Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly and PML-N stalwart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan asked the government on Wednesday to approach the US administration or the Afghan government to arrest the mastermind of the attack on Malala Yousufzai, instead of planning a military operation in North Waziristan. Talking to reporters outside the Parliament House, Chaudhry Nisar questioned the logic of launching an operation in Waziristan because of the attack on Malala when Interior Minister Rehman Malik had himself announced that the mastermind of the attack was in Afghanistan. The PML-N leader alleged that the government wanted to use the military operation in Waziristan to create anarchy in the country and use it as an excuse to delay general elections. Dawn, The Frontier Post.
The 69th Formation Commanders’ meeting convened by COAS, Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani has decided to undertake any operation in Wazirstan with joint consensus of Army and civilian leadership. Sources disclosed that during the concluding session of formation commanders on Wednesday, matters relating to overall regional security issues, Pak-USA relations, intelligence cooperation(s), anti-terrorist efforts, and various options to defend border posts and security forces from cross-borders attacks, were also mulled upon. During the meeting, after carrying out a careful evaluation of Wazirstan issue, it was decided that any possible operation in Wazirstan would be carried out after a thorough consensus between Army and civilian leadership, strictly in accordance with National interests, at a convenient time. The meeting expressed its great disappointment over NATO’s, ISAF’s failure to contain and coordinate about cross-border attacks by terrorist elements on Pakistani border check-posts and security forces, deciding to raise the issue with American and Afghan military sources in future meeting(s). It was also decided to evaluate and evolve a broad-based, result-oriented strategy regarding war against terrorism and other equally detrimental challenges being faced by Federation. The Frontier Post, The News.
Malala Yousufzai was in a stable condition in a British hospital on Wednesday as well-wishers from around the world left her messages of support. Doctors said Malala spent a second comfortable night at the highly specialised Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. On Wednesday she “remained in a stable condition and continued to impress doctors by responding well to her care,” a hospital spokesman said. The teenager’s family was still in Pakistan, he added. Donations towards her care, which is being funded by the Pakistani government, are being received by the hospital’s charity while hundreds of people have left messages of support on the hospital’s website. Dawn, Daily Times.
The Hakimullah Mahsud-led Pakistani Taliban, al-Qaeda and Uzbek militants have joined hands to handle the unprecedented reaction generated by the attack on Malala Yousafzai by issuing a communiqués justifying the attempt on her life. Besides the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistani (TTP), Abu Zar of Harkat-e-Islami Uzbekistan (HIU) and al-Sahab, al-Qaeda’s media and propaganda arm, have launched an unprecedented effort to justify the attack on Malala and reduce the impact of the reaction against it. The Swat Taliban led by Maulana Fazlullah, now based in Afghanistan’s Kunar province, claimed to have organised the attack on the 14-year old Malala. Malala and her two colleagues, Shazia and Kainat, were shot by two young attackers on October 9 after they left school and were on their way home in Mingora city, the headquarters of Swat district. The News.
DISCOURSE about military operation in North Waziristan Agency has again picked momentum in the power corridors and media after attack on Malala Yousufzai. According to our security wizard Rehman Malik, the government and military leadership will make a joint decision about operation in North Waziristan, while army spokesman Maj-Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa has passed the buck to political leadership for taking such a decision. Perhaps, this debate about military action in the volatile area is not happening for the first time. Operation in North Waziristan has been impending since 2007 when the government signed a six-point peace agreement with the elders of Utmanzai tribe with the consent of local Taliban. People sitting in the power corridors have realised that delay in action is providing opportunity to militants to multiply their strength and gain political support. “The more the government delays operation in North Waziristan, the more militants gain space and strength,” remarked an official in the tribal administration. Dawn.
A noted tribal elder Shaukat Ali Turi was shot dead allegedly by militants in Sadda town in lower Kurram Agency on Wednesday, tribal sources said. The sources said Shaukat Ali Turi was waiting at an auto-mechanic shop in Sadda Bazaar to get his car repaired when unidentified militants sprayed him with bullets. He sustained serious injuries and was shifted to the Agency’s Headquarters Hospital in Parachinar where he succumbed to the injuries, the sources said. The tribal elders led by Mussarat Hussain Bangash, Agha Muneer and Syed Sajid Hussain staged protest against the incident and asked the government to take action against those involved in the incident. They said a deep conspiracy had been hatched by anti-peace elements to plunge Kurram Agency into violence. Referring to the recent attacks on passengers vehicles and throwing of acid at women passengers on the Parachinar-Thall Road, they said such incidents were planned to sabotage peace in Kurram Agency. The News.
