militant organisation attacked Shiekhan village at around 11.30 am. The villagers, mostly unarmed and unprepared, resisted the assault that resulted into a fierce clash between the rival groups," said a police official. While the militants used rockets and mortar shells besides machineguns and AK-47 assault rifles, the villagers retaliated with rifles. The heavy fighting that continued for hours restricted hundreds of villagers in the nearby areas to their houses. Students in the local schools were also confined to their institutions. Before fleeing to their stronghold Bara in the Khyber Agency of FATA, the LeI militants bulldozed four houses and set ablaze a shrine after razing its building. The Mangal Bagh-led LeI group had reportedly warned the villagers against the stay of a saint, Pir Abdul Hakeem, in the Dani Baba Shrine. The saint is among six people, including a woman, who sustained injuries in the attack. The attack is the first by LeI in the settled part of Peshawar. Mangal Bagh, the head of the LeI, has been enforcing his own brand of Islam in his areas for about two years, according to Dawn. Locals told Daily Times that Shiekhan is home to supporters of Pir Saifur Rehman, who was expelled from Bara in 2007 under immense pressure from the LeI.
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March - 5 
A peace jirga (council) held in Swat on March 5 blamed the intelligence agencies for the prevailing terrorist threat in the region, alleging that TNSM leader Maulana Fazlullah was a mere tool that must surrender to the authorities. “The government [should] hold talks with the intelligence agencies i
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A peace jirga (council) held in Swat on March 5 blamed the intelligence agencies for the prevailing terrorist threat in the region, alleging that TNSM leader Maulana Fazlullah was a mere tool that must surrender to the authorities. “The government [should] hold talks with the intelligence agencies instead of the local Taliban, as the agencies and Maulana Fazlullah are one and the same in the Swat conflict, while the government is their opponent,” the peace jirga alleged. Addressing a press conference following the jirga, tribal elders — Mukhtar Yusafzai, Sher Shah Khan, Khurshid Kaka Jee, Al-Haj Zahid Khan, Fazal Maula Khan and Adalat Khan — announced a movement to restore peace to Swat and other parts of the region. “Maulana Fazlullah is a criminal and must repent the sins he committed at the behest of the intelligence agencies,” the elders said.
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March - 9 
According to Daily Times, militants blew up an oil tanker in Landi Kotal with dynamite on March 9, but the political administration said the tanker was safe. The tanker, which was to carry fuel to Afghanistan, was parked near the Michini check-post.
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According to Daily Times, militants blew up an oil tanker in Landi Kotal with dynamite on March 9, but the political administration said the tanker was safe. The tanker, which was to carry fuel to Afghanistan, was parked near the Michini check-post.
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March - 9 
Caretaker Interior Minister Lt Gen (r) Hamid Nawaz Khan has claimed that around 200 militants have so far surrendered to the authorities in the Swat district of NWFP, according to Daily Times.He told the PTV that 422 people had been arrested in Swat for their involvement in terrorist activities. “Si
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Caretaker Interior Minister Lt Gen (r) Hamid Nawaz Khan has claimed that around 200 militants have so far surrendered to the authorities in the Swat district of NWFP, according to Daily Times.He told the PTV that 422 people had been arrested in Swat for their involvement in terrorist activities. “Six tonnes of explosive material has also been recovered from the area,” he added. “Security agencies have averted 20 to 30 possible incidents of terrorism in the Punjab and Sindh during Muharram and the elections,” the minister said.
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March - 10 
On March 10, the Pakistan army said that it has arrested six suspected militants in the town of Tank and in Swat.
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On March 10, the Pakistan army said that it has arrested six suspected militants in the town of Tank and in Swat.
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March - 10 
On March 10, the Taliban in Mohmand Agency of South Waziristan said that they were attacking security forces in the agency to avenge the killing of five of their men a week ago. On March 4, security forces had killed five militants after firing rockets at the Nahaqqi checkpost in Mohmand Agency. The
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On March 10, the Taliban in Mohmand Agency of South Waziristan said that they were attacking security forces in the agency to avenge the killing of five of their men a week ago. On March 4, security forces had killed five militants after firing rockets at the Nahaqqi checkpost in Mohmand Agency. The newly appointed Tehreek-e-Taliban Mohmand Agency spokesman, Dr Asad told Daily Times, “The Taliban will continue to attack security forces in the agency until and unless security forces end operations in Swat and Waziristan Agency.” He, however, denied that the Taliban had blown up Khasadar checkposts in the agency, saying the government was responsible for the attacks.
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March - 10 
Troops conducted a search operation in the Dherai area to arrest commander Idrees, one of the top 10 aides of militant leader Maulana Fazlullah. However, the operation ended without any arrest, officials said.
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Troops conducted a search operation in the Dherai area to arrest commander Idrees, one of the top 10 aides of militant leader Maulana Fazlullah. However, the operation ended without any arrest, officials said.
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March - 16 
The target of the bombing at an Italian restaurant was Trish, the FBI Operations chief in Pakistan. ARY TV channel reported on March 16 that Trish was the second highest-ranking US official in Pakistan and had been the terrorists’ actual target. It said that she had been injured during the blast but
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The target of the bombing at an Italian restaurant was Trish, the FBI Operations chief in Pakistan. ARY TV channel reported on March 16 that Trish was the second highest-ranking US official in Pakistan and had been the terrorists’ actual target. It said that she had been injured during the blast but was currently in stable condition.
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March - 16 
Three Saudi militants have been handed over by Pakistan, the Saudi interior ministry said on March 16, according to The News. The three "were in Pakistan. Further investigation will tell if they were in other areas," ministry spokesman General Mansur al-Turki told AFP in a reference to Afghanistan.
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Three Saudi militants have been handed over by Pakistan, the Saudi interior ministry said on March 16, according to The News. The three "were in Pakistan. Further investigation will tell if they were in other areas," ministry spokesman General Mansur al-Turki told AFP in a reference to Afghanistan. "Three Saudi citizens who had been in troubled regions in an irregular way have been repatriated with the help of the brothers in Pakistan… They include two who contacted the Saudi embassy to indicate they wanted to return to their country and turn themselves in," the ministry said.
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March - 20 
Daily Times reported that the illegal radio station of militant commander Maulana Fazlullah has resumed broadcasts in the Swat district. BBC Urdu reported on March 20 that official sources had confirmed that Fazlullah’s radio, after a closure of almost three months, was back on air with his fiery sp
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Daily Times reported that the illegal radio station of militant commander Maulana Fazlullah has resumed broadcasts in the Swat district. BBC Urdu reported on March 20 that official sources had confirmed that Fazlullah’s radio, after a closure of almost three months, was back on air with his fiery speeches. "The FM radio station has been broadcasting Fazlullah’s speeches for the last three days, but it has not yet been fully active," a government official told BBC.
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March - 21 March - 22
Elsewhere in the FATA, pro-Taliban militants attacked check-posts manned by the Bajaur Scouts and Bajaur Levies in the in Rehmanabad, Sadiqabad and Shende Mor area of Bajaur Agency late on March 21, official sources told Daily Times on March 22. Heavy weapons were used from both sides when the secur
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Elsewhere in the FATA, pro-Taliban militants attacked check-posts manned by the Bajaur Scouts and Bajaur Levies in the in Rehmanabad, Sadiqabad and Shende Mor area of Bajaur Agency late on March 21, official sources told Daily Times on March 22. Heavy weapons were used from both sides when the security forces retaliated, they said. "The crossfire lasted for an hour, but no loss of life was reported from either side," a source said.
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March - 22 
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on March 22 nominated Yousaf Raza Gillani, its vice chairman, for Prime Minister’s post in consultation with coalition partners, Daily Times reported. "The party has decided to nominate Yousaf Raza Gillani as its candidate for PM," PPP spokesperson Farhatullah Babar
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The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on March 22 nominated Yousaf Raza Gillani, its vice chairman, for Prime Minister’s post in consultation with coalition partners, Daily Times reported. "The party has decided to nominate Yousaf Raza Gillani as its candidate for PM," PPP spokesperson Farhatullah Babar read from a statement he said was given to him by PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari. Babar also said: "The decision has been taken in consultation with party leaders, coalition partners and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari." Yousaf Raza Gillani first contested the National Assembly (NA) election as an independent in 1985. He was a member of Zia-ul-Haq’s Majlis Shura and was also a member of Muhammad Khan Junejo’s cabinet before he had joined the PPP. He held the office of the NA speaker in the second government (1993-96) of Benazir Bhutto and was jailed on charges of misuse of authority.
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March - 23 March - 24
Militants fired a series of rockets at a hospital in Ghalanai, headquarters of the Mohmand Agency, in the FATA late on March 23, damaging the hospital building, and disrupting the supply of electricity and water, Daily Times. However, no loss of life or injuries was reported. Asad, the purported spo
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Militants fired a series of rockets at a hospital in Ghalanai, headquarters of the Mohmand Agency, in the FATA late on March 23, damaging the hospital building, and disrupting the supply of electricity and water, Daily Times. However, no loss of life or injuries was reported. Asad, the purported spokesman of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Mohmand Agency, told Daily Times via telephone from an undisclosed location on March 24 that the TTP was not involved in the attack. He said the local Taliban stood by their cease-fire accord with the government. He suspected that ‘a third force’ was trying to sabotage the government-Taliban truce.
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March - 24 
In the same area, militants fired rockets and mortars at the Chargo check-post in Salarzai late on March 24-night. However, no one was hurt, the area’s political administration said. Security forces launched a retaliatory action in the direction of the attack, it said. No one claimed responsibility
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In the same area, militants fired rockets and mortars at the Chargo check-post in Salarzai late on March 24-night. However, no one was hurt, the area’s political administration said. Security forces launched a retaliatory action in the direction of the attack, it said. No one claimed responsibility for the attack.
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March - 25 
According to Dawn, the Mianwali district police claimed on March 25 of having arrested a suspected would-be suicide bomber, identified as Ahmad, near Dara Tang. A diary containing vital information, 20 CDs and material related to bomb were recovered from his possession, the police added. The diary r
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According to Dawn, the Mianwali district police claimed on March 25 of having arrested a suspected would-be suicide bomber, identified as Ahmad, near Dara Tang. A diary containing vital information, 20 CDs and material related to bomb were recovered from his possession, the police added. The diary reportedly contained information about Taliban activity and addresses of Taliban militants and the CDs had footages of some successful operations conducted by the militants. Dara Tang check post is the entry point from the NWFP, some 80km from Mianwali city.
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March - 27 
John D. Negroponte, the US Deputy Secretary of State, on March 27 expressed serious concern over the new Government’s intent to open dialogue with the militant leaders in the FATA, according to Dawn. In reply to a question whether the US was feeling uncomfortable with the new Government’s plan to op
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John D. Negroponte, the US Deputy Secretary of State, on March 27 expressed serious concern over the new Government’s intent to open dialogue with the militant leaders in the FATA, according to Dawn. In reply to a question whether the US was feeling uncomfortable with the new Government’s plan to open negotiations with militants in tribal areas, Negroponte said he did not see how it would be possible to hold discussions with some "irreconcilable" militants. "I don’t think you can talk to irreconcilable elements. There can be talks with reconcilable elements," he said, calling for tackling the threat in a "mutually agreeable way". In reply to a question at a news conference whether he had come to Pakistan to "rescue" Pervez Musharraf at a time when the demand for his resignation and impeachment was growing, Negroponte said: "He is of course president of the country… Any debate ... with regard to the issue of his status is something that will have to be addressed by the internal Pakistani political process. We will certainly respect whatever is decided in that regard."
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March - 27 
The new Government will withdraw the army from Swat in NWFP and end "violence in the name of war and terror", Awami National Party (ANP) President Asfandyar Wali said on March 27, according to Daily Times. Talking to reporters after a meeting with a US congressional delegation at Frontier House in I
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The new Government will withdraw the army from Swat in NWFP and end "violence in the name of war and terror", Awami National Party (ANP) President Asfandyar Wali said on March 27, according to Daily Times. Talking to reporters after a meeting with a US congressional delegation at Frontier House in Islamabad, he said the problems in South Waziristan should be resolved politically rather than by use of power. "I hate [the phrase] ‘war against terrorism’," he said, adding that he had told the US delegation what the ANP’s stance was. He said the new Government would have to focus on law and order, because the problem had spread from the Tribal Areas to the whole country.
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March - 30 
Al Qaeda is training western-looking operatives in the tribal areas of Pakistan, making it easier for them to get past security at US airports, according to CIA Director Michael Hayden, Dawn reported. Talking on NBC’s news programme ‘Meet the Press’, Hayden said the most likely point of origin from
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Al Qaeda is training western-looking operatives in the tribal areas of Pakistan, making it easier for them to get past security at US airports, according to CIA Director Michael Hayden, Dawn reported. Talking on NBC’s news programme ‘Meet the Press’, Hayden said the most likely point of origin from where terrorists would launch another attack against the US was the sanctuary in tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan. He also said that the agency believed Osama bin Laden was in the border region, between Pakistan and Afghanistan, but he was "not operationally involved." He "is more of an iconic figure" for the global terrorist movement, Hayden stated, adding that killing or capturing him and deputy commander Ayman Al Zawahiri remained a "high priority for the CIA."
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April - 1 
Authorities should only use force as a last resort against militants near the Afghan border, newly elected North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti said on April 1, according to Daily Times. Addressing the provincial assembly, he said the use of force in the past mad
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Authorities should only use force as a last resort against militants near the Afghan border, newly elected North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti said on April 1, according to Daily Times. Addressing the provincial assembly, he said the use of force in the past made it harder to bring peace to the province. He said his Government would, instead, promote dialogue at all levels. "We’ll make every effort to restore peace in the province. We’ll form traditional jirgas for peace," he stated. The Awami National Party’s Hoti was elected as Chief Minister unopposed on March 31.
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April - 6 
Balochistan Governor Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi has said that reconciliation efforts have begun in the province and the new Government will take steps to make them successful, according to Dawn. He informed the media in provincial capital Quetta that stopping military operation and restoring peace and
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Balochistan Governor Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi has said that reconciliation efforts have begun in the province and the new Government will take steps to make them successful, according to Dawn. He informed the media in provincial capital Quetta that stopping military operation and restoring peace and normality in the province would be the new Government’s priority. He said the Government’s first task should be to initiate dialogue with dissidents because the use of force over the past five years had not yielded any positive result.
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April - 7 
The British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said in Islamabad on April 7 that there were connections between terrorist groups operating in the UK and Pakistan, according to Dawn. Threats to the UK had connections in Pakistan, she said, adding that threats to Pakistan had been traced back to the UK.
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The British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said in Islamabad on April 7 that there were connections between terrorist groups operating in the UK and Pakistan, according to Dawn. Threats to the UK had connections in Pakistan, she said, adding that threats to Pakistan had been traced back to the UK.
