No parallel administration would be tolerated in Bara anymore, Khyber Agency Political Agent Mutahir Zeb told a jirga of Bar Qambarkhel elders on Monday. Sources said that tribal elders requested the political agent to extend the deadline, set for launching a military operation in the area. The political agent told the tribal elders that he would forward their request to the authorities but didn’t make any promise about extension in the deadline, they added. The authorities had asked the tribal elders to hand over wanted militants, expel Afghan clerics, close private jails in the area and regulate activities of a banned armed group before Nov 5 otherwise a military operation would be launched in Bar Qambarkhel. However, the tribal elders failed to respond within specified time to the government demands, sources said.
Meanwhile, security forces on Monday plugged all entry and exit points of Bara tehsil, restricting the movements of hundreds of stranded families in Shalobar, Malakdinkhel, Sipah and Bar Qambarkhel areas. It was also learnt that hundreds of army soldiers were deployed at Al-Haj Market near Bara Bazaar, Fort Salop, Jansi Fort and Shahkas area in Jamrud. Dawn, The Frontier Post.
Four persons were killed and two others injured when assailants attacked two vehicles in different areas of North Waziristan Agency. The political administration imposed curfew in major towns of the tribal region and launched search operation after the incidents. Sources said that three members of Wazir tribe were killed when their vehicle was attacked by unidentified assailants near Epi area of Mir Ali tehsil. They said that members of Wazir tribe were going to their homes from Mir Ali Bazaar. All the three tribesmen were killed on the spot, they added. Sources said that the assailants managed to escape. The authorities imposed curfew in Mir Ali and launched a search operation.
In the second incident, a driver of Frontier Works Organization was killed and two of his colleagues were injured when their vehicle was attacked by assailants on Miramshah-Mir Ali Road. The deceased was identified as Akram Khan. Dawn, The Frontier Post, The News.
Awami National Party (ANP) Charsadda vice President Sabihullah Khan was gunned down in Battagram on Monday. Police said ANP leader was on his way home when unidentified armed men intercepted his car and opened fire at him. Sabihullah was killed on the spot while his friend was injured in the shootout. The Frontier Post, Daily Times, The Nation.
Two security officials were seriously injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up in front of Assistant political Agent\’s office in Yaka Ghund tehsil of Mohmand Agency on Monday, said political administration sources. Officials said that the bomber wanted to target APA office but he failed to reach his target owing to strict security arrangements. The bomber blew himself up when he sensed that Khasadar personnel could arrest him, they added. Officials said that they received information that a suicide bomber had entered the area and APA office was his apparent target. Strict security measures were taken and the attempt to target APA office was foiled, they added. The Frontier Post, Dawn, The News, Daily Times, The Nation.
At least seven militants were killed and seven injured when the security forces targetted hideouts of militants in Akakhel area of Bara subdivision in Khyber Agency after the talks to forestall a possible military operation in the area failed, local and official sources said on Monday. The seven militants were killed on the fifth day of the offensive against militants in Bara tehsil when a mortar shell hit a bunker in Akakhel area. Five positions of militants situated at various locations in the same area were also destroyed by the security forces in the search and clearance operation against insurgents in the Bara tehsil. A soldier sustained bullet injuries during the operation, the sources said. Two bullet-riddled bodies of unknown persons were also recovered in Daro Adda area of Akakhel, sources added. The News, Daily Times.
A person was killed and five others sustained injuries when militants attacked a house here on Monday, official sources said. The sources said the militants forced their entry into the house of Gul Marjan in Sarakdana village at midnight and opened indiscriminate fire on the family members. The sources said that a guest Abdul Ghafoor was killed and five persons including wife of Gul Marjan sustained injuries in the attack. The News.
Security forces detained several suspects as it continued search operation against law violators and drugs traffickers in different localities of the city on Monday. According to details, the security forces conducted search operation against criminals in Bara Sheikhan area and adjoining areas of Peshawar. During search operation the security forces checked the Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs) of the dwellers of the area and other documents. The Frontier Post.
The Political Administration South Waziristan Agency has prioritized the community-identified need for the construction of a flood protection wall for the Mehsud Community of Crore Raghzai Shahoor village in Serwakai Tehsil. The scheme includes the construction of a 122 meter long flood protection wall which benefits about 500 individuals of this area.
According to a press release issued by the Fata Secretariat on Monday the Political Administration has also constructed two flood protection spurs for the community of Ganra Haibat Khel village in Sararrogha Tehsil of Waziristan Agency to support the agricultural communities in these areas. It is pertinent to mention here that the people of these areas are heavily agriculture-dependent but their lands and irrigation channels were constantly threatened by floods every year and as such their livelihood opportunities remained unstable.
This scheme is benefiting 2,500 individuals of this village by protecting their lands from erosion and as such ensuring sustained livelihoods opportunities. The Frontier Post.
Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Monday that continued presence of armed forces in Fata had raised questions about freedom and sovereignty of tribesmen. Addressing a tribal jirga and talking to reporters in Dera Ismail Khan, he said tribesmen were independent people and the government should first restore their independent status and then make decisions in accordance with their wishes and opinions. He said a jirga would be held in Peshawar on Nov 9 and a grand jirga on Dec 16 to discuss recommendations of the earlier jirga and take decisions about the future of Fata. Dawn, The Frontier Post.
Two children were killed and three seriously injured in celebratory firing during a wedding function in Gabari village of Mamond tehsil in Bajaur Agency on Monday. People said the incident took place after a man lost control of his gun firing bullets in the air to celebrate the wedding. They said the firing killed two children instantly, while three were injured who were taken to the local hospital, where their condition was stated to be critical. Dawn.
Two bullets-riddled bodies were found on a roadside in Surdag area of Karak district on Monday. Officials said that local people informed Latambar police about the presence of bodies along Kohat-Bannu Road in Surdag. Police reached the spot and shifted the bodies to district headquarters hospital in Karak. Officials said that police also found an identity card with the bodies that identified a deceased as Hashamuddin, a resident of Salaray area in South Waziristan Agency. Police also recovered a chit from the pocket of the other deceased. The chit carried accounts of stone crushing business and address of Taji Kallay area in Bannu district.
Meanwhile, seven passengers sustained injuries when a Karachi-bound bus collided with a car near Jaama Kallay Chowk on Indus Highway. The injured were shifted to district headquarters hospital. Dawn, The News.
A school watchman, who was a retired soldier, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen near the Green Chowk here on Monday, police sources said. The sources said the slain Abdur Rasheed, resident of Amankot, was gunned down while he was on the way for duty. The News.
Executive district officer (education) Haji Mir Azam Khan on Monday urged women teachers to increase enrolment of girl students in schools for better female literacy rate in the district. Speaking during a meeting in government girl’s primary school railway junction here on Monday, the EDO said his department would request the relevant authorities to sanction more posts of female teachers for the district in case enrolment of the students in the girls’ schools was desirably increased. He said strict action would be taken on complaints about absenteeism of female schoolteachers. He said his office had been receiving a good number of complaints about absence of female teachers from schools. Dawn.
Voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees, residing at different camps in Dir Lower, was in progress and so far 1,002 families had returned to Afghanistan, said District Coordination Officer Mahmood Aslam Wazir. He was talking to local journalists after distributing non-food packages among Afghan families at the office of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) at Khaima Balambat on Monday. UNHCR representative Taimur Khan, Timergara SDM Ziaur Rahman and Baradar Jan were also present on the occasion. The DCO examined different sections of the office and inquired about the living condition at Afghan refugee camps. He distributed warm clothes, blankets, tents, sheets and other essential among the Afghan families. Mr Wazir said that Afghan refugees, living in Chakdara, Timer and Toor camps, were returning to their country. He said that so far 1,002 families had returned to Afghanistan.
VACCINATION: The anti-polio campaign was postponed by health authorities in Dir Lower owing to non-availability of vaccine, sources said. They said that the campaign was scheduled to begin from Nov 5 on Monday for which all arrangements had been finalised but the drive was postponed at the eleventh hour because of non-availability of vaccine.
ABSENTEEISM: The acting executive district officer education on Monday paid surprise visits to different schools in Dir Lower and issued directives to deduct one-day salary from 28 teachers, who were found absent. Dawn.
Of late the trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan is on the rise, according to the latest statistics available Pakistan’s annual trade volume with Afghanistan has reached five billion dollars, no mean achievement in any way. Earlier, Pakistani investors who had been reluctant, for one reason or the other, to visit Kabul more often than not, broke the mindset when a huge contingent of businessmen took a bold initiative by participating in a Single Country Exhibition Made-in-Pakistan held last month, setting aside fears and misconception about Afghanistan.
Thereafter, Pakistani businessmen look all set to expand their business outlets in Afghanistan. Most of the Pakistan participants of the exhibition exchanged views with their counterparts and expressed confidence that the trade can act as bridge between the peoples of the two states.