Three Awami National Party workers were gunned down here in Par Hoti area on Wednesday night. Locals said unidentified people opened fire on Omar, his brother Farman and two associates, including Bilal Khattak, near their hujra at 9:30pm. They said the firing killed Omar, Farman and one of Omar’s associates on the spot and critically injured Mr Khattak. Locals said the bodies and the injured were taken to SHQ Hospital in Mardan from where Mr Khattak was referred to Peshawar due to critical condition. Reason for the attack has yet to be known. Omar’s father, the district information secretary of ANP, was killed two years ago in an attack on Mohib Road in Par Hoti area.
In Mamond tehsil of Bajaur Agency, a girl suffered injuries in rocket attack from across the border on Wednesday. Rahim Khan, a local, said militants fired 12 rockets on Mina, Sapary and Bandagi villages close to Pak-Afghan border. He said two rockets hit a house injuring a 14-year-old girl, while the others landed away form the residential area. The girl, Hisha Bibi, was taken to the Agency Headquarters Hospital in Khar, where her condition was stated to be critical. The local administration confirmed the incident. An official said the administration had begun investigation. Dawn.
Police on Wednesday evening repulsed a militant attack on their check post in Mashogagar area on the outskirts of Peshawar. An official of Badbher police station said several militants armed with rocket launchers and Kalashnikovs attacked the post but they had to flee after police opened fire on them. He said militants came to the post from the nearby Khyber Agency. According to him, it was the second militant attack in the area over one week. Militants had beheaded SP (rural) Khurshid Khan during an attack on Ghaziabad police post on Sunday night. Ghaziabad is a few kilometers from Mashogagar area. The official said a platoon of Frontier Constabulary and 16 policemen had been deployed to Mashogagar police post and they were equipped with light and heavy weapons. Deputy Chief of Adezai Qaumi Lashkar Fazal Malik claimed that to the best of his information, all militants, who belonged to Peshawar, had returned. He said some militants were identified as Aurangzeb alias Naray and Jangriz alias Jamil. “They (attackers) belonged to Peshawar but shifted to tribal regions with families after security forces destroyed their houses a few years ago,” he said. Mr Malik said militants had been threatening him for many days over support to police. Dawn, The Frontier Post.
Relatives of eight employees of the Gomal Zam Dam Project kidnapped over two months ago have made a desperate appeal to the Peshawar High Court chief justice to look into the issue. The family members including children of the kidnapped employees visited the high court on Wednesday and submitted an application to the chief justice. They said that the chief justice heard their grievances and assured them that action would be taken by the court in this regard. The workers were kidnapped in South Waziristan on Aug 15 by militants. The militants had also released a video footage showing the eight employees pleading the government to fulfil the demands of the kidnappers. The kidnapped men included engineer Shahid Ali Khan, mechanical supervisor Sanaullah, cook Munir Khan, driver Siraj, sanitation staffer Liaqat Khan and three other daily wagers two of whom were identified as Sartaj and Shan. Dawn.
Power supply to Mohmand tribal region has not yet been restored even after two days multiplying problems of residents. The area people are forced to fetch water from ponds for drinking and other purposes. It is to be recalled here that in the last week of September some unknown miscreants had blown up the 132KV pylon in Shabqadar area suspending power to areas. Wapda officials had restored the supply on temporary basis, which again was suspended. Though work on repair of the damaged pylon has started, power supply to the region has yet to be restored. Mohmand tribesmen demanded of the authorities to immediately restore power supply to the area. Dawn.
