Pakistan Security Brief
Prime Minister says Indian intelligence may be behind Islamabad attack; Government to form new negotiating committee to engage in peace talks with TTP; Chairman of the Pakistan Ulema Council asks TTP to identify “renegade groups”; TTP invites government-nominated committee to visit Waziristan for direct talks; U.S. State Department may use Overseas Contingency Operations funds to increase aid to Pakistan; Army Corps Commanders will meet Friday to discuss halting airstrikes against TTP; easefire?ps against each other. against each other.nd "g by the ceasefire.other hideouts in tribal areas.n every peace accord sAnsarul Mujahideen a close affiliate of the TTP; TTP Central Leadership is frustrated that some groups are not abiding by the ceasefire; Experts encourage Pakistani government to pin militant groups against each other, Hangu district bomb blast injures three, including Kurram’s political agent.
Islamabad Attacks
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On Wednesday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that several groups including the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India’s foreign intelligence agency, might have been involved in the attack on the Islamabad District Court. He said that intelligence agencies are investigating the attack.[1]
Peace Talks with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
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On Thursday, the government decided to form a new negotiating committee to engage in peace talks with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The committee, which will be announced in the next two days, will reportedly include representatives from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government, the army, and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), as well as other relevant parties that will have more direct contact with the government and the TTP. According to a Thursday article in The News, the TTP-nominated committee agreed that the army should be involved in direct talks with the TTP shura.[2]
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On Wednesday, the chairman of the Pakistan Ulema Council, Hafiz Mohammad Tahir Ashrafi, asked the TTP leadership to identify “renegade groups” during a press conference at the National Press Club. Ashrafi also suggested that the government should speak directly to the TTP rather than using intermediaries to produce faster results.[3]
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On Tuesday, the TTP invited the government-nominated peace committee to visit the Waziristan tribal region to engage in direct talks. A member of the committee confirmed the invitation and said they would consider the trip if talks between the intermediaries made progress.[4]
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According to a Thursday article in The News, the Pakistan Army has been involved in every peace accord signed with the militants since 2004, two of which—the peace agreements with Hafiz Gul Bahadur in North Waziristan in 2006 and Maulvi Nazir of Wana, South Waziristan—are still intact. However, all other accords signed between the militants and the army have been nullified.[5]
Ceasefire
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According to a Thursday article in Dawn, the army’s Corps Commanders will meet on Friday to discuss the possibility of halting targeted airstrikes against TTP hideouts in Pakistan’s tribal areas.[6]
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According to a Thursday article in The News, the group that claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s attack on Frontier Corps (FC) soldiers in Hangu district, Ansarul Mujahideen, is a close affiliate of the TTP and has threatened to target Nawaz Sharif to avenge the killing of Hakimullah Mehsud. A spokesman for the group claimed that the organization is not part of the TTP, and is therefore not bound by the ceasefire. However, the article states that Ansarul Mujahideen is a component of the TTP, and both groups have been carrying out attacks against security forces despite the ceasefire.[7]
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According to a Thursday article in Dawn, sources claim that the TTP’s central leadership is frustrated that some militant groups have not abided by the ceasefire. The Mohmand chapter of the TTP, for example, has been critical of talks but has stated it will continue to abide by the decisions made by the TTP leadership. According to the article, TTP members have contacted media representatives and journalists looking for information regarding militants and groups that are trying to sabotage the peace talks.[8]
U.S.-Pakistan Relations
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On Tuesday, the U.S. State Department announced that it would seek to augment the $1 billion in aid to Pakistan through a contingency fund. The State Department requested $5.9 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO), some of which would be funneled to Pakistan to “lay the groundwork for stability and growth.”[9]
Militancy
