Pakistan Conflict Monitor tag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-81246864133297931 2010-03-10T10:30:00-08:00 The Pakistan Conflict Monitor is an initiative of the Human Security Report Project at the School for International Studies at Simon Fraser University. TypePad Aid Agency Attacked, Workers Killed tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83547544f53ef01310f884e49970c 2010-03-10T10:30:00-08:00 2010-03-10T10:30:00-08:00 Gunmen in Pakistan Singled Out, Shot, Aid Workers, Reuters UK, 10 March 2010 EXCERPT: "The gunmen who attacked the office of a U.S.-based, Christian aid agency in Pakistan on Wednesday singled out staff members before killing six of them, survivors said. About 10 suspected Islamist militants stormed the office of the World Vision agency in Oghi village in Mansehra district, about 80 km (50 miles) north of Islamabad, at about 9 a.m. (0400 GMT). A driver who was outside the building shouted a warning that people were trying to get in just before the masked gunmen stormed the office. [...]... Human Security Report Project
Pakistan-flag Gunmen in Pakistan Singled Out, Shot, Aid Workers, Reuters UK, 10 March 2010

EXCERPT: "The gunmen who attacked the office of a U.S.-based, Christian aid agency in Pakistan on Wednesday singled out staff members before killing six of them, survivors said. About 10 suspected Islamist militants stormed the office of the World Vision agency in Oghi village in Mansehra district, about 80 km (50 miles) north of Islamabad, at about 9 a.m. (0400 GMT). A driver who was outside the building shouted a warning that people were trying to get in just before the masked gunmen stormed the office. [...] The gunmen rounded everyone up and made them sit on the floor. They then demanded mobile telephones, identification and money, he said. The gunmen, who were speaking Urdu, then told everyone to put their hands up, Shehzed said. The driver who had earlier shouted the warning didn't put his hands up all the way so one of the gunmen shot him in the forehead, Shehzed said. They then killed another man sitting next to the driver as the others began to pray, he said. Shehzed, who had identified himself as a labourer, was then separated from the group and put in a separate room. 'They kicked me in the stomach then brought the other labourers in. They then went back and started shooting everyone,' he said. All six dead were Pakistani staff at World Vision, the agency said. Police said two of the dead were women."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Six killed in attack on western aid agency in Pakistan, BBC News, 10 March 2010
Charity suspends operation in Pakistan after attack kills 6, CNN World, 10 March 2010
Pakistan: Attack on World Vision staff brutal and senseless, World Vision International, 10 March 2010
Enhanced security sought for UN offices, DAWN, 8 March 2010
World Vision plans to support displaced in Pakistan, AlertNet, 8 May 2009

Related posts:
NGO workers kidnapped in Balochistan, 19 February 2010
Embattled UN rethinking Afghan-Pakistan role, 6 November 2009

 http://www.pakistanconflictmonitor.org/2010/03/aid-agency-attacked-workers-killed.html Arbitrary Arrests of Fishermen in India-Pakistan Dispute tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83547544f53ef0120a921ab70970b 2010-03-10T10:15:00-08:00 2010-03-10T13:31:23-08:00 Pakistani and Indian Fishermen Are Pawns in Governments' Disputes, Los Angeles Times, 9 March 2010 EXCERPT: "Hundreds of Pakistani and Indian fishermen have been arrested and imprisoned in recent years, high-seas apprehensions that human rights activists say have nothing to do with border enforcement and everything to do with the 6-decade-old hatred between Pakistan and India. When fishermen from either country are hauled in for questioning, they're interrogated by intelligence agents convinced that the men are spies. The fishermen are often held for years without a trial. Officials with the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, a human rights nongovernmental organization, or NGO,... Human Security Report Project

India-pakistan-flag Pakistani and Indian Fishermen Are Pawns in Governments' Disputes, Los Angeles Times, 9 March 2010

