Nine police cadets gunned down in Lahore

New Post: Michael Kugelman, "The doctor isn’t in" (FP). Heartland strike At least six Taliban militants opened fire on a compound housing policemen in Lahore on Thursday, killing nine of them (AP, NYT, AFP, CNN, BBC, Reuters, Tel). The policemen were training to become prison security guards, and Taliban spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan claimed later that ...

Arif Ali/AFP/GettyImages
Arif Ali/AFP/GettyImages
Arif Ali/AFP/GettyImages

New Post: Michael Kugelman, "The doctor isn't in" (FP).

New Post: Michael Kugelman, "The doctor isn’t in" (FP).

Heartland strike

At least six Taliban militants opened fire on a compound housing policemen in Lahore on Thursday, killing nine of them (AP, NYT, AFP, CNN, BBC, Reuters, Tel). The policemen were training to become prison security guards, and Taliban spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan claimed later that they were targeted in retaliation for the torture of Taliban fighters in prison.

Pakistani security forces in the northwest tribal region of Bajaur killed eight militants on Thursday, after dozens of Taliban fighters infiltrated the border with Afghanistan and attacked a village (Reuters). And police east of Quetta on Thursday found the bodies of seven coal miners kidnapped last week by the Balochistan Liberation Army (AFP).

Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday signed into a law the Contempt of Court Bill 2012, which gives top government officials immunity from contempt of court charges (Dawn, ET, The News). The bill passed Pakistan’s upper house of legislature on Wednesday amid fierce protests from opposition politicians and more than one challenge submitted to the Supreme Court.

Bureaucratic delays have slowed the resumption of shipments to NATO troops in Afghanistan, Pakistani officials said on Wednesday (AP). A week after the supply routes were reopened, only two trucks carrying supplies have crossed the border into Afghanistan.

With open arms?

Afghan president Hamid Karzai said Thursday that if Taliban leader Mullah Omar were to renounce his fight against coalition forces and the Afghan government, he could form a political party and even run for president (AFP).

Red carpet event

Hailed as the Pakistani Oscars, the Lux Style Awards 2012 (LSAs) drew the best and most beautiful of Pakistan’s entertainment industry to Karachi on Wednesday (ET). The event was marred only by the absence of Manzar Sehbai, the winner of Best Actor for his role in Bol, who said he rejected his award because he did not receive a personal invitation to the ceremony.

— Jennifer Rowland

Jennifer Rowland is a research associate in the National Security Studies Program at the New America Foundation.

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