Soon after the unconscious teenage activist, Malala Yousufzai, flew out of the country for treatment in the United Kingdom, all the hype about long anticipated North Waziristan operation surreptitiously began to dissipate. Expediencies, both on civilian and military side, emerged as the roadblock to any major operation for clearing North Waziristan — home to a variety of terrorist groups where the army had all through the decade of war on terror avoided going on one pretext or the other. But, strikingly the military looked to be passing the buck for the crunch time dithering to the civilian leadership. Talking to journalists on Monday, Interior Minister Rehman Malik conceded that no operation in the area was being planned. Dawn, The Frontier Post.
A Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by the Taliban has every chance of making a ‘good recovery’, British doctors said on Monday as 14-year-old Malala Yousufzai arrived at a hospital in central England for treatment of her severe wounds. Malala, who was shot for advocating education for girls, was flown from Pakistan to receive specialist treatment at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital at a unit expert in dealing with complex trauma cases that has treated hundreds of soldiers wounded in Afghanistan. “Doctors…believe she has a chance of making a good recovery on every level,” said Dr Dave Rosser, the hospital’s medical director, adding that her treatment and rehabilitation could take months. Dawn, The News, The Frontier Post, Daily Times.
A police superintendent and five other security personnel were killed and 11 injured in an attack on a police post by a large number of militants in Mattani area, near Peshawar, on Sunday night. The militants beheaded Peshawar Rural Circle SP Khurshid Khan and escaped with his head, an official said. The attackers set the Ghaziabad post on fire and took away official weapons. Two trucks, an armored personnel carrier, a car and three motorcycles were torched. The militants attacked the post with heavy weapons. The attack was so severe that security personnel had to vacate the building and move to nearby trenches. Dawn, The News.
Twenty-five laborers went missing on way to North Waziristan, sources said on Monday. The sources said unidentified persons met the laborers in Mandan Gate in Bannu on Saturday and asked them to go with them to work for a construction project in North Waziristan. The sources said none of the laborers had established contact with families even after three days. The district administration started an investigation. The News, The Frontier Post, Daily Times.
A community health centre was partially damaged in a blast in Bar Taras area of Salarzia tehsil in Bajaur Agency on Monday. Officials said that unidentified militants planted explosives inside the building of community health centre and detonated the same. As a result, the building was partially damaged. No group claimed responsibility for the blast. Meanwhile, a 13-year-old boy was seriously injured when explosive device went off in Hilalkhail area of Charming on Monday. Local sources said that some boys were playing in a field when an explosive device planted by militants exploded, seriously injuring Usman. He was taken to a hospital for treatment. Dawn.
The smuggling of poultry from Peshawar to Landi Kotal has increased owing to the ban imposed on transportation of chicken to tribal areas and failure of authorities to fix a quota for different tribal regions. The dealers in Landi Kotal told Dawn that they were compelled to pay Rs30,000 to police posted in the limits of Mathra police station in Peshawar and an additional Rs15,000 to Rs20,000 to Khasadars manning various check posts on Peshawar-Torkham Road to meet the local demand for poultry. The Peshawar High Court on July 23 ordered imposing a ban on transportation of poultry to Afghanistan and directed Peshawar commissioner to fix a quota of chickens for different tribal areas in consultations with the political agents concerned keeping in view the daily demand for poultry in those areas. Dawn.
In Khyber Agency, security forces claimed on Monday to have arrested 13 suspected militants during a search operation in Jamrud tehsil. Sources said that the operation in Bakarabad locality was conducted on information about presence of suspected militants in the area. Forces condoned off the entire area for almost nine hours and conducted house-to-house search. The Frontier Post.
The provincial government on Monday decided to name Government Girls Degree College, Saidu Sharif after child activist Malala Yousufzai in recognition of her efforts for education and peace in the region. The decision was made in a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti at the CM House about higher education in the province. Matters relating to progress on the recently approved colleges in different districts of the province came under discussion in the meeting, where provincial higher education minister Qazi Mohammad Asad, additional chief secretary Attaullah Khan, higher education secretary Farah Hamid, finance and C&W secretaries and other relevant officials were in attendance. Dawn, The News, The Frontier Post.
The intelligence agencies have shifted some suspicious personnel of the prisons police to an undisclosed location for interrogation after recovery of a satellite phone from Dr Shakil Afridi in the Peshawar Central Prison, sources said on Monday. The sources said the spy agencies had shifted the cops, who were on duty at Shakil Afridi’s cell, to an undisclosed location. Shakil Afridi was accused of having carried out a fake vaccination campaign in Abbottabad to help the CIA find Osama bin Laden. The prison authorities suspended six prisons police employees, who were guarding Dr Afridi’s cell since he was shifted to the prison after he was awarded 33 years imprisonment for treating Lashkar-i-Islam commanders and provision of financial help to the banned militant organisation. All the six police guards were retired army commandos inducted into the prisons police in a bid to improve the security situation in the jail. After recovery of the satellite phone, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa prisons’ authorities suspended them. “Two of them were taken by the intelligence agencies to thoroughly probe the matter,” the sources added. The News.
The political administration of Mohmand Agency in a bid to provide best transportation facilities and to protect several areas of Mohmand Agency from floods, the political administration has constructed link roads and flood protection walls. The administration has completed three link roads in Ashraf Haji, Mohammad Roz and Bar Kata Sar villages while two flood protection walls were also built up in Sahib Kor village and Sohail Kor Qasam Tabar village and a street pavement completed in Irfan Kor Kamali of Mohmand Agency. The uplift schemes will benefit thousands of local inhabitants. The News.
At least 30 suspected persons were arrested during search operation in Jamrud. According to sources during the operation house of a militant leader was razed and arms and ammunition was also recovered from the arrested persons. Security forces around 6 am imposed curfew in the areas of Ghundai, Bakarabad, Chapri and Soor Kamar and started search operation against the suspected persons in these areas. As a result the security forces arrested 30 persons and recovered huge cache of arms and ammunition. Sources further said in Chapri area the house of uncle of militant commander Ababeel was destroyed. The Frontier Post, Daily Times.
FRC REPORT
Landi Kotal: Security officials detained a number of suspected persons and recovered arms in search operation here at Jamrud on Monday in a search operation, FRC field reporter told. An alleged extremist militant commander home was also demolished in the search operation in Jamrud that was jointly conducted by the security forces and the political administration. The operation was conducted and carried out in various areas of Jamrud such as Ghundi, Bakar Abad and Soor Kamar and Chapari to contain the militants ongoing activities in the area, who had disrupted the peaceful life there, an official of administration said.
NAWAF KHAN, SHARAFAT ALI CHAUDHRY