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April - 7 
The new coalition Government will not negotiate with "terrorists", Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on April 7, according to Daily Times. "We will not negotiate with terrorists, but we will engage [them in dialogue] and we believe in political engagement," Qureshi told Dawn News television
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The new coalition Government will not negotiate with "terrorists", Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on April 7, according to Daily Times. "We will not negotiate with terrorists, but we will engage [them in dialogue] and we believe in political engagement," Qureshi told Dawn News television in an interview. He said the new Government would adopt a multi-pronged strategy to combat terrorism, as military force alone was not the only solution. The Foreign minister also said that it was a mistaken perception that Pakistan was fighting the US’ war on terror, adding that terrorism was affecting Pakistan’s people and economy. He said the new Government would convince the people that the war on terror was in Pakistan’s best interest. On the continued detention of Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan for confessing to passing nuclear bomb technology to Iran, North Korea and Libya, Qureshi said he didn’t want Khan’s movements "restricted". He said Khan was a "respected Pakistani" who should be allowed to go out if he wished. He added that Dr Khan would not be handed over to the International Atomic Energy Agency. On the Kashmir issue, Qureshi said the Government would not put it on the backburner, as it was also on the agenda of the composite dialogue with India. He said Pakistan would have an independent foreign policy that serves its national interest.
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April - 8 
The North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Government launched a fresh peace process for the violence-hit Swat district on April 8 by constituting a ministerial committee to initiate dialogue with different groups of militants, Dawn reported. Provincial Information Minister Sardar Hussain Babak said th
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The North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Government launched a fresh peace process for the violence-hit Swat district on April 8 by constituting a ministerial committee to initiate dialogue with different groups of militants, Dawn reported. Provincial Information Minister Sardar Hussain Babak said that the provincial cabinet in its first meeting had decided to reactivate the jirga system to resolve the issue of militancy through peaceful means. Babak said the committee comprising two senior ministers and some other cabinet members from Malakand region had been tasked to work out a mechanism for the proposed jirga. Elected representatives, notables and ulema (religious scholars) from the region would be inducted into the jirga, he said, adding that the NWFP Government was launching a comprehensive dialogue process from the Swat district. The minister said the committee would put up its recommendations to the cabinet within two weeks. Senior ministers Rahimdad Khan and Bashir Ahmad Bilour would head the committee.
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April - 9 
The Kashmiri leadership and the Kashmiri people are disappointed because of the previous Government's Kashmir policy and they have lost their trust and support, he stated. All the options that General Musharraf had been offering on the Kashmir issue have not been responded to by India, he said. "It
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The Kashmiri leadership and the Kashmiri people are disappointed because of the previous Government's Kashmir policy and they have lost their trust and support, he stated. All the options that General Musharraf had been offering on the Kashmir issue have not been responded to by India, he said. "It is necessary now that the newly-elected Prime Minister, Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, should review the country's Kashmir policy, immediately change the stance and talk openly to resolve this issue," Saeed said.
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April - 9 
The proscribed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has rejected the Government’s offer for talks, saying it was not ready even to consider it. Talking to Dawn by a satellite phone on April 9, the BLA spokesman Beebarg Baloch said: "We regard the Government’s offer for talks as its defeat because previously
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The proscribed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has rejected the Government’s offer for talks, saying it was not ready even to consider it. Talking to Dawn by a satellite phone on April 9, the BLA spokesman Beebarg Baloch said: "We regard the Government’s offer for talks as its defeat because previously it was not ready even to recognise the existence of the BLA." He said that three pillars of what he called genocide of the Baloch nation - establishment, the army and the Musharraf-led system - were intact and the Government could not hoodwink the Baloch people. He said that two former governors of Balochistan, a chief minister, a provincial minister and a federal minister were on the hit-list of the BLA.
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April - 14 
The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Director Robert S Mueller told a meeting in London last week that al Qaeda would not "go quietly into the night," having established "new sanctuaries" in "ungoverned spaces, Tribal Areas, and the Frontier province of Pakistan." Addressing a meeting at Chath
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The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Director Robert S Mueller told a meeting in London last week that al Qaeda would not "go quietly into the night," having established "new sanctuaries" in "ungoverned spaces, Tribal Areas, and the Frontier province of Pakistan." Addressing a meeting at Chatham House, Mueller said al Qaeda is resilient and its network is now diffused, Daily Times reported. He said a top tier is the core al Qaeda organisation, which has "established new sanctuaries in Pakistan", which means that it can "reconstitute its leadership, recruit new operatives, and regenerate its capability to attack."
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April - 14 
The National Assembly asked the Government on April 14 to approach the United Nations to get former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s assassination investigated by an international commission, on the pattern of a probe into the 2005 killing of former Prime Minister of Lebanon Rafiq Hariri, according t
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The National Assembly asked the Government on April 14 to approach the United Nations to get former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s assassination investigated by an international commission, on the pattern of a probe into the 2005 killing of former Prime Minister of Lebanon Rafiq Hariri, according to Dawn. The demand was made in a unanimously passed resolution moved by Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Farooq H. Naek, who later said that the Government would move the UN Security Council "as soon as possible" to set up the panel that the document said must "identify the culprits, perpetrators, organisers and financiers behind this heinous crime and bring them to justice."
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April - 21 
Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said the military was not involved in the Government’s decision to release the TNSM chief, AP reported.
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Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said the military was not involved in the Government’s decision to release the TNSM chief, AP reported.
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April - 21 
The BNP, of which Mengal is the president, rejected the decision, saying that it was "absolutely meaningless" to withdraw all the cases except the one for which he was being held in a Karachi jail. BNP Central Secretary General Habib Jalib Baloch said that the decision was a "cosmetic measure" taken
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The BNP, of which Mengal is the president, rejected the decision, saying that it was "absolutely meaningless" to withdraw all the cases except the one for which he was being held in a Karachi jail. BNP Central Secretary General Habib Jalib Baloch said that the decision was a "cosmetic measure" taken by a "totally powerless provincial government" to gain political mileage. The actual centres of power in the country were the military and the intelligence agencies, he said, adding that the establishment did not support co-operation between political forces and did not want Mengal and hundreds of BNP leaders released.
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April - 21 
The Government has decided to ban carrying of and display of weapons as part of its policy of maintaining peace. A plan in this regard would be made public in a couple of days, Adviser to Prime Minister on Interior Affairs, Rehman Malik, told Dawn on April 21. Malik said misuse of weapons and their
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The Government has decided to ban carrying of and display of weapons as part of its policy of maintaining peace. A plan in this regard would be made public in a couple of days, Adviser to Prime Minister on Interior Affairs, Rehman Malik, told Dawn on April 21. Malik said misuse of weapons and their unnoticed display was one of the main reasons for deterioration in the law and order situation. He also said provincial Governments had been asked to enforce the ban and issue new arms licences with care and after thorough investigation.
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April - 21 
The ruling Awami National Party Information Secretary Zahid Khan said talks were underway with militants to free other people as part of the reconciliation process, NNI reported.
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The ruling Awami National Party Information Secretary Zahid Khan said talks were underway with militants to free other people as part of the reconciliation process, NNI reported.
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April - 21 
There is "strong evidence" that al Qaeda operatives are present in the Tribal Areas along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on April 21, according to Daily Times. "The evidence shows that al Qaeda is present there (along the Pak-Afghan border)," he said w
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There is "strong evidence" that al Qaeda operatives are present in the Tribal Areas along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on April 21, according to Daily Times. "The evidence shows that al Qaeda is present there (along the Pak-Afghan border)," he said while addressing a joint press conference at the Foreign Office with his Pakistani counterpart, Shah Mehmood Qureshi. Rejecting the idea of unilateral action against al Qaeda, he said that Pakistan, Afghanistan and NATO forces should all work together to defeat the terrorist organisation. Miliband said he supported Pakistan’s "multi-pronged" strategy to deal with militancy through political and economic means as well as security measures. However, he added, "Reconciliation does not mean creating safe space for terrorists."
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April - 22 
Maulana Fazlullah’s spokesman on April 22 welcomed Sufi Muhammad’s release, but vowed that an armed struggle for Shariah law would continue despite the signing of a peace accord. Muslim Khan said: "We welcome the release ... but we will only lay down arms when the Government enforces Shariah law." A
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Maulana Fazlullah’s spokesman on April 22 welcomed Sufi Muhammad’s release, but vowed that an armed struggle for Shariah law would continue despite the signing of a peace accord. Muslim Khan said: "We welcome the release ... but we will only lay down arms when the Government enforces Shariah law." Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas also said that no decision had been made to withdraw the army from Swat.
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April - 22 
More agreements between the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Government and militants are in the pipeline, NWFP Law Minister Arshad Abdullah said on April 22, according to Daily Times. He said that the release of Maulana Sufi Muhammad, chief of the banned Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TN
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More agreements between the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Government and militants are in the pipeline, NWFP Law Minister Arshad Abdullah said on April 22, according to Daily Times. He said that the release of Maulana Sufi Muhammad, chief of the banned Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM), was a step towards bringing peace to the Malakand division. It also delivered the Government’s message of peace to other militant groups, he added. Asked if amnesty would be granted to other militants, Abdullah said agreements aimed at bringing peace to the country in general and NWFP in particular were in the pipeline, and the Government was negotiating with other militant factions, including Fazlullah’s. However, the law minister clarified that a Government amnesty would only be for Pakistani nationals, not foreign militants. Asked if the implementation of Shariah law in Malakand division was part of the agreement with the TSNM, the law minister said it was not part of the six-point peace agreement. In the agreement, Abdullah said that "the organisation [TNSM] assured that the Government of Pakistan and state institutions would be respected so that peace and the government’s writ of state could be restored in Malakand region." The TNSM also assured the Government that if certain elements did not refrain from militancy, the Government would have the right to take action against them, he added.
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April - 23 
The United States’ judgement on the new Pakistani Government’s peace deal with militants will depend on whether the groups keep their pledge against using force, US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher said on April 23, according to Daily Times. He said, "The Pakistani Government is engaged
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The United States’ judgement on the new Pakistani Government’s peace deal with militants will depend on whether the groups keep their pledge against using force, US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher said on April 23, according to Daily Times. He said, "The Pakistani Government is engaged in discussions designed to stop violence. It’s got to be done in a way that produces results, that reduces violence. It’s the outcome that matters." Boucher said there had been such efforts in the past, but unsuccessful ones because they were not enforced. The White House Press Secretary Dana Perino, however, said, "We have been concerned about these types of approaches because we don’t think they work." "What we encourage them to do," Perino said, "is to continue to fight against the terrorists and to not disrupt any security or military operations that are ongoing in order to help prevent a safe haven for terrorists there."
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April - 28 
An unnamed senior official said it was a "pressure tactic" and Baitullah wanted to extract maximum benefit, according to Dawn. Sources said that Baitullah was demanding release of his supporters detained on charges of terrorist activities before reaching an agreement with the Government.
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An unnamed senior official said it was a "pressure tactic" and Baitullah wanted to extract maximum benefit, according to Dawn. Sources said that Baitullah was demanding release of his supporters detained on charges of terrorist activities before reaching an agreement with the Government.
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April - 28 
Baitullah Mehsud, chief of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has temporarily suspended talks with the Government over the army’s refusal to withdraw from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), his spokesman announced on April 28, Daily Times reported. The cease-fire announced by Mehsud
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Baitullah Mehsud, chief of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has temporarily suspended talks with the Government over the army’s refusal to withdraw from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), his spokesman announced on April 28, Daily Times reported. The cease-fire announced by Mehsud last week would continue, spokesman Maulana Umar added. The truce was declared after officials announced that a peace agreement had been drafted that included the withdrawal of Government soldiers from some border areas, as well as the exchange of captives on both sides and a pledge not to launch attacks, AFP reported. "TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud ordered the cancellation of negotiations with the Government through a tribal jirga [council]," Umar told reporters by telephone. He said that Mehsud had taken the decision after learning of the continued presence of troops in the FATA. "Some hidden hands are not sincere in (a) deal with the Taliban and there are elements that do not want peace," Umar quoted Mehsud. He said the negotiating team had been ‘disappointed’ by the Government’s inaction. He said the Taliban would resume dialogue if their demands were accepted, adding that the Taliban required the Government to show that it was committed to the peace agreement. He warned that the Taliban would "take revenge" if the Government launched any military operation, Reuters reported. Separately, AP quoted the Awami National Party’s Muhammad Adeel as saying that the Taliban’s demand of a "symbolic" gesture had caused the breakdown in talks.
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April - 30 
The North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Government has received a list of demands from the local Taliban to end the ongoing tension and restore peace in the Swat Valley, Daily Times reported. According to sources in the Government, negotiations between the Maulana Fazlullah-led Taliban and the NWFP
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The North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Government has received a list of demands from the local Taliban to end the ongoing tension and restore peace in the Swat Valley, Daily Times reported. According to sources in the Government, negotiations between the Maulana Fazlullah-led Taliban and the NWFP Government are scheduled to occur in a few days. They claimed that the intelligence agencies had forwarded the list of demands to the Government. The sources said that the Taliban have demanded the imposition of Shariah (Islamic law) in Malakand division, an end of all cases against the Taliban and amnesty for the local Taliban of the region. The Government is considering the demands to bring peace to the region, they added. The local Taliban are also in contact with the Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM) chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad for peace and Shariah in the region. Sufi Muhammad has convened a shura (executive council) meeting of the TNSM on May 15 to deliberate on the peace process in the region. Further, Fazlullah said on April 30 that he is ready for talks with the Government. In a speech broadcast on his illegal FM radio station, he said that the Government must show sincerity in its efforts for peace to ensure successful negotiations. He also vowed to continue the struggle for the implementation of Shariah in the Malakand division and urged the people of the region to support his cause. Fazlullah claimed that some elements were attempting to sabotage the peace efforts by creating misunderstanding between the Government and the Taliban. This was the first transmission by Fazlullah’s radio station since it was shut down by troops during the military operation in 2007.
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April - 30 
The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on April 30 refused to talk to the Government after the latter sent a Jirga (council) to negotiate a peace deal in the militancy-hit tribal regions. Talking to The News from an undisclosed location, the TTP spokesman Maulana Omar rejected the reports as baseless w
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The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on April 30 refused to talk to the Government after the latter sent a Jirga (council) to negotiate a peace deal in the militancy-hit tribal regions. Talking to The News from an undisclosed location, the TTP spokesman Maulana Omar rejected the reports as baseless which claimed that talks between militants and the Government had resumed to resolve the conflict in FATA, Swat and Darra Adam Khel. "Yes, the government approached us once again on Wednesday and sent even a Jirga that wanted us to resume the talks. But we declined the offer as the talks have no purpose," remarked the militants' spokesman and a close aide to TTP chief and deputy chief Baitullah Mehsud and Maulana Faqir Mohammad, respectively. "Once again I fear clouds of violence are hovering over the tribal areas and some settled districts of NWFP if the present government repeats the blunders of the previous one led by Gen Musharraf," Omar said. He added that "We will never lay down arms till the army is present in the tribal areas and Swat."
