Pakistan Security Brief

Pakistani government steps down after historic five year term; Pakistan pushes for UN ban on drones; Court rules CIA must disclose more about drone strikes; Zardari calls Chinese President Xi; Rabbani expresses army support for civilian-led Taliban negotiations; TTP no longer pursuing peace talks with the government; Suicide bombers attack court in Peshawar; TTP and AI clash in Tirah valley, killing 20; Militants detonate car bomb in North Waziristan; Rangers arrest LeJ leader; Over twenty killed in targeted violence across Karachi; Lyari gang leader Pappu killed; India expresses hopes for MFN status; Egyptian President Mursi visits with Zardari; Malik indicted for contempt of court; Pakistan and Turkey conduct joint air force operation.

Government Steps Down

• For the first time in Pakistani history, the democratically-elected government on Saturday successfully completed its five-year term. An interim government is due to take over prior to general elections in May.  Prime Minister Raza Pervez Ashraf addressed the country in a televised speech, explaining that he is working with opposition leaders to appoint the interim government, a task that will fall to the Election Commission if the ruling and opposition parties fail to reach consensus in time. [1]

Militancy

• On Monday, two suicide bombers attacked the judicial complex in Peshawar in a complex attack that killed four and injured at least 33 others, including four police officers.  When the two were denied entry to the premises, they shot a security guard, and one attacker threw a grenade into a court room before detonating his vest.  The other bomber was shot to death by security forces, who then defused his vest.  The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said the attack was an attempt to sabotage the upcoming general elections; he said he anticipated further attempted attacks in the days leading up to voting. [2]

• On Saturday, at least 20 people died, while 20 or more were injured, in clashes between the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Tirah Valley-based Ansarul Islam (AI) in Butan and Durbikhel areas of Qamberkhel in Maidan, Khyber, agency.  AI spokesman Sadaat Afridi said that at least six AI fighters died, four more were injured, and the remaining dead and wounded were comprised of both civilians and TTP fighters.  [3]

• Militants on the Miram Shah-Ghulam Khan Road in North Waziristan near the Pak-Afghan border detonated a car bomb on Saturday, injuring five Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) personnel.  Security forces instilled a curfew and closed traffic in response.[4]

• During a raid in Mobina Town on Sunday, Rangers arrested Lashker-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) leader Qari Abdul Hayye alias Asadullah, who was wanted in the murder case of American journalist Daniel Pearl.  Rangers also seized a small weapons cache in the operation.[5]

• In Taisar Town area, Karachi, on Saturday, Rangers raided and detained thirteen suspected militants, and captured 48 weapons. Rangers also seized and dismantled an explosives-making facility, and confiscated bomb ingredients.  Gunmen opened fire, killing two and injuring three more, in Kharadar area near New Memon Masjid.[6] 

• On Monday, gunmen shot and killed a local college principle as he left school in the Sindhi Hotel area of Liaquatabad, Karachi.  Police in the Pirabad area killed TTP activist Nadeem Mehsood on Monday.[7]  

• On Sunday, gunmen killed three gang members in Brohi chowk in Karachi’s Lyari area, including Arshad Pappu, a key participant in the Lyari gang war. Police said that Pappu and his brother Arfat were kidnapped and tortured to death early Sunday morning. Later on Sunday, police captured Pappu’s close aide Suleman Lashari in Pak Colony area. Another person was wounded in a separate firing incident near Moosa lane in Lyari area. Two people were shot to death by unknown gunmen in Memon Masjid in Boulton market area.  A merchant was gunned down in New Sabzimandi on the Super Highway , sparking protests that briefly shut down the Super Highway.  Attackers shot and wounded three in Sariya Galli in Kharadar area. Unknown assailants gunned down two policemen in SITE area. [8]

• On Sunday, militants detonated a bomb destroying four CD stores, with no casualties, near Main Kohat road in Mattani area, Peshawar.  Two gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on two women, killing one and injuring another, in Hasht Nagri Peshawar on Saturday.[9]

