Pakistan Security Brief
Three TTP militants, two women killed in firefight; Nawaz Sharif prioritizes regional security; Military to brief new government; Foreign ministry spokesman rejects Sikh militancy claims; U.S. praises Pakistan’s democratic turnover; Over 20 militants burn down houses; IED kills 2 police officers; Karzai congratulates Nawaz Sharif; 30 militants released from rehab; Mahmoud Ahmadinejad congratulates Nawaz Sharif; PTI President demands probe in MPA’s death; JUI-F denies involvement in MPA’s death; Peshawar officials investigate assault on MPA’s home; Shabaz Sharif elected CM of Punjab; Man gunned down in Shangla; High school blown up in FR Peshawar; Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa anti-drone proposal submitted; MQM day of mourning commences; Man gunned down in Mardan; Justice announces Article 6 might apply in Musharraf’s case; Gunmen shoot one in Mastung; 8 Rangers wounded in Karachi; Zardari refuses to give oath in Urdu; New Indian high commissioner to Pakistan appointed; Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves decline.
Militancy
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Three militants and two women were killed in a clash between Pakistan security forces and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants in a Quetta house on Thursday. Security forces raided the home, while TTP militants fought back with grenades and automatic weapons; the security forces secured the home after the three militants blew themselves up. Fifteen security force members were wounded in the raid.[1]
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Over 20 Taliban militants attacked and burnt down two houses just outside of Peshawar on Wednesday evening. The houses belonged to suspected criminals. After a firefight between the criminals and the Taliban, the suspected criminals fled and the Taliban lit the homes on fire.[2]
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A road side improvised explosive device (IED) exploded in Daudzai, Peshawar on Thursday evening, killing two police officers and wounding three others. [3]
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30 South Waziristani militants were released from the Heela rehabilitation center in Tank district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday. The militants underwent a four month “de-radicalization emancipation” program, emphasizing psychological therapy and vocational training.[4]
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A man sitting outside of a hotel was gunned down in Shangla, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday by unknown gunmen.[5]
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On Thursday, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) president for Batkhela region Ziaul Haq called for a judicial probe into the death of PTI provincial assembly member Fareed Khan, who was gunned down on Tuesday in Hangu.[6]
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Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Atiqur Rahman denied any involvement in MPA Khan’s murder in a statement on Thursday, despite Fareed Khan’s family’s allegations linking Rahman and his brother’s to Khan’s killing in Hangu.[7]
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On Wednesday, two gunmen on motorcycles shot and killed one man and wounded one other in Mardan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The victims had been in court to appear in a case.[8]
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After unknown gunmen assaulted the home of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) provincial assembly member Arbab Jahandad on Wednesday, Peshawar officials are investigating the scene of the crime to determine whether the incursion was simply an armed robbery, or a direct attack on Jahandad. One man, Mir Ahmed, has been arrested in connection with the incident.[9]
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A government boy’s high school was blown up on Thursday in the Kandao area of Frontier Region Peshawar. The attack likely came in response to a military operation targeting militants in the region.[10]
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Karachi and other areas of Sindh participated in a day of mourning on Thursday, initiated by the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) following the kidnapping and killing of three of its young party members on Wednesday. The three victims had been young factory workers; protestors blamed the Pakistan Peoples Party-linked People’s Amn Committee for the deaths.[11]
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On Wednesday, unknown militants shot and killed a man in Mastung, Quetta in Balochistan.[12]
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On Wednesday evening, an attack on a Rangers office near Nazimabad in Karachi by two unidentified individuals left 8 Rangers personnel injured. The wounded were taken to a nearby Rangers hospital for medical treatment.[13]
India-Pakistan Relations
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In a message to all of Pakistan’s diplomatic mission leaders on Thursday, prime minister Nawaz Sharif prioritized regional relations and security in Pakistan's foreign policy. Sharif emphasized the importance of an Afghan-led peace process and stable government, a normalization of bilateral relations with India, and pledged to enhance ties with China, who Sharif labeled, “a great friend and a significant economic partner.”[14]
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Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesman Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry on Thursday rejected allegations made by Indian Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency was “reviving” Sikh Militancy in Punjab. According to Chaudhry such statements were uncalled for and could potentially jeopardize the recent positive turn in relations between the two countries.[15]
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Indian Ambassador to Singapore, TCA Raghavan, has been appointed as the new Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan. Raghavan who is an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer from its batch of 1982 will be replacing Sharat Sabharwal who retires on June 31st, 2013.[16]
New Government and Foreign Relations
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U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki on Wednesday welcomed Nawaz Sharif on his return to power and hailed the peaceful transfer of civilian power as a “significant milestone” in Pakistani politics. Psaki pointed out that the U.S.-Pakistan dialogue remained strong and that the two countries were working towards addressing each other’s concerns.[17]
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Afghan president Hamid Karzai telephoned prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday to congratulate Sharif on his entry to office and offer an invitation to visit Afghanistan, which Sharif accepted. Karzai also expressed his desire to improve bilateral relations between the neighboring nations. [18]
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On Thursday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad conveyed his regards to Nawaz Sharif and the citizens of Pakistan on the recently concluded elections and hoped that relations between the two countries would improve under the new leadership.[19]
Domestic
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Pakistan’s top military commanders are set to brief the newly elected government on key national security challenges that the country is facing. The briefing, which will take place in the Prime Minister’s Office, will touch upon peace talks with the TTP and include the army chief and the Directors General of the ISI Military Intelligence and Military Operations.[20]
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A resolution against drone strikes was submitted on Wednesday in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly by the PTI and its provincial coalition members including the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) and Awami Jamhuri Ittehad (AJIP). According to the resolution U.S. drone strikes are a violation of international law and disregard Pakistan’s sovereign territorial rights. The leaders of the PTI coalition called on the federal government to come up with a clear policy on U.S. drone strikes.[21]
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Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahbaz Sharif secured a two-thirds majority victory over his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rival to become the Chief Minister of Punjab. Sharif who became the Chief Minister for the third time won with 300 votes as compared to PTI’s Mian Mahmoodur Rashid who only secured 34 votes.[22]
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Pakistani media sources reported that newly elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s request to take his oath of office in Urdu was rejected by the Presidency on account of the fact that President Zardari is unable to speak the language very well.[23]
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Supreme Court Justice Jawwad S Khwaja announced that article six of the Pakistani Constitution (denoting high treason) might be applied in the Pervez Musharraf’s case if required. The case has been adjourned till June 24, 2013.[24]
Economy