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May - 1 
Chief Minister of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, will unveil a $4 billion peace plan that envisages a 30 per cent reduction in militancy within three years, retrieval of the areas lost to militants and improvement in the writ of the state, Dawn reported. The plan, p
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Chief Minister of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, will unveil a $4 billion peace plan that envisages a 30 per cent reduction in militancy within three years, retrieval of the areas lost to militants and improvement in the writ of the state, Dawn reported. The plan, put together by a task force of the Awami National Party, envisions a peace jirga (council) comprising provincial ministers and legislators. The Government has set up a peace committee for Malakand to restore peace in Swat but the plan proposes a larger jirga with its terms of reference outlined. Sources said Hoti would unveil the plan in the NWFP assembly, to be convened soon. The speech will outline the objectives of the plan – reducing the level of insurgency in the province by 30 per cent within three years, including attacks on security forces and suicide and roadside bombings, reclaiming areas lost to militants and strengthening the writ of the state. It envisages an increase in the number of police personnel by 8,000 men and Frontier Constabulary by 6,000. It seeks reforms in police, revival of executive magistracy, support for the recently-established regional coordinating officers and 10 Regional Peace Conferences of Ulema (religious scholars). A member of the task force said a donors’ conference would be convened to finance the peace plan. He said some countries had already shown interest in financing the plan. "There is a great deal of interest. The Saudis, Americans, European Union, Scandinavians and Chinese have all shown interest in the peace plan," said Khalid Aziz who played a key role in drafting the plan. Commenting on the peace plan, Chief Minister Hoti told Dawn: "The international community needs to understand that instead of firing a multi-million dollar missile that causes collateral damage it is better to invest that money to improve the lives of the people. They need to send out a powerful message to the people that this whole war on terror is not just about killing, it’s also about changing their lives for the better."
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May - 1 
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has condemned the suicide attack. Talking to The Post via satellite phone from an undisclosed location, TTP spokesman Maulana Umar said that the Taliban had no involvement in the suicide attack on Namdar. "He is our elder and he is our leader," Umar said while referr
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Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has condemned the suicide attack. Talking to The Post via satellite phone from an undisclosed location, TTP spokesman Maulana Umar said that the Taliban had no involvement in the suicide attack on Namdar. "He is our elder and he is our leader," Umar said while referring to Haji Namdar. "How could we think to attack him," he added.
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May - 1 
The local Taliban have started sending their militants to Afghanistan to fight the United States-led NATO forces after announcing a cease-fire in Pakistan, BBC Urdu reported on May 1, according to Daily Times. An unnamed Taliban leader told BBC that the local Taliban leadership had started sending m
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The local Taliban have started sending their militants to Afghanistan to fight the United States-led NATO forces after announcing a cease-fire in Pakistan, BBC Urdu reported on May 1, according to Daily Times. An unnamed Taliban leader told BBC that the local Taliban leadership had started sending militants into Afghanistan after announcing a truce in Pakistan following an agreement with the new Government. He said that many Pakistani Taliban had crossed into Afghanistan in groups over the last few days to attack the US and NATO forces. He added that the Taliban used "unusual paths" to cross the border because of the presence of Pakistani and foreign troops. The Taliban spokesman Maulana Umar neither denied nor confirmed the recent movement of militants into Afghanistan. He said that the infiltration of Taliban into Afghanistan had been continuing for the last several years. He said the "real jihad" was continuing against foreign forces in Afghanistan, adding that the Taliban were "merely defending" themselves in Pakistan. However, military spokesman Major General Athar Abaas told BBC that he had not received any confirmed reports regarding Taliban’s cross-border movement. He said that 120,000 Pakistani troops, armed with latest weapons and equipment, had been deployed at 1,000 check-posts on the border to check the movement of militants.
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May - 2 
Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has said that the military operation in Balochistan has been stopped, Dawn reported. Addressing the Balochistan cabinet in the provincial capital Quetta on May 2, the Prime Minister asked the federal and provincial Governments to withdraw all cases registered ag
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Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has said that the military operation in Balochistan has been stopped, Dawn reported. Addressing the Balochistan cabinet in the provincial capital Quetta on May 2, the Prime Minister asked the federal and provincial Governments to withdraw all cases registered against former Chief Minister Sardar Akhtar Mengal so that he could be released. “I asked the military to stop operation in Balochistan until I am briefed by the new provincial Government on the ground realities in the province,” he said. “It has been decided that no army action will be carried out in the province until a strategy is formulated in consultation with representatives of the provincial Government to deal with the issue of law and order in the province,” he stated. The Prime Minister also reportedly ordered the provincial Governments to use all available resources to trace the ‘missing people’ of Balochistan and other provinces.
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May - 2 
The Hakeemullah Group, a militant organisation associated with Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud, on May 2 claimed responsibility for the suicide attack on a madrassa (seminary) in the Khyber Agency on May 1, Daily Times reported. More than 18 persons were wounded in the attack when a suicide bombe
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The Hakeemullah Group, a militant organisation associated with Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud, on May 2 claimed responsibility for the suicide attack on a madrassa (seminary) in the Khyber Agency on May 1, Daily Times reported. More than 18 persons were wounded in the attack when a suicide bomber attacked a seminary run by a religio-militant organisation, Amar Bil Maroof Wa Nahi Anil Munkar (Promotion of Virtue and Suppression of Vice). The group’s chief Haji Namdar who was the target of the attack escaped unhurt. “The Hakeemullah Group has claimed responsibility for the suicide attack on Haji Namdar,” sources in the group told Daily Times. Sources said the Hakeemullah Group had told the organisation that the suicide attack on its chief Namdar was “the result of its links with the Government and the expulsion of Hakeemullah Group by the Amar Bil Maroof Wa Nahi Anil Munkar at the behest of the Government.” The sources said Namdar “held the Hakeemullah Group responsible for all the mess in the Khyber Agency.”
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May - 2 
The head of the US armed forces warned on May 2 that militants hiding in the FATA of Pakistan pose a direct threat to the United States and other Western nations, according to Dawn. Al Qaeda and the Taliban are using the area to regroup and “I believe they are preparing to launch attacks against the
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The head of the US armed forces warned on May 2 that militants hiding in the FATA of Pakistan pose a direct threat to the United States and other Western nations, according to Dawn. Al Qaeda and the Taliban are using the area to regroup and “I believe they are preparing to launch attacks against the US and Western interests,” said Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen. “All nations must work with Pakistan’s new government to address the challenges in the tribal area,” he told the 102nd annual meeting of the American Jewish Committee in Washington. Meanwhile, in a report to the US House of Representatives and the Senate, the Pentagon said that al Qaeda and Taliban militants had built “safe havens” at several places in the FATA. “Deficiencies in the Pakistan army’s ability to conduct counter-insurgency operations are being addressed; however, it will take three to five years before they are realised on the battlefield,” the report said. The Pakistan army has been trained and equipped to fight India, while the Frontier Corps that is responsible for the tribal areas is under-trained, ill-equipped and “in many cases are outgunned by their militant opponents”, the report said. The armed forces had “deficiencies in structure, tactics, doctrine and flexibility”, the Pentagon stated.
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May - 4 
Al Qaeda based in Pakistan were behind last week’s assassination attempt on Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan’s intelligence chief said on May 4, Daily Times reported. The head of Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security, Amrullah Saleh, said foreign Governments should put pressure on
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Al Qaeda based in Pakistan were behind last week’s assassination attempt on Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan’s intelligence chief said on May 4, Daily Times reported. The head of Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security, Amrullah Saleh, said foreign Governments should put pressure on Pakistan to target militant bases within its own borders. Militants had fired rocket-propelled grenades and small arms at a state parade in Kabul on April 27, killing three persons. The Afghan troops subsequently killed the three attackers. They had links with al Qaeda in Miranshah, headquarters of North Waziristan in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Saleh said, and branded the network the mastermind of the attack. "Al Qaeda’s role and involvement in the attack is very clear," Saleh informed a press conference. "They have bases (in Pakistan). They are supplied financially and logistically. They receive very sophisticated training... We have always said that pressure on their bases, combined with our intelligence can destroy them," he added.
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May - 4 
The federal Government has decided to withdraw Frontier Corps (FC) from Gwadar and Quetta and hand over the responsibility of managing the law and order to police in the two cities, Dawn reported. FC troops were reportedly seen withdrawing from their positions on May 4-evening. APP reported that FC
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The federal Government has decided to withdraw Frontier Corps (FC) from Gwadar and Quetta and hand over the responsibility of managing the law and order to police in the two cities, Dawn reported. FC troops were reportedly seen withdrawing from their positions on May 4-evening. APP reported that FC sources said more than 600 FC troops had been withdrawn from 28 check-posts in the provincial capital Quetta, adding that about the same number of troops had also been recalled from the Gwadar district. "The Government has decided to withdraw the FC troops from Gwadar and Quetta," a senior official of the Frontier Corps, Balochistan, told Dawn. He said that the FC personnel would gradually vacate all posts in the cities. Sources said that the Chief Security Officer of Gwadar, who belonged to the FC, had been replaced by a Deputy Inspector-General of Police. The provincial Government had set up more than 40 pickets, jointly manned by personnel of the Frontier Corps, Balochistan Constabulary and police, following deterioration in the law and order situation in Quetta. However, sources in the FC said that paramilitary troops were being withdrawn because "there is no longer any need to keep them in the two cities", adding that the FC personnel were being recalled under an understanding reached with the Balochistan police chief. Contingents of the newly-established Balochistan Constabulary and police were reportedly taking over control of Quetta and Gwadar. A senior police officer said that posts previously manned by FC personnel in Quetta and suburbs would not be abolished. Instead, they would be handed over to the combined force of the constabulary and police. However, officials said that FC troops would remain stationed in troubled areas like Dera Bugti and Kohlu to protect sensitive installations, including the Sui gas plant and the pipeline network supplying natural gas all over the country.
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May - 4 
The Taliban have blamed the Government’s "inflexibility" for the lack of progress in negotiations, Dawn reported on May 4. Talks between the Government and the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had stalled early this week after Baitullah Mehsud accused the Government of refusing to withdraw troops fro
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The Taliban have blamed the Government’s "inflexibility" for the lack of progress in negotiations, Dawn reported on May 4. Talks between the Government and the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had stalled early this week after Baitullah Mehsud accused the Government of refusing to withdraw troops from the FATA and Swat in the NWFP. TTP spokesman Maulana Umar told Dawn on phone from an unspecified location that his outfit had kept the doors open for a meaningful dialogue with the Government. "Taliban believe only in meaningful dialogue and don’t want to waste time in rhetoric," he said, adding that a Government-sponsored jirga (council) had approached Baitullah Mehsud to resume the talks, but he refused. "We have informed the jirga that unless our basic demands are met, we will not resume the dialogue," Umar said. The TTP has demanded withdrawal of army troops from Waziristan, Darra Adam Khel and Swat district. But, according to the Taliban, the Government had refused to accept the demand. The spokesman said the Government and Taliban had been negotiating for the past three months. He also said the coalition Government in the NWFP had not yet contacted the TTP for restoration of peace in the province.
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May - 4 
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has banned musical alerts on mobile phones in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Geo News reported on May 5. The channel quoted a TTP spokesman as saying that TTP deputy chief Maulana Faqir Muhammad had banned playing music in vehicles as well as on
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The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has banned musical alerts on mobile phones in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Geo News reported on May 5. The channel quoted a TTP spokesman as saying that TTP deputy chief Maulana Faqir Muhammad had banned playing music in vehicles as well as on cellular phones. He said that violators would be punished according to the Shariah (Islamic law), according to Daily Times.
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May - 5 
The United States said on May 5 that it wanted Pakistan to live up to its commitment of urgently bringing security under control in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), allegedly used as a safe haven by al Qaeda and Taliban militants, Daily Times reported. Deputy Secretary of State John N
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The United States said on May 5 that it wanted Pakistan to live up to its commitment of urgently bringing security under control in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), allegedly used as a safe haven by al Qaeda and Taliban militants, Daily Times reported. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said Islamabad recognised that bringing the mountainous and unpoliced FATA under control was an urgent priority for Pakistan’s own sake. "But let me be clear: we will not be satisfied until all the violent extremism emanating from FATA is brought under control," he said at a forum of the Washington-based National Endowment for Democracy. "It is unacceptable for extremists to use those areas to plan, train for, or execute attacks against Afghanistan, Pakistan, or the wider world," he stated. Negroponte also said Pakistan’s Government "must bring the Frontier area under its control as quickly as possible," pointing out that Washington was prepared to provide "appropriate assistance" in order to achieve that objective.
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May - 7 
An Afghan governor warned on May 7 that radical groups in Pakistan were receiving funding from Arab nations for the Taliban and their al Qaeda allies, Daily Times reported. "They can finance Taliban activities for another 10 years," Laghman province Governor Lutfallah Mashal said at a meeting of the
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An Afghan governor warned on May 7 that radical groups in Pakistan were receiving funding from Arab nations for the Taliban and their al Qaeda allies, Daily Times reported. "They can finance Taliban activities for another 10 years," Laghman province Governor Lutfallah Mashal said at a meeting of the European Union officials, journalists and Afghan experts in Brussels. The governors of northern Baghlan and eastern Nangarhar provinces were also present at the meeting. The three governors appealed for more international aid to be focused on the tribal regions that straddle the border with Pakistan, to win over residents in areas where Taliban support remained strong.
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May - 11 
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has announced that the unilateral cease-fire announced in April 2008 has virtually ended and therefore the militants have resumed attacks on troops in some parts of the country. "We are not formally announcing that the unilateral ceasefire we have proclaimed few
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The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has announced that the unilateral cease-fire announced in April 2008 has virtually ended and therefore the militants have resumed attacks on troops in some parts of the country. "We are not formally announcing that the unilateral ceasefire we have proclaimed few months back has been withdrawn but I feel no hesitation to announce that the truce has virtually ended," said Maulana Umer, a TTP spokesman. In a telephonic interview with The Post, Umer said that peace negotiations were now a bygone tale. "The Government wasted our four months in futile exercise of signing peace accord. The efforts from the government remained largely confined to media statements," Umer alleged. Umer dismissed the media reports that the Taliban had given two months deadline to men in Taliban-controlled areas to sport beard or face dire consequences. "It is unfortunate that we have been misquoted by some media organisations. We have never given any such deadline to men to grow beards or get ready for consequences," Umer clarified. The spokesman also said that the Taliban had no intention to establish a Government within the Government or run a parallel judicial system. However, he made clear that the Taliban would take action against sins, injustices and malpractices if brought into their notice by the citizens. The Taliban didn't want to fight with army or police but the militants had to retaliate when they were attacked, he said. "It is regrettable that our army is playing mercenary role for American, which is enemy of Islam and Taliban are fully prepared to continue to fight American forces and their aides till they are wipe-out completely from the surface of earth," Umer stated. The spokesman said that the Taliban were fast spreading in other parts of the country in general and in the tribal areas as well as in most parts of the NWFP in particular, saying that all the Taliban were united under their leader, Baitullah Mehsud.