EXCERPT: "Hundreds of Pakistani and Indian fishermen have been arrested and imprisoned in recent years, high-seas apprehensions that human rights activists say have nothing to do with border enforcement and everything to do with the 6-decade-old hatred between Pakistan and India. When fishermen from either country are hauled in for questioning, they're interrogated by intelligence agents convinced that the men are spies. The fishermen are often held for years without a trial. Officials with the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, a human rights nongovernmental organization, or NGO, that focuses on the plight of Indus River delta fishermen, say Indian prisons now hold 175 Pakistani fishermen. The organization's counterpart in India, the National Fishworkers Forum, says 550 Indian fishermen are jailed in Pakistani lockups. Fishermen and activists with the Indian and Pakistani NGOs say India's border enforcement in the Arabian Sea and nearby channels has stepped up sharply since the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in November 2008, which killed 166 people. Indian coast guard patrols focus keenly on the Indus River delta, fishermen and activists say, because the Mumbai attackers began their journey to India from the delta's waterways in a small boat, armed with AK-47s, grenades and thousands of rounds of ammunition. The arrests add another layer of misery for families just scraping by in thatched-hut villages, where schools, electricity and paved roads don't exist."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
End to arrest of Pakistani, Indian fishermen demanded, The News International, 14 February 2010
Pakistan's fatal shore, The Atlantic, May 2009
Fishing in troubled waters [op-ed], Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, 5 December 2008

Related posts:
Distrust over shared rivers complicates India-Pakistan talks, 24 February 2010
Water challenges a "crucial" issue in Central-South Asia, 19 January 2010
India-Pakistan relations post-Mumbai terrorist attacks, 19 January 2010

 http://www.pakistanconflictmonitor.org/2010/03/fishermen-pawns-in-indiapakistan-dispute.html Govt Risks IMF Aid Money tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83547544f53ef0120a921ed0e970b 2010-03-10T10:00:00-08:00 2010-03-10T13:36:37-08:00 Pakistan Risks IMF's $1.2bn, Asia Times Online, 9 March 2010 EXCERPT: "Islamabad's tardiness in naming a finance minister to succeed Shaukat Tarin, who resigned on February 23 to pursue his own business interests, may delay the release of US$1.2 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), part of a bailout package agree in November 2008. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani have failed to agree on the appointment of Tarin's replacement despite a warning from the finance ministry that the absence of a minister with the right credentials could delay the release of the IMF funds,... Human Security Report Project

Pakistan-flag Pakistan Risks IMF's $1.2bn, Asia Times Online, 9 March 2010

EXCERPT: "Islamabad's tardiness in naming a finance minister to succeed Shaukat Tarin, who resigned on February 23 to pursue his own business interests, may delay the release of US$1.2 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), part of a bailout package agree in November 2008. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani have failed to agree on the appointment of Tarin's replacement despite a warning from the finance ministry that the absence of a minister with the right credentials could delay the release of the IMF funds, according to Business Recorder. [...]  Islamabad had to turn to the IMF for a $7.6 billion emergency loan package in November 2008 to meet its international obligations amid a widening current account deficit, which reached $15.6 billion that year. The IMF increased its loan to $11.2 billion in 2009. The government's economic situation has since deteriorated. External debts and liabilities are now $55.68 billion, or one-third of GDP, up from $46.16 billion, or 27.6% of GDP, in June 2008, according to the central bank. [...] The government's cash woes are being exacerbated by delays in reimbursements from the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) for expenditures incurred in the country's fight against terrorism. Islamabad has received only $897 million of its $1.4 billion claim to the CSF for 2008 spending. [...] The CSF appears to have become another lever for the Americans to press Pakistan in a relationship fraught with mutual suspicion, said a recent Dawn editorial. [...] Higher spending on security is failing to improve the country's attraction to overseas investors."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Development: Going beyond band-aid solutions [op-ed], Daily Times, 9 March 2010
Pakistan on path of economic recovery: IMF, Daily Times, 18 February 2010

