At least six policemen were killed and 15 security personnel were wounded Tuesday when three suicide bombers blew themselves up in quick succession in southwest Pakistan, officials said. The attacks hit the city of Quetta in the southwestern province of Balochistan, where police and troops have been fighting Islamist militants and separatist groups for more than a decade. "The first suicide bomber blew himself up outside a paramilitary frontier corps checkpost in the outskirts of Quetta city after he was spotted by the guards," Ghulam Ali Baloch, home secretary of Balochistan told AFP. "Just in the next moments, another bomber who was covering the first attacker exchanged fire with the security forces and later blew himself up." Some eight paramilitary officials were wounded in this attack, he said. Around half an hour later a third bomber drove his motorcycle into a police truck on a road leading to the airport, killing at least six policemen, Baloch added. Moazam Jah Ansari, Quetta's … [Read more...] about At least six police dead in Pakistan triple suicide blasts
Pakistan
Pakistan Pashtun rights movement grows, defying military
Pakistan's powerful military, long accused by outsiders of backing Islamist militant groups, is facing an unexpected challenge -- a charismatic young Pashtun man who won't keep quiet. Fellow Pashtuns have rallied behind Manzoor Pashteen in a dramatic outpouring of frustration over accusations of discrimination and extrajudicial killings at the hands of men in uniform. Hundreds of thousands of them have had to leave their homes near the border with Afghanistan in the last decade, fleeing fighting that erupted when the army began what the Pashtun Protection Movement (PTM) says was a selective clampdown on the militants that took refuge there after the 2001 US-led ousting of the Taliban. Echoing accusations by Washington and Kabul, PTM activists say the military continues to allow these extremists a safe haven from which to launch attacks in Afghanistan, while targeting insurgents that have turned their guns on Pakistan. "This policy... it's very dangerous for us," Pashteen, the … [Read more...] about Pakistan Pashtun rights movement grows, defying military
Pakistan’s ruling party wins majority seats in Senate
World Bulletin / News Desk The ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz group) on Saturday won the highest number of seats in the Senate, upper house of the parliament, local media reported. The PML(N)-backed candidates won majority seats -- 11 out of 12 -- in Punjab, the country’s most populous province and the party’s political powerbase, whereas it also clinched all the two seats from the capital Islamabad, according to unofficial results of the by-elections reported by the state-run Pakistan Television. Opposition Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) secured 10 out of 12 seats from the southern Sindh province -- which has long been its stronghold -- turning out to be the second largest party in the 104-member house elected by four provincial assemblies, and the lower house -- the National Assembly. The PPP’s Mian Raza Rabbani, who is the current chairman of the senate, also retained his seat from Sindh province. Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) of the country’s … [Read more...] about Pakistan’s ruling party wins majority seats in Senate
Pakistan’s Ethnic Pashtuns Rally For Rights
Thousands of people have rallied in the Pakistani eastern city of Lahore to call for an end to what they say are human rights violations by authorities in the country's tribal regions. The April 22 rally was organized by the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), or Pashtun Protection Movement, a group started mainly by young ethnic Pashtun activists denouncing perceived high-handedness by security forces. Manzoor Pashteen, the founder leader of the PTM, delivered an address criticizing the country's military and its actions in Pashtun-dominated regions of Pakistan. "I urge professional soldiers not to follow the command of the generals and brigadiers. Refuse to obey their orders because they [generals] can get you killed like they did with people of Waziristan and other parts of the country," Pashteen said. His group has protested since the January killing of 27-year old Naqeebullah Mehsud during what Pakistani police described as a raid on a "terrorist hideout" in the port city of Karachi. … [Read more...] about Pakistan’s Ethnic Pashtuns Rally For Rights
Pakistan Central Bank Chief Says He Doesn’t See Need to Devalue
Low inflation and solid growth mean there’s no pressing need to devalue the currency in the near term, State Bank of Pakistan Governor Tariq Bajwa said in an interview.Pakistan has allowed the rupee to weaken twice in recent months as it attempts to mend its deteriorating finances before elections due in July. Bajwa said another near-term move to devalue is unlikely."Not at the moment, we just did one in March so we are waiting to see its impact. If there is a requirement we will do it but I don’t see anything imminent," he said, echoing comments by the nation’s finance minister.What’s Next for Pakistan After Second Currency Devaluation? (1)The economy is facing headwinds with foreign-exchange reserves dropping at the fastest pace in Asia in the past year and current-account deficit rising by about 50 percent in the current fiscal year. The central bank unexpectedly moved interest rates up 25 basis points in January, the first increase in more than four years, … [Read more...] about Pakistan Central Bank Chief Says He Doesn’t See Need to Devalue