Pakistan Security Brief

Officials arrest four suspects in connection with airport attack in Karachi; Gunship strikes destroy militant hideouts in Khyber; Former anti-Taliban militia member killed in Swat; Pakistani army to deploy six companies for Muharram in Lahore; Iranian, Pakistani officials meet for bilateral political consultations; U.S. envoy arrives in Islamabad for two-day visit; British Prime Minister invites Prime Minister Sharif for Afghanistan conference in London; National Security Advisor claims that India trying to use border skirmishes to win Kashmir local elections; PAT chief leaves Pakistan.

Militancy

• On October 28, Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officials arrested four suspects from the Malir and Tariq road areas of Karachi for alleged involvement in the Karachi airport attack on June 8 that killed 37 people. According to officials, the suspects belong to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and al Qaeda.[1]

• On October 28, Pakistani gunship helicopters destroyed several militant hideouts in the Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency.[2]

• On October 28, unidentified gunmen killed a former anti-Taliban militia member in the village of Sher Palam in Swat, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.[3]

National Security

• According to a report in the Frontier Post on October 24, the Pakistani military will deploy six army companies in Lahore from the 1st day of the holy month of Muharram to maintain law and order. The army will also provide two helicopters on the 9th and 10th day of Muharram for aerial surveillance.[4]  

Foreign Affairs

• On October 28, the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Dan Feldman, arrived in Islamabad for a two-day visit.  On arrival, Feldman held a meeting with the Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz, and reportedly discussed bilateral ties as well as regional issues. Feldman is also scheduled to meet with civilian and military officials and civil society representatives during his visit.[5] 

• On October 28, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ibrahim Rahimpour arrived in Pakistan for the eighth round of Pakistan-Iran bilateral political consultations and met with Pakistani Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz, and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Syed Tariq Fatemi. The two sides reportedly reviewed the recent border skirmishes and agreed on new measures to strengthen border coordination and control.  Other issues discussed at the meeting included political exchanges, trade and economic cooperation, the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project and energy collaboration.[6] 

• On October 28, British Prime Minister David Cameron called Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and invited Sharif to attend the Afghanistan conference being held in London in the last week of November. The British Prime Minister cited the importance of Pakistan’s participation in bringing peace and stability in Afghanistan in the capacity of being an important neighbor. The conference will be co-chaired by British Prime Minister Cameron and Afghan President Dr. Ashraf Ghani.[7]

• On October 27, Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz, alleged that the Indian Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government was trying to use the escalation in cross-border tensions with Pakistan to win in forthcoming local elections in Indian-administered Kashmir. He also alleged that India wanted to drop the Kashmir issue from the Indo-Pakistan bilateral dialogue.[8]

Domestic Politics

• On October 28, Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr. Tahirul Qadri left Pakistan, with the reported aim of organizing the party and collecting funds from different countries in Europe and North America.[9]