Pakistan Security Brief

Airstrike kills 15 militants in Jamrud and Bara, Khyber Agency; Airstrike destroys TTP and LI hideouts in Khyber Agency; Security forces arrest 29 suspects in Quetta; Sectarian attack kills three Shias and injures 10 in Gilgit, Gilgit-Baltistan; Bomb Disposal Unit defuses six bombs in Peshawar; India, Pakistan accuse each other of “unprovoked firing” across LoC; Prime Minister Sharif says religious leaders should denounce terrorist violence; PAT to contest next general elections; U.S. denies support to any particular political party.

Militancy

• On October 3, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) airstrikes killed 15 militants and destroyed three hideouts in Jamrud and Bara sub-districts of Khyber Agency.[1]              

• On October 3, PAF jets conducted an airstrike and destroyed five Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts in Bara, Nala Khajoori and the Yousuf Talaab area of Khyber Agency.[2]

• On October 3, police and Frontier Corps personnel arrested 29 people suspected of subversive activities in Ittehad Colony and the Killi Kirani area of Quetta. The Balochistan National Party (BNP) has condemned the arrests.[3]

• On October 2, roadside bomb killed three people and injured 10 others when it blew up a passenger van crossing the Alam Bridge in Gigit-Baltistan. A police official stated that it was a sectarian attack targeting Shias.[4]

• On October 2, the Bomb Disposal Unit (BDU) defused six bombs at different locations in Peshawar. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Police defused three improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the limits of Khazana police station, two along the Kohat road and one in the Hayatabad area of Peshawar. According to the head of the BDU, the attempted bombings signify the intensification of attacks on government targets by militants.[5] 

Indo-Pakistan Relations

• On October 3, both the Pakistani and Indian armies accused each other of carrying out “unprovoked firing” across the Line of Control (Loc) on October 1. According to an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement, Indian troops resorted to firing in Bagh sector of the Bedori area with no reported loss of lives. Meanwhile, an Indian Defense Ministry spokesman said Pakistani mortar shelling in Gigriyal and Uripura villages injured six civilians. According to the spokesman, Pakistani troops violated another ceasefire on October 3 in the Saujjian area of Poonch district along the LoC.[6]

Domestic Politics

• In an address to a delegation of religious leaders at the Prime Minister’s House in Islamabad on October 3, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that religious leaders had a responsibility to preach about the peaceful and non-violent nature of Islam to fellow Muslims. He also declared that religious scholars had an important role to play in countering terrorism in Pakistan.[7] 

Political Crisis

• On October 2, Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr. Tahirul Qadri announced that the PAT would contest the next general elections as a political party with PAT candidates in both the general and local bodies elections. He claimed that the PAT would be the largest political party and that party tickets would be given to candidates based on merit.[8]

U.S.-Pakistan Relations

• In a meeting with Governor Chaudhry Sarwar in Lahore on October 2, U.S. Ambassador Richard Olsen reiterated U.S. support to the democratic system in Pakistan and said that the U.S. does not support any specific political party. His statement came amidst allegations that the protesting parties in Islamabad had support from Washington which is allegedly looking to counter the rising influence of China in the region. Ambassador Olsen also added that negotiations were the only way to resolve all political issues.[9]