Pakistan Police Arrest Two French Militants Linked to Umar Patek
15 April 2011
"Authorities in Pakistan have arrested two French nationals of Pakistani origin for suspected links to al Qaeda-linked Islamist militants, local intelligence officials said Thursday. The two men identified as Sharaf Din and Zohaib Afzal were arrested in the eastern city of Lahore about two months ago and were still in Pakistani custody, the officials said. 'They had planned to go to Waziristan for militant training and have links with the Pakistani...
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Young Kashmiri Activists Yearn for an "Arab Spring": Analysis
15 April 2011
"What Kashmir's young independence activists most want the world to grasp is that the protracted fight for Kashmir has broken from its roots in a territorial tug of war between India and Pakistan. Instead, it has become an independence movement led by the two-thirds of Kashmiris who are under age 30 and fed up with living in a police state. Particularly of interest to world powers, they say, should be their resolve to resist without guns. But while...
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New Wave of Killings Hits Karachi
15 April 2011
"At least 10 people have been shot dead in targeted political killings across Pakistan's business capital, Karachi. Officials told the BBC that the latest deaths bring to 18 the number of people killed over the past three days. According to human rights groups, 775 people were shot dead in such attacks last year. Most of the attacks are blamed on the MQM political party, although the ANP and PPP parties have also been involved. All three deny involvement....
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Slow Economic Recovery Threatens Military Gains in Swat
15 April 2011
"Almost two years after Pakistan's army swept through the Swat Valley to drive out a terrifying Taliban regime, the valley's residents fear that slow economic recovery in the area could undo military gains and allow a militant return. The idyllic tourist haven 133 km (83 miles) northwest of Islamabad is considered a success story in Pakistan's fight against a home-grown insurgency, so any roll-back in the gains because of poor development would...
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