Islamabad: Pakistani security forces killed yesterday two militants in an operation against gunmen in the northwestern part of the country.
Pakistani military sources said security forces shelled out hideouts of militants at Mir Ali positions in north Waziristan tribal area killing two militants and injuring others.
Pakistani forces have been launching attacks and combing operations for a week in this area in search of militants as people in the region continued to flee to sake refuge in safe nearby areas.
The Pakistan Army is the land-based uniform service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The Pakistan Army came into existence after the independence of Pakistan in 1947.
Rebels blow up gas pipeline
BALOCHISTAN: A pipeline, carrying natural gas, was blown up in Balochistan’s Dera Bugti district, south west of Pakistan, disrupting the gas-supply to the Sui plant from well number 15 in Pir Koh gas field.
A Levies official said that unidentified miscreants had planted an explosive device on the 16 inch diameter pipeline in Pir Koh gas field.
The device detonated with a huge bang causing extensive damage to the gas pipeline.
The supply of natural gas from well number 15 to the Sui plant was suspended as a result of the blast.
A similar attack was carried out last week, where the pipeline supplying natural gas to Sui purification plant from well number 41 of Pir Koh gas-field was blown up.
Poisonous water fills Swat river
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: The commotion at Swat river in northwest Pakistan yesterday morning evoked images of the California Gold Rush hordes of men, jostling for their bit of glitter. Unfortunately, instead of gold nuggets, the crowds, knee deep in the river, were actually panning for something silver dead and dying fish.
Hundreds of residents from Mingora and Kanjo in Swat had rushed to the banks near Ayub Bridge carrying hooks, sheets and nets, hoping to catch what seemed to be poisoned fish, floating on the river’s surface.
Rafiq Khan, who lives near the river, also rushed down to get his easy catch of the day. It was his understanding that under the cover of the night, someone had poured poison in a small pond which leads to the river, causing thousands of fish to become floaters.
Karachi top user of illicit cigars
KARACHI: Despite all the efforts put in by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), illicit cigarettes still account for one-fourth of the country’s total cigarette consumption, costing the exchequer more than a quarter of a billion dollars in tax losses, according to an international study.
In 2012, illicit tobacco trade was 25.4 percent of the total cigarettes consumed in Pakistan, according to Asia-11: Illicit Tobacco Indicator 2012, an international study compiled by the International Tax and Investment Centre and Oxford Economics.
Pakistani government, according to the study, lost $275m in fiscal year 2012-13 in potential taxes as a result of illicit tobacco trade. The amount is 17 percent of the country’s current account deficit, which stood at $1.58bn in the first six months of FY14.
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