Pakistan Security Brief

Drone strike kills three in North Waziristan ; FM Khar says Pakistan takes nuclear security seriously; Former Cabinet official offers $200,000 bounty for anti-Islam filmmaker at DPC rally; 20,000 protest anti-Islam film in Karachi over the weekend; Railways Minister to offer bounties for anyone blaspheming against Islam; YouTube will not be unblocked anytime soon; Three militants killed and nine injured in a clash between militants groups in Khyber agency; Seven militants killed, and one security personnel killed in Orakzai agency; Five militants killed by security forces in Barlas; Assistant Sub Inspector killed in Upper Dir; TTP claims responsibility for the death of two policemen in Kohat; Pakistani Army Chief General Kayani to visit Moscow October 3-6; PTI outlines Waziristan peace march; Journalists denied visas to cover PTI march; CJ calls Karachi “hub for terrorist activities;” Eleven people killed in Karachi on Friday; Three shot down, three bodies found in Karachi over the weekend; 12 arrested in a Karachi security forces operation; Two killed, one suspect arrested in Karachi on Monday; Three witnesses in blasphemy case backtrack on testimonies.

Drone Strikes

• A U.S. drone strike killed three militants in the Haider Khel area of Mir Ali sub-district of North Waziristan agency on Monday. Flying in a stronghold area for the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, “U.S. drones fired four missiles on a militant vehicle,” Said a security official interviewed by AFP. The identities of the militants killed have not been confirmed yet.[i]

Pakistan’s Nuclear Weapons

• Addressing the United Nations high-level meeting on Countering Nuclear Terrorism on Friday, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar noted Pakistan takes the security of its nuclear program extremely seriously. She told observers, “we have put in place extensive physical protection measures, robust command and control structures, comprehensive export controls and wide-ranging regulatory regimes.” She stressed that her country was part of the effort to keep terrorists’ hands off nuclear information or weapons.[ii]

Anti-Islam Film Protests

• At a Monday rally organized by the Difa-i-Pakistan Council (a collective organization of right-wing Islamist parties) in Peshawar, former cabinet official Ikramullah Shahid announced a $200,000 reward for anyone who killed the producer of “Innocence of Muslims.” Approximately 15,000 people attended the rally in which the DPC called for the expulsion of the U.S. Ambassador, an apology from President Obama, an international law against blasphemy, and punishment for the sponsors of the film. DPC media coordinator Advocate Israrullah dismissed reports of its constituents’ participation in the September 21 riots against the film, claiming that the destruction had been “engineered” to draw attention away from peaceful protest rallies.[iii]

• On Saturday, approximately 15,000 people rallied against “Innocence of Muslims” in Karachi. Police increased security and deployed paramilitary forces for the rally. Protesters called for the death of filmmaker Nakoula Basseley Nakoula and called the film a “criminal act.” The following day, at least 5,000 people took to the streets in protest of “Innocence of Muslims” and anti-Islam cartoons published in France in a rally led by Sunni extremist group Ahle Sunnat wal-Jamaat. Protesters promised not to march towards the U.S. Consulate, however, and the rally was carried out peacefully.[iv]

• Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmed Bilour announced on Friday that he would call for bounties on anyone who insulted Islam in the future. He also said that he had never been contacted by the Prime Minister or issued a show-cause notice by his party after his first bounty announcement against the producer of “Innocence of Muslims.”[v]

• On Sunday, police opened a blasphemy investigation against nine men accused of looting and burning the Sri Krishna Ram Hindu temple in Karachi in the September 21 anti-Islam film riots. Police claim that the men broke Hindu statues, destroyed a holy book, beat the custodian, and stole jewelry from nearby houses.  The case is unusual as the blasphemy law is not often invoked against Muslims. The looters are currently still at large.[vi]

YouTube Ban

• The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority stated on Monday that it would not lift the YouTube ban until Google removes the anti-Islam film from the site, either internationally or in Pakistan. YouTube has been blocked in Pakistan for nearly three weeks. Google’s mobile operating service Android has also been significantly disrupted by the ban.[vii]

Militancy in FATA and KP

• Three militants were killed and nine were injured in a clash between groups in the remote Bazaar Zakhakhel area of Khyber agency on Sunday. According to sources interviewed by Dawn, the two groups that clashed were Lashkar-i-Islam (LI) and Tawheedul Islam (TI). Two LI members were killed, one commander from TI was killed, and nine members from TI were wounded and taken to hospitals. LI allegedly “torched two houses belonging to their opponents and captured a bunker in Zaoddin area.”[viii]

