Thirty-three militants, two soldiers and five civilians were killed as army helicopters targeted Taliban positions in various areas of Swat. Military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told that 17 militants were killed when gunship helicopters attacked the militant vehicle, while the remaining 16 were killed in separate clashes. Six loyalists of rebel cleric Maulana Fazlullah were eliminated as they tried to free four colleagues that had been arrested by security forces near Saidu Sharif Airport in Swat, two soldiers died in the clash. The military spokesman said that another four militants were killed in Hazara village in Swat.
Source: Daily Times

Benazir in move to unify opposition
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairperson Benazir Bhutto has stepped up her efforts to forge a united front of all opposition parties for a struggle to oust President Gen Pervez Musharraf. She established contacts with opposition politicians, including Nawaz Sharif, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Asfandyar Wali and Hasil Bizenjo to persuade them to agree on a minimum common agenda of restoration of democracy and the Constitution and to launch a united struggle from one platform.
Source: Dawn

Student protests build up in Pakistan
Campus protests gather steam throughout the country, worrying the fragile regime. The steady rumbling of dissent on university campuses across Pakistan is an ominous development for the country`s military regime. Student activists in Pakistan have a history of effecting dramatic political change. What began last week as a protest against the arrests of academics at a university in Lahore has quickly spread across larger campuses, energizing new movements and inciting old student political groups from a near two-decade slumber.
Source: The Christian Science Monitor