Pakistan Security Brief
Ambassador Haqqani expresses Pakistani disappointment at exclusion from Taliban talks; Zawahiri criticizes Pakistani institutions; Karzai accuses Pakistan of cross-border rocket attacks; Zardari and Karzai voice concerns at terrorism conference in Tehran; Pakistan expels British military trainers; Army undecided on how to deal with HuT arrests; TTP husband and wife team attack police station in Dera Ismail Khan; Twelve killed in South Waziristan drone strike; Six killed in Karachi shooting; “Kill and dump” operations weaken Balochi insurgency; A bomb injured three policemen in Multan; Shahbaz Bhatti murder suspect released for lack of evidence.
U.S.-Pakistan Relations
- Pakistan’s Ambassador to the U.S. Husain Haqqani told the Express Tribune Pakistan is “not happy” they are being excluded from peace talks between the U.S. and the Taliban. Haqqani notes that if the U.S. claims to need Pakistani support for success in Afghanistan, “they will have to get Pakistan on board in their negotiations with the Taliban.” Haqqani also refuted recent reports that sixty-seven Pakistani visas has been issued to CIA staff, saying the “media should be more responsible.”[i]
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AFP reports that the Taliban’s continued affiliation with the Haqqani Network could present an obstacle to peace talks. The Haqqani Network is closely-aligned with al Qaeda and seen by the U.S. as less likely to reconcile with the Afghan government. Their continued involvement in the conflict could create a point of tension in the talks.[ii]
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On Friday, Pakistani Senator Mohammed Ali Durrani claimed the U.S. was “defaming” the Pakistan army to destabilize Pakistan and justify a U.S. invasion. Pakistani Senator Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain stated that Pakistan should abandon the Abbottabad commission investigating the May 2 raid that killed Osama Bin Laden to avoid further damaging the army’s reputation.[iii]
Al Qaeda Leader Zawahiri’s New Book
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In his new book, al Qaeda’s new leader Ayman al-Zawahiri criticizes the Pakistani government for being un-Islamic. The book, titled Sapeeda-e-Sahar Aur Timtamata Chiragh (Dawn and a Flickering Lamp) also argues that there is no political solution to be sought with Pakistan because the Pakistani constitution is fundamentally “in conflict with Islam.” Zawahiri rejects the democratic principles outlined in Pakistan’s constitution, stating that giving individuals the authority to make political decisions violates Shariah.[iv]
Afghan-Pakistan Relations
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On Sunday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai “accused Pakistan of firing 470 rockets into two eastern Afghan provinces over the past three weeks,” killing thirty-six people, including twelve children. Pakistan has argued that NATO’s recent withdrawal from the eastern provinces of Afghanistan has allowed militants to base themselves there and launch attacks on Pakistan. [v]
Terrorism Conference
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On Saturday, Iran hosted the “International Conference on [the] Global Fight Against Terrorism” in Tehran. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Afghan President Hamid Karzai attended the conference and made statements against continued terrorism in their countries. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad emphasized the negative effect of U.S. influence in the region, comparing 9/11 to the Holocaust on the basis that the U.S. used the attacks as an excuse to occupy sovereign nations. President Zardari also met with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and discussed the need for “[p]eace, stability and order in the Islamic world.”[vi]
U.K.-Pakistan Relations
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The U.K. Ministry of Defence confirmed that eighteen British military personnel being used to train the Pakistani Frontier Corp (FC) have been asked to leave Pakistan in the aftermath of the Abbottabad raid that killed Bin Laden. Pakistan recently made a similar request regarding U.S. military personnel, also mostly trainers, on the ground in Pakistan.[vii]
Pakistani Military Affairs
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The army reportedly remains undecided on how to deal with military personnel recently arrested for their connections to the international extremist group Hizb-ut Tahrir (HuT.) According to the Express Tribune,the accused will either be “tried by a court martial or . . . dismissed from the army.” Last week, Pakistan arrested Brig. Ali Khan for his alleged connected to HuT. Khan, the highest ranking officer to be arrested for ties to extremist groups in several years, was reportedly outspoken in his criticism of continued Pakistani cooperation with the U.S.[viii]
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
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On Saturday, a married Uzbek couple attacked a police station in Dera Ismail Khan, killing twelve policemen. The attackers took the policemen hostage for several hours during which they exchanged gunfire with security forces before blowing themselves up. There have been conflicting reports regarding the possibility that more than two militants participated in the attack. The Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP) have claimed responsibility for the attack and vowed to continue using married couples in attacks.[ix]
FATA
- On Monday, twelve people were killed in a drone strike targeting a vehicle in the Birmal sub-district of South Waziristan. Four missiles struck the vehicle. The death toll is reportedly likely to rise.[x]
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On Saturday, militant groups under the command of Nabi Mulla and Ziaur Rehman clashed in the Safil Darra area of Orakzai Agency. Fifteen militants were killed in the fight.[xi]
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Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Kurram Agency commander Fazal Saeed told AFP he has left the TTP after they allegedly refused to heed his requests to “stop suicide attacks against mosques, markets and other civilian targets.” Saeed claims he and hundreds of other TTP defectors have formed a new group called the Tehrik-e-Taliban Islami solely dedicated to fighting the U.S.[xii]
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In a video released over the weekend, the TTP deputy leader Wali-ur-Rehman has vowed once again to strike Western targets. Rehman claims the TTP has “selected 10 targets to avenge the death of bin Laden.” Rehman also vows continued allegiance to Mullah Omar, much like Ayman al-Zawahiri did in his recent video eulogy to Osama Bin Laden.[xiii]
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Al Jazeera reports the town of Parachinar in Kurram Agency remains under siege despite recent peace deals between warring Sunni and Shia groups. Although the militants have been paid a ransom of nearly $350,000, the main road between Parachinar and Thall in Hangu district “remains highly insecure.” Sectarian violence has been common in Kurram for decades, but the recent violence is more likely connected to militant activity. [xiv]
Karachi
- On Saturday, six people were killed in a shootout at a dance party in Karachi. One of those killed was the grandson of late Nawab Akbar Bugti, the Baloch separatist leader killed in an encounter with the Pakistani military during the presidency of Pervez Musharraf.[xv]
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In the case against the paramilitary Rangers personnel accused of killing unarmed 22-year-old Sarfaraz Shah, the court has delayed its decision until June 28. There is also a new lawyer for the defendants who may seek further delays.[xvi]
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On Saturday, a bomb planted outside of the Karachi headquarters of the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) failed to explode. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.[xvii]
Balochistan
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Dawn reports that a brutal crackdown has forced Balochistan’s “low-level” separatist insurgency “further underground.” In the past year, “170 Baloch men aged between 20 and 40” have been “kill[ed] and dump[ed]” by security and intelligence personnel. A report in Dawn claims that, while “kill and dump” operations have weakened the insurgency in the short-term, they could inspire an new, energized generation of separatists.[xviii]
Multan Attack
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On Sunday, a bomb targeting a police outpost in Multan injured three policemen. The Multan police chief said the bomb was likely planted on a nearby motorbike.[xix]
Bhatti Suspect Released
- A suspect in the assassination of Shahbaz Bhatti, Hafiz Nazar Muhammad, has been released for lack of evidence. Bhatti, formerly “the only Christian in the federal cabinet,” was assassinated on March 2.[xx]
