SECURITY
Indian Firing from across LoC Kills Teenager
Azad Jammu and Kashmir: “A mortar shell pierced the concrete roof of one house in Sabzkot village at about 2am, killing one family member and injuring two others while they were asleep,” said Chaudhry Zulqarnain Sarfraz, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in Kotli district. Dawn
Four more Terrorists Hanged in KP
Kohat: Another four hardcore militants sentenced to death by a military court were executed in Kohat jail taking the total number of terrorists hanged there within 48 hours to eight. According to a press release of the Inter-Services Public Relations, the four convicts belonged to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and hailed from Swat district. They were arrested in military operations. Dawn, The Express Tribune, The News
Suspect in Azam Tariq Murder Case Arrested
Rawalpindi: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested a suspected murderer of former chief of the banned Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) Maulana Azam Tariq at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA). FIA Islamabad Director Mazhar Kakakhel told that the suspect had been declared as a proclaimed offender in the high-profile murder case. Dawn, The Express Tribune
POLITICAL
Delays in Repatriation of TDPs can Cause Militancy
Mian Iftekhar Hussain, senior member of ANP, said that the central and provincial governments should facilitate the speedy returning of North Waziristan Agency TDPs to their homes. He further said that if the process of their repatriation was further delayed, it could cause more militancy in Pakistan. Akhbar-e-Khyber
No Rift between Civil, Military Leadership: Chaudhry Nisar
Islamabad: A day after the government and army resolved differences over action on a Dawn report, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has warned against politics on the sensitive issue of civil-military ties, stressing that creating a civil-military divide is the agenda of country’s foes. Speaking at a press conference, he said the context of civil-military relations was national and not political. Dawn, Khyber News
Senators Call for Changing Extremist Mindset
Islamabad: The lawmakers in the Senate vehemently condemned the lynching of Mashal Khan and feared if the mindset behind such gory incidents was not reversed, it might become impossible to live in the society. Senators called for trying the Mashal lynching case in a military court for speedy verdict and award of due punishment to the culprits. They wanted the strictest punishment to those who were found involved in leveling baseless charges of blasphemy. The News
PTI Questions Jurisdiction of ECP, SC in Foreign Funding Case
Islamabad: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has raised questions over the jurisdiction of Election Commission of Pakistan and Supreme Court in connection with hearing the foreign funding case filed against PTI chairperson Imran Khan and Jahangir Tareen. PTI’s lawyer Anwar Mansoor said that only the federal government had the authority to investigate the issue of ‘foreign funding’ of political parties saying in case the matter was referred to the ECP, the move would be challenged. Khyber News
SOCIO-ECONOMIC
Tribesmen Protest in Front of Governor House
People belonging to Dande and DarpaKhel (North Waziristan Agency) protested in front of the Governor House to stop demolition of their homes, to speed up the process of their repatriation, and for provision of financial compensation in order to reconstruct their destroyed homes. They threatened to go to Islamabad before the start of Ramazan along with female and minor family members to stage a sit-in outside Parliament House if the above demands are not fulfilled. Akhbar-e-Khyber, Dawn
WFP to Award Scholarships to Girl Students in Khyber Agency
The World Food Program (WFP) has announced to award monthly scholarships to girl students enrolled in government schools in Khyber Agency. Khalil-ur-Rehman, the WFP spokesman, said that Rs 1000 monthly scholarship will be awarded to every girl student enrolled in middle and high schools in Khyber Agency. Radio TNN
Small Dam in Lower Dir to be Completed in Two Years
Lower Dir: Work on Sanam dam would be completed within two years that will cost Rs714 million. Briefing local politicians and district administration in Chakdara, Mohammad Iqbal Khalil, the managing director of the project, said that water channels of the dam would irrigate 1,500 acres of land in Adenzai. The construction of Sanam dam has been a long standing demand of the people of Adenzai. Dawn
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Pakistan, Azerbaijan Enjoy Strategic Partnership
Islamabad: The good thing about Pakistan’s relations with Central Asian republics and Azerbaijan is that they do not face any challenges, diplomats said at a seminar. Diplomats from various countries were speaking at a seminar on `Pakistan Relations with Central Asian Republics and Azerbaijan: Prospects and Challenges`, organized by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI). The seminar commemorated the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Pakistan, Central Asian Republics and Azerbaijan. Dawn
India Tightens Medical Visa Rules for Pakistanis
New Delhi has tightened medical visa rules for Pakistan amid heightened tension between the nuclear arch-rivals. India’s External Affair Minister Sushma Swaraj announced that India would immediately grant visas to Pakistani patients whose applications were supported by a recommendation letter from Adviser to PM on Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz. The Express Tribune
CHINA-PAKISTAN ECONOMIC CORRIDOR
CPEC Project to Take Formative Shape by 2020
Peshawar: The China Pakistan Economic Corridor project is likely to take initial shape by 2020 and start boosting economic growth in both countries, suggests the multibillion dollars initiative’s draft long-term plan. The federal government had recently shared the draft LTP with the provinces for feedback. The LTP will remain operative until 2030 after its approval by both Pakistan and China. The draft LTP says the CPEC covers China`s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and whole territory of Pakistan and its coverage is divided into core and radiation zones. It says the core and radiation zones present the spatial layout of one belt, three axes and several passages. Dawn
