Pakistan Security Brief
ISI-supported lobbyist arrested in U.S.; U.S. asks aid organizations to tell Pakistanis they receive U.S. support; House bill states conditions for continuing Pakistan aid; Clinton stresses need to bring those responsible for 2008 Mumbai attacks to justice; Americans denied entry to Peshawar; Taliban denies Mullah Omar death report; Retired Pakistani General says Pakistan did not actively hide bin Laden; Pakistan to send Bali suspect to Indonesia; Hina Rabbani Khar takes oath as Foreign Minister; Pakistan inducts drones into naval force; Shahzad commission to examine highway footage; Militants kill two of twelve people kidnapped in Kurram.
U.S.-Pakistan Relations
-
On Tuesday, the executive director of the Kashmiri American Council Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai and Zaheer Ahmad, both American citizens, were indicted for allegedly accepting money from Pakistan’s Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to devote to lobbying efforts and campaign contributions for the past twenty years without registering with the Department of Justice as foreign agents. The FBI says the Kashmiri American Council may have received as much as $700,000 a year from the Pakistani government and donated around $100,000 a year to political campaigns. Ahmad reportedly helped organize “a network of at least 10 unnamed straw contributors” that would be reimbursed by the ISI after making their contributions to the Kashmiri American Council. The FBI investigation regarding the contributors is ongoing.[i]
-
The U.S. has reportedly issued a new policy asking aid organizations working in Pakistan’s tribal areas to “advertise that they receive American assistance,” in an effort to win hearts and minds in the region. The aid organizations have expressed concern that if they make public their connection to the U.S. they will be attacked.[ii]
-
On Wednesday, a bill will be considered by the House Foreign Affairs Committee that would block aid to Pakistan, Egypt, Lebanon and the Palestinian Authority if they do not adequately cooperate in the fight against terrorism. Aid to Pakistan will be held up if they do not reassure the U.S. of their commitment to combating terrorism by giving the U.S. access to Osama Bin Laden’s wives, proving weapons and resources received from the U.S. are being used solely to combat terrorists along the Afghan border, and expediting visa processes for U.S. “counter-terrorism personnel.” The bill calls on the Secretary of State to “certify to Congress” that Pakistan is fully cooperating with the U.S. in counter-terrorism efforts.[iii]
-
During her meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton remarked that Pakistan should bring to justice the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai attacks “transparently, fully and urgently.” According to Clinton, the U.S. has “made it very clear that Pakistan needs to bring people to justice.” She also expressed the U.S.’s “deep sympathy and outrage” at last Wednesday’s attacks on Mumbai.[iv]
-
On Wednesday, seven Americans were prevented from entering Peshawar when they failed to present No Objection Certificates (NOCs) at a toll plaza. This was the second time they were denied entry. The U.S. Embassy has reportedly “expressed serious concern over the incident.”[v]
Mullah Omar Death Reports Denied
-
The Taliban denied reports from early Wednesday morning that their leader Mullah Omar was dead, claiming “outsiders” hacked into their phones and website to post the reports that Omar was dead. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told the Associated Press Omar is still “overseeing operations in the country.”[vi]
Bin Laden Fallout
-
The Associated Press reported Tuesday that retired Lt. Gen. Nadeem Ahmed told the Australian Broadcasting Company he doubted the Pakistani government had helped Osama bin Laden hide in Pakistan, saying with certainty that “no government in Pakistan, no military in Pakistan, no intelligence organization in Pakistan would do such a stupid thing.” Ahmed accused the U.S. of trying to weaken Pakistan’s security establishment by defaming them with deliberate leaks to the press and public statements.[vii]
Pakistani to Send Patek to Indonesia
-
According to Indonesian officials, Umar Patek, a suspect in the 2002 Bali bombing currently in Pakistani custody, will be extradited to Indonesia. This could prove problematic as Indonesia approved new counter-terrorism laws in 2003 that cannot be applied retroactively. Australia's counter-terrorism ambassador, Bill Paterson, has said it may be possible for Patek to be tried in Australia because the Bali attack killed eighty-eight Australians.[viii]
Khar is First Female Foreign Minister
-
On Tuesday, Hina Rabbani Khar took her oath to become Pakistan’s first female and youngest ever Foreign Minister. Khar, at thirty-four years old, will lead Pakistan’s delegation in talks with India in New Delhi at the end of the month.[ix]
Pakistan Navy Inducts Drones
-
On Wednesday, Pakistan’s navy inducted their first “indigenously developed” unmanned drones. The drones can reportedly be used in Maritime Interdiction Operations along the coast. The induction ceremony comes just days after a Pakistani drone crashed “inside the premises of the National Oil Refinery in Korangi,” in what the Pakistani military said was not a “serious” incident.[x]
Saleem Shahzad Investigation
-
The specially-appointed judicial commission investigating the death of journalist Saleem Shahzad will view highway footage to determine whether Shahzad drove himself to Islamabad before his death or if his killers transported his car in a cargo container afterwards. The commission has also requested Shahzad’s full email records from a foreign company. The journalist’s mobile phone and laptop have still not been found.[xi]
FATA
-
The News reports that two of the twelve people kidnapped in Kurram on Sunday, both students, have been killed, while nine have been released. The twelve people, from Char Khel, were kidnapped when militants attacked a convoy on its way from Parachinar to Peshawar. The twelfth person, who was driving the vehicle, is reportedly still being held by the militants.[xii]
