The report describes the controversy involving the finalization of the date for the Afghan presidential elections between the current President Hamid Karzai and the opposition candidates. The report also documents the statement issued by Mullah Omar to the Taliban counterparts in Pakistan’s tribal regions along with the reaction of the Afghan Taliban towards the peace initiative undertaken by the Afghan government and Gulbeddin Hekmetyar’s Hizb-e-Islami.

For Pakistan, this update summarizes the political face-off between the ruling party PPP and the opposition party PML-N. The People’s Party imposed governor rule, dissolving the Punjab provincial assembly leading to a major stand off between the two political rivals.