Related posts:
Coalition support fund rejects Pakistan's claims for $400 million, 3 March 2010
IMF approves $1.2 billion in aid, 23 December 2009

 http://www.pakistanconflictmonitor.org/2010/03/pakistan-risks-imf-aid-money.html Govt Plots New Military Operations in NW tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83547544f53ef0120a921e13a970b 2010-03-10T09:45:00-08:00 2010-03-10T13:32:44-08:00 Pakistan Plots Showdown with Taliban, AOL News, 9 March 2010 EXCERPT: "Having wrested control of one key region in Pakistan's northwest from a weakened Pakistani Taliban, the country's military leaders have announced they will launch a new operation against one of the militants' few remaining safe havens, perhaps within days. Last week's announcement that Pakistani forces had taken over the Bajur tribal agency, a longstanding Taliban and al-Qaida stronghold, was seen as the latest in a line of successes in recent months in the country's battle against Islamic militancy. But the true test will come now that the Pakistani Taliban... Human Security Report Project

Orakzai-pakistan-map Pakistan Plots Showdown with Taliban, AOL News, 9 March 2010

 EXCERPT: "Having wrested control of one key region in Pakistan's northwest from a weakened Pakistani Taliban, the country's military leaders have announced they will launch a new operation against one of the militants' few remaining safe havens, perhaps within days. Last week's announcement that Pakistani forces had taken over the Bajur tribal agency, a longstanding Taliban and al-Qaida stronghold, was seen as the latest in a line of successes in recent months in the country's battle against Islamic militancy. But the true test will come now that the Pakistani Taliban has shifted south to the Orakzai Agency, where the militants are preparing for what some observers are calling their last stand. Sources in the region tell AOL News that thousands of Taliban and foreign fighters have gathered in that part of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas along the Afghan border. 'There are Arabs and Uzbeks here as well as Pakistanis and Afghans,' one local source reported in a telephone conversation, requesting anonymity. 'They are preparing for the Pakistani military operation.'"

Read the full story.

Related articles:
US doubts Islamabad's will to pursue militants, Financial Times, 9 March 2010
Finally a Taliban crackdown, Brookings, 9 March 2010

Related posts:
Army captures key militant hideout, 2 March 2010
Bajaur Agency: The new landscape of insurgency in FATA, 15 February 2010
Northwest turns volatile following suicide attack, Bajaur offensive, 1 February 2010
Militants regroup in northwest, army responds, 27 November 2009
Countering militancy in FATA, 26 October 2009

 http://www.pakistanconflictmonitor.org/2010/03/govt-plots-showdown-with-taliban.html The Open City: Social Networks and Violence in Karachi tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83547544f53ef0120a921cf7c970b 2010-03-10T09:30:00-08:00 2010-03-10T12:03:00-08:00 The Open City: Social Networks and Violence in Karachi [pdf], The London School of Economics // Crisis States Research Centre, March 2010 EXCERPT: "The very features of Pakistani society that are represented so prominently in Karachi - ethnic and sectarian heterogeneity, political fragmentation, economic disparity, demographic pressures, steady erosion of the state's institutional capacity and the footprint of international conflict - are the ones that challenge the stability of the nation state. From being the national political pulse, the city withdrew into its own violent politics in the 1980s - development that paralleled a wider process of political disarticulation in... Human Security Report Project

Karachi-Pakistan-map The Open City: Social Networks and Violence in Karachi [pdf], The London School of Economics // Crisis States Research Centre, March 2010

EXCERPT: "The very features of Pakistani society that are represented so prominently in Karachi - ethnic and sectarian heterogeneity, political fragmentation, economic disparity, demographic pressures, steady erosion of the state's institutional capacity and the footprint of international conflict - are the ones that challenge the stability of the nation state.  From being the national political pulse, the city withdrew into its own violent politics in the 1980s - development that paralleled a wider process of political disarticulation in Pakistan.  This paper provides a perspective on institutional breakdown, using political violence as an index. The analysis of conflict and violence in Karachi presented here focuses on the processes that made Karachi an open city - openness to migration and informality.  The informalisation of public provisioning, which was often aided and abetted by state organisations, was premised on the legitimisation of private non-state arrangements for contract enforcement, and the strengthening of social networks based on kinship, ethnicity and sectarian identity.  Qualitative accounts of the histories of land use in six very different types of localities are interpreted using this approach, which offers an understanding of breakdown as well as recovery and the prospect of political negotiation."

