29 January 2010

Terror, Tribes, and the War on Women in Pakistan, Council on Asian Transnational Threat Research via the Human Security Gateway, 1 October 2009

EXCERPT: "Not only is it nearly impossible to find statistical data on the number of women affected by the conflict that began in Afghanistan and has now bled over to the tribal areas of Pakistan, but few efforts have been made to provide systematic or targeted aid to them. According to...

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29 January 2010

Cautious Pakistan's Afghan Influence Seen Limited, Reuters via AlertNet, 29 January 2010

EXCERPT: "Pakistan has shown support for Afghanistan's invitation to the Taliban to take part in a peace council but the old Taliban ally has only limited influence over the militants, who many expect will reject the offer. The Afghan government on Thursday invited the Taliban to a jirga, or traditional council, during an international conference...

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29 January 2010

Rift Among Bajaur Taliban Widens, DAWN, 29 January 2010

EXCERPT: "Differences among militants in Bajaur Agency simmering for some time have widened and one group is reported to have replaced local Taliban chief Maulana Faqir Mohammad with Maulana Mohammad Jamal (Maulvi Dadullah). Maulana Faqir was the deputy chief of the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and a close associate of Baitullah Mehsud. However, Maulana Jamal's supporters have...

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29 January 2010

Swat Voters Go to Polls Today Amid Fears, The News International, 28 January 2010

EXCERPT: "Voters in PF-83 Swat are set to cast ballot amid fears of terrorist attacks to elect their representative for the NWFP Assembly as the Election Commission has finalised all arrangements for the polling from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The security concerns may keep the turnout low. But the authorities said on Wednesday that they had put in place stringent security...

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29 January 2010

USAID Program for Pakistani Tribal Areas Making "Little Headway," Audit Finds, Press Association, 29 January 2010

EXCERPT: "A $45 million USAID program aimed at improving the ability of Pakistani tribal leaders to govern a politically sensitive stretch of territory along the Afghan border has failed to achieve its primary mission of improving the delivery of basic services, according to an audit by the agency's inspector...

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