Pakistan Security Brief - April 4, 2011

Forty one people killed in Punjab suicide bombing; Suicide bombing in Lower Dir; ISI chief given one-year extension; Wikileaks: Kayani obstacle to India-Pakistan deal on Kashmir; Associated Press: LeT has expanded global presence; UK refuses to extradite Musharraf; Tribesmen clash with LI in Khyber; Eleven injured in Khyber blast; Ten militants killed in Darra Adam Khel; Nine militants killed in Orakzai; Ten schoolchildren kidnapped in Kurram; Body of tribal elder found in SWA; Zardari pledges to implement FATA reforms; IDPs to return to Mohmand and Bajaur; Eight militants killed in Hangu; Lashkar leader escapes attack; Two electricity pylons blown up; Express Tribune: 109 killed in Karachi by ‘target killings’ in first quarter of 2011; U.S. not involved in Davis ‘blood money’ negotiations; Quetta Express train attacked; NATO vehicle assaulted in Wadh; Bodies recovered in Dera Bugti; Patek may be extradited to Indonesia.

Major Suicide Bombings

• Forty-one people were killed and over a hundred others wounded in two suicide bomb attacks outside of a shrine in Punjab’s Dera Ghazi Khan district on Sunday. The shrine of the Sufi saint Ahmed Sultan was surrounded by hundreds of worshippers for a religious ceremony when the attacks took place. A spokesperson for the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attacks and told local media outlets that it was in response to U.S. drone strikes in the tribal region and military action in the Waziristan region.  Both of the teenage bombers were from North Waziristan, though the attack was allegedly planned in Bajaur Agency. An additional teenage bomber was arrested at the scene of the attack after his explosives failed to detonate properly. The Express Tribune has reported that the shrines of Sufi saints in various parts of Punjab remain vulnerable to attacks, with no security present at 261 out of 319 shrines.[i]
• A suicide bombing in Lower Dir killed eight people, including an anti-Taliban militia leader. The attack took place at a bus station in the town of Jandol. The bomber appeared to be fifteen years of age, and targeted Mohammad Akbar, the head of a local lashkar (tribal militia).[ii]

ISI Chief Given Extension

• President Gilani has announced the one-year extension of the head of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief, Lt-Gen Ahmad Shuja Pasha. Gilani stated that the administration “decided to keep Gen Pasha on the same position for another year owing to the prevailing security situation in the country.”[iii]

Kayani Obstacle to India-Pakistan “Deal”

• The Hindu reports that according to WikiLeaks documents, the British government previously considered General Kayani, the Pakistani Army chief of staff, as the only "remaining obstacle" to an agreement between Pakistan and India on Kashmir in 2008. Allegedly Kayani was reluctant to agree to the deal, though Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Zardari were ready to sign. The assessment was made during a visit to Pakistan by British Foreign Secretary David Miliband. [iv]

Profile on LeT

• The Associated Press details Lashkar-e-Taiba’s expanded presence on the global state, highlighting their worldwide networks, international funding, and links with other militant groups. Unidentified intelligence analysts have reported that the group may expand its reach to areas outside of South Asia, as operatives have been operatives have been found in Australia, Europe, East Asia and the United States.[v]

Musharraf Arrest Warrant

• The British government has refused to extradite former President Pervez Musharraf, wanted in Pakistan for his alleged role in the Benazir Bhutto assassination case. The extradition could not be executed due to the lack of a formal extradition treaty between Pakistan and the United Kingdom.[vi]