Read the full paper [pdf].

Related articles:
200 lives lost to targeted killings in over one year, DAWN, 8 February 2010
Mix of politics and crime, DAWN, 17 January 2010

Related academic articles and reports:
Urban safety and poverty in Asia and the Pacific [pdf], United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and United Nations Human Settlements Programme, 2009
Tactical cities: Negotiating violence in Karachi, Pakistan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology // Department of Comparative Media Studies, 2008. Master's thesis.
Cities, terrorism and urban wars of 21st century [pdf], The London School of Economics // Crisis States Research Centre, February 2007

Related posts:
Karachi grinds to a halt amidst fatal attacks, political turmoil, 8 February 2010
Karachi bomb blasts kill Shiite worshipers, 5 February 2010
Targeted killings, ethnic violence plague Karachi, 25 January 2010
Karachi seen as key to Pakistan's future, 22 January 2010
Anti-terrorism act invoked after 256 target killings, 5 January 2010

 http://www.pakistanconflictmonitor.org/2010/03/the-open-city-social-networks-and-violence-in-karachi.html Faulty Equipment Compromises Security Efforts tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83547544f53ef0120a91bacb1970b 2010-03-09T12:07:41-08:00 2010-03-09T12:24:45-08:00 Faulty Gadgets Compromise CM’s Security, DAWN, 1 March 2010 EXCERPT: "The security of the chief minister’s motorcade and the CM’s house can as easily be breached as that of the Ashura procession, because the explosive detectors and cellphone jammer vehicle in official use are either unreliable or entirely incapable of detecting explosive materials in a timely manner, Dawn has learnt. The city’s bomb disposal unit is using the same equipment to secure other sensitive locations, which indicate serious gaps in the security capacity of the authorities, it has emerged. [...] The capacity and resources of the bomb disposal unit (BDU)... Human Security Report Project

Pakistan-flag Faulty Gadgets Compromise CM’s Security, DAWN, 1 March 2010

EXCERPT: "The security of the chief minister’s motorcade and the CM’s house can as easily be breached as that of the Ashura procession, because the explosive detectors and cellphone jammer vehicle in official use are either unreliable or entirely incapable of detecting explosive materials in a timely manner, Dawn has learnt. The city’s bomb disposal unit is using the same equipment to secure other sensitive locations, which indicate serious gaps in the security capacity of the authorities, it has emerged. [...] The capacity and resources of the bomb disposal unit (BDU) were publicly demonstrated when an explosion ripped through the Ashura procession on Dec 28 last year and again on Feb 5 with two blasts on Chehlum. A meeting of senior officers was held a few days after the Ashura blast. During the meeting, some senior officers of the special branch of police conceded that the explosive detectors were not capable of detecting concealed explosives. Sources said that a practical demonstration was also made during the meeting to prove the point.  A BDU inspector recently disclosed that the bomb locators he and his associates used in carrying out searches for explosives could not locate ‘concealed explosives’. The equipment could locate the explosives only if fumes were emanating from it or if it was exposed, the officer added."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
UK warns world about useless "bomb detectors", BBC Newsnight, 27 January 2010
Lives at airport threatened by bogus bomb detectors, DAWN, 26 January 2010
NWFP bomb disposal unit has only 10 percent of required gadgetry, The News International, 18 January 2010
Karachi: Ashura security lapse: Notices issued to bomb disposal unit, DAWN, 13 January 2010
US provides bomb disposal equipment to NWFP police, Embassy of the United States of America, Islamabad, 21 October 2009
Only three experts in PR bomb disposal unit, The Nation, 29 June 2009

