2007 in Pakistan

See also: 2006 in Pakistan, 2008 in Pakistan, and other events of 2007.

Events

December

*December 27, 2007:
* The former Prime Minister of Pakistan and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto is assassinated during an election rally. [ [http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,91235-1298475,00.html Benazir Bhutto Assassinated In Suicide Attack (Sky News)] ]
*December 8, 2007:
* Gunmen attack a party office of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto in Naseerabad in southwestern Pakistan, killing three supporters.
*December 3, 2007:
*The Election Commission of Pakistan rejects former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's nomination papers for the upcoming parliamentary election. [ [http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C12%5C04%5Cstory_4-12-2007_pg1_5 EC rejects Nawaz’s nomination papers ("Daily Times")] ]
*December 1, 2007:
**Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto begins her election campaign for the Pakistani general election, 2008.

November

*November 26, 2007:
*Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif announces he will file nomination papers in the Pakistani general election, 2008. However, he declares not to ever serve as Prime Minister under the current President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7112550.stm Pakistan rivals enter poll fray (BBC)] ]
*November 23, 2007:
**The Supreme Court of Pakistan orders the Election Commission to declare Pervez Musharraf the winner in the 2007 Pakistani presidential election. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7109695.stm More court backing for Musharraf (BBC)] ]
**The Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Inam-ul-Haq, says the country's suspension from the Commonwealth of Nations is "unjustified". [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7108713.stm Pakistan suspension 'unjustified' (BBC)] ]

*November 22, 2007:
**Pakistan is suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations again for its imposition of the state of emergency. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/south_asia/7108543.stm Pakistan barred from Commonwealth (BBC)] ]
**The Supreme Court of Pakistan dismisses the last remaining petition to challenge the dereliction of President Pervez Musharraf. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7106831.stm Court upholds Musharraf election (BBC)] ]

*November 21, 2007:
** Former cricketer turned politician and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Imran Khan is released from prison in Punjab. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7105973.stm Imran Khan released from prison (BBC)] ]
**Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry tries to leave his house in Islamabad but is blocked by security forces. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7105923.stm Pakistan top judge still detained (BBC)] ]
**Major General Waheed Arshad announces the Pakistan Army has killed 40 pro-Taliban militants in the Shangla District in the last two days. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7105059.stm Pakistan army 'kills 40 rebels' (BBC)] ]
**Pakistani security forces kill senior Balochistan Liberation Army leader Balach Marri. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7106270.stm Top Baloch rebel leader 'killed' (BBC)] ]

*November 20, 2007:
**Thousands of people escape Pakistan's Swat district, where the Pakistan Army is fighting with pro-Taliban militants. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7104331.stm Thousands flee Pakistan fighting (BBC)] ]
**More than 100 journalists are arrested for protesting against the state of emergency and media restrictions. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7103538.stm Journalists arrested in Pakistan (BBC)] ]
**The Government of Pakistan releases 3,400 people who were jailed during the state of emergency. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7103266.stm 'Thousands released' in Pakistan (BBC)] ]

*November 19, 2007:
**Pakistani Attorney General Malik Qayyum announces the Supreme Court of Pakistan has dismissed five of the six petitions against President Pervez Musharraf's re-election. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7101302.stm Challenges to Musharraf rejected (BBC)] ]
**At least 80 people die and 100 are wounded in sectarian violence in Kurram Agency. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7101533.stm Pakistan clashes 'leave 80 dead' (BBC)] ]

*November 18, 2007:
**Hina Jilani joins a protest in London to ask for the release of political prisoners and President Pervez Musharraf's resignation.
**United States Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte says President Pervez Musharraf should lift the state of emergency and free political opponents. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7100322.stm US tells Musharraf to step back (BBC)] ]

*November 17, 2007:Pakistan's private Geo television network, Pakistan's biggest television network, ordered off air during President Pervez Musharraf's emergency rule, said on Saturday it had been forced to close down altogether after it was ordered to halt transmissions via the United Arab Emirates. [ [http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-30546820071116 Pakistan's private Geo TV says forced to shut down (Reuters)] ]

*November 15, 2007:Senate Chairman Muhammad Mian Soomro has taken oath as the caretaker prime minister on Friday morning after dissolution of the National Assembly on completion of its five-year term for the first time in the history of Pkaistan. The appointment of Mr Soomro as the caretaker prime minister, primarily meant to oversee the next general election, surprised political observers here as the government had all along been saying that a “non-political” and “non-partisan” person would be given the job to ensure free and transparent elections. [ [http://dawn.com/2007/11/16/top1.htm Soomro heads interim govt (Daily Dawn)] ]

*November 14, 2007:
**2007 Pakistani state of emergency: Pakistani former cricketer and opposition leader Imran Khan is arrested at the University of the Punjab in Lahore as the state of emergency continues. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7093932.stm Khan arrested at Pakistan protest (BBC)] ]
**Pakistani forces kill at least 16 Taliban militants in heavy fighting in the Swat valley. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7095126.stm Heavy fighting in Pakistan valley (BBC)] ]
*November 5, 2007Pakistan's main stock market index KSE 100 has fallen nearly 5% to close at 13,279.60 as investors reacted to the emergency rule imposed by President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday. The fall was the biggest one-day decline on the Karachi Stock Exchange 100-share index for 16 months. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7078865.stm Pakistan's stock market slides 5% (BBC)] ]