• Security forces killed seven militants, and one security personnel was killed in a blast in Orakzai agency according to a report by Dawn on Monday. The blast occurred in Mamuzai area of Orakzai agency killing one, as well as injuring two. The operation that killed seven militants also destroyed one vehicle.[ix]

• Security forces attacked the Barlas area of Orakzai Agency with gunship helicopters, killing five militants and destroying militant hideouts, according to a report by Dawn on Saturday. Unidentified criminals destroyed 66KW transmission lines in the Mian Mandi area of the Haleemzai district, Mohmand Agency,  cutting off electricity to the area. Six people were arrested by the political administration in the agency in response.[x]

• One police official was killed and one was injured by gunfire in Warai area of Upper Dir district on Saturday night. The attack happened during a routine patrol near Suray Pul.[xi]

• A spokesman for the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for an attack on Saturday that killed two policemen and injured two others. Sources interviewed by The News said that the policemen were killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) on a routine patrol in Shadikhel, Kohat.[xii]

Russo-Pakistani Relations

• Dawn reported on Saturday that Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani will be visiting Moscow for a four day visit. Kayani will “be in Moscow from Oct 3-6,” Said an aide. This meeting has received attention especially because Russia’s President Vladimir Putin cancelled his trip to Pakistan recently. Kayani’s trip to Russia will allegedly be to discuss, “expanding security relations including joint military exercises, exchanging trainees and trainers and sale of military hardware.”[xiii]

PTI “Peace March”

• On Sunday, the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) party outlined the route of its upcoming peace march in South Waziristan. The march is to begin on October 6 in Islamabad’s Blue Area and will continue through Balkasar, Talagang, Mian Wali, and Dera Ismail Khan. The march will continue through Tank to Kotkai in South Waziristan on October 7. According to PTI spokesman Ahmed Jawad and PTI Chairmain Imran Khan, the Mehsud, Burki, and Bhittani tribes “appreciated” the peace march and guaranteed the marchers protection in South Waziristan.[xiv]

• On Friday, the PTI condemned the Pakistan High Commission in the United Kingdom for denying visas to two journalists invited to participate in the PTI’s Waziristan peace march, “a cause which is in the interest of Pakistan.”  The High Commission denied receiving the journalists’ visa applications on Sunday, adding that it has always been “generous” in granting visas to journalists, but that it first had to gain clearance from Pakistani security agencies before issuing visas.[xv]

Karachi Violence

• On Friday, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry declared that Karachi was becoming a “hub for terrorist activities,” consequently deterring potential investors from investing in business in the city. He added that many acquittals in criminal cases were the result of “faulty investigation and poor prosecution” rather than court weakness. He suggested that de-politicization of police forces would aid in decreasing law enforcement corruption, as it was clear that political influence inhibited ensuring justice and rendered investigation agencies incompetent.[xvi]

• Eleven people were killed in Karachi on Friday. One man was gunned down near Jilani Mosque, Garden. Another was gunned down in the Petal Gali, Golimar. A third was found in Korangi No. 2 ½ gunned down and limbs tied up. An unidentified body was found bullet-riddled in Bhens Colony. One man was gunned down in Ghas Mandi area. A man was also killed by gunfire from motorcyclists in Gulbahar’s Peetal Gali area. An unidentified body was recovered in Garden area as well.[xvii]

• According to a news report by Geo, three people were killed by gunfire, and three tortured bodies were found in Karachi over the weekend. A man was killed near Anda Mor in North Karachi. An unidentified man was killed near Allahwali Chorangi in North Karachi. Another man was shot dead near Model colony police station. The three tortured bodies that were recovered were from New Karachi and Orangi Town areas.[xviii]

• In a targeted operation by paramilitary forces, 12 accused criminals were arrested in 100-quarters Baldia Town on Sunday. According to the Geo report, 28 different kinds of weapons were found in the search operation.[xix]

• Two people were killed, and one suspect was arrested in Karachi on Monday. A man was shot dead in Liaquatabad No. 1 area of Karachi. Another man was arrested by police for “his alleged involvement in targeted killings and robberies.”[xx]

Blasphemy Case

• Three witnesses who previously testified against cleric Khalid Jadoon Chishti for framing Rimsha Masih, a young, mentally disabled Christian girl accused of blasphemy, have backtracked on their testimonies on Monday. They claim the police tortured them and “forced” them to speak out against Chishti.[xxi]