NOWSHERA: Eighteen persons, including six soldiers, sustained injuries in a hand-grenade attack outside a recruitment centre in the Risalpur Cantonment on Tuesday, a police official said. Talking to reporters, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Risalpur Cantonment, Riaz Khan, said two unknown armed motorcyclists threw hand-grenades at the Gate No-III of the Engineers’ Centre in Risalpur Cantonment on the Nowshera-Mardan road at 11am. “The attack was carried out at a time when soldiers were busy preparing the entry passes for the candidates at the gate,” he said. Twelve job-seekers — Ziauddin, Gul Zaib, Shabbir Ahmed, Liaqat, Nasir, Aqib, Fakhrul Islam, Ahmed, Ismail, Amir Shahzad, Ziaur Rehman and Irfanullah and six soldiers Akbar, Muhammad Pervaiz, Amjad, Mir Hussain Atif and Abdullah — sustained injuries in the attack. The News, The Frontier Post, The Nation, Daily Times, Dawn.
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: The kidnapped employees of Health Department including, Dr Ashiq Hussain, reached home on Tuesday safe and sound, sources said. The sources said that Executive District Officer (Health) Dr Ashiq Hussain, medical technician Attaullah and driver Muhammad Javed had been kidnapped on December 11 in the Frontier Region (FR), Bannu, by unknown persons. The sources said the three men were freed by the kidnappers in the FR Bannu area. However, it could not be confirmed if any ransom was paid for the release of the kidnapped persons. The News.
BARA: The locals found two bullet-riddled bodies from a deserted house in Nala area of Bara Tehsil in Khyber Agency on Tuesday, tribal sources said. The sources said the bodies of Mullah Jan and Jamroz were dumped in a house vacated by its owner Pir Muhammad a few months back.The government had asked the local population to leave the area ahead of the operation. The sources said that Mullah Jan and Jamroz of Malikdinkhel tribe had been missing for the last one month. The sources said that majority of houses in Malikdinkhel, Shalobar and in some parts of Sepah areas had been vacated by local people after the government asked them to leave the area ahead of the operation. The News.
LANDI KOTAL: Two persons were killed when a levies trooper opened fire on a car at a check point here on TuesdayTwo shot dead at Landi Kotal checkpost. Official sources said that a man posted at Charwazgai check point signalled a car to stop but the driver tried to speed away. The trooper opened fire killing Samiullah, a local businessman sitting in the car, and a pedestrian, Mohammad Sher, on the spot. Authorities have taken the levies man, Ihsanullah, into custody and started investigation. Dawn.
PARACHINAR: The tribal lashkar here Tuesday demolished the houses of two accused involved in the firing on the car of peace committee members, a tribal elder said.Tribal elder Hamid Hussain Turi said that the peace lashkar members demolished the houses of two persons involved in the firing incident on the car of peace committee members in Alikh Killay and Dhal villages.One person was killed and three others sustained injuries in the incident. The News.
SADDA (Kurram Agency): The military said on Tuesday that central Kurram had been purged of militants, but troops would stay till the civil administration become capable to perform its duties. “The security forces have done their job and the area has been cleared off the militants except few small pockets,” Operation Commander Brigadier Tariq Aman told a group of journalists at a makeshift Brigade Headquarters in Sadda town, lower Kurram Agency. He said that objectives of the operation “Mamozai” had been achieved to secure the entire areas in central Kurram adjacent to the troubled Orakzai and Khyber agencies. He said that troops had reached Saama Bazaar and Joggi areas, demarcation points separating Kurram and Orakzai. Dawn, FRC.
UNITED NATIONS: The World Health Organisation and the UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) have joined Pakistan government and the provinces of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in condemning the multiple attacks that have killed six health workers in the past two days. The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was expected to meet Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Masood Khan, later on Tuesday to discuss the situation with him and convey his condolences to the families of the workers killed by militants. Such attacks, the UN agencies said, deprived Pakistan’s most vulnerable populations — especially children — of basic life-saving health interventions. “We call on the leaders of the affected communities and everyone concerned to do their utmost to protect health workers and create a secure environment so that we can meet the health needs of the children of Pakistan. Dawn.
