Pakistan Security Brief

Secretary of State Clinton and Foreign Minister Khar meet on sidelines of Tokyo conference; Pakistan expedites transit of NATO supplies; Hard-line Islamic clerics lead thousands of protestors in march against supply route reopening; U.S. Senator Rand Paul aims to block U.S. funds to Pakistan; U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter expresses reservations about Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline; Indian and Pakistani Foreign Ministers discuss LeT member’s arrest; U.S. drone reportedly kills 15 suspected militants in North Waziristan; Armed gunmen target Pakistani army camp in Punjab province; Pakistani security forces kill two militants following cross-border attack.  

U.S.-Pakistan Relations

• On Sunday, at the Tokyo conference on Afghanistan, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, emphasizing the importance of defeating the “terror networks that threaten the stability of both Pakistan and Afghanistan” and suggesting a formula for expanding trade relations in lieu of foreign aid. Clinton and Khar also discussed stalled reconciliation efforts between the Afghan government and the Taliban. The meeting followed Pakistan’s decision last Tuesday to reopen the NATO supply route, which had been closed since November after a border strike left 24 Pakistani soldiers dead. Additionally, a Pakistani foreign office official confirmed the possibility of resuming the U.S.-Pakistani strategic dialogue—formal talks initiated by the Obama Administration to bridge bilateral differences. The last round of talks took place in October 2010, but subsequent discussions were put on hold following the U.S. Navy Seal raid that killed Osama bin Laden.[1]

• According to AFP, Pakistan has undertaken action to expedite the NATO supply route by doubling the Torkham border crossing’s capacity for handling NATO trucks, expanding the parking for NATO containers, and boosting security at the crossing.[2]

• Thousands of Pakistanis, following the lead of hard-line Islamist clerics, began a “long march” on Sunday in protest against Pakistan’s reopening of the NATO supply routes. The march, which began in the Punjabi city of Lahore and ended in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, was organized by the Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC), whose chairman, Maulana Samiul Haq, called on the U.S. “to not only leave Afghanistan, but Pakistan also.” Maulana was joined by Hafiz Saeed, the head of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), front Jamaat-ud-Dawa, and leaders from the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI). On Monday, a petitioner challenged the reopening of the supply route in the Lahore Supreme Court, arguing that the route was against national sovereignty and a violation of parliamentary resolutions regarding relations with the U.S.[3]

• With the reopening of the supply route, the Obama Administration agreed to release $1.1billion in aid through the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) but must notify congressional leaders who have the opportunity to object to the release of funds. Senator Rand Paul’s spokesperson stated that he would try to block aid to Pakistan until Shakil Afridi, the doctor who helped the CIA locate bin Laden, was released from a Pakistani jail. On Friday, Richard Hoagland, Deputy Chief of Mission for the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan, said Afridi’s release had not been a part of recent discussions between negotiators to reopen the supply route.[4]

• According to the Weekly Standard, the Obama Administration has avoided designating the Haqqani Network as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) for two reasons. First, because of ties between the Haqqani Network and the Taliban, the White House has avoided designating the Haqqani Network as an FTO for fear of angering the Taliban, who the U.S. hopes to bring into a peace deal with the Afghan government. Second, the U.S. fears angering the Pakistani security and intelligence establishment, which is alleged to have supported the Haqqani family since the Soviet-Afghan War.[5]  

• During a talk with the media on Saturday, U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter expressed U.S. reservations about the Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline project. Munter also said the “U.S. fully supported the Government of Balochistan” and would assist the provincial government with establishing schools and health centers as well as aiding its ship-breaking industry.[6]

India-Pakistan Relations

• Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna and Pakistani Foreign Minister Khar met on Sunday while at the Tokyo conference on Afghanistan. The two leaders discussed the arrest of Sayed Zabiuddin, the alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, and evidence collected against him during India’s investigation.[7]  

• On Saturday, Indian authorities released five Pakistani prisoners held in Indian jails for inadvertently crossing the border. The move followed Pakistan’s recent release of Indians held on similar charges, and has been described as a gesture meant to alleviate bilateral tensions resulting from territorial disputes in the Kashmir region.[8]

Domestic Politics

• Next week, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear two important cases. The first concerns the court order requiring Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf to reopen the corruption investigation against President Asif Ali Zardari, and the second concerns former Pakistani Ambassador to the U.S. Hussain Haqqani, who allegedly wrote a memo requesting U.S. help to prevent a potential military coup. Following a Friday meeting chaired by Zardari, the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) decided to introduce two constitutional amendments into the National Assembly, one permitting dual citizens to serve in parliament and the other giving the prime minister immunity from contempt of court convictions. According to The News, the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and the Awami National Party (ANP), both members of the PPP coalition, opposed the amendment permitting dual citizenship but are reportedly likely to support immunity for the prime minister.[9]  

Drone Strikes

• According to Pakistani intelligence officials and local residents, a U.S. drone fired four missiles at a compound owned by a Taliban commander named Rahimullah in the village of Zoi Narai of the Datta Khel sub-district in North Waziristan on Friday, killing at least 15 suspected militants. The Taliban commander, not present at the time of the strike according to a local resident, is thought to have strong links to local warlord Hafiz Gul Bahadur.[10] 

Militancy

• Seven soldiers and one policeman were killed and seven others injured on Monday when roughly half a dozen gunmen riding in cars and on motorcycles opened fire and threw at least one grenade at a Pakistani army camp close to the Chenab River on the outskirts of Gujrat in Punjab province. Though no group has claimed credit, the attack came as members of the DPC delivered anti-government speeches in the area, according to police.[11]

• The Pakistani Interior Minister ordered the Rangers, police, and Frontier Corps (FC) to be on high alert after intelligence agencies reported a possible remote-controlled or suicide bomb attack in Islamabad. According to the Express Tribune, security forces also used aerial monitoring and hidden cameras to monitor the DPC’s march through the capital.[12]

• Unidentified gunmen killed four people and injured four in separate incidents of violence across Balochistan on Sunday. Unknown gunmen killed two civilians and injured two others in the Usta Muhammad area of Jaffarabad district. Assailants shot dead a civilian in Quetta and injured two others on Alamdar Road and in Mastung town. Unidentified armed men killed a former sub-inspector of Wadh Police Station in the Bolan Colony area of Khuzdar, about 310 kilometers away from Quetta. FC members also killed six militants and rescued a kidnapped civilian during a search operation in the Kabo and Spalanji areas of Mastung district and the Pir Ghaib area of Kachhi Bolan district on Saturday.[13]

• Four people were killed in a series of violent incidents in Karachi on Sunday. Unidentified gunmen killed a Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) activist in Qasba Colony while assailants killed another civilian at al Asif Square. Two civilians were also killed in firing incidents in Orangi Town and Lines Area.[14]

• Pakistani security forces and members of the National Peace Lashkar anti-Taliban militia killed two militants and injured eight others in retaliatory fire after militants launched an attack from across the Afghan border into the Mamond area of Bajaur agency on Sunday.[15]

• A station house officer was killed and three other policemen injured when an assailant opened fire after police intercepted a vehicle at a checkpoint at the Germa intersection on the Indus Highway in Kohat district on Sunday. Other policemen killed the gunman in retaliatory fire.[16]

• On Sunday, unknown assailants shot dead an assistant sub-inspector of the Bhana Mari police station in the jurisdiction of Khazana Police Station in Peshawar.[17]