*November 3, 2007
*Pervez Musharraf, President of Pakistan, declares a period of emergency rule amid rising militant violence. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7076670.stm Musharraf imposes emergency rule (BBC)] ] [ [http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSCOL19928320071103 Musharraf imposes emergency rule (Reuters)] ]
*Television channels and telephone lines in many cities are blocked.
*Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto returns to Karachi, cutting short her Dubai visit.
*Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar takes an oath as the new Chief Justice of the apex court.
*Militants capture two police stations in Swat.

October

*October 28, 2007The century-old building of Radio Pakistan located in the heart of Karachi city on M. A. Jinnah Road was badly damaged in a blaze on Sunday at around 10.45 am (PST). The transmissions were suspended for several hours due to the fire. A number of children, who were present for recording of a weekly children's programme, along with others were safely evacuated, officials said. [http://www.karachinews.net/story/294942 (Karachinews.net)]

*October 25, 2007The Election Commission of Pakistan has asked political parties to desist from criticizing the army or the judiciary ahead of assembly elections. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7061302.stm (BBC World)]

*October 20, 2007
Karachi police release a photograph of the suicide bomber who killed at least 130 people in the 2007 Karachi bombings. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7054339.stm (BBC)]

*October 18, 2007
*Return of Benazir Bhutto:
**Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto returns to Pakistan after eight years of self-exile, with a crowd of a million expected in Karachi to welcome her back. [http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/10/17/pakistan.bhutto/index.html (CNN)]
**2007 Karachi bombings: At least 124 people are killed and 320 injured as two bombs explode near a truck carrying Benazir Bhutto. [http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/10/18/pakistan.explosions/index.html (CNN)]

*October 11, 2007
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) banned controversial fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar from playing 13 international matches and fined him a whooping Rupees 3.4 million rupees (56,000 US dollars) for hitting his teammate, Mohammad Asif, with a bat. [http://www.karachinews.net/story/289968 (Karachinews.net)]

*October 9, 2007Pakistani warplanes bombarded suspected pro-Taleban militant positions on Tuesday, as fierce fighting raged near the Afghan border for a fourth day. The army says 45 troops and 150 rebels have died in battles around the town of Mir Ali. Tuesday's air strikes left 50 rebels dead, unconfirmed reports say. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7036106.stm (BBCWorld)]

*October 6, 2007:General Pervez Musharraf has easily won a vote to be re-elected Pakistan's president, even though it is unclear if his candidacy was legal. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7031070.stm (BBCWorld)]

*October 2, 2007More than 80 opposition MPs have resigned from Pakistan's national parliament in protest at Saturday's presidential election. They insist that President Pervez Musharraf is ineligible to stand. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7023424.stm (BBCWorld)]

*October 1, 2007
Pakistan Supreme Court orders suspension of Islamabad DIG and Dy Commissioner during a suo motto hearing of recent violence that injured over 50 lawyers and journalists.

September

*September 29, 2007 Election officials in Pakistan have approved President Pervez Musharraf's nomination for re-election, despite efforts to have him disqualified. The election commission approved Gen Musharraf and two rivals to contest the 6 October poll. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7019487.stm (BBC World)]

*September 24, 2007
*Former Pakistan Prime Minister arrives in Washington beginning her last visit to USA before ending her self-exile.

*September 20, 2007
*al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden declares war on tyrant Pervez Musharraf
*Election Commission of Pakistan has announced to hold presidential elections on October 06. President Gen Pervez Musharraf has said he will give up his post of army chief if he is re-elected for another term. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7004067.stm (BBC World)]

*September 18, 2007President Musharraf to doff uniform after his re-election says Sharifuddin Pirzada, the president's councel at the Supreme Court. [http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=29376 (The News International)]

*September 16, 2007
Election Commission of Pakistan amends Presidential Election Rules 1988 ahead of the elections so that Article 63 of the Constitution no longer applies to the President.

*September 14, 2007
Pakistan Peoples Party unanimously decides that Benazir Bhutto will return back to Pakistan on October 18, 2007

*September 13, 2007Pakistan Cabinet unanimously decides to re-elect President Pervez Musharraf in uniform from the present assemblies.

*September 11, 2007

*Suicide bomber kills 18 in Dera Ismail Khan of Pakistan.
*Nawaz Sharif was sent back to Saudi Arabia in a special plane after his six-hour stay at the Islamabad airport when he arrived here on Monday from London on a PIA flight. [http://www.brecorder.com/index.php?id=620834&currPageNo=1&query=&search=&term=&supDate= (Business Recorder)]

*September 09, 2007Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto says her new campaign will be for food, clothing, shelter for the people once she returns back to Pakistan.