Related posts:
Curbing suicide terrorism requires enhanced strategies, 16 February 2010
Pakistani police underfunded, overwhelmed, 30 November 2009
Security forces need capacity building: PM, 20 November 2009

 http://www.pakistanconflictmonitor.org/2010/03/faulty-equipment-compromises-security-efforts.html Taliban "Ready to Unleash 3,000 Suicide Bombers" tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83547544f53ef01310f8224f3970c 2010-03-09T11:45:11-08:00 2010-03-09T14:52:52-08:00 Taliban "Ready to Unleash 3,000 Suicide Bombers in Pakistan", Telegraph, 9 March 2010 EXCERPT: "The threat was issued after one of its leaders claimed responsibility for a suicide car bomb which killed 13 people outside an interrogation centre in Lahore where militant suspects are questioned. Eight officials from the Federal Investigation Agency were those killed when the bomber detonated a Toyota Carolla packed with 1300 pounds of explosives between the office and a local religious school. It was the third time the centre had been targeted and marked a return to its suicide bombing campaign after a number of serious... Human Security Report Project <div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/7406415/Taliban-ready-to-unleash-3000-suicide-bombers-in-Pakistan.html" style="float: left;"><img alt="Lahore-pakistan" class="asset asset-image at-xid-6a00d83547544f53ef0120a91b8f8c970b " src="http://hsrp.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83547544f53ef0120a91b8f8c970b-120wi" style="margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px; border: 1px solid #a2a2a2;" title="Lahore-pakistan" /></a> <a class="external" href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/7406415/Taliban-ready-to-unleash-3000-suicide-bombers-in-Pakistan.html">Taliban "Ready to Unleash 3,000 Suicide Bombers in Pakistan"</a>, Telegraph, 9 March 2010</p> <p>EXCERPT: "The threat was issued after one of its leaders claimed responsibility for a suicide car bomb which killed 13 people outside an interrogation centre in Lahore where militant suspects are questioned. Eight officials from the Federal Investigation Agency were those killed when the bomber detonated a Toyota Carolla packed with 1300 pounds of explosives between the office and a local religious school. It was the third time the centre had been targeted and marked a return to its suicide bombing campaign after a number of serious setbacks for the Taliban leadership. The bombing in Lahore served notice that the movement retains the ability to strike throughout Pakistan, while Azam Tariq, a spokesman for the Taliban, served notice that it had the capacity to intensify its campaign. 'We have around 3,000 more suicide bombers. We'll target all government places, buildings and offices,' he said in a call to a news agency."</p> <p>Read the full <a class="external" href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/7406415/Taliban-ready-to-unleash-3000-suicide-bombers-in-Pakistan.html">story</a>.</p> <p><strong>Related articles:</strong><br><a class="external" href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-03/09/c_13202488.htm">Who is behind Lahore blast?</a>, China View, 9 March 2010<br><a class="external" href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jIX6qGOJvJiPBVGGSMc2Gos0h5lg">Pakistani bomb victims warned of looming attack</a>, AFP, 9 March 2010<br><a class="external" href="http://beta.thehindu.com/news/international/article218003.ece">Pakistani minister sees RAW hand in Lahore attack</a>, The Hindu, 8 March 2010</p> <p><strong>Related posts:</strong><br><a href="http://www.pakistanconflictmonitor.org/2010/03/suicide-bomb-targets-military-interrogation-unit.html">Suicide bomb targets military interrogation unit</a>, 8 March 2010<br><a href="http://www.pakistanconflictmonitor.org/2010/02/as-deadly-suicide-attacks-strike-army-police-air-strike-kills-30-militants.html">Deadly suicide attacks strike army, police</a>, 22 February 2010<br><a href="http://www.pakistanconflictmonitor.org/2010/02/bombs-hit-police-kill-at-least-15.html">Bombs hit police, kill at least 15</a>, 11 February 2010<br><a href="http://www.pakistanconflictmonitor.org/2010/02/fatal-suicide-bombing-kills-police-civilians.html">Suicide bomb kills policement, civilians in Khyber Agency</a>, 10 February 2010<br><a href="http://www.pakistanconflictmonitor.org/2009/12/pakistan-spy-agency-office-attacked.html">Pakistan spy agency office attacked</a>, 8 December 2009</p></div> <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/PakistanConflictMonitor/~4/eHaFFYGRbqg" height="1" width="1"/> http://www.pakistanconflictmonitor.org/2010/03/taliban-ready-to-unleash-3000-suicide-bombers.html UK to Help Rebuild Conflict Affected Border Areas tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83547544f53ef0120a91b66ed970b 2010-03-09T11:09:33-08:00 2010-03-09T12:22:12-08:00 UK Helps Rebuild Pakistan's Conflict Affected Areas, Department for International Development, 8 March 2010 EXCERPT: "The UK will support an international drive to help millions of people affected by conflict in Pakistan, International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander announced today. The support will include both short-term help like food aid and longer-term development work such as ensuring more girls go to school. In a multi-million pound package of support for of the government of Pakistan's reconstruction efforts, the UK will work with the international community on projects including: construction of temporary bridges to provide links to isolated areas; helping families buy... Human Security Report Project

