It least 11 paramilitary personnel along with 10 militants were killed as a result of US air strikes in the Sheikh Baba area near the Afghanistan border in Mohmand tribal region on June 11. The incident invoked wide criticism in the country1. Later in the week on June 13, US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher stated that the US and Pakistan would jointly investigate the matter. The statement came in the wake of a meeting between US Secretary of State Condoleezza rice and Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi during a conference in Paris2.

In other developments, the ‘long march’ of lawyers culminated in Islamabad on June 14. As many as 40,000 lawyers participated in the protest march3. The march, which was organized to pursue the reinstatement of deposed judges however failed to clearly delineate a future strategy4.

The Economic Survey for 2007-08 was meanwhile released by the Finance Minister Syed Naveed Qamar on June 10 in Islamabad. The Survey, noting the overall deteriorating situation in the Pakistan economy, reported a sharp decline in the GDP from 7.2 per cent to 5.8 per cent. It stated that the country failed to meet its economic targets due to domestic and external disturbances5.

In other developments, Prime Minster Gilani, addressing the National Assembly on June 9, stated that he intended to curtail the defence expenditure of the country as a goodwill gesture towards its neighbours6.

• 1. “11 FC soldiers killed in attack by US-led forces in Mohmand,” Dawn, June 12, 2008, at http://www.dawn.com/2008/06/12/top2.htm
• 2. “Pakistan and US to jointly probe strike,” Daily Times, June 14, 2008, at http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\06\14\story_14-6-2008_pg1_1
• 3. “40,000 gather as long march reaches Islamabad,” Daily Times, June 14, 2008, at http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\06\14\story_14-6-2008_pg1_3
• 4. Rana Qaisar, “Long march ends without roadmap,” Daily Times, June 15, 2008, at http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\06\15\story_15-6-2008_pg1_1
• 5. Mehtab Haider, “Economic Survey paints a dismal picture,” The News, June 11, 2008, at http://thenews.jang.com.pk/arc_default.asp
• 6. Raja Asghar, “Defence spending to be practically reduced: Gilani,” Dawn, June 10, 2008, at http://www.dawn.com/2008/06/10/top2.htm