In fiscal year 2010-2011, Pakistani exports to Afghanistan were $2.3 billion and imports were US $172m not mention of informal trade continuing over the years. Most Afghans move in and out without visa though the leadership across–the both sides of Durand Line wish to control and free the legalized trade between the two— ground breaking efforts from both sides are afoot yet there are a number of bottlenecks hampering the trade. Neither Americans nor Pakistanis have given it a sympathetic consideration to execute development of the road starting from Hyatabad, Peshawar to Torkham border. Normally heavy vehicles take seven to eight hours to reach Torkham boarder that too not without causing heavy damage to the goods destined for Afghanistan. All Pakistani businessmen who visited Afghanistan last month were unanimous in raising their concerns on sorry state of the Peshawar-Torkhem route. Businessmen believe the regional cooperation alone can end long-standing recession in the country—they are right because Afghanistan is looking for investment in oil and gas exploration, (hydroelectric) power on the Kabul River, construction material and mining to develop untapped mineral deposits worth some US $1 trillion. Untapped resources anxiously wait the collaboration between two nations all that needed is to provide an obstacle-free route to businessmen. Realizing the trade potential of the region, the government of the UEA has planned to construct an state of the art dry-port and at other side of the Durand Line, Pakistan should follow the suit to show some urgency, may be in collaboration with Americans, in connecting that facility with the state of the art Peshawar-Torkham highway apart from building the planned Chamman-Spin Boldak-Kandahar railway line.
The bilateral trade between the two states will be more feasible and viable as the cost of doing business will considerably come down. Consequently, kick-start a business boom much required to alleviating poverty from the region, hoping the people will rejoin the mainstream of the society shedding their inclination towards the extremism. Of course trade diplomacy should be given a fair chance in knitting the people close each other. The Frontier Post.
Each year Pakistan witnesses preventable deaths of 432,000 children under-five and 20,000 mothers due to causes related to pregnancy and child birth. Among the under-five deaths, two-thirds are in the newborn period (first 28 days of life) and the remaining is largely due to pneumonia (13%) and diarrhoea (11%). In FATA 104 of every 1000 children born did not reach their fifth birthday. Of these, the majority (86) die in the first year of life due to preventable diseases like diarrhea and pneumonia. Diarrhoea and pneumonia are seasonal calamities and preventable. Most of these precious lives can be saved by simple knowledge about prevention and promotion of some key measures at home and health care seeking practices relating to these diseases. Pakistan has committed to a Millennium Development Goal of reducing under-five deaths to 52 per 1,000 births, and under-one deaths to 40 per 1,000 by 2015. In an effort to achieve this goal, Mother and Child weeks are held twice a year with focused messages on pneumonia or diarrhea according to the seasonality of these diseases. National Programme for Family Planning and Primary Health Care, Ministry of Health in collaboration of UNICEF is launching the Mother & Child Week, from 5th to 10th November 2012 in all the Agencies, including New Durrani IDP camp of Kurram Agency. The Frontier Post.
Armed clashes between Afghan and Pakistani Taliban militants left at least four people dead in Ghazni province, according to local authorities. Provincial Governor Musa Khan Akbarzada, confirming the report, said the incident took place following clashes among the Pakistan and Taliban fighters. He said at least four people including two Pakistani Taliban and two Afghan Taliban militants were killed in Andar district. In the meantime, local authorities in western Farah province of Afghanistan announced at least 37 Taliban militants were killed or detained during special military operations by Afghan commandos. The News.
Since action has been launched in the tribal areas close to southern Peshawar, militants have started carrying out attacks in areas other than Badaber and Matani. However, the militants diverted their focus from the southern parts of Peshawar to other areas of the district during the last almost two weeks. During this period, a bomb went off close to the Bacha Khan Markaz on Pajagi Road, apparently targeting the central headquarters of the ruling ANP. Later a bomb planted in a shrine in Chamkani was defused but another shrine was bombed in the same area the very next day. On Sunday, a bicycle blast damaged a police post in Jaala Bela area of Daudzai, injuring seven persons including five policemen. The same day around 1,000 kilograms of explosives were defused after recovery from a scrap godown in Wadpaga village. A roadside bomb was also defused in Kotwali during the last week. “Militants are showing reaction to the action against them by carrying out bombings in Peshawar, Nowshera and nearby towns,” said a police official. The News.
The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has suspended its service due to technical fault in the computer systems in its Bajaur Swift Registration Centre. The tribesmen of different areas of the agency have also complained about the suspension of services of the local registration centre. The locals said that a large number of people of the different remote areas were visiting the office for making of the National Identity Card for the last one week. They also said that for the last several days, a large number of people of different remote areas were visiting the office for making the identity card but due to the fault in the system they unable to make the id cards. “I m visiting the office every day for the last one week to make the ID card but the workers were not present in the Nadra office,” Nimat Jan, a resident of Mamond, said. He said that the people who come the office for making their ID cards were disappointed because they returned back home with finishing their work. The Nation.
FRC REPORT
21 Ahmadzai wazir tribesmen were arrested in a check post in Tiarza area of South Waziristan Agency on charge of having fake National Identity Cards and Domicile Certificates here at Monday, Sources said. Five km from the agency headquarter Wana on the east in Tiarza area of South Waziristan, 21 Ahmadzai wazir tribesmen have been arrested by the Political Administration. The operation was conducted under the supervision of Assistant Political Agent (APA) Shahid Ali.
NAWAF KHAN, SHARAFAT ALI CHAUDHRY