UK-pakistan-flag UK Helps Rebuild Pakistan's Conflict Affected Areas, Department for International Development, 8 March 2010

EXCERPT: "The UK will support an international drive to help millions of people affected by conflict in Pakistan, International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander announced today. The support will include both short-term help like food aid and longer-term development work such as ensuring more girls go to school. In a multi-million pound package of support for of the government of Pakistan's reconstruction efforts, the UK will work with the international community on projects including: construction of temporary bridges to provide links to isolated areas; helping families buy seeds and tools and replace lost livestock to rebuild local economies; temporary schools to help girls get the education they need for a better chance of finding a job and enjoying a healthier life. [...] DFID will provide £20 million for short term assistance to those who continue to be affected by this ongoing humanitarian crisis, and to promote early recovery in the region. This will include food aid for up to 1.4 million people and practical support for up to 2 million people trying to rebuild their livelihoods. Working with partners on the ground, the DFID programme will also provide £10 million to build temporary bridges, a key early step to allow wider reconstruction work, and to build 40 temporary schools for 4,000 children, particularly primary schools for girls."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Factbox: UK Conservatives' policies on development, AlertNet, 3 March 2010
Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas: How can the UK support development?, World Security Network, 19 February 2009
Brown takes new strategy to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Reuters UK, 27 April 2009

Related posts:
Britain says Pakistan aid rises despite crunch, 21 January 2010
Pakistan's PM denies Bin Laden in Pakistan, UK pledges $83 million, 3 December 2009
Pakistan must do more: UK, 30 November 2009
UK Foreign Affairs Committee report: Global security: Afghanistan and Pakistan, 15 October 2009

 http://www.pakistanconflictmonitor.org/2010/03/uk-to-help-rebuild-conflict-affected-border-areas.html Ransom Kidnappings a "Big Business" tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83547544f53ef0120a91b4ed0970b 2010-03-09T10:52:39-08:00 2010-03-09T14:58:24-08:00 Analysis: Kidnapping A Multimillion-Pound Industry In Pakistan, Times Online, 5 March 2010 EXCERPT: "Kidnapping for ransom is big business in Pakistan. Estimates vary but it is thought that dozens of people, including children as young as 4 or 5, are abducted every day by criminal gangs, or by Islamic militants to fund their activities. Last year more than 150 people were kidnapped from Peshawar and taken to militant strongholds in the lawless tribal region bordering Afghanistan. The relative wealth of expatriates means that they are often targeted while travelling from Islamabad airport to villages in Punjab and Kashmir. The security... Human Security Report Project

Pakistan-flag Analysis: Kidnapping A Multimillion-Pound Industry In Pakistan, Times Online, 5 March 2010

