Pakistan Security Brief

Airstrikes destroy six militant hideouts, kill 13 suspected militants in Shawal Valley and Datta Khel, North Waziristan; USAID to give $9.3 million more to IDPs; Gunmen fire on, wound Badbher area police officer; roadside explosion in Mohmand injures two pedestrians; Unknown militants attack NATO container truck in Khyber; Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi briefs American Deputy Secretary of State Burns on Operation Zarb-e-Azb; Indian troops shoot Pakistani civilian near working border in Shakargarh sector; Foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan set August 25 in Islamabad as date for new dialogue process; Qatar turns down Pakistani government’s offer to take part in LNG supply tender. 

North Waziristan Operation

• On July 23, airstrikes destroyed at least six militant hideouts and killed at least thirteen suspected militants in Shawal Valley and Datta Khel, North Waziristan.  Reports by Geo News said the strikes destroyed four militant hideouts in the Shawal Valley.[1]

• The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced on July 22 that it will contribute an additional $9.3 million to the internally displaced persons (IDPs) from North Waziristan Agency, bringing the U.S. total contribution to North Waziristan IDPs to $17.3 million.[2]

• Pakistan’s Minister for States and Frontier Regions Lt. General (retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch acknowledged that the government has failed to address the needs of IDPs and mobilize the public to assist IDPs in the wake of Operation Zarb-e-Azb in a press conference in Islamabad on July 22.  Baloch warned that the number of IDPs, which recently reached 1 million, could rise as the military operation expands into the rest of North Waziristan.  He also warned that the operation could take longer than previous operations and dismissed media reports claiming civilian casualties in Shawal area of North Waziristan.  General Officer Commanding of the engineering division based in Kohat, Major-General Akhtar Jamil Rao, said that 126 tons of rations have been distributed to IDPs so far, set to last for three months, while talking to journalists in Bannu on July 22.  He also assured reporters that IDPs will eventually be able to return to their homes but did not mention a specific timeframe.  Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz held a cabinet meeting on July 22 to discuss the humanitarian assistance for IDPs.[3]

Militancy

• On July 23, unidentified gunmen fired on a police officer and his driver near Sheen Darah area in Badbher area outside of Peshawar. The officer received only minor injuries.[4]

• On July 23, unknown persons planted explosive materials by a roadside in Manzri area of Baizai sub-district, Mohmand tribal region. The explosion wounded two pedestrians. Security forces secured the area and conducted a search operation.[5]

• On July 23 a NATO container truck traveling from Pakistan to Afghanistan along the Pak-Afghan highway was attacked by unidentified militants in the Kata Kusta area, Jamrud sub-district, Khyber Agency. The container sustained some damage.[6]

Pakistan-U.S. Relations

• Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Syed Tariq Fatemi met with American Deputy Secretary of State William Burns in Washington on July 23 where Fatemi briefed Burns on the ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azb and on Pakistan’s hope for “cordial” relations with neighbors India and Afghanistan.  Burns praised Fatemi and Prime Minister Sharif’s economic development plan, efforts to fight extremism, and peace initiative with India.[7]

Pakistan-India Relations

• On July 23, Indian Border Security Force (BSF) allegedly shot and killed a Pakistani civilian when he came too close to the working border in Shakargarh sector. Pakistan Rangers engaged in retaliatory fire. [8]

• On July 23 the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan set August 25 in Islamabad as the date to begin a renewed dialogue process.[9]

Pakistan’s Liquefied Natural Gas Supply Tender

• Qatar turned down the Pakistani government’s offer to take part in a liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply tender in favor of a government-to-government deal instead. The LNG tender was launched by Pakistan State Oil.[10] 

Pakistan’s UN Peacekeepers

• The Express Tribune reported on July 22 that, according to UN-released data, Pakistan’s troop contribution to UN peacekeeping missions has dropped by almost 32 percent since 2009.  Pakistan, the top troop contributor in 2009 with 10,680 troops, is now only the sixth largest contributor with 7,203 troops to UN peacekeeping missions so far in 2014.[11]