ISLAMABAD: Pro-Taliban militants, who have been attacking the locals in Pakistan, are gaining strength with increased illegal supplies of ammunition, with which, trained attackers continue to successfully hit their targets across the country, said a report published in the New York Times. Reports indicate that theincrease in loss of lives is due to the inflow of illegal arms and weapons, and their easy supplies to the miscreants. According to an estimate, there are at least 20 million lethal weapons in Pakistan, which are used not only by the miscreants but also by the political parties to show their power and influence. The News.
NOWSHERA: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain on Tuesday condemned the terrorist attack in Risalpur and said the government would continue efforts to root out militancy and establish peace in the province.Talking to reporters during his visit to Risalpur after the hand-grenade attack on job-seekers outside the Pakistan Air Force Base, he said the nefarious designs of the anti-peace forces would be frustrated. He said the militants through their cowardly acts target women, children, elderly people and Ulema. He pointed out the militants were desperate as their back had been broken. The News, The Nation.
PESHAWAR: Provincial Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain told the provincial assembly on Tuesday that six of the 10 militants killed in the airport attack were foreigners.Giving details about the identities of the militants involved in the attack on the Bacha Khan International Airport and the gunfight on Saturday and Sunday, the minister said that blood samples of the terrorists had been sent for the DNA tests and the reports were expected soon. Mian Iftikhar said of the five terrorists involved in the attack on the airport, two were Chechens and three were Pakistanis, while those killed in the gunfight the following day in Pawaka village included one each from Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Daghestan, Uzbekistan and Chechnya. The News.
KABUL (AIP): The Taliban said Tuesday they will not attend any meeting held in Kabul under any title and organised by anyone, particularly on the invitation of Kabul administration. Talking to the AIP, the Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid rejected the reports as false that they (Taliban) would attend a meeting in Kabul being organised by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), or they would attend the meeting if demanded by the Afghan government. He demanded of the media to confirm reports about the Taliban from their spokesman besides including Taliban’s stance. The Frontier Post.
PESHAWAR: Three-day long capacity building training on “Importance of information gathering, sharing and media speaking skills” for the officers of various FATA institutions was arranged by the FATA Secretariat in collaboration with the USAID funded FATA Institutional Strengthening Project (FISP) at Iqra National University Peshawar. The purpose of the training was to provide hand on experience to the participants to develop short stories on the mega developmental activities of their respective departments and share it with the news media for awareness of the tribal communities and outer world. The Frontier Post.
JAMRUD: Senior Minister Bashir Ahmad Bilour visited the site of the blast in Jamrud and condemned the incident. He expressed sympathies with the families of the people who lost their lives in the blast and announced financial aid of Rs25000 for them. Tehsildar Asmatullah Wazir, tribal elders Malik Ismail Khan, Malik Israr, Malik Salahuddin and others were also present. Bashir Bilour said that the ones who wanted to destroy the peace of the country could not be Pakistani citizens, adding, such incidents would not lower the morales of the Pakistanis. He said that the government would continue to fight terrorists and the masses should cooperate with the government in its endeavors. He along with the tribal elders prayed for the eternal peace of the victims of the blast. The Frontier Post.
FRC REPORT
PESHAWAR: A female Volunteer Of World Health Organization’s anti polio campaign died when some unknown armed motorcycle riders opened indiscriminate firing on them in Shagai Hindkyan area of Mathra, district Peshawar here on Tuesday, FRC Learnt. According to details the young female worker of WHO anti Polio campaign, identified as Farzana belonging to village Pijgi Terai Payan of Peshawar, came under attack in the Shagai Hindkyan area of Mathra, in Peshawar District. Some unknown persons riding on motorbike opened fire on Farzana and her sister Amna Bibi when they were on their way to administer the polio campaign in the Matra area of Peshawar. As a result Farzana received serious wounds while her sister remained safe. However later on she succumbed to the injuries in Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar.
PARRACHINAAR: The tribal Amman lashkar on Tuesday razed the houses of two assumed culprits involved in the firing on the car of peace committee members, Bakth Jamal and Mir Zaman Bangash in which one person was killed and injured three, FRC learnt. As per details tribal elder Hamid Hussain Turi of Torry Bangash tribe said that the peace lashkar members demolished the houses of two persons involved in the firing incident on the car of peace committee members in Alikh Killay and Dhal villages last week. The tribal elder added further that if somebody tries to disturb the peace of agency by doing such acts and challenges the writ of government then the tribe of Torry Bangash would tackle them ahead of government authorities.
NAWAF KHAN, SHARAFAT ALI CHAUDHARY
