Malala Yusufzai has been sent to UK for further treatment, following the decision of the board of doctors treating her in the military hospital here and with the consent of her family members. Malala – an outspoken advocate for girls’ education – was shot in the head and neck as she waited for a school bus last Tuesday in the north western district of Swat. After her initial treatment in a local hospital, she has been receiving care at a military hospital in Rawalpindi for the past few days. The decision to send Malala to the United Kingdom had been taken after consultations with her family members and all expenses for her treatment would be borne by the Government of Pakistan, an statement issued by ISPR said. The Frontier Post.
At least six militants were killed and one soldier of Pakistan army sustained injuries in a clash in upper Orakzai Agency, official sources said on Sunday. The security officials said that the militants attacked the patrol party of the security forces in Barlas area in Mamozai in wee hours of Sunday. One soldier sustained injuries in the militants’ attack, the official said. The injured soldier identified was taken to the Combined Military Hospital in Thal for treatment. The officials added that six militants were killed and four others injured in the retaliatory fire by the security forces. The Frontier Post, The News, Daily Times.
Seven security personnel, including six policemen and a Frontier Constabulary (FC) constable, were injured when the Taliban attacked two check posts of Matani police station on the outskirts of Peshawar on Sunday night. In a surprise attack on the Ghazi Abad and Frontier Road check posts at around 10pm, militants equipped with RPG-7 rockets and heavy machine guns fired shots at the Matani police station.
Despite it being pitch dark, police and FC personnel retaliated with gun fire and hand to hand combat, which continued for almost 45 minutes. Militants had occupied the high ground around the check posts and fired from there, injuring six police men and an FC personnel, as a result. The Frontier Post, The News, Dawn.
Enraged by widespread media coverage of Malala Yousafzai, who was shot and critically injured by the militants in Swat, the Pakistani Taliban led by Hakimullah Mehsud reportedly planned to target media organizations, particularly television channels and some journalists in the country, well-placed sources told this correspondent on Sunday. According to sources, the Taliban felt that the media has become biased against them and was giving ‘undue’ coverage to the attack on Malala and portraying them as the ‘worst people on earth’. The militants were reported to have held meetings and decided to suspend all their current operations and activities in the country and directed field commanders and fighters to divert their attention towards media organizations instead of the government and security forces. In this regard, the sources said, the militants had selected12 suicide bombers and tasked them to target media organizations, particularly the electronic media and some foreign media organizations and their workers, in Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi and wherever they found them. The News.
A paramilitary soldier and five militants were reported killed during a clash in Sheikhan village as police defused another improvised explosive device (IED) on Sunday. An official of the Badaber Police Station said the police contingents and Frontier Constabulary soldiers reached the village on Frontier Road, near Khyber Agency, after they were tipped off about the IED. As the experts of the bomb disposal unit were not available, the cops blew up the explosives planted on the roadside by opening fire on it. An official said that suspected militants opened fire on police and soldiers of Frontier Constabulary as soon as they reached the spot. Daily Times.
Two workers were killed and three others sustained injuries in a coalmine blast in the Orakzai Agency on Sunday, tribal sources said. The sources said that the labourers were working in the Awan Ali Coalmine in Darwazai village in Dholi area when an explosion occurred. As a result, two workers identified as Abdur Razzaq and Ghulam Akbar were killed while three others sustained injuries. The News.
Three gunmen shot dead personnel of the Levies Force in main Jamrud Bazaar, official sources said on Sunday. Gul Wali, a resident of Mulagori, was on his way in the Jamrud bazaar when three gunmen opened indiscriminate fire on him and killed him on the spot. The Khassadars chased the killers and arrested one of them, the sources added. The arrested person was identified as Muhammad Khatir. The reason behind the incident was stated to be an old enmity. The News.
North Waziristan Political Agent Siraj Ahmad Khan on Sunday visited several checkpoints and directed the security personnel to avoid unnecessary firing on residential areas as it created tensions between the armed forces and local people. The political agent said he had been receiving a number of complaints from local tribe’s people about unnecessary firing by the security forces mostly at night on residential areas. He visited the Amin and Dir Doni checkpoints and advised the security personnel deployed there to interact with the local people and win their hearts and minds by involving them in day-to-day affairs. The News.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said any military operation in North Waziristan as a reaction to the Malala incident would not be in the national interest. He said thousands of girls had become victims of drone attacks but their deaths were not protested as the attack on Malala Yusafzai was being condemned. Criticizing Imran Khan, he said during his march to Waziristan he did not say a word against America. He expressed grave concern over the situation in Fata, Balochistan, Karachi as well as interior Sindh saying Pakistan has become a haven for target killers, extortionists and kidnappers. The News.
Britain plans to withdraw thousands of troops from Afghanistan next year, Defense Secretary Philip Hammond said on Sunday, as pressure mounts to end British involvement in the costly and unpopular war. More than 430 British troops have been killed in Afghanistan since the US-led intervention in 2001, yet stability remains elusive and violence high, while relations between Western troops and Afghan forces and civilians are increasingly frayed. Britain on Sunday said it had charged five soldiers with murder as part of an investigation into what it called an engagement with an insurgent in Afghanistan last year, and that a total of nine soldiers had been arrested in connection with the case. The News.
