Pakistan Security Brief

Protestors attack Christian neighborhood in Joseph colony; Drone strike kills two militants in North Waziristan; IED kills four at mosque; Zardari inaugurates Pak-Iran pipeline despite sanctions, stock market plummets; Zardari and Kayani discuss security situation; Indian army to return fire against ceasefire breaches; Prime Minister Ashraf welcomed to India, U.S. expresses support; Pakistani supply chain to Afghanistan severly backlogged; EU offers observers for Pakistani elections; Several militants killed in Tirah valley; LeJ issues anti-Shia propaganda; Attacks in Karachi kill three, 39 arrested in connection with criminal activity; Terrorists elude security forces; Security forces shutdown Kohat in response to intelligence reports; 12 held captive by militants; FC arrests eight and recovers large weapons cache in Dasht.

Drone Strike

• On Sunday, Pakistani and Taliban officials said a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) drone strike killed two suspected militants in the village of Degan, North Waziristan.  Although a Taliban official confirmed the deaths of the militants, American officials have not confirmed CIA involvement.[1]

Pakistan Iran Pipeline

• In Chahbahar, Iran, on Monday, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari inaugurated construction of the 1600km gas pipeline connecting Pakistan with Iran, despite the growing threat of U.S. sanctions.  Zardari was joined by a number of high ranking political figures, most notably Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which some analysts take as evidence that the multi-billion dollar project will continue in the face of sanctions. According to market analyst Mohammad Sohail, stocks plummeted over 400 points Monday when traders sold their stocks to reduce exposure to possible economic backlash from any sanctions.[2]

TTP Responds to Malik

• On Sunday, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan warned of severe retaliation for Interior Minister Rehman Malik’s Saturday claims that the government had “broken the back” of the TTP.  He went on to reject government calls for a ceasefire, advising that the government cease its airstrikes in the northern tribal areas before engaging in peace talks. Malik addressed members of the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) on Saturday, when he said Pakistan’s effective counter-terrorism strategy brought peace and stability to all of Pakistan except Karachi, which he claims is soon to follow. [3]

Indo-Pak Relations

• On Saturday, Indian Army Chief Bikram Singh said that the Indian army will return fire on any Pakistani violations of the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC).  The warning comes as part of a larger military response to tensions along the LoC in January and February that saw two Indian and four Pakistani soldiers killed. [4]

• On Saturday, Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid welcomed Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf to a private lunch to celebrate Ashraf’s arrival in India, where he spent a day at the 13th century shrine of Sufi saint Hazrat Khwaja Gharib Nawaz in Ajmer.  Khurshid said he extended India’s hospitality, but not with the intention of having substantive political talks, since India considered the trip to be an unofficial visit. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland expressed her support for the visit, saying it represented positive political ties between the two countries.[5]

U.S.-Pakistan Relations

• According to the Express Tribune on Saturday, the American land supply route through Pakistan into Afghanistan is severely backlogged and supports only a fraction of the cargo it could. U.S. Military Transportation Command data shows that, since July, 5,000 of 7,000 backlogged containers have been cleared but only 40 new containers have traversed the route since it reopened. This is compared with the 28,000 containers shipped to Afghanistan through more expensive routes during that time.[6]

Elections

• On Monday, foreign ministers from the European Union released a statement offering to send observers for the upcoming Pakistani election, in order to ensure “peaceful, credible…[and] acceptable,” elections.  The statement also expressed hope that ties with the new government would lead to the third EU-Pakistan summit soon.[7]

Domestic Politics

• On Thursday, Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani met with President Asif Ali Zardari to discuss what Kayani’s commanders meeting termed the “rapidly deteriorating law and order” in Pakistan.  Kayani met with his top advisers on Wednesday, where they expressed concern over increasing sectarian attacks, especially in Karachi and Quetta.  During his meeting with Zardari, Kayani reiterated the army’s support for free and fair elections, and talked about inefficient and improper use of civilian law enforcement assets.[8]

