Pakistan Security Brief
Pakistani government plans military operations against in North Waziristan in March; Government plans operation in settled areas to counter exodus from tribal areas; Pakistani army helicopters carry out targeted operations in North Waziristan; Thousands flee North Waziristan following strikes on militants; IMU accuses Pakistani military of killing civilians in North Waziristan strikes; TTP spokesman reiterates offer to negotiate with government; U.S. to release $352 million in Coalition Support Funds; U.S. concerned that troop pullout from Afghanistan will hamper Pakistan drone program; Adviser to Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs in U.S. for Strategic Dialogue; Pakistan reportedly offers India MFN status; JeM chief leads rally of 10,000 in Azad Kashmir; Gunmen kill six police officers in Karachi near MQM-H leader’s house; As many as 20 bombing attacks throughout Sindh, two injured; Six dead in Hangu blast; Several others killed in violence across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa; Frontier Corps kill four militants, and arrest seven in Balochistan; Corruption references filed against two former Prime Ministers; Government planning Rapid Reaction Force; Court grants Musharraf health-related exemption.
Military Operation in Tribal Areas
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According to a Saturday report in The Express Tribune, the government has decided to prepare for a military operation in North Waziristan agency. The ground operations in North Waziristan are reportedly planned for March, although targeted airstrikes in the agency may occur sooner. A retired two-star general told The Express Tribune that the Haqqani Network, which has a strong presence in North Waziristan, will probably move across the border into Afghanistan during the operations.[1]
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According to a Monday article in The Express Tribune, the federal government is planning military operations in Pakistan’s settled areas. The operations would be aimed at preventing militants from fleeing North Waziristan once the operation there has commenced.[2]
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According to a Monday article in The News, thousands of people have fled Mir Ali and Miram Shah in North Waziristan agency in anticipation of a military offensive against Taliban insurgents. A senior administration official, Siraj Ahmed Khan stated that the military has not planned operations in the area, and encouraged people to remain in their homes.[3]
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On Monday, Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain stated that the army is prepared to engage in operations against the TTP and is waiting for the government to make a decision.[4]
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On Monday, parliamentarians of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) voted in favor of military operations against TTP insurgents. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who led the meeting, said that the military will take necessary action to stabilize the country.[5]
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On Saturday, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervez Rashid said that the government plans to include Imran Khan, the leader of the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI), in talks regarding the military’s planned operations against the TTP. Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique stated that the government still supports peace talks with militants who are willing to negotiate.[6]
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On Thursday, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) released a statement accusing the Pakistani military of targeting civilians in Mir Ali, North Waziristan agency as a punishment for recent attacks on security forces by the TTP. The IMU said that the strikes will motivate jihadis to destroy the Pakistani government and military.[7]
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On Monday, Pakistan Army helicopters targeted several suspects in the Mir Ali, North Waziristan agency, killing two militants and injuring several others.[8]
Talks with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan
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On Sunday, TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid reiterated his offer to engage in peace talks with the government but did not confirm whether the group had dropped its demand that the government withdraw its support for the U.S.-led “war on terror.” This is the second offer by the TTP within one week, following a series of terrorist attacks across Pakistan and retaliatory operations against the militants by the Pakistani military.[9]
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According to a Monday report in The News, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said at a PML-N parliamentary meeting that he does not trust the TTP anymore, due to the group’s continued terrorist attacks even as it claims to want negotiations with the government.[10]
U.S.-Pakistan Relations
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On Friday, U.S. Ambassador Richard Olson met with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in Islamabad, and promised that $352 million from the Coalition Support Fund will be released to Pakistan by February 6.[11]
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On Monday, Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz is expected to meet with U.S. State Department officials in Washington D.C. to discuss a range of issues including trade, counter-terrorism, and Afghanistan.[12]
Afghan Reconciliation Process
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According to a Sunday report in The New York Times, the Obama Administration is growing increasingly concerned that the U.S. may be forced to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014 if an accord is not reached with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. This could imperil the American drone program in Pakistan, as most drones are launched from Afghanistan as well as the monitoring of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons and responding in the event of a crisis.[13]