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May - 13 
A policeman was killed and two others sustained injuries in an attack by the insurgents in Quetta, capital of Balochistan, on May 13, according to Daily Times. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the killing. It also reportedly warned the people of Balochistan to quit wo
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A policeman was killed and two others sustained injuries in an attack by the insurgents in Quetta, capital of Balochistan, on May 13, according to Daily Times. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the killing. It also reportedly warned the people of Balochistan to quit working for law-enforcement agencies or "the BLA will kill them". BLA spokesman Bibarg Baloch told Daily Times that Baloch people should quit their jobs in the army, Frontier Corps and police, adding that people should also refrain from seeking jobs in the law-enforcement agencies. He also asked the people not to stand near police or security check-posts, to avoid collateral damage that might result because of the BLA’s plans to target security forces. "Regular attacks will take place on government installations and policemen. The BLA feels sorry for innocent people who are often killed in attacks on security forces," he said.
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May - 13 
The North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Government and the Tehreek-e-Taliban agreed on May 13 to the implementation of Shari Nizam-e-Adl Regulations 1999 in the Malakand division within one month, Daily Times reported. The Taliban’s demand for the implementation of Shariah (Islamic law) has been set
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The North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Government and the Tehreek-e-Taliban agreed on May 13 to the implementation of Shari Nizam-e-Adl Regulations 1999 in the Malakand division within one month, Daily Times reported. The Taliban’s demand for the implementation of Shariah (Islamic law) has been settled, the NWFP unit president of the Awami National Party, Afrasiab Khattak, informed the media after the second round of talks with Taliban representatives from Swat. He also said the two sides decided to extend the cease-fire agreement until the third round of the dialogue. Asked about the withdrawal of troops from Swat, Khattak said the issue was discussed during the meeting, but no agreement had been reached. Taliban representative Ali Bakht told reporters that their delegation was completely satisfied with the progress made in the second round of talks. He said the Taliban had demanded implementation of Shariah, the army’s withdrawal from Swat, the release of all Taliban prisoners without pre-conditions and compensation for damages to civilians during military operations in Swat. Asked if the Taliban would lay down arms before a troop withdrawal from Swat, Ali Bakht said "We have no arms."
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May - 14 
Around 24 madrassa (seminary) students from Swat in the NWFP are being investigated by security forces, while first information reports (FIR) have been registered against six others for being involved in child militancy during the military operation in Swat, according to Daily Times. In his report o
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Around 24 madrassa (seminary) students from Swat in the NWFP are being investigated by security forces, while first information reports (FIR) have been registered against six others for being involved in child militancy during the military operation in Swat, according to Daily Times. In his report on children’s rights, the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC) Child Rights Committee District Co-ordinator Shaukat Salim said that child militancy in Swat is on the rise. He said that about 25 to 30 madrassa students (from seven to 15 years of age) of Kabal sub-division were used as child militants by Maulana Fazlullah, leader of the militants. Salim said that security forces had registered FIRs against six students at Kabal Police Station after foiling a planned suicide mission against security forces. He said the remaining 24 students were still under investigation at an undisclosed location.
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May - 14 
The NATO announced a sharp increase in insurgent attacks in east Afghanistan on May 14 and raised concerns that it was partly due to pacts between Pakistan and the militants in tribal areas on its side of the border. The number of violent incidents in the Afghan east stood last month at 50 per cent
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The NATO announced a sharp increase in insurgent attacks in east Afghanistan on May 14 and raised concerns that it was partly due to pacts between Pakistan and the militants in tribal areas on its side of the border. The number of violent incidents in the Afghan east stood last month at 50 per cent above the same time last year, an alliance spokesman said. The violence there was close to a peak reached last August, he added. "The concern is that the deals struck by the Pakistan Government and extremist groups in tribal areas may be allowing them to have a safe haven," spokesman James Appathurai told a regular briefing after a meeting of alliance ambassadors. "This has been communicated to Pakistani authorities. We do not want to interfere in internal affairs but we have every right to communicate our concerns," he said.
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May - 14 
The Pakistan Army exchanged prisoners with the local Taliban in South and North Waziristan on May 14, as the military began to readjust its positions in the Mehsud areas to facilitate the return of displaced families. "Twelve security personnel — five army jawans and seven Frontier Corps personnel —
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The Pakistan Army exchanged prisoners with the local Taliban in South and North Waziristan on May 14, as the military began to readjust its positions in the Mehsud areas to facilitate the return of displaced families. "Twelve security personnel — five army jawans and seven Frontier Corps personnel — were swapped for over 30 Taliban prisoners," military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told Daily Times. He also said the army had started readjusting troop positions close to the populated areas to facilitate the return of displaced families. He stated that the troop readjustment was in no way a withdrawal from the area. Sources in the South Waziristan political administration said that the Taliban had freed the security force personnel at Kotkai, while the military released militants at the Razmak military camp in North Waziristan. A senior political administration official said the prisoner swap occurred due to the successful Government-Taliban negotiations. "The military itself negotiated with the Baitullah Mehsud-led Taliban," the unnamed official said. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claims that there are 80 to 90 security force personnel and Government officials in its custody, according to Dawn. However, an official said the militants had given the Government a list of 55 hostages, including low-ranking employees of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission. There was no indication on Pakistan’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Tariq Azizuddin, who had been abducted from Khyber Agency in FATA while going to Kabul on February 11. The TTP has denied capturing Azizuddin but officials stated that he has been taken to the Mehsud area in South Waziristan. An unnamed official said Azizuddin’s name was on the list of people whose release had been sought by the Government but the militants were probably holding on to him till all the commitments made with them were fulfilled.
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May - 15 
The Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) chief Mangal Bagh has asked the administration in Peshawar capital of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), to close down all cinema halls in the city, Daily Times reported. "We will [ourselves] take action to close down cinemas," Bagh said in his address on an illegal FM
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The Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) chief Mangal Bagh has asked the administration in Peshawar capital of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), to close down all cinema halls in the city, Daily Times reported. "We will [ourselves] take action to close down cinemas," Bagh said in his address on an illegal FM radio station on May 15-night, according to residents. However, they said the LI chief did not set a deadline for the closure of these cinemas.
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May - 16 
Government is likely to discuss the issue of a general amnesty for militants who attacked security forces over the past year during the third round of talks with the Maulana Fazlullah-led militants on May 21. An official source told Daily Times that there were three contentious issues in the talks:
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Government is likely to discuss the issue of a general amnesty for militants who attacked security forces over the past year during the third round of talks with the Maulana Fazlullah-led militants on May 21. An official source told Daily Times that there were three contentious issues in the talks: general amnesty; the militants’ surrender of weaponry seized from security forces; and the Government’s return of Fazlullah’s Imam Dheri headquarters to the militants. He said that the Government had presented 23 conditions for peace and the Taliban had only provided seven. The source indicated that the Government was planning to make the complete peace agreement public once an agreement had been reached.
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May - 16 
The withdrawal of the security forces (SFs) has started from areas of Spain Kai, Ghazai and Kot Kai in South Waziristan, The News reported. Confirming the reports of the pullout of the SFs on May 16, the political administration of South Waziristan said the troops were being deployed in areas of Jan
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The withdrawal of the security forces (SFs) has started from areas of Spain Kai, Ghazai and Kot Kai in South Waziristan, The News reported. Confirming the reports of the pullout of the SFs on May 16, the political administration of South Waziristan said the troops were being deployed in areas of Jandola Qilla and other locations. The pullout would be completed within a day or two. But a Government official said the military was being relocated to positions from where it would be easy for them to re-occupy the vacated positions within four hours of any incident, according to Dawn. The troop withdrawal was a key commitment made by the Government for reaching peace agreement with militants and came after the two sides had exchanged prisoners over the past three days. Military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas, however, said that the troops were not being withdrawn but being relocated and readjusted to allow displaced people to return to their homes.
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May - 18 
Brahmdagh Khan Bugti, a leader of the insurgents, has rejected the Government’s offer for talks, saying that the Government’s claims of providing relief to Balochistan were designed to secure an "honourable retreat for the defeated forces", BBC reported on May 18, Daily Times reported. Talking to th
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Brahmdagh Khan Bugti, a leader of the insurgents, has rejected the Government’s offer for talks, saying that the Government’s claims of providing relief to Balochistan were designed to secure an "honourable retreat for the defeated forces", BBC reported on May 18, Daily Times reported. Talking to the channel from an undisclosed location, the grandson of Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti claimed that 10,000 Bugti tribesmen were living a miserable life in Afghanistan because of the military operations in Balochistan. He said the resistance against the military operation was increasing. He also said the Baloch people would only be pacified by a full withdrawal of the military. He denied receiving any support from India or Afghanistan to fuel his movement.
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May - 18 
Pakistan "disagreed" on May 18 with the United States intelligence assessment that al Qaeda is using the FATA to plot attacks on the US as Operation Zalzala continues in South Waziristan, according to Daily Times. "No Pashtun is a terrorist," 14 Division GOC Major General Tariq Khan told journalists
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Pakistan "disagreed" on May 18 with the United States intelligence assessment that al Qaeda is using the FATA to plot attacks on the US as Operation Zalzala continues in South Waziristan, according to Daily Times. "No Pashtun is a terrorist," 14 Division GOC Major General Tariq Khan told journalists while showing them the forward positions of the army in a former stronghold of Baitullah Mehsud. Disagreeing with the US allegation that the Pakistan Army was being lenient with al Qaeda and the Taliban, he said "I would disagree with the US claims of [us] being soft on militants."
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May - 18 
The military has reportedly started looking for evidence to confirm the death of Qari Hussain, the Taliban’s chief ideologue and principal suicide bombing trainer, after intercepting militant communications saying Hussain was ‘killed in Operation Zalzala. “We have picked up intercepts of militants s
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The military has reportedly started looking for evidence to confirm the death of Qari Hussain, the Taliban’s chief ideologue and principal suicide bombing trainer, after intercepting militant communications saying Hussain was ‘killed in Operation Zalzala. “We have picked up intercepts of militants saying Qari Hussain has been killed in the operation,” senior army commanders who led Operation Zalzala in South Waziristan told Daily Times. Qari Hussain, a Mehsud tribesman affiliated with a banned militant/sectarian group, is known for running Baitullah Mehsud-led Taliban suicide bombing training centres. One of such training centre, which deployed young suicide bombers deep within Pakistan and possibly Afghanistan, was reportedly discovered at a Government-run school in the Kotkai area by the army. “It was a normal school meant for imparting modern education to tribal people. But we found material used in suicide bombing there,” GOC-14 Division Major General Tariq Khan told reporters in Dera Ismail Khan in the NWFP on May 18.
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May - 19 
A militant outfit in the Bajaur Agency of the FATA has announced separation from the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and said that it would not become part of any peace deal between the Government and the local Taliban, Dawn reported. The splinter group named Jaishul Islam decided that it would not
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A militant outfit in the Bajaur Agency of the FATA has announced separation from the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and said that it would not become part of any peace deal between the Government and the local Taliban, Dawn reported. The splinter group named Jaishul Islam decided that it would not take part in peace talks with the Government unless security forces halt action in Darra Adamkhel in the NWFP and other parts of the country. The group leader, Qari Saifullah, told journalists that they did not agree with the policy of TTP headed by Baitullah Mehsud to strike a peace deal with the Government. He said that on the one hand Government had started negotiations with the Taliban while on the other operations had been launched in Darra Adamkhel. Therefore, he said, Jaishul Islam had disassociated itself from the peace talks. The splinter group is led by Abu Raihan in the Bajaur Agency. Qari Saifullah claimed that the people killed in the missile attack in Damadola on May 14 belonged to his group. At least 14 people were killed in the air attack carried out by the Americans. “Jaish will take revenge of the killing of its comrades,” said Saifullah.
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May - 21 
The federal cabinet said on May 21 that it would not engage in talks with extremists and terrorists and decided to pay compensation to the people affected by military operations and militancy in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), especially South Waziristan, The News reported. Presided
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The federal cabinet said on May 21 that it would not engage in talks with extremists and terrorists and decided to pay compensation to the people affected by military operations and militancy in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), especially South Waziristan, The News reported. Presided over by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani, a cabinet meeting declared that peace talks were being held only with ‘peaceful tribesmen’ and there would be no deal with militant and extremist outfits who challenged the Government’s writ. The cabinet also claimed that envoy Tariq Azizuddin had been freed as a result of a security operation, and not under any deal, and that no militant commander had been released in exchange. Later, Information Minister Sherry Rahman said that the army was only being ‘relocated and not withdrawn’ to open up roads to enable the displaced people to return to their homes in Waziristan. She also said that the federal Government was ‘fully aware’ of the NWFP Government’s negotiations with Taliban leaders in Swat, adding that troops would remain there and in FATA. She stated that tribesmen, who would be paid compensation, were peaceful and had been forced to leave their homes because of fighting.
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May - 21 
The Taliban militants operating under the command of Maulana Fazlullah in the Swat district on May 21 signed a 16-point peace agreement with the Awami National Party (ANP)-led NWFP Government and agreed to disbanding the militia, while denouncing and renouncing suicide attacks and stopping attacks o
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The Taliban militants operating under the command of Maulana Fazlullah in the Swat district on May 21 signed a 16-point peace agreement with the Awami National Party (ANP)-led NWFP Government and agreed to disbanding the militia, while denouncing and renouncing suicide attacks and stopping attacks on the security forces and Government installations, The News reported. The Taliban were represented by their spokesman Muslim Khan, Ali Bakht, Maulana Muhammad Amin, Mehmood Khan and Nisar Khan, while the Government team consisted of senior ministers Bashir Bilour and Rahimdad Khan, NWFP Environment Minister Wajid Ali Khan, ANP provincial President Afrasiyab Khattak and legislator Shamshir Ali. After the talks that continued for eight-and-a-half hours, Bashir Bilour announced that both the sides had signed a 16-point peace agreement and hoped that now there would be peace in the Swat valley. Reading out the agreement, Bilour said the militants had agreed to the following: (1) To accept and honour the writ of the federal and provincial governments; (2) Shariat-e-Muhammadi would be implemented in erstwhile Malakand Division in letter and spirit; (3) The militants would not malign religions of other citizens; (4) The cases of the (Taliban) prisoners would be reviewed and a decision about their release would be made; (5) The government is assured that its law enforcement agencies, government officials, buildings and installations, police stations, police officials, Police Lines, Army, Frontier Corps, Frontier Constabulary, bridges, roads and electricity installations would not be attacked. There would be a ban on keeping private militia. The Taliban would denounce and disown suicide attacks, remote-controlled bomb blasts and bomb blasts in all private, government buildings and shops; (6) The Army would be gradually sent back to barracks in accordance with the prevailing situation; (7) All foreign militants would be handed over to the government besides an assurance from the militants that they would not attack barber shops and markets visited by women; (8) The government would look into all damages done during the operations and would compensate all deserving victims; (9) The Taliban would not oppose vaccination against polio, measles, smallpox and TB, including all those administered to children, and would not obstruct women's education; (10) There would be complete ban on the display of weapons and only licensed arms would be allowed; (11) The incidents of kidnapping and car-lifting must be condemned and subsequently eliminated and all those training centres where militants and suicide bombers were being trained would be dismantled besides those places where explosives were being made; (12) In line with the rules of the authorised license, there would be permission to talk on FM radio channel; (13) The local Taliban would cooperate with the government in the investigations of incidents of murders, robbery and other crimes; (14) The government would take action in the area against oppressors, bribe-takers, adulterers, thieves, dacoits and kidnappers in order to rid the society of such elements; (15) An Islamic university would be set up in Mamdheri Complex, which would be run by a joint government-Taliban committee. In the 16th point, an 11-member joint committee was named to ensure the implementation of the agreement. Talking to reporters, a member of the Taliban negotiating team, Ali Bakht, said the Government would release 200 militants in the next two weeks. Meanwhile, sources among the militants claimed the Taliban commander in Swat Maulana Fazlullah and his comrades were given amnesty and the Government had assured the Taliban that it would not take action against them. However, Senior minister Bashir Bilour said "The committee, which has already been formed, will decide about it." Meanwhile, Geo News reported Major General Athar Abbas as saying that the army would not oppose the peace deal.