The jirga of Utmanzai tribal elders Sunday condemned the recent attack on peace activist Malala Yousafzai in Swat, but rejected the proposal of launching military operation in North Waziristan and warned of going to Afghanistan for shelter instead of becoming Internally Displaced Persons in downtowns if the operation was launched in the area. Malik Nasrullah Khan, chief of Waziristan, presided over the jirga, where prominent elders of Utmanzai tribe from all over of North Waziristan, including Malik Mamoor Khan, Malik Qadir Khan, Malik Mashal Khan, Malik Noor Mohammad and others were present. The News.
A jirga of Haleemzai tribe has unanimously decided to extend full support to the government and the security forces to eliminate militants from the area. Addressing the jirga, the tribal elders from different sub-tribes of Haleemzai resolved that they would fight against the militants and fully support the security forces in the operation against militants who were depriving the children of education and health facilities and destroying the tribal customs and traditions. Those who spoke at the jirga included Malik Mohammad Ali Haleemzai, Haji Hidayatullah, Maulana Samiul Haq alias (Sahibul Haq), Malik Haji Amir Nawaz Khan, Malik Taj Mohammad, Malik Mohambar, Malik Nazir Khan, Mailk Aurang Zeb, Malik Ajmal and others. They decided that strict action would be taken against those tribesmen who were found sheltering anti-state elements in the area. Dawn.
A rival armed group of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan has said that its office was not the target of Saturday’s blast in Darra Adamkhel. The spokesman of Momin Khan Afridi group, which is engaged in war with Tariq Afridi group of Taliban in Darra Adamkhel, condemned the attack and said that their office was not its target but the bomb was planted in a car outside a market. In a statement issued here on Sunday, he said that innocent tribesmen were killed in the blast, which created fear among the people. The political administration of Frontier Region of Kohat registered a case against unidentified terrorists. However, denial of Taliban about their involvement in Darra Adamkhel blast has puzzled the investigators and further inquiry has come to a halt. Dawn.
FRC REPORT
Peshawar: Provincial Government announced to hold “Yaoum-e-Dua” (Day of Prayer) on Friday for the health of Malala Yousafzai and her friends. Condemning the incident, one minute silence would be observed at noon in public sectors’ offices and special prayers would be offered in assembly parades of government and non-government educational institutions, FRC learnt.
Addressing a press conference Provincial Minster Mian Iftikhar Hussain appealed Pakistani citizens to get along with provincial government in “Yaoum-e-Dua” to offer special prayers for the life and health of Malala Yousafzai and her friends after every prayer.
Malala Yousfazai was shifted to Rawalpindi for further medical treatment after successful operation in CMH Peshawar on Thursday and yesterday to England.
Parrachinar: Special prayers for the health of Malala Yusafzai were held in different schools of the area, FRC field reporter learnt. According to details children in different schools of Parrachinar prayed for the good health of Malala Yusafzai and her soon recovery. Political Agent of the area participated in the rally besides tribal elders organized by the students of different schools to show their solidarity with Malala.
Landi Kotal: Members of the Christian Community were asked by Commandant Khyber Rifles to leave the cantonment area of Landi Kotal here on Sunday, FRC field reporter. According to details the Christian community members held a protest against the Commandant Khyber Rifles who had asked them to leave the Landi Kotal cantonment area as soon as possible. They also demanded of the government and the FC officials to arrange alternatives for them ahead of approaching winter.
In the meanwhile Assistant Political Agent Landi Kotal, Khalid Mumtaz Kundi approved many new developmental projects for the area. While talking to the FRC reporter at his office he said that the new projects included redesigning of Torkham town, provision of necessary facilities, electricity to Gagareena Bazaar and the installation of solar systems in all tube wells till this February.
In a separate event, Political Agent Khyber Agency called on all the suspended Levies and Khassadar Force personnel, amounting to more than seven hundred to Shah Kass levy center. This announcement was made after the suspended personnel promised to fulfill their duties with honesty and diligence to serve the country at every front.
Parrachinar: Four students were injured when unknown militants attacked using weapons and throwing acid on a Parrachinar bound van in Lower Kurram here on Friday, FRC field reporter learnt. According to details, the van was on his way to Parrachinar when it came under the attack of unknown militants in Durrani area of Lower Kurram. The students were returning from Kohat where they appeared in the Viva Voce of Masters’ programme held under Kohat University of Science And Technology. The incident has been condemned by all the quarters of agency including the MNA.
Bajaur Agency: Leaders of Bajaur Political Parties’ Alliance on Sunday urged the government to make & implement positive changes in the tribal system before Eid otherwise they would launch protest. They said that reforms in FCR was a long standing demand of all people of tribal areas but the tribesmen had been badly disappointed by the government by not implementing the reforms in time
“More than a year period lapsed of the reforms that have been announced by the government and it seems that government is not sincere with the tribesmen”, they said. They added further that majority of tribesmen of the entire FATA agreed for the complete abolition of FCR because the recent reforms in it were not enough.
NAWAF KHAN, SHARAFAT ALI CHAUDHRY