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Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Sunday said that he will not sign a security pact with the United States unless the U.S. or Pakistan initiates a peace process with the Taliban.[14]
Indo-Pakistan Relations
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According to a Sunday report in Dawn, during recent trade talks, the Pakistani government offered Most Favored Nation status to India in exchange for lower duties on certain Pakistani goods.[15]
Protest in Muzaffarabad
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On Sunday, Maulana Masood Azhar, the leader of militant group Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), addressed a rally of 10,000 to 20,000 people in Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir. He criticized India’s actions in Kashmir, and accused India of supporting terrorism within Pakistan.[16]
Saudi-Pakistan Relations
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According to a Monday report in The News, Saudi Arabia has inquired about the possibility of buying JF-17 Thunder fighter planes from Pakistan.[17]
Militancy
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On Saturday, unidentified gunmen killed a total of six police officers in two attacks on police vans in Landhi, Karachi. The two attacks occurred minutes apart. The police were reportedly guarding the house of Muhajir Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi (MQM-H) leader Afaq Ahmed. Ahmed was not in the house at the time of the attack.[18]
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On Friday, as many as 20small improvised explosive device (IED) attacks were reported throughout Sindh, including in Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Dadu, and Khairpur districts. Two people were injured.[19]
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On Sunday, a bomb blast in Babar Mela, Hangu district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa killed six people and injured at least one other. The victims were reportedly children who found the bomb while playing in a field.[20]
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On Sunday, unidentified gunmen killed a policeman who was guarding a Hindu temple in downtown Peshawar.[21]
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On Monday, a bomb blast targeting a police van killed a policeman injured four others in Gomal, Tank district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.[22]
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On Sunday, unidentified militants attacked the house of a Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Senator in Gomal, Tank district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. There were no casualties.[23]
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On Monday, the bodies of three people reportedly affiliated with the Awami National Party (ANP) were discovered in Badhbher, Peshawar. The victims had been shot to death, and were reportedly kidnapped by men wearing uniforms belonging to security personnel.[24]
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On Sunday, unidentified gunmen killed a member of a local Peace Committe in Rang Mohalla, Swat district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.[25]
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On Sunday, security forces arrested three alleged militants in Kota Abuha, Swat district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.[26]
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On Saturday, security forces in Kohat, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa arrested three militants travelling to Dera Ismail Khan and confiscated a large cache of weapons.[27]
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On Saturday, two bomb blasts damaged a girls’ school in Sangino, Malakand district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.[28]
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On Friday, a bomb detonated near a hospital in Swabi, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, but caused no casualties.[29]
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On Monday, unidentified militants fired rockets at the Orakzai agency headquarters in Kalaya, injuring several people.[30]
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On Friday, Frontier Corps forces killed four alleged militants and arrested seven in Panjgur district, Balochistan. At least one of the militants was reportedly affiliated with the Baloch Liberation Front.[31]
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On Sunday, militants blew up a gas pipeline at the Pir Koh gas field in Dera Bugti district, Balochistan.[32]
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On Sunday, Dawn reported that the body of a missing person was discovered in a hospital in Chakwal district, Punjab. He had been detained by an intelligence agency in June of last year for alleged ties to the Taliban.[33]
Domestic
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On Friday, the National Accountability Bureau filed corruption-related references against former Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Prime Ministers Yousuf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervez Ashraf.[34]
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According to a Monday report in The Express Tribune, the government plans to form a Federal Rapid Reaction Force to counter terrorism. The force will include personnel belonging to the Rangers, Frontier Corps, the army, and the police.[35]
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On Monday a special court in Islamabad granted an exemption from appearing in court to former President Pervez Musharraf due to his medical problems. He now is not required to make a personal appearance in court until February 10.[36]