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May - 22 
A top American general on May 22 endorsed a US intelligence assessment that the next 9/11-type attack on the US soil would come from al Qaeda bases in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in Pakistan but urged the United States to increase its security assistance to the country to help it
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A top American general on May 22 endorsed a US intelligence assessment that the next 9/11-type attack on the US soil would come from al Qaeda bases in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in Pakistan but urged the United States to increase its security assistance to the country to help it deal with the threat, Dawn reported. General David Petraeus, a top US military commander nominated to lead the Central Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that "Clearly, Al Qaeda’s senior leadership has been strengthened in the Fata, even as though their main effort still is assessed to be in Iraq by them, as well as by us. But the organisation of an attack, if you will, would likely come from the Fata."
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May - 23 
A Pentagon report said on May 23 that the growth of al Qaeda safe havens in Pakistan's tribal areas is "troubling" and warned it may take Pakistan several years to turn around the situation, The News reported. The report to Congress by the US Department of Defense said Pakistan increased its troop l
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A Pentagon report said on May 23 that the growth of al Qaeda safe havens in Pakistan's tribal areas is "troubling" and warned it may take Pakistan several years to turn around the situation, The News reported. The report to Congress by the US Department of Defense said Pakistan increased its troop levels in the border areas by 30,000 in 2007, and made "significant and costly" efforts to eliminate safe havens. "It is troubling that despite these efforts, safe havens in the FATA [Federally Administered Tribal Areas] have grown in recent years," the report said. The Pentagon report noted that 700 Pakistanis have been killed in suicide attacks since July 2007. It said "Al-Qaeda and other violent extremists continue to hide out in the FATA, where they are able to recruit, train, and target US and western interests, including plots against Europe and the US homeland." Madrassas, or Islamic religious schools, "continue to promote jihad and martyrdom, and provide potential operatives for acts of violence in Afghanistan," it said. "Despite successful attacks against some terrorist training facilities in the tribal areas, it is believed other camps remain active and safe havens have grown in recent years," the report stated. The report described a six-year US program to help strengthen the Pakistani military and security forces' ability to secure the border with Pakistan, but cautioned that it will take time to implement. "It may be several years before Pakistan's comprehensive strategy to render the remote tribal areas permanently inhospitable to terrorists, insurgents and other violent extremists can be measured for success," the report noted.
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May - 23 
Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud is reported to have spoken about the differences with ‘commander’ Maulana Nazir, who ousted foreign militants from South Waziristan in 2007. "He (Nazir) has committed sin by helping the army (against foreign militants)," Mehsud told Daily Times. "(Nazir) helped army ag
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Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud is reported to have spoken about the differences with ‘commander’ Maulana Nazir, who ousted foreign militants from South Waziristan in 2007. "He (Nazir) has committed sin by helping the army (against foreign militants)," Mehsud told Daily Times. "(Nazir) helped army against Mujahideen. He is out of the Taliban and Muslims’ rank," Mehsud said. "We would like him to come on our side and fight along with us against the army. But he likes to be friend of the army," he added.
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May - 23 
The Taliban will not accept any Government condition to stop cross-border movement to finalise a peace deal, a militant commander declared last week. "First, we will not accept such a ban. But we hope the peace deal will be inked without a clause that puts restrictions on Mujahideen to cross the bor
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The Taliban will not accept any Government condition to stop cross-border movement to finalise a peace deal, a militant commander declared last week. "First, we will not accept such a ban. But we hope the peace deal will be inked without a clause that puts restrictions on Mujahideen to cross the border (into Afghanistan)," Abu Zakwan, Taliban commander in the Kotkai area of South Waziristan, told Daily Times on May 24. Using the alias of Abu Zakwan, the commander said that Government negotiators are asking for a pledge to stop cross-border attacks, but the Taliban were not committing to such an agreement. He said Waziristan was serving the region as "centre for jihad" and people from across the country were being trained for holy war "against the United States".
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May - 24 
Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud vowed on May 24 to continue fighting the NATO and US-led forces in Afghanistan regardless of negotiations for a peace deal with the Pakistan Government, Daily Times reported on May 25. Mehsud told a group of journalists that he wanted to stop fighting the Pakistan Arm
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Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud vowed on May 24 to continue fighting the NATO and US-led forces in Afghanistan regardless of negotiations for a peace deal with the Pakistan Government, Daily Times reported on May 25. Mehsud told a group of journalists that he wanted to stop fighting the Pakistan Army, but made no commitment about halting attacks in Afghanistan. "Islam does not recognise frontiers. Jihad in Afghanistan will continue," Mehsud said.
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May - 26 
Two senior Taliban leaders, Mullah Obaidullah Akhund and Mullah Mansoor Dadullah, have been released by the Pakistan Government in a prisoner swap with the Taliban, The News reported. Despite the fact that the Government officials have denied the release, both the militant leaders reached Afghanista
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Two senior Taliban leaders, Mullah Obaidullah Akhund and Mullah Mansoor Dadullah, have been released by the Pakistan Government in a prisoner swap with the Taliban, The News reported. Despite the fact that the Government officials have denied the release, both the militant leaders reached Afghanistan around two weeks back, sources said. The duo was reportedly released along with hundreds of other militants to secure the release of Pakistani Ambassador to Afghanistan Tariq Azizuddin and 35 Army officials. However, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior Security, Rehman Malik, denied any such prisoner swap between the Taliban and the Government of Pakistan, saying that not a single prisoner was released in return to the release of Ambassador Azizuddin. But, a prominent Jihadi leader from Afghanistan confirmed the development, saying "The release of both the Taliban commanders was part of a 'package swap deal' between the Pakistani authorities and the Taliban under which 35 Army personnel were also released besides Pakistani ambassador and his staff." Obaidullah was arrested on March 1, 2007. He is the most senior Taliban figure captured to date, and "is considered by American intelligence officials to have been one of the Taliban leaders closest to Osama bin Laden," as well as part of the "inner core of the Taliban leadership around the Mullah Muhammad Omar." Obaidullah is a member of the Taliban's Shura Majlis, or executive council, and is thought to be third in command. Mullah Mansoor Dadullah, a senior Taliban leader, was wounded and captured along with five lieutenants by the Frontier Corps on February 11, 2008. The officials said that Mansoor was captured while crossing from Afghanistan into Pakistan.
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May - 27 
The United States Treasury said on May 27 it had decided to freeze the assets of four leaders of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), including its chief Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, according to Dawn. The State Department had designated it a foreign terrorist organisation in 2001. The group’s "transn
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The United States Treasury said on May 27 it had decided to freeze the assets of four leaders of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), including its chief Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, according to Dawn. The State Department had designated it a foreign terrorist organisation in 2001. The group’s "transnational nature makes it crucial for governments worldwide to do all they can to stifle LeT’s fund-raising and operations… LeT is a dangerous al Qaeda affiliate that has demonstrated its willingness to murder innocent civilians", said Stuart Levey, Treasury’s Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. Any assets these men have under US jurisdiction will be frozen, and Americans will be prohibited from doing business with them, the Treasury said. The four included Saeed, whom the Treasury said has played a major role in the organisation’s operational and fund-raising activities. It named the others as Pakistan-born Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the chief of operations; Haji Mohammad Ashraf, the chief of finance, and India-born Mahmoud Mohammad Ahmed Bahaziq, described as the main LeT financier in the 1980s and 1990s.
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May - 27 
A top Afghan intelligence official said on May 27 that his agency received information several months ago that al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was hiding in northern Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan, Dawn reported. The unnamed official told AFP that bin Laden was said to be in a mountainous region in
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A top Afghan intelligence official said on May 27 that his agency received information several months ago that al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was hiding in northern Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan, Dawn reported. The unnamed official told AFP that bin Laden was said to be in a mountainous region in Chitral, a Pakistani region facing Afghanistan’s eastern province of Kunar. "We’ve received new information that he is hiding in Chitral. We got the information about his presence in that area about four, five months ago," the Afghan intelligence official said.
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May - 28 
Baitullah Mehsud, chief of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, is spending approximately PKR 3 billion on militancy annually, the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani said on May 28. "He [Mehsud] is spending between Rs 2.5 - 3 billion yearly on procuring weapons, equipment, vehi
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Baitullah Mehsud, chief of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, is spending approximately PKR 3 billion on militancy annually, the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani said on May 28. "He [Mehsud] is spending between Rs 2.5 - 3 billion yearly on procuring weapons, equipment, vehicles, treating wounded militants and keeping families of killed militants fed," the Governor told Daily Times. He stated that this significant sum could not be generated solely through zakat or donations, but did not elaborate on the sources of funding. However, he indicated that money generated from the sale of narcotics was feeding militancy in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. In this regard, he held the US and United Kingdom "responsible for ignoring my early warnings" of serious repercussions if poppy cultivation was not curtailed in Afghanistan after the ouster of the Taliban regime.
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May - 28 
The Jama’at-ud-Da’awa (also known as Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT)) denied on May 28 it had links with al Qaeda, as Washington imposed financial sanctions on its chief and three other leaders, Daily Times reported. The Bush administration moved on May 27 to implement sanctions against four top leaders of th
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The Jama’at-ud-Da’awa (also known as Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT)) denied on May 28 it had links with al Qaeda, as Washington imposed financial sanctions on its chief and three other leaders, Daily Times reported. The Bush administration moved on May 27 to implement sanctions against four top leaders of the LeT, including its chief Hafiz Mohammed Saeed. The US Treasury described the group as a “dangerous al Qaeda affiliate that has demonstrated its willingness to murder innocent civilians”. The sanctions mean any assets of the four found in the US will be blocked and that US citizens are forbidden from doing business with the four. Jama’at-ud-Da’awa spokesman Muhammad Yahya Mujahid denied that Saeed was still involved in the LeT and claimed the US statement was “based (on) enmity with Islam, lack of knowledge and ignorance.” “America cannot prove in any court in the world Hafiz Muhammad Saeed’s links with incidents of terrorism,” Mujahid said in a statement. According to him, “The recent step by America is a result of Indian propaganda and an effort to pressure Pakistan’s government.”
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May - 28 
The Taliban on May 28 announced a complete cessation of hostilities after holding talks for six days with a peace committee of elders from Darra Adamkhel in the NWFP. A spokesman for ‘commander’ Tariq told Dawn that the Government had assured them that the military would stop operations in Darra Ada
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The Taliban on May 28 announced a complete cessation of hostilities after holding talks for six days with a peace committee of elders from Darra Adamkhel in the NWFP. A spokesman for ‘commander’ Tariq told Dawn that the Government had assured them that the military would stop operations in Darra Adamkhel and, in return, the Taliban would stop their activities on the stretch of Indus Highway passing through Darra Adamkhel. He said: “Now we are completely satisfied and trust the man provided by the Government as a guarantor, and announce immediate cease fire. Formal talks for finalising modalities of the peace deal would commence from Thursday.” The Government had reportedly been trying to hold talks with the militants engaged in armed clashes with security forces since February 25, 2008 to ensure that the Indus Highway passing through Darra Adamkhel and the Kohat tunnel remained safe. The administration formed a jirga (council) in Kohat on May 22 and sent it to Taliban to hold talks on behalf of the Government.
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May - 30 
The chief organiser of the Baloch Republican Party (BRP), Nawabzada Bramdagh Bugti, has refused to hold talks with the Government within the framework of the federation, according to Dawn. Addressing a press conference on phone from an unspecified location on May 30, Bramdagh Bugti, grandson of the
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The chief organiser of the Baloch Republican Party (BRP), Nawabzada Bramdagh Bugti, has refused to hold talks with the Government within the framework of the federation, according to Dawn. Addressing a press conference on phone from an unspecified location on May 30, Bramdagh Bugti, grandson of the slain Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, said that resistance movement was aimed at protecting the land and resources of the Baloch people. The BRP, formally a faction of the Jamhoori Watan Party, was launched recently with a new flag and manifesto. Bramdagh Bugti said: "We are owners of our land and resources and there is no need to talk with others on our resources. Talks will be held only with those who accept our right on Balochistan’s resources." He said the Government’s rhetoric about reconciliation was nothing but an attempt to deceive the Baloch people. The Government talked about reconciliation, he added, but it continued military operations in the province. The BRP leader said he did not support the killing of settlers, but said that it was a reaction to the military operations in the province. In his first telephonic press conference since August 26, 2006 when his grandfather was assassinated, he extended "100 percent support" to all the militant groups operating in Balochistan, saying the only way forward for the Baloch was to stop ‘begging’ for provincial autonomy and jobs from the central Government, Daily Times reported. "We are in a constant state of war… The Baloch issue has moved past constitutional compensation. We refuse to be a part of any reconciliatory efforts in the province. Why does the government talk of reconciliation when it is still engaged in a full-fledged operation against the Baloch people," he said.
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May - 30 
Welcoming the NWFP Government’s offer for talks, a spokesman for the local Taliban on May 30 announced a cease-fire in the Mardan district, according to Dawn. The spokesman, identifying himself as Maulana Abdullah, addressed journalists at the Mardan Press Club on phone. He said the Taliban had carr
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Welcoming the NWFP Government’s offer for talks, a spokesman for the local Taliban on May 30 announced a cease-fire in the Mardan district, according to Dawn. The spokesman, identifying himself as Maulana Abdullah, addressed journalists at the Mardan Press Club on phone. He said the Taliban had carried out a number of terrorist activities, including bomb blasts, rocket attacks and suicide bombing in protest against the military operation against them. He also said that recently three Taliban leaders had been killed by Police in the Palo Dheri area. According to him: "We planted a bomb in a car near the City Police station and carried out a suicide attacks in the Cantt Bakers in protest against the killing of our men." Abdullah said that the Taliban wanted peace in the district and, therefore, accepted the offer for talks. He stated that the Taliban wanted enforcement of Shariah (Islamic law) in the area and putting an end to the obscenity. He added that the provincial Government was sincere in its offer for talks, but the real decision-makers were the NWFP Governor, the central government and the armed forces who "are killing us at the behest of the American."
