Pakistan Security Brief - February 18, 2011

Court orders U.S. embassy driver’s arrest; Brothers reject financial compensation; Wall Street Journal: frayed U.S.-Pakistani relations; Express Tribune: aid will not be cut; Clashes in Orakzai; Girls’ primary school attacked by TTP; Blast in Bannu; Operation in Lachi town; Religious groups clash in Mansehra; Mastermind Behind Railway Attacks Arrested;Transmission line attacked in Balochistan; Seven terrorists arrested in Punjab.

U.S.-Pakistani Relations

• A Pakistani judge has ordered the arrest of the driver of a U.S. consulate vehicle, which killed a pedestrian at the scene of Raymond Davis’ shooting. The victim’s family had filed a petition demanding the man’s arrest, leading to Pakistani authorities calling for the vehicle and its driver to be handed over. New witness reports have alleged that the vehicle had accompanied Davis to the scene of the incident, contradicting earlier reports which stated that the vehicle had arrived to rescue Davis.[i]
• The brothers of the two Pakistani men killed by Raymond Davis have rejected financial compensation for the deaths of their family members, as reportedly proposed by Prime Minister Gilani. Mohammed Wasim stated, “We only want justice. We want blood for blood and nothing else.”[ii]
• The Wall Street Journal reports on frayed relations between the U.S. and Pakistan, reportedly at their worst point since the September 11 attacks. The article highlights divergent views on engaging with the Haqqani network, which the U.S. sees as a major threat in Afghanistan, but the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has reportedly nurtured ties with. Further discrepancies between the CIA and ISI on issues of combating militancy have resulted in decreased interaction and meetings between the two agencies.[iii]
• The Express Tribune reports that many U.S. lawmakers have rejected the possibility of cutting aid to Pakistan over the Raymond Davis case. Senator Lindsey Graham issued a statement which said, “Our relationship’s got to be bigger than this. This is a friction point, this is a troubling matter, it doesn’t play well in Afghanistan. We can’t throw this agent over, I don’t know all the details, but we cannot define the relationship based on one incident because it is too important at a time when we’re making progress in Afghanistan.” Other House members reiterated Graham’s sentiments, declaring that it would be counterproductive to use U.S. aid as leverage in the case.[iv]
• The Express Tribune examines foreign assistance to Pakistan by the United States, proposed in the newly released 2012 budget. The largest beneficiaries of the aid are the Pakistani military and law enforcement agencies, who are set to receive $1.67 billion under the new budget. The paper reports that the counterinsurgency capability fund alone is 39 percent of the total aid package.[v]

FATA

• On Thursday, clashes continued in Orakzai between militants and security forces. Militant hideouts in Kalaya and Feroz Khel areas of lower Orakzai were targeted by security operations, resulting in the deaths of ten militants. Large caches of arms were additionally seized in FerozKhel, Shirin Dara and Gaween areas. Elsewhere, militants attacked power pylons in Razghar Mela; electricity was consequently suspended in seven villages of the Sheikhan tribe.[vi]
• A girls’ primary school and a telephone exchange in Darra Adam Khel were reportedly attacked by Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP) militants on Thursday. Explosives were attached to the walls of the school, severely damaging the property upon detonation. The attack on the telephone exchange has also rendered all landline phone connections useless. Local officials additionally reported an attack by militants on an army checkpoint in Bazid Khel, though no casualties have been reported.[vii]

Blasts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

• A blast in Bannu on Thursday resulted in one fatality, after an explosive-laden car detonated near a police station in the area. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.[viii]
• Security forces initiated an operation on Thursday in Lachi town, following a tip-off that militant commander Wahid Jalal was located in the area. Jalal was arrested in the raid, along with twenty-two other suspected militants.[ix]
• Two religious groups clashed during an Eid Milad-un-Nabi procession in Mansehra on Wednesday. Activists on behalf of the Jamaat Ahle Sunnat and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl hurled stones at one another during the procession. A rally was subsequently staged by Jamaat Ahle Sunnat supporters to protest the incident.[x]

Mastermind Behind Railway Attacks Arrested

• The mastermind behind the recent railway attacks across Sindh has been arrested by Hyderabad police, though his name has not yet been revealed. Earlier search operations resulted in the arrest of sixteen suspects; twelve were released after preliminary investigations and the organizer was identified following an interrogation.[xi]

Attack in Balochistan

• A transmission line near Bakhtiarabad was blown up on Thursday in an attack by unidentified militants. Power has consequently been suspended on Friday to parts of Balochistan.[xii]

Arrests in Punjab

• On Friday, Bahawalpur police arrested seven terrorists for their alleged involvement in planting bombs and staging suicide attacks in the area. Sources report that the men were involved in recent attacks in Karachi and Bahawalpur.[xiii]