• On Sunday, rival groups opened fire on each other near Loi Bher , Islamabad, completely stopping traffic on the Islamabad Expressway for four hours.  Six people were kidnapped and three sent to the hospital for injuries during the skirmish.[10]

• On Friday, unknown attackers killed an army official in Karer, Mansehra.[11]

Drone Strikes

• According to an Express Tribune article on Monday, “Pakistan is seeking a ban on the unilateral use of pilotless lethal aircraft against sovereign countries.” The push to ban drones comes after UN investigator Ben Emmerson released a report on Friday saying that drone strikes in Pakistan have killed over 400 civilians, and violate Pakistani sovereignty.  Further, on Friday, a U.S. federal appeals court ruled that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) can no longer refuse to “confirm nor deny whether it has an “intelligence interest” in the use of drones.”  The judge, ruling on a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) under the Freedom of Information Act, further ruled that the CIA must disclose, to a judge at the very least, a description of its records on drone strikes.  The decision comes as the use of drones has come under increasing scrutiny, specifically about the legality and morality of drone strikes in foreign countries.[12]

China-Pakistan Relations

• On Saturday, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari telephoned Chinese President Xi Jinping to congratulate Xi on his formal election as president. According the President’s spokesperson, Farhatullah Babar, Zardari expressed hope that the Gwadar port project would open up new opportunities for the citizens of both China and Pakistan. Xi also expressed hopes of strengthening the relationship between the two countries.[13]

• On Monday, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute released a report saying that China surpassed England as the world’s fifth largest arms exporter.  The report also said Pakistan is the largest buyer of Chinese weapons, accounting for 55 percent of their trade.[14]

Taliban Negotiations

• The Pakistan Army Corps Commander for Peshawar, Lt General Khalid Rabbani, said during a press conference on Sunday that the Pakistan Army has no objection to negotiations with the Taliban. [15]

• Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesperson, Ehsanullah Ehsan, announced on Monday that the Taliban will no longer be pursuing peace negotiations with Pakistan Army and government claiming that they were not serious in conducting negotiations. He also warned Pakistani citizens against participating in an “un-Islamic democratic system,” specifically warning against attending meetings with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Awami National Party (ANP). [16]

India-Pakistan Relations 

• Indian ambassador to the U.S. Nirupama Rao issued a statement during a conference on the U.S.-India Economic Agenda held at Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) expressing hopes that Pakistan will grant India Most Favored Nation (MFN) status which will help reinforce relations between India and Pakistan.  She said that despite tensions between the two nations, they must acknowledge that, as “close neighbors,” trade between them would be very beneficial. [17]

• A report by Pakistan Today published on Sunday states that Pakistan has nominated 15 members for the Joint Business Council, a bilateral organization aimed at boosting economic interdependence between Pakistan and India. [18]

Pakistan-Egypt Relations

• On Monday, Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi arrived at Nur Khan Airbase for a one day visit, during which time he will meet with President Zardari to discuss bilateral ties between Egypt and Pakistan.  Mursi is the first democratically and freely elected Egyptian president to visit Pakistan. [19]

Domestic Politics

• On Monday, Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered the former Interior Minister, Rehman Malik, be indicted by March 25 for contempt of court charges issued when he changed the investigatory commission looking into the Pakistan Steel Mills corruption case in February. [20]

Pakistan-Turkey Joint Operation

• On Sunday, Pakistani officials announced that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and Turkish Air Force (TuAF) conducted a joint air exercise called Indus Viper-II based out of an undisclosed, PAF airbase. [21]

Elections

• The Chargé d'Affaires of Japan to Pakistan, Mr. Akira Kono, announced on Monday that the Japanese government will extend a $2 million grant to Pakistan through the United Nations Development Program. The grant will support the electoral process of Pakistan. [22]

Bus Tragedy

• On Saturday, on the way from Rawalpindi to Gilgit in Kohistan district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, a bus full of Pakistani soldiers drove into a ravine, killing 24 soldiers and injuring five more. [23]