Pakistan Security Brief

General Pasha’s Term to be extended; Pakistani missile tests; Kayani lauds role of PAF; New security guidelines for ministers issued; U.S. drone strikes in NWA; Girl’s school blown up in Landi Kotal; Wave of violence in Karachi; Explosion in Peshawar mosque; Three people killed in Dera Murad Jamal; Top militant killed in Kashmir.

General Pasha’s Term to be Extended

• Pakistani government sources claim that the Director General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, Lieutenant General Ahmed Shuja Pasha, will likely be receiving a two-year extension once his tenure ends on March 18. The move will be an unprecedented second extension for General Pasha. Former Lieutenant General Talat Masood said that, “General Pasha’s familiarity with the issue may be important in dealing with the current tension with the United States. The grave challenges faced by the country require continuity in the ISI leadership.”[i]

Missile Tests

• Dawn reports that the Pakistani military has test-fired the short-range Hataf 2 missile on Friday. Meanwhile, India tested two short-range missiles on Friday in the Bay of Bengal and Chandipur-on-Sea. Indian defense officials stated that the tests were a part of training exercises by the Indian military.[ii]

• Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani stated that the role of the Pakistani Air Force has been critical in counter-terrorism operations. In a speech in Jacobabad, Kayani said that “As you know, Pakistan is at war with terrorists who have disrupted peace and stability in the region and threatened our way of life. Pakistan Armed Forces have been battling these elements since 2004. These operations have been conducted through unprecedented close cooperation and support of the PAF.”[iii]

New Security Guidelines

• Prime Minister Gilani has issued new security guidelines for federal and state ministers. The new guidelines state that, “They should not leave their house or work without security clearances nor should ministers make changes, withdraw or draw down the security provided to them by state. They should instead leave this to the institutions providing them security.”[iv]

FATA

• Two U.S. drone strikes in North Waziristan killed five militants on Friday. The first drone fired two missiles at a vehicle in Khaisora town, killing three. The second attack followed fifteen minutes later, killing two more militants who had arrived to the scene of the first drone strike.[v]

• A girl’s school was blown up by militants in Landi Kotal sub-district of Khyber Agency on Thursday. The school, located in Sadu Khel, was severely damaged in the blast, though no casualties have been reported.[vi]

‘Target Killings’ in Karachi

• Six people were killed and thirteen vehicles set on fire during a wave of violence which hit Karachi Thursday night. The separate shooting incidents were reported in Garden, Sachal Goth, and Malir. The Sindh education minister, Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq, has announced the temporary closure of all government and private educational institutions across the city.[vii]

Explosion in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

• A bomb exploded inside of a mosque in Peshawar on Friday, though no people were killed or injured in the explosion. The bomb went off ninety minutes before prayers on Friday, leading police officials to suspect that the timed device went off prematurely. [viii]

Blast in Balochistan

• Three people were killed in an explosion on National Highway in Dera Murad Jamali on Thursday. A police official said that, “Unknown men had planted an explosive device in a motorcycle and parked on the National Highway passing through the town.” The bomb was later detonated when a convoy of vehicles belonging to the Oil and Gas Development Corporation (OGDC) passed. Eighteen other people sustained casualties in the attack.[ix]

Militant Killed in Kashmir

• On Thursday, a top militant in Kashmir was killed by Indian police in the region. The chief of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JEM), Sajjad Afghani, was killed in a firefight in Srinagar. Afghani was one of the region’s most wanted militants in Kashmir, wanted for a series of local attacks, including one on the state assembly in 2001.[x]