Pakistan Security Brief

Hafiz Gul Bahadur threatens to drop peace agreement with government in response to ongoing military operations in North Waziristan; Clash between security forces and TTP militants kills four security forces personnel and eleven militants in Mir Ali; TTP militants targeted in Wednesday’s air strikes retaliate against military base in Miram Shah; Military launches ground operation against TTP militants in response; Media wing of Pakistan military claims no air strikes conducted in North Waziristan on Thursday;; Nawaz Sharif reportedly as yet undecided on attending Modi’s swearing-in ceremony in New Delhi; Civilians protest closure of schools in Panjgur, Turbat districts, Balochistan in response to militant threats.

North Waziristan Military Operation

• On Wednesday, militants based in North Waziristan and led by commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur met at an undisclosed location, where they will decide whether or not to cancel a non-aggression treaty with the government. The meeting followed massive airstrikes using helicopter gunships and fighter jets that killed at least 60 militants and injured another at least another 30. A similar article in The News reported that the air strikes killed a total of 71 militants and injured 34. According to an article in Dawn, the air strikes targeted strongholds of the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), a militant organization that is comprised of Turkic-speaking militants from Uzbekistan and Uighurs from China’s Xinjiang region. Gul Bahadur condemned the airstrikes, claiming that they had also hit civilians. A spokesman for Gul Bahadur’s group said the group will convene a shura to review the peace deal with the government, adding that if the military strikes continue, the group will have no choice but to “scrap the peace agreement.” The leader of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Paksitan (TTP) in Mohmand agency, Omar Khalid Khorasani, vowed to “avenge the blood of our tribal Muslim brothers.”[1]

• On Wednesday, a clash between Pakistani security forces and TTP militants killed four security forces personnel, including an army major, and eleven militants in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan.[2]

• On Thursday, militants targeted in Wednesday’s military airstrikes attacked a military base with mortars and rockets in the Miram Shah area of North Waziristan. A commanding officer stated that the army “responded effectively” to the attack. The media wing of the Pakistan military contradicting earlier media reports, claimed that there were no air strikes carried out in North Waziristan on Thursday.[3]

• On Thursday, Pakistani military forces launched a ground offensive against TTP militants in retaliation for the attack on a military base in Miram Shah. According to an article in Reuters, militants fired mortars and rockets from the Matchis Camp near Miram Shah, North Waziristan, which Siraj Ahmed, the highest government official in the region, stated was a hub for local and foreign militants. Ground forces then responded to the firing as troops and tanks moved into Matchis village to begin “demolishing homes” in the area. Domestically-made drones were also deployed over North Waziristan for surveillance purposes.[4]

India-Pakistan Relations

• According to a Thursday article in the Express Tribune, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will likely attend the swearing-in ceremony of India’s newly elected Prime Minister, Naredra Modi, in New Delhi on May 26. An unnamed, high-ranking official told the Express Tribune that the Foreign Office will recommend to the Prime Minister that he accept the invitation. The foreign Office spokesperson, Tasnim Aslam, confirmed that Prime Minister Sharif received a formal invitation, but stated that he had not decided whether or not he would attend.[5]

Domestic

• On Wednesday, Reuters reported that thousands of activists, including women and children, marched in protest against the forced closure of schools by the militant group, Tanzeem-ul-Islam-ul-Furqan (TIF), in Panjgur and Turbat districts, Balochistan. Political and religious leaders, teachers, and civilians plan to hold a grand Jirga in Panjgur on Thursday to discuss the school closures and the community’s response to threats made by TIF.[6]

Militancy

• On Wednesday, the Hindu reported that Pakistani troops fired across the Line of Control (LoC) on Indian posts in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir. Indian guards retaliated, but no one was killed or injured.[7]

• On Wednesday, an improvised explosive device (IED) targeting a private business damaged part of a building in Gurumandir, Karachi.[8]

• On Thursday, an IED blast was reported in the Gulshan-e-Iqbal neighborhood of Karachi.[9]