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May - 31 
According to The Post, the Balochistan National Party (BNP) on May 31 refused to participate in the Government-sponsored talks aimed to establish peace in the Balochistan province, saying that Islamabad should first halt the ongoing military operation. "We will not participate in the talks until the
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According to The Post, the Balochistan National Party (BNP) on May 31 refused to participate in the Government-sponsored talks aimed to establish peace in the Balochistan province, saying that Islamabad should first halt the ongoing military operation. "We will not participate in the talks until the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Government stops the military operation in the mountains of Balochistan, frees all the political prisoners and withdraws [the army] from the province," Sardar Akhtar Mengal, president of the BNP, told a news conference in Karachi. Mengal alleged that thousands of people had been displaced because of the military crackdown in several districts of Balochistan, particularly Dera Bugti and Kohlu. Talks made no sense until the displaced people were brought back to their homes, he said.
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June - 4 
The North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Prison Minister Mian Nisar Gul Kakakhel said the Government had released a majority of the detained militants in Swat on June 4, Daily Times reported. “The NWFP Government has released the majority of the Swat militants after a peace accord between the Governm
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The North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Prison Minister Mian Nisar Gul Kakakhel said the Government had released a majority of the detained militants in Swat on June 4, Daily Times reported. “The NWFP Government has released the majority of the Swat militants after a peace accord between the Government and the militants,” the minister told reporters during a visit to the Central Jail in provincial capital Peshawar.
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June - 6 
Leader of the House in the Senate Raza Rabbani on June 6 tendered an apology on behalf of the ruling coalition for military operations carried out in Balochistan in different tenures. “Such operations were launched in the name of federation, but they actually weakened it,” he said after Balochistan
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Leader of the House in the Senate Raza Rabbani on June 6 tendered an apology on behalf of the ruling coalition for military operations carried out in Balochistan in different tenures. “Such operations were launched in the name of federation, but they actually weakened it,” he said after Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-Mengal) Senator Sanaullah Baloch submitted his resignation to the Upper House Chairman Mohammadmian Soomro. Rabbani said the government would not allow demographic change in the provinces, and said the proposal denying the right to vote in Balochistan to those who settled in the province from elsewhere was being considered. The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s (PML-Q) Mushahid Hussain said, “We as a nation should apologise to the Baloch.” Hussain, who headed a subcommittee on Balochistan during the previous government, said his party had taken the initiative with a “positive mindset”, and that it made efforts to reconcile with the people of Balochistan. “But there was another line in the system that favoured confrontation. Hawks within the establishment sabotaged our efforts,” he said, but without clarifying to which hawkish segment he referred. He further added that the PML-Q would support the government for settling all Balochistan issues through talks. He said the use of military was not the solution to province’s problems.
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June - 6 
The Pakistani government is not holding peace talks with terrorists but only with peace-loving elements as part of a multipronged strategy to fight extremism, said Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Afghanistan on June 6, reported Daily Times. “We will not engage with terrorists,” Qureshi tol
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The Pakistani government is not holding peace talks with terrorists but only with peace-loving elements as part of a multipronged strategy to fight extremism, said Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Afghanistan on June 6, reported Daily Times. “We will not engage with terrorists,” Qureshi told reporters, adding, “Those who pick up arms and rifles are neither your friends nor our friends. We are engaging with those elements that are peace-loving and want stability in their regions and want to live a normal peaceful life.” Qureshi added that Islamabad believed it needed to adopt a more comprehensive approach to fighting extremism that included political engagement, socio-economic development and “when required”, military measures. Pakistan has already signed a peace deal with pro-Taliban militants in the Swat Valley. It is also in talks with al Qaeda-linked leader Baitullah Mehsud, who has vowed to continue “jihad” in Afghanistan while pursuing peace negotiations.
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June - 9 
ANP Information Secretary Zahid Khan and Senior Minister Bashir Bilour told Daily Times on June 9 that the peace deal between the NWFP Government and the Swat Taliban is still intact.
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ANP Information Secretary Zahid Khan and Senior Minister Bashir Bilour told Daily Times on June 9 that the peace deal between the NWFP Government and the Swat Taliban is still intact.
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June - 9 
Pakistan Government scrapped its peace deal with the Taliban as militants have reneged on their promise to stop violence, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Interior Affairs Rehman Malik said. "The Swat agreement is scrapped as the militants have [continued] their attacks on security forces," Malik told a
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Pakistan Government scrapped its peace deal with the Taliban as militants have reneged on their promise to stop violence, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Interior Affairs Rehman Malik said. "The Swat agreement is scrapped as the militants have [continued] their attacks on security forces," Malik told a group of reporters in Islamabad on June 9. Responding to questions during the National Assembly question hour, Malik said law-enforcement agencies had averted a ‘big tragedy’ after arresting three "students" who were allegedly on a suicide mission in Islamabad on January 8. He said the vehicles seized from them were packed with explosives weighing between 200 and 400 kilograms. Separately, the Tehreek-e-Taliban spokesman Maulvi Umar told ARY TV on June 9 that Taliban would turn cities of settled areas into battlefields if the government scrapped its truce with them.
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June - 10 
Any future terror attack against US interests would most likely be carried out by militants based in Pakistan’s restive tribal belt bordering Afghanistan, US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Michael Mullen said on June 10, according to Daily Times. The top military official told a press in Was
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Any future terror attack against US interests would most likely be carried out by militants based in Pakistan’s restive tribal belt bordering Afghanistan, US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Michael Mullen said on June 10, according to Daily Times. The top military official told a press in Washington that tribal groups with ties to al Qaeda in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) represent the worst security threat to the US. "I believe fundamentally that if the US is going to get hit, it is going to come out of the planning of the leadership in FATA," he told reporters, adding, "That is a threat to us that must be dealt with." The new government, Mullen said, faces "significant challenges as it gets underway, and at the same time is looking to the best way to deal with this challenge".
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June - 10 
Daily Times quoting an official source reports that six Taliban prisoners would be released from Taimargara Jail on June 10 (today). "Those people are being released on bail," said the unnamed official. He said approximately 60 Taliban were still imprisoned at Taimargara Jail.
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Daily Times quoting an official source reports that six Taliban prisoners would be released from Taimargara Jail on June 10 (today). "Those people are being released on bail," said the unnamed official. He said approximately 60 Taliban were still imprisoned at Taimargara Jail.
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June - 10 
Jamaat-e-Islami leaders of Bajaur Agency said that ten million tribal people would avenge June 10 bombing of Mohmand Agency by US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) forces.
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Jamaat-e-Islami leaders of Bajaur Agency said that ten million tribal people would avenge June 10 bombing of Mohmand Agency by US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) forces.
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June - 13 
A broad security plan is on the cards to protect the Peshawar city from attacks by local Taliban, sources told Daily Times on June 13. They said around 3,000 security force personnel would be deployed to guard Peshawar, and that 26 security posts would be set up to monitor militants. An unnamed seni
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A broad security plan is on the cards to protect the Peshawar city from attacks by local Taliban, sources told Daily Times on June 13. They said around 3,000 security force personnel would be deployed to guard Peshawar, and that 26 security posts would be set up to monitor militants. An unnamed senior police official said that Police had told the Government that it could not control militancy on its own and needed the assistance of the Frontier Constabulary, the Frontier Corps and the Army.
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June - 13 
Nawab Khair Baksh Marri has said he would be willing to represent only the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), and not other Baloch forces, in talks with the Government. But he added that if the BLA asked him to talk to Islamabad, as an elder of the Baloch nation, he would present his terms and condi
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Nawab Khair Baksh Marri has said he would be willing to represent only the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), and not other Baloch forces, in talks with the Government. But he added that if the BLA asked him to talk to Islamabad, as an elder of the Baloch nation, he would present his terms and conditions: the Punjabis must vacate Balochistan. "The other issues are all domestic and could be discussed later on ... I can co-exist with a pig but not with a Punjabi," he said at his Karachi residence. He said he was "pleased" with the BLA and did not regard Mengal’s Balochistan National Party (BNP) as a nationalist force as it did not factor in the Baloch of Iran and Afghanistan. "The BNP does not have a majority on the mountains. God knows, it is not the BNP giving arms, shoes, support and money to those fighting in the mountains," Marri said.
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June - 13 
The NWFP Governor Owais Ahmad Ghani has said that the Government will continue its dialogue with militants in the FATA despite ‘enormous’ international pressure, adding, "The NWFP government’s peace agreement with militants in Swat is yielding positive results and that is why the federal government
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The NWFP Governor Owais Ahmad Ghani has said that the Government will continue its dialogue with militants in the FATA despite ‘enormous’ international pressure, adding, "The NWFP government’s peace agreement with militants in Swat is yielding positive results and that is why the federal government is going to make a peace deal with FATA militants." Concerning US and Afghanistan worries on Pakistani peace talks with militants, Ghani said peace in FATA could not be restored within days, adding that peace deals required some time in order to yield positive results.
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June - 15 
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, on June 15, threatened to send Afghan troops across the border to fight Taliban militants in Pakistan, reports Daily Times. Accusing Pakistan of sheltering most of the fighters involved in recent incidents in the Garmser District of Helmand Province, he told a New
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Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, on June 15, threatened to send Afghan troops across the border to fight Taliban militants in Pakistan, reports Daily Times. Accusing Pakistan of sheltering most of the fighters involved in recent incidents in the Garmser District of Helmand Province, he told a News Conference that Afghanistan had the right to self-defence, and because militants cross over from Pakistan "to come and kill Afghans and kill coalition troops, it exactly gives us the right to do the same". Karzai added, "This is a two-way road in this case, and Afghans are good at the two-way road journey. We will complete the journey and we will get them and we will defeat them. We will avenge all that they have done to Afghanistan for the past so many years."
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June - 16 
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, talking to Yasin Malik, chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), at Parliament House on June 16, said that Pakistan would continue to extend moral, diplomatic and political support for the Kashmiri freedom struggle, and it wanted a just a
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Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, talking to Yasin Malik, chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), at Parliament House on June 16, said that Pakistan would continue to extend moral, diplomatic and political support for the Kashmiri freedom struggle, and it wanted a just and peaceful resolution of the problem in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people, reports Daily Times. Gilani said that sustainable peace in South Asia could not be achieved without the settlement of the Kashmir dispute.
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June - 16 
Police on June 8 released Qari Saifullah Akhtar, a key suspect in a suicide bombing that killed around 150 people at a homecoming rally for former premier Benazir Bhutto at Karachi in 2007, reports Daily Times. "We released him on Friday after the expiry of his detention period," Prisons Inspector G
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Police on June 8 released Qari Saifullah Akhtar, a key suspect in a suicide bombing that killed around 150 people at a homecoming rally for former premier Benazir Bhutto at Karachi in 2007, reports Daily Times. "We released him on Friday after the expiry of his detention period," Prisons Inspector General Yameen Khan said. Benazir reportedly accused Qari Saifullah Akhtar in her book Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy and the West, of plotting against her.
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June - 17 
Swat-based Taliban have suspended contact with the NWFP government to protest against the slow progress on a peace agreement they entered into less than a month ago, said Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan, adding, that "some elements were interfering in the peace process," as a result of which Taliban h
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Swat-based Taliban have suspended contact with the NWFP government to protest against the slow progress on a peace agreement they entered into less than a month ago, said Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan, adding, that "some elements were interfering in the peace process," as a result of which Taliban had decided to temporarily freeze contact with the provincial government. Contact with the NWFP government has been suspended for "a period of one week to see if the government takes steps to accelerate the progress on issues discussed in the May 21 peace agreement," said the spokesman. He said the provincial government had already been told about the decision. The spokesman added that a delay in the release of Taliban prisoners had forced the decision. "Under the agreement, the prisoners should have been freed 15 days after the deal," said Khan. As reported earlier, 18 Taliban prisoners were set free by the Government following the peace deal while another 55 are still in prison. NWFP Information Minister, Iftikhar Hussain, has however said they were not told about any such decision. Hussain said that there had been no severing of contact, though admitted that the Taliban had complained of the slow progress.
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June - 18 
Daily Times reports that Shia clerics have condemned bomb blasts and the killings of Shias in Dera Ismail Khan, Hangu and Parachinar and called for local Taliban to be driven out of North West Frontier Province (NWFP). Shia cleric Allama Hussain Masoodi said that his community was silent but not wea
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Daily Times reports that Shia clerics have condemned bomb blasts and the killings of Shias in Dera Ismail Khan, Hangu and Parachinar and called for local Taliban to be driven out of North West Frontier Province (NWFP). Shia cleric Allama Hussain Masoodi said that his community was silent but not weak, and that the Taliban in the NWFP should be evacuated at once. Similarly, another cleric, Syed Muhammad Aun Naqvi said that the new Government in the NWFP had failed to maintain law and order. "The silence of the government and Fazlur Rehman after the killings is disappointing," he said, adding, "The NWFP government has proved it cannot control the situation after giving Parachinar to the local Taliban."
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June - 18 
President Pervez Musharraf has said that he will not step down from his position and would continue to play his constitutional role as the President "to strengthen democracy in the country", according to Daily Times. Musharraf told at the presidential Camp Office in Rawalpindi that there was, howeve
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President Pervez Musharraf has said that he will not step down from his position and would continue to play his constitutional role as the President "to strengthen democracy in the country", according to Daily Times. Musharraf told at the presidential Camp Office in Rawalpindi that there was, however, a provision for impeaching the President in the constitution and the parliament had a right to make use of it.
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June - 19 
The Hindu reports that four Pakistani soldiers were killed and three others injured in a clash with a jihadist group on June 19. Speaking to journalists in Islamabad Pakistan army spokesperson Major-General Athar Abbas said the troops died in a clash near the town of Hajira, east of the Line of Cont
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The Hindu reports that four Pakistani soldiers were killed and three others injured in a clash with a jihadist group on June 19. Speaking to journalists in Islamabad Pakistan army spokesperson Major-General Athar Abbas said the troops died in a clash near the town of Hajira, east of the Line of Control (LoC), in the district of Poonch, with “unknown miscreants.” He offered no explanation of how the fighting had broken out, but confirmed that the soldiers’ deaths were not caused by Indian military action. Highly-placed Indian military sources stationed in the area, however, told that the deaths were most likely the outcome of an accidental clash between Pakistani troops and a jihadist group. A senior army official said the clash began when a group of jihadists trying to infiltrate into the Indian side were fired upon by Indian soldiers forcing them to retreat and run into a Pakistan army patrol. “In the fog of the fighting it is possible the jihadis mistook the Pakistani army troops for an Indian ambush, or the other way around”, he said
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June - 20 
North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Senior Minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour told the provincial assembly on June 20 that there are no Taliban in Peshawar and the provincial government will not hold talks with local Taliban in other settled areas. "We do not accept Taliban except in Swat. Nor are we goin
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North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Senior Minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour told the provincial assembly on June 20 that there are no Taliban in Peshawar and the provincial government will not hold talks with local Taliban in other settled areas. "We do not accept Taliban except in Swat. Nor are we going to initiate dialogue with them," he told the House, reports Daily Times. Bilour said the provincial government stood by Swat peace agreement that it made with local Taliban. Separately, Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that the deal would be implemented in phases. He said the government would release those Taliban who deserved to be freed.
