Mar 18-24, 2013
FRC Weekly Report
By Nawaf Khan
Bajaur Agency:
On 18 Mar 2013, tribesmen and workers of the various political parties took out a rally in Bajaur Agency to celebrate the dissolution of National Assembly and claimed that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)-led coalition government done nothing to provide succor to the people.
On 21 Mar 2013, Political Agent Bajaur Agency, Syed Abdul Jabar Shah, urged the Non- Government organizations (NGO) to speed up the rehabilitation activities in the militancy hit areas of the region.
On 24 Mar 2013, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has completed the registration of voters in Bajaur tribal region for the coming general election and there are a total 356,565 registered voters in the two National Assembly constituencies.
Mohmand Agency:
On 19 Mar 2013, a large number of literati attended the book launching ceremony of a poetry collection Jawand da armanono by the young Pashto poet Asmatullah Hamdard in Mohmand Agency.
On 19 Mar 2013, two abandoned government school buildings were destroyed when bombs planted by unidentified militants went off in Safi tehsil of Mohmand Agency.
On 24 Mar 2013, security forces defused an improvised explosive device (IED) near Mian Mandi Bazaar in Mohmand tribal region.
Khyber Agency:
On 19 Mar 2013, clashes between banned militant outfits Ansarul Islam (AI) and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) continued for the fifth consecutive day in the troubled Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency.
On 19 Mar 2013, the political administration (PA) in Khyber Agency vowed to assist the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in holding free, fair and peaceful elections in the area.
On 20 Mar 2013, forty-six militants, including an Uzbek commander, were killed in twin suicide attacks on the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in the headquarters of the Tirah-based Ansarul Islam (AI).
On 22 Mar 2013, local political administration has imposed a ban on carrying out any sort of election related activities at Landi Kotal Bazaar owing to security reasons.
On 23 Mar 2013, a commander of the banned Lashkar-e-Islam was killed while a cop was injured in an exchange of fire in Akakhel area of the Bara tehsil in Khyber Agency.
On 23 Mar 2013, a Nato driver was shot dead and his two colleagues sustained bullet injuries when unknown militants opened firing on Nato supply tankers in Wazirdand area of tehsil Jamrud, sub-division of Khyber.
On 23 Mar 2013, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees postponed registration of internally displaced persons, who fled Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency due to clashes between rival militant groups.
Orakzai Agency:
On 19 Mar 2013, at least 10 terrorists were killed and six others sustained injuries when the jetfighters of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) blitzed hideouts in Mamozai area of the Orakzai tribal region.
On 20 Mar 2013, more than 3,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have fled Tirah valley of Khyber Agency due to fighting between militant groups and reached Orakzai Agency.
Kurram Agency:
No occurrences of grave consequences were reported from Kurram Agency this week.
North Waziristan Agency:
On 18 Mar 2013, government warned the Gurbaz tribe people of stern action if they didn’t hand over culprits involved in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack on members of the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) to the authorities by March 19.
On 22 Mar 2013, four suspected militants were killed in a US Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) strike in tehsil Dattakhel of North Waziristan Agency in the wee hours of Friday.
On 24 Mar 2013, six security personnel, among them an engineer of the Frontier Works Organisation, were killed and at least 10 others injured when a suicide bomber attacked a check post in North Waziristan tribal region.
South Waziristan Agency:
On 18 Mar 2013, despite being the first among seven political agencies and six frontier regions to start political campaigns for the 2013 general elections, the Taliban’s decade-long presence in South Waziristan’s NA-41 and NA-42 constituencies has left little room for left-wing political parties to support their candidates.
On 19 Mar 2013, South Waziristan chapter of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has asked the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to make arrangements for those displaced from the agency to participate in the polls.
On 19 Mar 2013, the political administration in South Waziristan has completed the survey of the houses destroyed during conflict in the Sarwakai area.
On 20 Mar 2013, two girls were injured when a missile descended in front of a house near Afghan Camp located in the east of Rustam Bazaar in Wana, the headquarters of SWA.
Peshawar:
On 18 Mar 2013, tribal leaders belonging to the mainstream political parties expressed concern over the ‘poor’ implementation of the Political Parties Order in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and criticised the Election Commission of Pakistan for not taking adequate steps to ensure free, fair and transparent polls in the region.
On 18 Mar 2013, two people were killed when unidentified motorcyclists opened fire on a moving car on Matta road in Shabqadar.
On 18 Mar 2013, militants continued targeting CD centres in the rural Peshawar as another shop was bombed in Matani area of district Peshawar.
On 18 Mar 2013, the Corps Commander of Peshawar Lt General Khalid Rabbani said that Army has no objection over dialogues with Taliban; when political leadership of the country will decide it.
On 18 Mar 2013, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor, Engineer Shaukatullah while taking serious note of the dislocation of a vast number of tribal people from Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency due to conflict between two warring factions, has mobilized the concerned authorities to rush for their help both in Peshawar and Kohat.
On 19 Mar 2013, terrorists carried out an attack on the judicial complex in Peshawar while killing at least four people and leaving 29 others injured.
On 19 Mar 2013, citing what they believe to be the non-serious attitude of the security forces and government, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) announced that it was postponing the peace talks.
On 19 Mar 2013, a Shia lawyer was gunned down by unidentified men in Pahripura in Peshawar district.
On 19 Mar 2013, a mobile-phone shop was destroyed when explosive device planted by unidentified persons went off in Karbogha Sharif in Doaba area of district Hangu.
On 19 Mar 2013, federal government decided to install 15 Transit Monitoring Stations (TMS) throughout the country to monitor containers and cargo consignment which transport logistics for NATO and ISAF troops stationed in Afghanistan.
On 20 Mar 2013, the top military brass resolved to continue the fight against terrorism.
On 20 Mar 2013, unidentified persons killed a soldier of Frontier Constabulary and injured two policemen in Charsadda.
On 20 Mar 2013, Governor Shaukatullah asked the authorities concerned to expedite efforts for development of sports facilities; promotion of games and arrangement of sports events in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).
On 20 Mar 2013, Malala Yousufzai returned to school for the first time since she was shot in the head by militants in October for campaigning for girls’ education.
On 21 Mar 2013, a three-day anti-polio drive will be launched from March 25 in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of the country.
On 21 Mar 2013, the military is reportedly stepping up an offensive to dislodge the Taliban from a key stronghold in an effort to safeguard May’s general election and crack down on militants behind a wave of attacks.
On 22 Mar 2013, at least twelve people including one policeman and women were killed and more than twenty five sustained injuries in a car bomb blast in the internally displaced persons (IDP’s) camp in Noshera district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
On 22 Mar 2013, in an apparent indication of Pakistan and Afghanistan narrowing their strategic differences, the acting head of the Afghan intelligence service, Hassam Uddin Hassam, secretly visited Pakistan in December.
On 24 Mar 2013, Pakistani Taliban threatened to dispatch suicide bombers and snipers to kill retired Gen Pervez Musharraf when the former president returns home from exile to contest elections.
On 24 Mar 2013, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Engineer Shaukatullah has announced to provide solar-powered computer laboratories to all colleges and high schools in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and directed the authorities concerned to take necessary steps to materialise the plan.