EXCERPT: "Kidnapping for ransom is big business in Pakistan. Estimates vary but it is thought that dozens of people, including children as young as 4 or 5, are abducted every day by criminal gangs, or by Islamic militants to fund their activities. Last year more than 150 people were kidnapped from Peshawar and taken to militant strongholds in the lawless tribal region bordering Afghanistan. The relative wealth of expatriates means that they are often targeted while travelling from Islamabad airport to villages in Punjab and Kashmir. The security forces have sometimes been in cahoots with the kidnappers, so trust in the police is low and only a few cases are reported."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Cocaine, kidnapping and the Al-Qaeda cash squeeze, Telegraph, 6 March 2010
Ontario Sikh family fears Pakistani Taliban have kidnapped their son, The Globe and Mail, 5 March 2010
Kidnap globalises as victim profiles broaden, Lloyds, 13 August 2009
Kidnappings spike in Pakistan, The Associated Press via ABC News, 7 June 2009
19 people kidnapped for ransom from Peshawar this month, Daily Times, 28 January 2009
Kidnapping in NWFP and the tribal areas, Pak Institute for Peace Studies, 21 November 2008

Related data:
Anti-kidnapping, Citizens Police Liaison Committee, Pakistan, 2010

Related posts:
Kidnapped Sikh beheaded in Khyber, 22 February 2010
NGO workers kidnapped in Balochistan, 19 February 2010

 http://www.pakistanconflictmonitor.org/2010/03/ransom-kidnappings-a-big-business.html Tribesmen Burn Down 130 Taliban Houses in Bajaur tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d83547544f53ef0120a91b2cf9970b 2010-03-09T10:21:18-08:00 2010-03-09T12:18:56-08:00 Salarzai Lashkar Sets Fire To 130 Taliban Houses In Bajaur, Daily Times, 9 March 2010 EXCERPT: "A Salarzai tribal lashkar on Monday set ablaze 130 Taliban houses in Bajaur Agency, officials said. One Taliban was killed and nine arrested in a joint operation of the political administration and an armed lashkar of the Salarzai tribe. Official sources told Daily Times that Assistant Political Agent (APA) Iqbal Khattak had decided that action against the Taliban would continue until the agency was purged of all terrorists. The Salarzai tribal lashkar, consisting of thousands of armed tribesmen, have strictly prohibited the locals from... Human Security Report Project

Bajaur-pakistan-map Salarzai Lashkar Sets Fire To 130 Taliban Houses In Bajaur, Daily Times, 9 March 2010

EXCERPT: "A Salarzai tribal lashkar on Monday set ablaze 130 Taliban houses in Bajaur Agency, officials said. One Taliban was killed and nine arrested in a joint operation of the political administration and an armed lashkar of the Salarzai tribe. Official sources told Daily Times that Assistant Political Agent (APA) Iqbal Khattak had decided that action against the Taliban would continue until the agency was purged of all terrorists. The Salarzai tribal lashkar, consisting of thousands of armed tribesmen, have strictly prohibited the locals from providing shelter to the Taliban."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Lone stand of surrounded Pakistan anti-Taliban militia, BBC News, 9 March 2010
Elders ban Haroon's entry into Bajaur, The Nation, Pakistan, 7 March 2010
Pakistan's Bajaur tribe demands help as army declares victory over Taliban, SINA, 3 March 2010
Pakistan tests civilian militias to keep Taliban out of Swat Valley, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 September 2009
Tribal lashkar attacks Taliban, DAWN, 1 September 2008

Related reports:
The role of tribal lashkars in winning Pakistan's war on terror, The Jamestown Foundation, 26 November 2008
Tribal lashkars need govt. support, Pak Institute for Peace Studies, 10 November 2008

Related posts:
Troops capture major Taliban base in Bajaur tribal agency, 2 February 2010
Anti-Taliban tribal leaders assassinated, 27 November 2009
Tribesmen pawns in "duplicitous" game, 4 November 2009

 http://www.pakistanconflictmonitor.org/2010/03/tribesmen-burn-130-taliban-houses-in-bajaur.html