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June - 20 
Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Hussain Haqqani has said that the war against terror is Pakistan's own war. Talking to ARY One World, he said that Benazir Bhutto and many other Pakistanis had been killed in terrorist attacks. He added that the people who were killed in the Tribal Areas an
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Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Hussain Haqqani has said that the war against terror is Pakistan's own war. Talking to ARY One World, he said that Benazir Bhutto and many other Pakistanis had been killed in terrorist attacks. He added that the people who were killed in the Tribal Areas and others parts of the country were Pakistanis and not the US citizens. To a question, the Ambassador said, "While we want to deal with the US on equal footings, it is a reality that we are on the receiving end."
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June - 24 
Parliamentarians warned the Government that the country might lose one of its provinces if it did not consider the situation in NWFP seriously. Speaking on a point of order, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said it was a matter of months until the NWFP was no longer part of the country. He also cri
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Parliamentarians warned the Government that the country might lose one of its provinces if it did not consider the situation in NWFP seriously. Speaking on a point of order, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said it was a matter of months until the NWFP was no longer part of the country. He also criticised Malik’s statements, saying the government would further aggravate the situation through the use of force. He also questioned why the government’s policies in NWFP and Balochistan did not match.
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June - 24 
Taliban militants began withdrawing from Jandola in FATA on June 24, a government and a security official said, Daily Times reports. "The situation has improved. There has been no untoward incident today and they’re moving out," Barkatullah, the top Government officer in the region, told Reuters. An
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Taliban militants began withdrawing from Jandola in FATA on June 24, a government and a security official said, Daily Times reports. "The situation has improved. There has been no untoward incident today and they’re moving out," Barkatullah, the top Government officer in the region, told Reuters. An unnamed security official said the militants were pulling out after a Government threat to launch an offensive against them. Meanwhile, according to APP a representative Jirga (council) has been constituted to end the three-day standoff, Barkatullah said.
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June - 24 
The government is fully aware of the situation in the NWFP concerning the activities of militants and will take proper action within a week, Adviser to Prime Minster on Interior Rehman Malik said on June 24, according to Daily Times. Addressing the National Assembly, he said the situation in Peshawa
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The government is fully aware of the situation in the NWFP concerning the activities of militants and will take proper action within a week, Adviser to Prime Minster on Interior Rehman Malik said on June 24, according to Daily Times. Addressing the National Assembly, he said the situation in Peshawar was not critical. "The government is not sleeping and is aware of its responsibilities," APP quoted him as saying. He also warned a "bordering country" against launching attacks inside Pakistan, adding, "Otherwise we will also launch action." He said the government would hold talks with Balochistan parliamentarians next week to resolve the issues of the province through dialogue.
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June - 28 
Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud suspended peace talks with the Government on June 28, when troops launched an offensive against militants in the Khyber Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). “We are suspending peace talks with the government because the government is constantly usi
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Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud suspended peace talks with the Government on June 28, when troops launched an offensive against militants in the Khyber Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). “We are suspending peace talks with the government because the government is constantly using force against us,” Mehsud told AFP by satellite telephone. “The government is not showing any seriousness and is using force against us. But if the government takes any military action we are also ready for martyrdom,” he added.
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June - 29 
Foreign elements hailing from Central Asian Republics (CAR) are disturbing peace in the FATA, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on June 29, according to Daily Times. Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Gilani said that the foreign militants from CAR are behind the current unrest and spike
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Foreign elements hailing from Central Asian Republics (CAR) are disturbing peace in the FATA, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on June 29, according to Daily Times. Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Gilani said that the foreign militants from CAR are behind the current unrest and spike in violence in the FATA. Dismissing foreign pressure and involvement in the crackdown on militants in the FATA, he said that this is a provincial matter and the federal Government acts on the invitation and advice of the province. The prime minister also said that the NWFP Government had concluded a peace agreement with tribal chiefs but they violated the agreement by hanging people publicly, kidnapping members of minority and by setting girls’ schools on fire. “No government can afford a parallel government and we will never compromise the country’s sovereignty, dignity and self-respect,” Gilani said. He stated that the Government was adopting a three-pronged strategy to counter militancy in the FATA: political dialogue, development in the region and use of force as a last resort.
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June - 29 
Local official Muhammad Siddiq Khan said the FC had also encountered no resistance as it moved into areas outside Bara, AP reported. Muhammad Ilyas, a bodyguard of Mangal Bagh, confirmed that the LI cadres had been strictly directed against fighting Government troops by “amir sahib”. During the oper
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Local official Muhammad Siddiq Khan said the FC had also encountered no resistance as it moved into areas outside Bara, AP reported. Muhammad Ilyas, a bodyguard of Mangal Bagh, confirmed that the LI cadres had been strictly directed against fighting Government troops by “amir sahib”. During the operation’s second day, security forces razed several buildings, including the Mehboob Markaz, the Tayab, Misri and Gud Malang centres and a private jail. A security official told AFP that soldiers also blew up a building belonging to the Taliban-linked group Ansarul Islam (AI). However, FATA Additional Secretary Habibullah Khan declined to comment on the target of the operation. “This operation is not against a particular individual or group,” he told reporters.
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June - 29 
Soldiers backed by armoured vehicles retook control of Bara town in the Khyber Agency of the FATA on June 29, and prepared to advance to other areas in the district, including the Tirah Valley, Daily Times reported. An unnamed official said that the Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) chief Mangal Bagh had moved t
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Soldiers backed by armoured vehicles retook control of Bara town in the Khyber Agency of the FATA on June 29, and prepared to advance to other areas in the district, including the Tirah Valley, Daily Times reported. An unnamed official said that the Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) chief Mangal Bagh had moved to the remote Tirah Valley before the launch of the military operations, Reuters reported. The second day of the NWFP Government’s operations ended without any resistance, as the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) troops continued their advance into the tribal region near Peshawar, capital of the NWFP. In Bara, Bagh had directed his supporters against fighting Government forces. “We’re peaceful and giving way to the security forces; we are not going to fight,” said Mangal Bagh’s 16-year-old son Tayeb. The 5,000-troop contingent of FC soldiers that launched the operation on June 28 was supplemented with a fresh deployment of 400 troops and 20 vehicles on June 29.
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June - 30 
The Ministry of Interior said on June 30 that the operation launched in the Khyber Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) would continue till its objectives were achieved. It also announced a ban on three groups operating in the region for their involvement in criminal activities, Dawn
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The Ministry of Interior said on June 30 that the operation launched in the Khyber Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) would continue till its objectives were achieved. It also announced a ban on three groups operating in the region for their involvement in criminal activities, Dawn reported. "Lashkar-i-lslam of Mangal Bagh, Ansar-ul-lslam of Mahboob-ul-Haque and the Haji Namdar group have been banned under the Anti-Terrorist Act and a notification to this effect has been issued," sources at the interior ministry said on June 30.
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July - 1 
Lashkar-i-Islam chief Mangal Bagh is reported to have contacted the political authorities and expressed willingness to resolve the issue through dialogue. An official said five elders had approached the administration on behalf of Mangal Bagh on July 1 and called for holding talks. He said the Gover
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Lashkar-i-Islam chief Mangal Bagh is reported to have contacted the political authorities and expressed willingness to resolve the issue through dialogue. An official said five elders had approached the administration on behalf of Mangal Bagh on July 1 and called for holding talks. He said the Government would hold talks only if Mangal Bagh disbanded his private militia, guaranteed good conduct and accepted the Government’s writ. According to The News, Mangal Bagh said that Federal Environment Minister Hameedullah Jan should own the responsibility for the military operation and resign from the assembly. He said that the operation would not be resisted but the Government should not compel.
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July - 2 
America’s top military official said on July 2 that he has all the authority he needed for targeting senior al Qaeda and Taliban leaders in Pakistan’s tribal areas, according to Dawn. "I’m comfortable, as the military leader, that I have all the authorities I need," said Admiral Mike Mullen, chairma
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America’s top military official said on July 2 that he has all the authority he needed for targeting senior al Qaeda and Taliban leaders in Pakistan’s tribal areas, according to Dawn. "I’m comfortable, as the military leader, that I have all the authorities I need," said Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, when asked if he had the authority to target key terrorist leaders hiding in the FATA.
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July - 2 
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan chief BaitullahMehsud is reported to have asked the Taliban in Swat to resume peace talks with the NWFP Government after fresh clashes erupted between security forces and the local Taliban in the area on July 2. Muslim Khan, spokesman for Maulana Fazlullah, told Dawn that B
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Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan chief BaitullahMehsud is reported to have asked the Taliban in Swat to resume peace talks with the NWFP Government after fresh clashes erupted between security forces and the local Taliban in the area on July 2. Muslim Khan, spokesman for Maulana Fazlullah, told Dawn that Baitullah had allowed them to resume the talks which were suspended last week. The clashes occurred in the Sra Banda area of Matta sub-division and both sides reportedly used heavy weapons.
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July - 4 
Malakand Range Deputy Inspector General of Police TanvirulHaq Sipra said a new elite force would be raised for the maintenance of law and order in Swat district. Sipra told a press conference at the Mingora Press Club that after the creation of the force, police would not need the help of the Fronti
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Malakand Range Deputy Inspector General of Police TanvirulHaq Sipra said a new elite force would be raised for the maintenance of law and order in Swat district. Sipra told a press conference at the Mingora Press Club that after the creation of the force, police would not need the help of the Frontier Constabulary or other departments. He said that around 1,500 personnel would be deployed at seven centres to be set up in Swat. He said that the number of police stations in Swat is being increased from nine to 22, and the number of policemen, which at present stands at 1,500, will also be doubled. He said that Swat would be divided into rural and settled area administrations, with each area headed by an officer of the senior superintendent of police (SSP) rank. The number of Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) is also being increased from four to 10, with each DSP responsible for two police stations.
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July - 4 
South Korean police said on July 4 that two Pakistanis were among nine people arrested for trying to smuggle tonnes of chemicals for heroin production to Afghanistan’s Taliban insurgents, according to Daily Times. They were detained for trying to use South Korea as a shipping point for several tonne
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South Korean police said on July 4 that two Pakistanis were among nine people arrested for trying to smuggle tonnes of chemicals for heroin production to Afghanistan’s Taliban insurgents, according to Daily Times. They were detained for trying to use South Korea as a shipping point for several tonnes of acetic anhydride destined for southern Afghanistan. The chemical is heated with morphine, an opium derivative, to make heroin.
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July - 4 
The government suspended its security operation against suspected militants and criminals in the Khyber Agency for 36 hours to allow Afridi tribesmen to meet Mangal Bagh and conduct peace talks. "The operation has been suspended until Saturday morning on the request of the tribal jirga and we have r
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The government suspended its security operation against suspected militants and criminals in the Khyber Agency for 36 hours to allow Afridi tribesmen to meet Mangal Bagh and conduct peace talks. "The operation has been suspended until Saturday morning on the request of the tribal jirga and we have relaxed the curfew in Bara to facilitate locals," Khyber Agency Chief Administrator Tariq Hayat Khan told Daily Times. He said that Afridi elders had approached him on July 3 and offered to conduct negotiations with Lashkar-e-Islam chief Mangal Bagh to help restore peace in the area. Khan said the government had provided the jirga members with a list of demands for Bagh, adding that these included surrender of all weapons along with a guarantee that Bagh would not challenge the state’s writ. "If our goals can be achieved through peaceful means, we will certainly pursue them. But, rest assured, we will continue the operation as long as our demands are not met," Khan said. He said security forces had destroyed 16 militant compounds during the past six days of the operation, adding that they had also identified 14 other such compounds. He said the remaining centres would also be destroyed if the Jirga failed to convince Bagh to surrender to the government
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July - 4 
The offensive in Khyber Agency will continue until the writ of the government is restored in the region, said NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani said. Security forces are carefully pursuing the operation, which is against criminals and militants and common people need not worry, the governor told repor
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The offensive in Khyber Agency will continue until the writ of the government is restored in the region, said NWFP Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani said. Security forces are carefully pursuing the operation, which is against criminals and militants and common people need not worry, the governor told reporters. He said that a security policy had been devised, but it could not be revealed at the moment. He said protecting people was the government’s responsibility and the government would therefore conduct more such operations, if need be.
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July - 4 
United States (US) Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has said al Qaeda is regrouping in the border areas of Pakistan, according to Daily Times. Talking to BBC on July 4, Chertoff said he feared al Qaeda and other militant organisations could resume their activities after turning the Pakis
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United States (US) Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has said al Qaeda is regrouping in the border areas of Pakistan, according to Daily Times. Talking to BBC on July 4, Chertoff said he feared al Qaeda and other militant organisations could resume their activities after turning the Pakistani Tribal Areas bordering Afghanistan into their centre. He said Pakistan was so far not a safe haven for al Qaeda as was Afghanistan at one time, but neither the US nor Pakistan should remain indifferent to the problem. "Our biggest apprehension is that Al Qaeda and the likes have the ability to secure such safe havens where not only can they train the recruits but also establish research centres and then use these areas in the attacks against the West," he said. He said the reorganisation of al Qaeda and the similar groups in Pakistan was not only a source of apprehension for the US but also for its European allies, adding that Pakistani authorities must also be concerned.
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July - 5 
An 18-member peace Jirga met Lashkar-e-Islam chief Mangal Bagh at Tirah Valley in the Khyber Agency to discuss measures to end fighting in the region between rival militant groups. During his parleys with the Jirga, Mangal Bagh demanded that the Government should call off the operation by SFs. He al
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An 18-member peace Jirga met Lashkar-e-Islam chief Mangal Bagh at Tirah Valley in the Khyber Agency to discuss measures to end fighting in the region between rival militant groups. During his parleys with the Jirga, Mangal Bagh demanded that the Government should call off the operation by SFs. He also demanded that the SFs should stop demolishing the bases of his group.
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July - 5 
The NWFP government and Swat Taliban are expected to hold talks on July 5. Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said that senior provincial minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour and Minister for Forests Wajid Ali Khan have contacted the Swat Taliban leadership for the meeting.
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The NWFP government and Swat Taliban are expected to hold talks on July 5. Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said that senior provincial minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour and Minister for Forests Wajid Ali Khan have contacted the Swat Taliban leadership for the meeting.
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July - 6 
20 persons, including 15 policemen, were killed and more than 40 persons sustained injuries in a suicide attack near the Melody Market area of capital Islamabad on July 6. According to Daily Times, the suicide bomber targeted policemen deployed at a rally observing the first year anniversary of an a
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20 persons, including 15 policemen, were killed and more than 40 persons sustained injuries in a suicide attack near the Melody Market area of capital Islamabad on July 6. According to Daily Times, the suicide bomber targeted policemen deployed at a rally observing the first year anniversary of an army raid on the Lal Masjid (Red mosque) in Islamabad. "The whole event at the mosque went smoothly but then the suicide bomber targeted the security," Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik told reporters. A policeman at the Aabpara Police Station, which is a few yards from the blast site, said that the explosion occurred after one an inspector had finished a count of the police personnel inside the compound. "A young man walked into the police contingent and apparently blew himself up," a senior security official told AFP. Rehman Malik said that based on eyewitness accounts, the attacker was a man appearing to be "35-37-years-old".
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July - 6 
Elsewhere in the FATA, the three organisations that were running parallel governments in the Khyber Agency have been disbanded, bringing normalcy to the area, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik said on July 6, according to Daily Times.