FATA

• Zakha Khel tribesman and members of Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) clashed in the Tirah valley of Khyber Agency, resulting in twenty deaths and fifty injuries. The fighting erupted following the murder of a scholar of the Zakha Khel tribe, Maulana Hasan. Local sources claim that LI leader Mangal Bagh may have been injured in the clash.[vii]
• Eleven soldiers were injured in a blast in the Aka Khel area of Khyber Agency on Saturday. The soldiers were attacked by an improvised explosive device (IED), injuring the soldiers and destroying a vehicle.[viii]
• Ten militants were killed in a gun battle with security forces in Darra Adam Khel, reportedly including five commanders of the TTP. The fighting began with an attack on security forces in Tor Chapar, leaving a security officer and a havaldar (sergeant) dead.[ix]
• Nine militants were killed in Orakzai after security forces launched an operation in the Dabori area. The insurgents had attacked a security checkpoint in the area and were killed in retaliatory fire by the security personnel. Three security officers were also hurt in the initial assault.[x]
• On Saturday, ten schoolchildren were kidnapped in the Baggan area of Kurram Agency. The children were released later that day after a local jirga negotiated with the militants for their release.[xi]
• The body of a tribal elder in South Waziristan was found near Wana, six weeks after first being kidnapped. Sardar Amanuddin had previously encouraged members of the Mehsud tribe to return to the South Waziristan tribal region, despite the Taliban warning tribesmen against returning to the agency. [xii]
• On Saturday, President Zardari pledged to implement reforms in the FATA region. According to The News, the President affirmed that the Political Parties Act “reforms would help remove the sense of deprivation among the people and hoped that the remaining problems of tribal areas would also be solved with the implementation of reforms.” A representative for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) also urged Zardari to announce an economic package for the FATA region.[xiii]
• On Sunday, the FATA Disaster Management Authority announced that internally displaced people (IDPs) would be voluntarily repatriated to their homes in Mohmand and Bajaur agencies beginning April 11. The FATA Disaster Management Authority has stated that there are 50,000 displaced families from Bajaur Agency while the displaced families from Mohmand Agency number around 30, 800.[xiv]

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

• Eight militants were killed in Hangu in a counter-attack by security forces. An officer and three others were killed in an ambush by militants earlier Sunday.[xv]
• The vice-president of the Badhaber Qaumi Lashkar and leader of the Awami National Party escaped an attack on his life on Saturday in the Suleman Khel area. Mukamil Shah escaped the roadside blast unhurt, though another motorcar was damaged. Local policemen have reported that he was not the actual target of the attack, stating that, “The militants had already attacked police on [Suleman Khel] Road and killed several policemen in the past.” The nephew of Shah was kidnapped the week prior and beheaded in Bara by Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) militants.[xvi]
• Two electricity pylons were blown up in the Bazid Khel area on Thursday night. Electricity was subsequently suspended to the Mianwali and Dera Ismail Khan areas. No militant groups have claimed responsibility for the attack.[xvii]

‘Target Killings in Karachi’

• The Express Tribune reports that at least 109 people were killed in Karachi as a result of ‘target killings’ in the first quarter of 2011, according to estimates by the Karachi police. Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission places the number at 260 killed. The discrepancy is reportedly due to NGOs relying on media reports to calculate their figures, while the police make their estimates based on individual case details. The director of the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies has additionally claimed that organized criminal gangs have been coordinating with terror groups in Karachi. He stated that, “We need to study how the underworld groups affiliated with political parties collide or collaborate with extremist groups.”[xviii]

Raymond Davis Fallout

• An elder brother of one of the victims killed by CIA-contractor Raymond Davis has stated that the United States was not directly involved in the negotiations over 'blood money.' He also admitted that his family was under no pressure to accept the blood money deal. His family is currently in hiding in the Toba Tek Singh district of Punjab out of fear for their safety.[xix]

Attacks in Balochistan

• Four carriages of the Quetta Express train were blown up on the railroad track near Dera Allahyar. After blowing up the track, unknown militants fired at the train. An exchange of fire between militants and security officials continued for fifteen minutes following the blast, but no casualties were reported.[xx]
• A NATO vehicle carrying supplies to troops in Afghanistan was attacked in the Wadh area of Khuzdar on Saturday. Unidentified militants opened fire on the vehicle, resulting in bullet injuries to two men. An investigation into the incident has commenced.[xxi]
• Three bullet-riddled bodies were recovered outside of Dera Bugti, alleged to be missing leaders of the Baloch Republican Party (BRP). A spokesperson for the BRP stated that the men had been kidnapped by security personnel. Meanwhile, two others were killed by a landmine explosion in Kohlu.[xxii]

Umar Patek Arrest

• On Friday, Pakistani officials announced that Umar Patek, the suspect arrested for his role in the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings, may be extradited to Indonesia if his identity is confirmed. A senior intelligence official stated that, “An Indonesian team is coming. It is expected to be here soon. We are going to hand him over to Indonesian authorities. There is no plan to hand him over to the Americans.”[xxiii]