Pakistan Security Brief

Jundullah pledges allegiance to IS; AQIS announces death of two fighters in U.S. raid; Indian army firing kills Pakistani soldier near Muzaffarabad; Prime Minister Sharif to talk to Kashmiri leaders before Indian government; TTP Jamatul Ahrar threatens Chinese economic interests in new magazine issue; IED derails train in Mastung, Balochistan; Russian Defense Minister signs military cooperation agreement with Pakistan; Military targeting all militants without discrimination, says army chief; Afghanistan will not allow India-Pakistan proxy war, says Former Afghan President; Pakistani national security advisor censured by senate for controversial statements; PAT chief returns to Pakistan with “new strategy;” Government not to create hurdles in PTI rally, says Interior Minister; 9,300 more families displaced from Khyber Agency; Finance Minister’s lobbying at IMF reportedly paved way for loan tranche’s release.

Islamic State in South Asia

• According to a message posted on jihadist forum Shumukh al Islam on November 19, a delegation of Talban leaders who had pledged allegiance to Islamic State (IS), led by Zubeir al Kuwaiti, met with Pakistan militant group Jundullah’s chief, Ahmed Ghardan Abu Yahya. The message states that Yahya pledged allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi and promised to unify the mujahideen in Khorasan and India under the IS banner.[1]

Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent

• On November 20, al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) spokesman Usama Mahmoud announced on his Twitter account that two of the group’s fighters, Dr. Sarbaland alias Abu Khalid and his brother-in-law- Adil Abdul Qadus, were killed in an American airstrike on the afghan border. According to Mahmoud, Sarbaland was a “skillful surgeon” and “strategic ideologue” while Adil was a former major in the Pakistani Army. Mahmoud also condemned the killing of two of Sarbaland’s children in the raid.[2]

Indo-Pak Relations

• On November 20, the Pakistan Army accused Indian troops of “unprovoked firing” at the Line of Control (LoC) in Pandu sector near Muzaffarabad. One Pakistani soldier was reportedly killed in the firing.[3]

• On November 20, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif declared that Pakistani officials will first talk to Kashmiri leaders before engaging in dialogue with India. Sharif stated that the accusation that Pakistani agencies are involved in extremism is a lie and claimed that Pakistan is the region’s biggest victim of terrorism. The Indian government had earlier warned the Pakistani government that it could choose to either talk with the Kashmiri separatists or with the Indian government.[4]

Militancy

• On November 14, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Jamatul Ahrar released the ninth issue of its Urdu-language magazine, Ihya-e-Khilafat, on Twitter. TTP Jamatul Ahrar spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan has threatened Chinese economic interests in his article entitled “Real Motives of Chinese Investment in Pakistan” in the magazine.  Ehsan claims that the Chinese government has been persecuting Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang province and providing assistance to Pakistan for waging campaigns against Muslims. Ehsan further adds that Chinese investment in Pakistan is “payment for shedding Muslim blood.” Ehsan also warns of attacks on Chinese economic interests if China does not stop persecuting Muslims.[5]

• On November 20, an improvised explosive device (IED) planted on railway tracks detonated as a Quetta-bound passenger train passed by in the Dasht area of Mastung district in Balochistan. The explosion derailed four train cars and injured 12 people.[6] 

Foreign Affairs

• On November 20, Russian Defense Minister Gen. Sergei Shoigu arrived in Islamabad for a one-day visit. Shoigu is expected to meet Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during his visit and discuss issues related to security and defense cooperation between Pakistan and Russia. Gen. Shoigu also signed a military cooperation agreement with Pakistani officials during his meeting with Defense Minister Khawaja Asif. Asif expressed hope that the agreement will further strengthen military relations between Russia and Pakistan.[7] 

• On November 19, Army Chief Gen. Raheel Sharif declared that the ongoing military operation in North Waziristan was targeting all militant groups without discrimination, including the Haqqani Network and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Gen. Sharif added that the campaign is not restricted to the North Waziristan and Khyber tribal areas, but covers the entire country. Sharif also stated that the phenomenon of Islamic State would not be allowed to take root in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Gen. Sharif made these remarks at a reception hosted by Pakistani Ambassador to the U.S., Jalil Abbas Jilani. The reception was attended by senior officials from the U.S. Departments of State and Defense. Gen. Sharif also met with U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice on November 19 and reaffirmed their mutual commitment toward strengthening the bilateral relationship. [8]

• On November 19, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai declared that Afghanistan will not allow itself to be a dragged into a proxy war between India and Pakistan after the drawdown of U.S. troops from the region. Karzai was reacting to former Pakistan President Musharraf’s comments about the possibility of Pakistan using ethnic Pashtuns to counter Indian goals of creating an “anti-Pakistan Afghanistan.”[9] 

Domestic Politics

• On November 19, opposition parties in the Pakistani senate issued an “attention notice,” censuring Advisor to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz for making controversial remarks about Pakistan selectively targeting militant groups.[10]

• On November 20, Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr. Tahirul Qadri returned to Pakistan from Canada. Addressing a press conference, Qadri asserted that he had not abandoned the revolution against the government but had changed the party’s strategy.[11]

• On November 19, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan declared that the government will not create any obstacles for the scheduled November 30 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) rally in Islamabad. Khan warned, however, that the government will take strict action against any protestors who violate the law.[12] 

Internally Displaced Persons

• According to a November 20 report in The News, the ongoing military operation in Khyber Agency has displaced about 9, 300 families since October from Bara and Tirah Valley areas. According to the Director General of Fata Disaster Management Authority (FDMA), about 63,000 families in total have been dislocated from Bara.[13] 

Economy

• According to November 20 Express Tribune report, intense lobbying at the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) headquarters, and a personal meeting between Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and the IMF’s Pakistan chief, Jeffery Franks, reportedly paved the way for the release of a $1.1 billion loan tranche as part of the $6.7 billion loan program from the IMF to Pakistan. There was reportedly a lack of concurrence on some issues at the fourth and fifth economic review talks held in Dubai from October 30 to November 8 which were then resolved by the Finance Minister.[14]