Christian Community Targeted

• On Saturday, thousands of protestors attacked a Christian neighborhood in Joseph colony, Lahore following reports that a Christian sanitation worker had allegedly committed “blasphemy.” Protestors armed with batons and pistols set ablaze at least 150 houses and two churches during the riot, injuring several police officers. Police officers arrested more than 100 people involved in the attack, 21 of whom were sent to jail by the An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC). Demonstrators against the violence demanded assistance from the government and were dispersed by the police; the Pakistani government announced that it would provide $2,000 to each family for compensation. [9]

Militancy

• On Saturday, an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated inside a mosque in Meena Bazaar, Peshawar killing at least four people and injuring another 28. The IED detonated as people were leaving after afternoon prayers.[10]

• On Friday, five Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants and three Ansural Islam (AI) fighters were killed during clashes between the TTP and AI in Tambo, Khwajali and Bar Qamber Khel areas of the Tirah Valley, Khyber agency. AI spokesperson, Sadat Afridi, stated that at least 50 TTP militants attacked AI checkpoints in various areas of the Tirah Valley. [11]

• Pakistan security forces targeted Lashkar-e-Islam militants in artillery and aerial assaults killing 20 LI militants, including a LI commander, Ajmaan Khan, in Ghaibi Neka, Nari Baba, and Spin Dand areas of the Tirah Valley on Saturday. Security forces also destroyed three militant hideouts in the assault.[12]

• On Saturday, The News reported that over 12 people were held captive by militants in Bara sub-district, Khyber agency for allowing polio vaccination teams to administer vaccinations to their children. The captives were reportedly released after paying Rs 20,000 (about $200) each.[13]

• An IED detonated in the Landi Kotal area of Khyber agency killing one person on Sunday.[14]

• On Sunday, three Pakistan Army soldiers, including a captain, were killed and two other soldiers were injured by an IED in Arghanjo, Mamuzai village, Upper Orakzai.[15]

• According to an Express Tribune article published on Saturday, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) has issued pamphlets threatening the Shia community in Lahore.[16]

• In Karachi, unidentified assailants shot and killed a Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) activist on Friday. On Saturday, police arrested two arms dealers suspected of supplying militant organizations. On Monday, two people were killed and another three injured by a grenade in the Khurramabad area of Landhi. Two bodies were recovered near Malir Link Road. Police arrested 39 suspects and recovered several weapons in targeted operations in various areas of Karachi.[17]

• A report published by Dawn on Saturday states that at least 12 suspects in terrorism cases from Attock, Rawalpindi, and Chakwal have fled their respective areas to join militant organizations in Waziristan. According to the article, intelligence agencies warned police officers in the area of the presence of suspected militants on the Pakistani government watch list, but the police failed to take appropriate action.[18]

• On Thursday, Pakistan security forces cordoned the city of Kohat following intelligence reports which stated that a suicide bomber was targeting religious locations. Security forces reopened the area before Friday prayers.[19]

• On Friday, the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) defused a 5kg improvised explosive device (IED) placed under a bridge in the Sarokhel area of Hangu district.[20]

• On Friday, the Frontier Corps (FC) conducted targeted operations in the Dasht area of Mastung district, Balochistan, arresting eight militants and recovering 32 rockets, 18 machine guns, 120 kilograms of explosives, 1,000 detonators, a satellite phone, and several rounds of ammunition.[21]

• In Quetta, the FC arrested one person on Saturday, during a routine stop at a checkpoint, for possessing a large quantity of unknown chemicals.[22]

• On Sunday, unidentified assailants attacked a vehicle in Washuk, Balochistan. Assailants opened fire on the vehicle killing one person and injuring another. Two other passengers were kidnapped.[23]

• On Monday, three Pakistani soldiers were killed and two other injured from a roadside IED in Dogar village, Kurram agency.[24]

• On Friday, unidentified assailants opened fire on a vehicle in Garigal village, Mamund sub-district, Bajaur Agency killing three people and injuring one.[25]