Christian families evicted from the army camp in Landi Kotal area continued protesting at Charwazgai Chowk for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday. The Khyber Rifles authorities have refused to allow protesters to go to the camp houses. Fanyas Masih, a spokesman for protesters, told Dawn that men had established a protest camp as female members of their families still lived in the camp. “No one is ready to listen to our woes. The commandant of Khyber Rifles has refused to meet our delegation, while the political administration insists the matter is beyond its domain,” he said. The spokesman said besides establishing a protest camp, the evicted families had also stopped cleaning Landi Kotal Bazaar and army camp. “We are not entitled to any other government service nor could we own private property,” he said, adding that the affected families had no place to go after their expulsion from the camp. Dawn.
Unidentified armed persons kidnapped a close relative of Deputy Speaker National Assembly Faisal Karim Kindi in village Shah Alam, eight kilometers east from here, said police and local sources on Wednesday. Police said that some unidentified armed men forcibly entered the guest house of Faizullah Khan Kundi, a close relative of the deputy speaker NA, in the mid night of Thursday and Wednesday.
“The kidnappers abducted Usman Khan Kundi son of Faizullah Khan Kundi on gun point” sources added.
Usman Khan was also the close relative of ex-provincial minister Habibullah Khan Kundi. The Frontier Post, Daily Times.
Criticizing over the United State’s (US) drone attacks in Pakistan the federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik, here on Wednesday, said that the majority of drone’s victims were innocent people. While speaking to reporters outside the parliament house the minister said that only 20 percent of those killed in drone attacks were militants while the rest were innocent people who have no concern with the militancy. The Frontier Post.
Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Barrister Masood Kausar appreciated the report prepared and presented to him by Directorate of Monitoring & Evaluation, FATA Secretariat, containing valuable facts and figures regarding schemes of Annual Development Program 2011-12. DG Monitoring Sajjad Khan, while explaining the monitoring procedure, told that once the monitoring team visited the project sites and returned, explanations were called on the relevant departments/directorates regarding issues and deficiencies found in the implementation of projects. He said in 2011-12, 52 % of the replies made in return by various departments/directorates were satisfactory. He further said that Steering Committee Meeting was held later, which decided that 30 days time would be given to the departments for replies in future (2012-13 and onwards), and Director/Head of the department would be held responsible if the department failed to reply. The Frontier Post.
Security forces will conduct operation in rural area of Peshawar against terrorists hiding in these areas and to stop the increasing number of terror activities. Sources said that security forces have completed preparation for the proposed operation and has also constituted a joint team of Pakistan Army, Frontier Constabulary and Police. The operation is expected to start in the next 24 hours, the sources said.
In the last few months militants attacks in rural area especially Mattani and Budhber areas had increased especially targeting police in which the force had lost two of its SP Rural Kuhrshid Khan.
Therefore, law enforcement agencies jointly decided in meeting that soon they would start operation in Mattani and adjoin tribal areas to stopped terror activities. The Frontier Post.
Five central jail police men were suspended on Wednesday who allegedly provided a satellite cell phone to Dr. Shakeel Afridi in Jail. Sources said that Dr. Shkeel Afirdi had made more than 68 calls from the phone and most of the calls were long distanced calls. The suspended jail personals are Amjid Ali, Khel ur Rehman, zafar Hayat, Qasim Mustafa and Asif Mughal. The Frontier Post.
FRC REPORT
Parrachinar: Sardar Shaukat Ali Toory was shot dead by unidentified persons in Sadda bazaar in Lower Kurram Agency here on Tuesday, FRC field reporter told. According to details Sardar Shaukat was sitting in an auto-mechanic shop in sadda bazaar Lower Kurram Agency where he was waiting for his automobile repair, unidentified persons opened fire on him. As a result he was seriously injured and was shifted to Agency Headquarter Hospital Parrachinnar where he succumbed to injuries.
Bajaur Agency: A girl was wounded as twelve rockets were fired from Afghanistan in the border areas of tehsil Mamond in Bajaur tribal region on Wednesday, FRC Filed reporter learnt.
According to local sources the unidentified militants fired rockets from across the border over border villages of Bajaur agency. “The rockets were fired at the Mina, Sapary and Bandagi villages close the Pak Afghan border,” Rahim Khan a local said. The locals said that at least two rockets hit a house of a local which wounded a 14 years girl while others landed away from the residential area.
NAWAF KHAN, SHARAFAT ALI CHAUDHR
