Pakistan Security Brief
Indian army chief says situation in Kashmir not like Kargil dispute; Pakistani and Indian Directors General of Military Operation to meet in October; Prime Minister will bring up drones in meeting with American President; Afghan Taliban leaders refuse to meet with Mullah Baradar; Kayani may be appointed head of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee; TTP spokesperson says that only TTP can guarantee peace; Pakistan wants Afghanistan to extradite leader of Swat Taliban; Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs and National Security thinks outside entities may be funding terrorists in Pakistan; Director of NGO kidnapped in Quetta; South Waziristan journalist kidnapped and then released; Four ANP members arrested in Karachi; Policeman killed in Peshawar blast; Prime Minister approves changes to Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997; Protests in Mohmand agency over military presence; Prime Minister does not think Pakistan is in an arms race with any country; Death penalty moratorium will continue; 110 people arrested in Karachi operations.
India-Pakistan Relations
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On Friday, Indian army chief General Bikram Singh denied media reports that a “Kargil-like” situation exists in Kashmir after reports of infiltration from the Pakistani side of the Line of Control. He acknowledged that militants crossed into the Indian side, but said that the army has “dominated them”.[1]
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According to a Friday report in The News, at the end of October, Pakistan and India’s Directors General Military Operation (DGMOs) will meet for the first time since the Kargil incident in 1999 to discuss violations of the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir. The location of the meeting has not yet been decided.[2]
U.S.-Pakistan Relations
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According to a Friday report in The News, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif intends to bring up drone strikes in Pakistan during his planned meeting with American President Barack Obama in Washington D.C. on October 23.[3]
Afghanistan Reconciliation
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On Thursday, representatives of the Afghan Taliban refused to meet with former deputy commander Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in his Peshawar safehouse. Their reason for turning down a meeting was the presence of Pakistan security personnel around Baradar.[4]
Top Military Promotions
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Army chief General Ashfaq Kayani met with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday to discuss the appointment of the next Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. The current occupant of the office, General Khalid Shameen Wynne will retire on Saturday.[5]
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According to a Friday Reuters report, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is considering keeping army chief General Ashfaq Kayani in a major role after he leaves his current position next month. The most likely destination for Kayani, according to the report, is to be the head of a traditionally-ceremonial but newly-empowered Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, a position that will become vacant within the next few days.[6]
Talks with the TTP
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Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan called on the government to continue pursuing peace talks with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan(TTP) on Thursday, claiming that the enemies of Pakistan had carried out the terrorist attacks in Peshawar in order to derail peace talks.[7]
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TTP spokesperson Shahidullah Shahid said on Thursday that the TTP could guarantee peace in Pakistan and no other group would be able to carry out attacks if the TTP had a peace agreement with the government.[8]
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Barelvi scholars demanded at a conference on Thursday that the TTP renounce violence and terrorism and abide by the Constitution of Pakistan.[9]
Afghan-Pakistan Relations
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According to a Friday report in The News, Pakistan again pressed Afghanistan to extradite Mullah Fazlullah, the commander of the Swat Taliban. This increased pressure comes after Fazlullah threatened army chief General Ashfaq Kayani with assassination.[10]
Militancy
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MilitancyThe Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz said on Thursday that “hostile elements from across the border may be providing support to some groups” in Pakistan. He did not say which border he was referring to or which terrorist groups.[11]
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Noor Muhammad, the director of an unidentified non-governmental organization (NGO) was kidnapped by unknown gunmen in the Railway Colony of Quetta on Friday.[12]
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A South Waziristan-based journalist, Lal Wazir, was kidnapped by unknown gunmen on Thursday. He was released on Friday in Azam Warsak, South Waziristan.[13]
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According to a Rangers spokesperson, four suspected target killers and extortionists linked to the Awami National Party (ANP) were arrested in the Quaidabad neighborhood on Friday during the targeted operations in Karachi.[14]
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A road-side bomb explosion in Pishtakhara, Peshawar killed a policeman and injured two on Friday.[15]
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On Thursday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif approved changes to the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997. The changes include more anti-terrorism courts in Karachi, extension of the act to include kidnapping, target killing, and extortion, and looser restrictions on when police can open fire on a suspect.[16]
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After a local man was injured in a fight with a security official, tribesmen in Ghallanai, Mohmand agency staged a protest against the Pakistan Army presence in the area. The protest was led by the local Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader.[17]
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On Thursday, police discovered 1,000 kilograms of explosives in a truck in Bisham at the Dandai checkpost in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.[18]
Domestic
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Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Friday that he does not feel that Pakistan is in an arms race with any country. He also said that he believes that Pakistan’s nuclear assets are secure.[19]
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Interior Ministry spokesman Omar Hameed Khan said on Thursday that Pakistan’s moratorium on the death penalty will continue for the next several weeks. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Mamnoon Hussain will meet in the next few weeks to make a final determination. Earlier reports indicated Pakistan was scrapping plans to reinstitute the death penalty.[20]
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On Thursday, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon said that Sindh has decided to ban four popular web applications—Skype, WhatsApp, Tango, and Viber—in order to disrupt criminals and terrorists who, they claim, make use of the programs to communicate with each other without detection.[21]
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On Friday, the Federal Board of Revenue increased by two percent the sales tax on a number of items such as chocolate, car parts, refrigerators, and air conditioners. The FBR also levied a three percent tax on imported fabrics. These new taxes are intended to fulfill a condition of the $6.7 billion International Monetary Fund loan.[22]
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On Thursday, the government ordered the Privatization Commission to begin privatizing 31 public sector entities including the national airline, PIA. Many of the 31 are energy or finance related. The privatization comes three days after an IMF deadline to begin widespread privatization of state-owned enterprises had already passed.[23]
Karachi Unrest
