07 June 2011

U.S. and Pakistani authorities disagree sharply over claims that senior al Qaeda leader Ilyas Kashmiri was killed in a recent missile strike, officials from both countries said on Monday, suggesting sharp strains persist between authorities in Washington and Islamabad. Two days ago, intelligence officials in Pakistan claimed that Kashmiri, a figure in both al Qaeda and a Pakistan-based affiliate, was killed by a U.S. drone-borne missile in northwestern...

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07 June 2011

More than 38,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) who fled fighting in the troubled north western tribal regions have started to return home as the latest phase of a return operation was completed over the weekend, a UNHCR press release said Tuesday. Since the latest stage of the return movement started in April, the majority of displaced Pakistanis have returned to their homes in Bajaur Agency, while a smaller number have returned to Mohmand Agency....

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07 June 2011

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has extended his unqualified support to the process of reconciliation in Balochistan, encouraging Baloch militants to come to terms with the government to return peace in the province. He said the government was ready for dialogue with the estranged leaders of Balochistan in the larger national interest. Addressing a news conference before his departure to Islamabad at the Quetta Airport, the premier reiterated his...

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07 June 2011

Reporters often put themselves in harm's way as they try to dig up the truth about Islamic militant groups, shadowy intelligence agencies and the possible links between the two. […] The men in police commando uniforms sat silent, recalled investigative journalist Umar Cheema, as he nervously repeated that he was a reporter and he wanted to see their supervisor. Blindfolded after being kidnapped last fall and thrown into a Toyota Land Cruiser,...

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