ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will set free later this month senior Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, meeting a key Afghan demand. `We have decided in principle to release Mullah Baradar,` Foreign Office spokesman Aizaz Chaudhry informed media. He said the Taliban leader would be released at an `appropriate time` But Foreign Affairs and National Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz said in an interview that Baradar could be walking out of detention some time this month. `In principle, we have agreed to release him. The timing is being discussed. It should be very soon … I think within this month,` Mr Aziz said. Dawn, The News, The Express Tribune, Daily Mashriq, The Frontier Post.
LAHORE: The Pakistan People’s Party government had first offered to hand over the detained Mulla Baradar to the Afghan authorities in February 2010, just days after he was arrested from a madrasah near Karachi. The February 25, 2010 edition of the prestigious 124-year old American newspaper “The Wall Street Journal” had carried a story titled “Pakistan offers Taliban official to Afghans,” which had explicitly stated: “Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik said after a meeting here with his Afghan counterpart, Mohammed Hanif Atmar, that Islamabad was expecting a formal request from Kabul to extradite Mulla Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Afghan Taliban’s operations chief.” The News.
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar on Tuesday said a dictator had sent the army to Fata under foreign pressure. He said the PML-N government had worked out a framework for talks with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) but the federal government was waiting for suggestions and opinions from the provinces.The News, Daily Mashriq.
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that extremism and terrorism are adversely affecting the country`s economy. Speaking at a meeting of the cabinet on Tuesday, he said: `Economic development is the only way forward, but terrorism and extremism are badly hampering the economic turnaround in Pakistan. The country is passing through difficult times and we are evolving a consensus strategy to sort out all issues confronting the nation Dawn.
ISLAMABAD: A day after the political leadership unanimously agreed to hold dialogue with the Taliban, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Tuesday that a framework for talks was ready. He said at a press conference that it would be an integrated and all-encompassing dialogue. The first interaction between the government and the Taliban would determine what the two sides wanted from each other, he added.Dawn, The Express Tribune.
MIRAMSHAH: A meeting of the central shura of Tehreek-iTaliban Pakistan is being held at an unspecified location in the tribal region to firm up a formal response to the government`s peace overtures made after the all parties conference (APC) held in Islamabad. The TTP has welcomed the all parties conference`s declaration of unconditional talks offer and termed it a positive step.Daily Mashriq, Dawn, The Frontier Post.
UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has called for capacity building of states for counter terrorism efforts. Speaking at a meeting of the Advisory Board of the UN Counter-Terrorism Centre in New York‚ Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations‚ Masood Khan emphasized the need to address the conditions that lead to the spread of terrorism. He praised Saudi Arabia’s contribution of one hundred million dollars for the centre. He said it would help address the funding deficit in UN’s counter terrorism projects. The Pakistan envoy noted that the UN counter terrorism center is now transitioning to the advanced project management methods. Masood Khan hoped that it would lead to improve project planning‚ implementation and oversight and measurement of impact of these projects.The Frontier Post.
GHALANAI/PARACHINAR: A security man was injured in a blast near a checkpost in Haleemzai tehsil of Mohmand tribal region on Tuesday. Officials said that unidentified persons planted an improvised explosive device (IED) near a Levies checkpost on Peshawar Bajaur Road in Haleemzai area that went off and injured a security man. Dawn, The News, The Frontier Post.
KURRUM AGENCY: A tribesman was injured when a landmine exploded along a roadside in Malikhel area. Dawn.
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rashid on Tuesday said all options, including Jirgas, contact groups, etc, would be used to hold talks with the Taliban. Talking to media persons at the Parliament House, he said that holding of talks with Taliban was the unanimous decision of all the participants of the all parties conference (APC) and no one will be allowed to sabotage the talks with the Taliban.The News.
RAWALPINDI: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Pervaiz Rashid has said that it would be the federal government to hold talks with the Taliban; however, many persons can play a big role to lead the talks to its logical conclusion. He said to talk to the Taliban who are our own citizens should not be a difficult task. He said, “For peace we will use the weapon of talks. Those who have used the language of weapons have always faced defeat.” The News.
LAHORE: A platform of religious groups affiliated with the Barelvi school of thought and an emerging Shia party have joined hands to force the government out of dialogue process with Taliban as sanctioned by the recent All Parties Conference called by the government to chalk out a unanimous strategy to overcome the issue of terrorism and insurgency emanating from Fata. The News.
LAHORE: An intelligence agency has detained some members of al Qaeda’s suicide squad, their local handler and two of their technical collaborators. Out of seven al Qaeda members, four have taken special jihadi training in Miramshah, headquarters of North Waziristan Agency, while the other three are also experts in different fields with five having expertise in information technology/communication, improvised explosive devices (IED), diploma associate engineer in automobile technology and media coordination. The Express Tribune.
