SECURITY
10 Construction Workers gunned down near Gwadar
Balochistan: At least ten men were killed and another was injured when unidentified motorcyclists opened fire on laborers working on a road meant to connect remote towns with the port city of Gwadar, the gateway to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. Officials said that the gunmen attacked laborers in two places on a road connecting the Pishikan and Ganz areas of Gwadar district. The proscribed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the attack. Dawn, The Express Tribune
13 Injured in LoC Firing
Azad Jammu and Kashmir: At least 13 people were injured as Indian troops resorted to unprovoked firing across the LoC, yet again, in Bhimber District. According to officials and the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), five people were injured in Khuiratta and Charhoi sectors of Kotli district and eight in Samahni and Baroh sectors. Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa visited the restive Line of Control (LoC) and issued a stern warning to India against any misadventure along the LoC. Dawn, The Express Tribune
POLITICAL
PML-N Government Insincere with Tribal People: Zardari
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, said that the incumbent government of PML-N is not worried about the problems of tribal people and is insincere with Fata reforms. He further said that the Federal Government wants to introduce reforms for governor rule and election of toothless representatives. He demanded of the federal government to immediately merge Fata with KP and implement a paradigm of development in the post-conflict FATA. Radio TNN
FCR Root Cause of all Problems in FATA: Iftikhar Chaudhary
Iftikhar Ahmed Chaudhary, former Chief Justice of Pakistan, and head of Pakistan Justice Democratic Party, said that Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR) law was the root cause of all problems in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata). He demanded early implementation of Fata reforms, with immediate abolishment of FCR. Radio TNN, Dawn
FATA Reforms Bill to be Presented in NA Session
The Fata Reforms Amendment Bill 2017 is expected to be tabled in the National Assembly session on May 15th for discussion and approval. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had directed the Law Ministry to prepare the Fata Reforms Amendment Bill 2017 and present it in the upcoming session of the National Assembly due to which the Fata parliamentarians had cancelled the scheduled protest sit-in in Islamabad on May 20 against the delay in Fata reforms implementation. Radio TNN
Tribal People Marginalized for the last 70 Years: Muhammad Anwar
Senior member of ANP, Muhammad Anwar, said that tribal people were subjected to every type of injustice (political, social, and economical) in the last 70 years. He further said that their problems would be solved if FATA was merged with KP and if the constitution of Pakistan was implemented there as it existed in the rest of the country. Akhbar-e-Khyber
SOCIO-ECONOMIC
Polio Vaccination Drive to Begin in Bajaur
Dr. Javad Habib, Director Health Services FATA, directed the local health officials to consult local Ulema in order to ensure maximum coverage of children during the upcoming three-day anti-polio drive in Bajaur Agency. The campaign of polio vaccination will be started in Bajaur Agency from May 15. During this drive, 226,000 children will be vaccinated. Foolproof security will be provided to the polio team. Akhbar-e-Khyber, Dawn
The Campaign of Enrollment in Schools Failed
A campaign of enrolling children in schools failed in Khyber Agency. There are no government schools in Shakas Takhta Beg, Lashora, Alocha and various other areas. Moreover, there is a lack of teaching staff in areas where government schools exist. Akhbar-e-Khyber
Returning TDPs of Central Kurram Agency Caught in various Problems
TDPs from Jogi, Sara Panara, Lakikhel, said that their problems further multiplied after their repatriation into their homes. According to them, there was no facility of even drinking water, basic health facilities, and education in the post-conflict Kurram Agency. However, Nasirullah Khan, additional Political Agent, of Kurram Agency, assured the people that their problems would be solved at every level. Akhbar-e-Khyber
Seven Small Dams Completed in FATA
Additional Chief Secretary FATA, Dr. Muhammad Fida, said that seven small dams in FATA have been completed while six others are under construction. He further told a group of journalists from tribal agencies at his office that the authorities concerned had conducted survey of 32,902 houses damaged during conflict. He said that survey teams had validated 22,471 houses for payment of compensation of which 15,139 owners had received compensation under the Citizens Losses Compensation Programme. Akhbar-E-Khyber, Dawn
Tribesmen of Khyber Agency Facing Multiple Problems
According to people of Khyber Agency, survey of their homes destroyed in the conflict has not been completed. There are no facilities such as electricity, schools, transportation, and basic health provisions. These problems were expressed by tribesmen from Bara, Malik Din Khel, Navia Kamar at a ceremony arranged by Mashal Welfare Organization. Akhbar-e-Khyber
Tribesmen Live Miserable Life in Rugged Tirah Hills
Hundreds of Kamar Khel families of Takhtaki area of Tirah valley are compelled to live in miserable conditions as the Khyber Agency political administration has abandoned a survey of the damaged houses half way. Situated at a high altitude, Takhtaki is densely forested and one of the picturesque hilly areas of Tirah valley. It is inhabited mostly by Kamar Khel tribesmen, whose main occupations are farming and rearing livestock. Dawn
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
US imposes sanctions on Pakistani entities
Washington: The US has imposed sanctions on Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the Jamaat-ud-Dawah, the Taliban, Jamaat-ul-Dawa al-Qu’ran (JDQ), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, and ISIS-Khorasan, reports foreign media. “These sanctions seek to disrupt the financial support networks of terrorists based in Pakistan who have provided support to the Taliban, al-Qaeda, ISIS, and LeT for recruitment and funding of suicide bombers and other violent insurgent operations,” said John Smith, Director of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). The News