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Elsewhere in the FATA, the three organisations that were running parallel governments in the Khyber Agency have been disbanded, bringing normalcy to the area, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik said on July 6, according to Daily Times.
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July - 7 
At least 50 persons, including seven children, were injured in a series of seven low-intensity explosions in two busy neighbouring areas of Karachi on July 7, Daily Times reported. The blasts occurred within 90 minutes of each other, striking residential and commercial areas. No deaths have been rep
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At least 50 persons, including seven children, were injured in a series of seven low-intensity explosions in two busy neighbouring areas of Karachi on July 7, Daily Times reported. The blasts occurred within 90 minutes of each other, striking residential and commercial areas. No deaths have been reported so far. Two of the blasts occurred in Banaras, injuring 16 people. The third explosion, which injured five people, ripped through a mini-truck in North Nazimabad. The fourth bomb was affixed to a motorcycle in the Qasba Colony. A fifth explosion occurred near a children’s school in Hyderi. A policeman was injured in the sixth blast in Manghopir. The seventh blast occurred in Pak Colony, injuring seven people. The Sindh Police Inspector General, Sallahuddin Babar Khattak, said the blasts were fairly mild. He told AFP "apparently the purpose was to create panic in the city. There is also a possibility that the people who planted the bombs wanted to fan ethnic tensions in the city." He also said that 150-200 grams of explosives were used in each blast. Khattak noted that the areas struck have a predominantly large Pakhtoon population and the headquarters of the Government’s coalition partner Awami National Party is located at Banaras Chowk. Rehman Malik, the prime minister’s adviser, was quoted by APP as saying that the blasts appeared to have been pre-planned and aimed at destabilising the city.
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July - 7 
Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on July 7 revealed that the Lashkar-e-Islam chief Mangal Bagh, who was involved in terrorist activities in the Khyber Agency, had assured the contesting candidates in the February 18, 2008 elections of success if they took oath of facilitating suicide bombing i
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Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on July 7 revealed that the Lashkar-e-Islam chief Mangal Bagh, who was involved in terrorist activities in the Khyber Agency, had assured the contesting candidates in the February 18, 2008 elections of success if they took oath of facilitating suicide bombing inside parliament, The News reported. "I can tell you with authority that Mangal Bagh assured the candidates that only those who pledged to help carry out suicide bombing on parliament would emerge victorious in the elections," the prime minister said while talking to newsmen on board a special plane en route to the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, to attend the D-8 summit.
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July - 7 July - 8
Unidentified armed men shot dead a religious leader in the Charbagh division of Swat district in the NWFP on July 7-night, police sources told Daily Times on July 8. Charbagh DarulUloom Administrator Maulvi Masood was killed in an ambush, the officials said.
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Unidentified armed men shot dead a religious leader in the Charbagh division of Swat district in the NWFP on July 7-night, police sources told Daily Times on July 8. Charbagh DarulUloom Administrator Maulvi Masood was killed in an ambush, the officials said.
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July - 8 
Elsewhere in the FATA, the local Taliban on July 8 took possession of two girls’ primary schools in the Charmang area of Nawagai sub-division in the Bajaur Agency and announced the conversion of these schools into madrassas (seminaries). The Taliban captured Government Girls Primary School Manugi an
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Elsewhere in the FATA, the local Taliban on July 8 took possession of two girls’ primary schools in the Charmang area of Nawagai sub-division in the Bajaur Agency and announced the conversion of these schools into madrassas (seminaries). The Taliban captured Government Girls Primary School Manugi and Government Girls Primary School AzgharCharmang.
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July - 8 
LI chief Mangal Bagh told a jirga (council), “I will not resist security forces and continue support to the government. The LI will not engage in any act that affects the writ of the state and will only carry out activities concerning the Afridi tribes.”
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LI chief Mangal Bagh told a jirga (council), “I will not resist security forces and continue support to the government. The LI will not engage in any act that affects the writ of the state and will only carry out activities concerning the Afridi tribes.”
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July - 8 
Mangal Bagh denied the involvement of LI in the July 8-attack on a security forces’ convoy in Khyber Agency, Daily Times reported. In a statement, he said those responsible should be given exemplary punishment.
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Mangal Bagh denied the involvement of LI in the July 8-attack on a security forces’ convoy in Khyber Agency, Daily Times reported. In a statement, he said those responsible should be given exemplary punishment.
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July - 8 
The Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Sherry Rehman is currently a prime target for terrorists and the Interior Ministry has advised her to restrict her public movements in light of the threat to her life, Daily Times reported. According to a Dawn News report, official sources have said
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The Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Sherry Rehman is currently a prime target for terrorists and the Interior Ministry has advised her to restrict her public movements in light of the threat to her life, Daily Times reported. According to a Dawn News report, official sources have said that the Interior Ministry has informed the Information Ministry that she is on the hit list of a would-be suicide bomber.
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July - 9 
The Afghan Foreign Minister RanginDadfarSpanta told the UN Security Council on July 9 that a key factor behind the worsening security in his country was “the de facto truce” in neighbouring Pakistan’s tribal areas, according to Daily Times. “One of the main factors contributing to the deterioration
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The Afghan Foreign Minister RanginDadfarSpanta told the UN Security Council on July 9 that a key factor behind the worsening security in his country was “the de facto truce” in neighbouring Pakistan’s tribal areas, according to Daily Times. “One of the main factors contributing to the deterioration of the security situation in the country is the de facto truce in the tribal areas beyond the border,” he said during a council debate on violence-wracked Afghanistan. “Terrorist sanctuaries and an elaborate system of financing, recruiting, arming and systematic training of suicide bombers are at work outside our borders, to keep the terrorist threat alive,” Spanta said.
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July - 9 
There has been an increase in mortar and rocket attacks from militants in Pakistan at United States and Afghan border outposts in Afghanistan, the top NATO commander said on July 9, Daily Times reported. US General David D McKiernan said he presumed that militants think they were safer because they
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There has been an increase in mortar and rocket attacks from militants in Pakistan at United States and Afghan border outposts in Afghanistan, the top NATO commander said on July 9, Daily Times reported. US General David D McKiernan said he presumed that militants think they were safer because they were firing from the Pakistani territory. But McKiernan, who took command of the 40-nation NATO-led mission in early June 2008, said US and NATO forces have been "returning fire". "I’m not sure that’s the case, that they’re any safer, because we do return those fires," in co-ordination with Pakistan’s military, said McKiernan. He did provide figures, but said "there definitely has been an increase (in cross-border attacks) since I’ve been here in the last 30 days." McKiernan said the number of attacks had increased because militant groups had been free to operate in Pakistan’s Tribal Areas and cross the Afghanistan-Pakistan border unimpeded.
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July - 10 
According to the Assistant Political Agent of Lower Kurram, three people were killed and six others injured when a vehicle carrying vegetables struck a landmine in Arawali village.
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According to the Assistant Political Agent of Lower Kurram, three people were killed and six others injured when a vehicle carrying vegetables struck a landmine in Arawali village.
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July - 10 
More foreign fighters, including al Qaeda militants, are operating in Pakistan’s tribal areas than in the past, the top US military officer said during a visit to Kabul on July 10, according to The News. Adm Mike Mullen said militants are flowing into Afghanistan more freely this year compared with
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More foreign fighters, including al Qaeda militants, are operating in Pakistan’s tribal areas than in the past, the top US military officer said during a visit to Kabul on July 10, according to The News. Adm Mike Mullen said militants are flowing into Afghanistan more freely this year compared with 2007 because Pakistan’s Government and military are not putting enough pressure on the insurgents. “There’s a clear problem on the border,” Mullen, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said. “There’s clearly not enough pressure being brought to bear, particularly on the Pakistan side of the border. There’s more freedom there,” he said. “There are clearly more foreign fighters in the FATA (Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas) than have been there in the past,” he added.
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July - 10 
The body of a doctor killed by suspected militants was found in the Dosli sub-division of North Waziristan on July 10, Daily Times reported. Identified as Dr Farrukh Aftab, a resident of Islamabad, officials said that the man had been shot four times in the chest. A note pinned to his body read: “He
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The body of a doctor killed by suspected militants was found in the Dosli sub-division of North Waziristan on July 10, Daily Times reported. Identified as Dr Farrukh Aftab, a resident of Islamabad, officials said that the man had been shot four times in the chest. A note pinned to his body read: “He [Dr Farrukh Aftab] was opposing Islam and jihad, and he was a supporter of European countries. He was working for NGOs.” It is yet unknown whether the man was seized while visiting the region, or abducted from Islamabad and brought to Waziristan.
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July - 10 
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General Major General Athar Abbas accused Indian forces of violating a 2003 cease-fire in Kashmir on July 10, The News reported. General Abbas said the Indian Army fired mortars and small arms without any provocation in the Battal sector of Kashmir
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The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General Major General Athar Abbas accused Indian forces of violating a 2003 cease-fire in Kashmir on July 10, The News reported. General Abbas said the Indian Army fired mortars and small arms without any provocation in the Battal sector of Kashmir. “The Indian Army opened fire at 2 pm today without any provocation, and our forces deployed there also returned the fire… The Indian Army is to be blamed for the breach of ceasefire,” Abbas claimed. Pakistan’s forces returned the fire, he said. The local Pakistani commander lodged a protest with his Indian counterpart, the ISPR chief said. The Army’s director-general of military operations later spoke to his Indian counterpart to set up a meeting on the matter, he added. However, Indian Army spokesman Lt Col S. D. Goswami denied its forces targeted Pakistani positions, and claimed that Pakistan-based militants had opened fire on Indian forces as the militants tried to slip into the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir. A group of militants fired on our troops during an infiltration bid. Our army returned the fire and foiled the infiltration bid,” said Goswami. He said that in a separate incident on July 10 in the same area, Pakistani soldiers opened fire on Indian positions but “we didn’t retaliate”. The ISPR chief declined to respond to the Indian allegations.
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July - 10 
US intelligence officials said there has been an increase in foreign fighters traveling to Pakistan to join up with al Qaeda-linked militants in the country’s tribal areas, the New York Times reported on July 10. US intelligence and military sources told the newspaper that dozens or more Uzbeks, Nor
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US intelligence officials said there has been an increase in foreign fighters traveling to Pakistan to join up with al Qaeda-linked militants in the country’s tribal areas, the New York Times reported on July 10. US intelligence and military sources told the newspaper that dozens or more Uzbeks, North Africans and Arabs from Gulf states have moved into Pakistan in recent months, shoring up the al Qaeda forces which are backing the Taliban in Afghanistan. A US military spokesman in Baghdad told the New York Times that there has been a corresponding drop in the number of foreign fighters entering Iraq, now less than 40 a month compared to up to 110 a month one year ago. “The flow may reflect a change that is making Pakistan, not Iraq, the preferred destination for some Sunni extremists from the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia who are seeking to take up arms against the West,” the newspaper wrote, citing the officials. General David McKiernan, the new NATO commander in Afghanistan, said the situation in Pakistan’s northwestern border areas, where al Qaeda and other militants are allegedly based, has worsened. “The porous border has allowed militant groups a greater freedom of movement across that border, as well as a greater freedom to resupply, to allow leadership to sustain stronger sanctuaries, and to provide fighters across that border,” McKiernan told the New York Times.
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July - 11 
A Taliban spokesman has said that militants will start killing a group of hostages if their men detained by the Government are not released by July 12-afternoon, according to Dawn. Maulvi Umar claimed on July 11 that the Taliban had abducted 29 persons, most of them security force personnel. However
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A Taliban spokesman has said that militants will start killing a group of hostages if their men detained by the Government are not released by July 12-afternoon, according to Dawn. Maulvi Umar claimed on July 11 that the Taliban had abducted 29 persons, most of them security force personnel. However, an official in the Hangu district of the NWFP said that only 16 or 17 people had been held by the Taliban. He said the hostages were taken during a siege of a police station in Hangu on July 9. A 400-strong force of Taliban militants had besieged the Doaba police station after the arrest of seven of their associates by security agencies.
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July - 11 
The United Nations (UN) has agreed to establish an independent commission to investigate the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on July 11, Daily Times reported. The Pakistani request will not be referred to the UN Security Council, sinc
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The United Nations (UN) has agreed to establish an independent commission to investigate the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on July 11, Daily Times reported. The Pakistani request will not be referred to the UN Security Council, since the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has the authority to appoint a commission. Qureshi told a press conference at the UN after a meeting with Ban, "Responding positively to the issue, the secretary-general indicated that further consultation with Pakistan and others within the organisation would be required to examine the modalities and structure of a commission to determine the circumstances of, and responsibilities for, the assassination of Benazir. The objectives for the commission are to identify the culprits, perpetrators, organisers and financiers of the assassination." He explained that the secretary-general would appoint "well-respected, eminent people" to the independent commission in consultation with the Government of Pakistan. Qureshi’s announcement was later confirmed by the secretary-general’s office.
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July - 12 
According to Daily Times, banned sectarian and jihadi groups are flouting the Government bar and are re-emerging in various parts of Karachi, a television channel reported on July 12. Dawn News stated that sectarian slogans, flags and posters of defunct sectarian groups are visible on walls across t
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According to Daily Times, banned sectarian and jihadi groups are flouting the Government bar and are re-emerging in various parts of Karachi, a television channel reported on July 12. Dawn News stated that sectarian slogans, flags and posters of defunct sectarian groups are visible on walls across the city, indicating re-emergence of the banned groups. The Sunni group Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), the Shia group Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan (SMP) and Mukhtar Force are the most conspicuous groups, the report added. The channel quoted sources as saying that the sealed offices of the groups have reopened, working under different identities. Some of the groups held meetings in Qayyumabad, North Karachi and Soldier Bazaar, the sources said. Jihadi groups have also enhanced their activities, although in a disguised manner. The Sindh Information Minister Shazia Marri, however, told the channel that these groups were still banned and illegal. The outfits are not allowed to carry out any activity in the city, she said, adding the Government would take immediate action if it found any actionable information.
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July - 14 
Karzai said on July 14 that Pakistani agents were behind the Indian embassy bombing, the first time he has directly accused Pakistan of involvement in the suicide attack, Reuters reported. Pakistani agents were behind the embassy attack, the beheading of two Afghans in Pakistan in June 2008, the kil
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Karzai said on July 14 that Pakistani agents were behind the Indian embassy bombing, the first time he has directly accused Pakistan of involvement in the suicide attack, Reuters reported. Pakistani agents were behind the embassy attack, the beheading of two Afghans in Pakistan in June 2008, the killing of two women in Ghazni province and 24 people in a suicide bomb in Uruzgan on July 13, Karzai told reporters.
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July - 14 
NWFP senior minister Bashir Bilour told reporters in the provincial capital Peshawar that so far 25 Taliban prisoners had been released under the agreement. He said the decision about the release of other prisoners would be taken on a case to case basis. "We are sincere in implementing the deal," he
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NWFP senior minister Bashir Bilour told reporters in the provincial capital Peshawar that so far 25 Taliban prisoners had been released under the agreement. He said the decision about the release of other prisoners would be taken on a case to case basis. "We are sincere in implementing the deal," he added.
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