*September 08, 2007Pakistan Government takes decision to arrest former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother Shahbaz Sharif when they land in Islamabad.

*September 06, 2007Pakistan's Liquid foreign reserves have crossed 16 billion-dollar mark, reaching historic level of 16.0789 billion dollars despite the outflow of some 133 million dollars in portfolio investment. The central bank on Thursday issued the latest figures of liquid foreign reserves, which depicted an increase of 260.7 million dollars in overall reserves from 15.8182 billion dollars to 16.0789 billion dollars during the last week. [http://www.brecorder.com/index.php?id=618648&currPageNo=1&query=&search=&term=&supDate= (Business Recorder)]

*September 04, 2007
*Twin-blasts in Rawalpindi, one in a bus another in a market area kill many; several injured;

*September 01, 2007
*Six people were killed and some others were feared dead when a part of a key bridge of the Northern Bypass in Karachi collapsed on Saturday afternoon. Two trailers, one with a container and the other with a cement tank, were on the Shershah bridge at around 1.20pm when the 70-metre Baldia loop of the structure buckled. [http://www.dawn.com/2007/09/02/top2.htm (Daily Dawn)]

August

*August 25, 2007
*Pakistan has successfully test-fired a new cruise missile capable of carrying nuclear weapons. The missile, named Hatf-VIII (or Raad, "thunder" in Arabic), has a range of 350km (220 miles), and can carry all types of warheads, a statement said. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6963768.stm (BBC World)]

*August 19, 2007
*A fire raged through the 15-storey Pakistan National Shipping Corporation building on Sunday in Karachi, leaving at least two firefighters injured and destroying a large number of valuable documents. The PNSC building, which was built in the early 1970s, has seen the second outbreak of a fire in seven months. The Feb 18 fire 'believed to have been caused by a short circuit' destroyed official records of the National Engineering Services of Pakistan. The PNSC manages a fleet of 14 ships. [http://dawn.com/2007/08/20/local1.htm (Daily Dawn)]

*August 14, 2007
*Pakistan, marks 60th Anniversary of Independence from the United Kingdom and its creation on August 14, cheered by waved flags and set off firecrackers. Later in the day a minute's silence commemorated the hundreds of thousands of people who died in rioting when Pakistan was carved out of British India. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6945206.stm Read More]

July

*July 23, 2007
*Qazi Hussain Ahmed, President of Muttahida Majalis Amal resigns National Assembly seat saying that the parliament was being neglected and whims of an individual.

*July 14, 2007
*24 Pak security men killed and at least 29 people were injured in Miranshah suicide attack.

*July 3, 2007
*Gun battle erupted between the supporters of Lal Masjid and Pakistani security forces after six months of standoff between the two parties. The clash began when some militants tried to occupy a nearby government building. 150 students attacked a Government of Pakistan office near the mosque and took four officials as hostages. Subsequently he called for attacks on the forces, and students of the Lal Masjid had taken over certain government posts and had attacked government buildings. Read More

June

*June 24, 2007
*Torrential rainstorms with gale force winds brought floods and destruction to Karachi, the capital of Sindh Province in Pakistan. Over 40 dead were recovered on Saturday and more than 180 on Sunday. Many more are said to have been injured by downed trees and power lines. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6233868.stm Read more]

March

*March 9, 2007
*President of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf on March 9, 2007 virtually suspended the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, and appointed the next most senior judge available, Justice Javaid Iqbal, as the acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Read More

January

*January 28, 2007
*Police chief, 12 others killed in Peshawar blast: Second suicide attack in two days [http://www.dawn.com/2007/01/28/top1.htm]

*27 January , 2007
*Suicide blast’ at top hotel in Islamabad [http://epaper.dawn.com/default.aspx?selPg=374&page=27_01_2007_001.jpg&ed=1]

*26 January , 2007
*US legislation seeks ban on assistance to Pakistan. [http://epaper.dawn.com/Default.aspx?selpg=372]

* Pakistan Day being observed today: Pakistan Day is being observed today (Thursday) with determination to strive harder for the country’s prosperity, stability and security. The day will dawn with 21-gun salute in the federal capital and 19- gun salute in provincial capitals. Prayers will be offered for the country’s progress and stability. It is a public holiday today. National flag will be hoisted on major government buildings. According to a decision taken after last year’s earthquake, the day will be observed with simplicity and the usual armed forces’ parade will not be held. The major ceremony of the day will be held in President House where President Pervez Musharraf will confer awards upon top-ranking army and civil officials. Wreaths will be laid on the graves of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Iqbal. [http://www.dawn.com/2006/03/23/top6.htm Dawn Newspapers]

* US, UK top portfolio investors in Pakistan: The United States and United Kingdom have absolute domination on foreign portfolio investment at the equity market of the country as their contribution is over 80 per cent of the total investment. While the contribution of the two allies of Pakistan on “War on Terrorism” is a positive sign, market experts fear that any disturbance in political relation with the two countries could easily evaporate the investment and cause instability. [http://www.dawn.com/2006/03/23/ebr1.htm Dawn]

References