Pakistan Security Brief

Panetta says Pakistan “likely to remain volatile and fragile”; U.S. may discuss peace deal with Haqqani Network; Exchange of secret messages from Zardari to Obama revealed; Pakistan to participate in intelligence sharing over Rabbani murder; China clears Pakistan of involvement in Kashgar attacks; Karachi police detain 2 suspected target killers; Pakistani Taliban increases involvement in criminal activity; Two killed in attack on NATO oil tanker; KP governor urges unity among tribesmen; Police recover NATO items in Peshawar; Security official killed in rocket attack; Tribal elders to enforce 2008 peace deal in Kurram; 380 families return to Mohmand agency.

U.S.-Pakistan-Relations

• During an address at the Woodrow Wilson Center, U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta articulated the need for the U.S. government to remain committed to President Obama’s “goal of dismantling, disrupting and defeating al Qaeda,” noting that the “situation in Pakistan is likely to remain volatile and fragile” as the U.S. works toward eradicating terrorist safe havens within the country. Panetta went on to say that a “stable and secure Pakistan” was essential for a “secure Afghanistan.” He stressed the importance of continued diplomatic efforts between the U.S. and Pakistan despite the “great differences” between the two countries, notably the relationship Pakistan maintains with militant groups.[1]

• In an interview with Reuters, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton suggested that the U.S. may be open to discussing a peace deal with the Haqqani Network in Afghanistan and therefore remained hesitant to designate the Haqqani Network as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).[2] 

• In a Tuesday article, The Financial Times of London reportedly revealed a “highly sensational exchange of secret messages sent by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to U.S. President Obama” following the May 2 raid by U.S. Special Operations Forces on al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s Abbottabad compound.  In the exchange, Zardari asked Obama to prevent the Pakistan Army, led by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, from staging a military coup.  Zardari offered to enlist “a new national security team” if the U.S. were to protect Zardari’s civilian government.[3]

Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations

• On Tuesday, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani committed Pakistan to intelligence sharing with Afghanistan in the investigation of assassinated former Afghan president and peace envoy Burhanuddin Rabbani.[4]

Pakistan-China Relations

• China has officially absolved Pakistan of the Kashgar terrorist attacks in July that killed 20 people, according to Zhang Xiaodi, the director general of the foreign affairs office in Xijiang province.  Local officials previously charged that the Muslim Uighurs who carried out the twin terrorist attacks had received explosives and firearms training at an East Turkistani Islamic Movement (ETIM) camp in Pakistan. An investigation into the incident revealed otherwise.[5]

Karachi Violence

• Karachi police arrested two suspected target killers during a raid on the Zamzama area on Wednesday.  The suspects, who were reportedly members of an undisclosed political party, were arrested for their alleged involvement in the killings of 26 people.[6]

Pakistani Taliban

• The AP reports that the “Black Night” group, which is under the command of Pakistani Taliban leaders Hakimullah Mehsud and Waliur Rehman Mehsud, has begun to raise funds through criminal activity such as bank robberies, kidnappings, and extortion. This shift in funding has allowed the Pakistani Taliban to decrease its reliance on “cash from abroad” to carry out attacks.[7]

Balochistan

• Two people were killed when gunmen opened fire on a NATO oil tanker in the Dasht area outside of Quetta on Tuesday.  No militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack.[8]

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

• After surviving a failed assassination attempt on Tuesday in Orakzai agency, FATA, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Governor Syed Masood Kausa urged unity among Pakistani tribesmen against the Taliban.  He addressed a gathering of tribal elders, thanking them for their fight against militants and their role in restoring peace to Orakzai.[9]

• Police have discovered a warehouse full of stolen NATO items in Peshawar.  The recovered items included radiators, tires, tank equipment, and communication devices. The items were reportedly being stored in the provincial capital until being transferred to other parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.[10] 

• A security official was killed by a rocket attack on Sunday in Bannu.  Another security official was injured in a later rocket attack near River Kurram.[11]

FATA

• Sunni and Shia elders met at a tribal assembly, or jirga, on Sunday in Kurram agency to discuss the enforcement of a 2008 nine-point peace agreement in the city of Parachinar. Some elders remained skeptical of the durability of the agreement without support from the local Taliban, while others were optimistic that the enforcement of the agreement could be the first step toward ending 30 years of bloodshed between the rival sects.[12]

• Nearly 380 displaced families left the Nahqai Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camp and returned to their homes in Mohmand agency on Tuesday.  Mohmand agency has reportedly experienced a restoration of peace after being cleared of militants by security forces. Over 6,000 IDPs have returned to their homes in Mohmand agency and almost 2,700 families are still awaiting repatriation.[13]