Swiss tourists in TTP custody; India-Pakistan talks to continue uninterrupted; Clinton calls Zardari; Pakistan ready to resolve misunderstandings with U.S.: Gilani; Iran allows al Qaeda to move resources through country; Al Qaeda still a threat: Leiter; Mumbai attacker appeals death penalty; Nine militants killed in Kurram clash; Bill to allow detention of suspicious persons in FATA without trial; Three killed in Karachi; NATO tanker attacked in Balochistan; Malik speaks at IISS; Villages remain unrecovered after 2010 floods.

 

TTP Holds Swiss Hostages

  • Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) deputy leader Waliur Rehman has told the Associated Press the TTP has custody of two Swiss tourists captured earlier this month. Rehman announced that the TTP would release the hostages only if the U.S. were to release Aafia Siddiqui, who was convicted and jailed by a U.S. court for attempting to shoot U.S. officials in Afghanistan. Rehman claims the hostages have not and will not be tortured. If Siddiqui is not released, however, the hostages will be tried in a Taliban court.[i]

India-Pakistan Relations

  • Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said Thursday that talks with India would continue given the progress made at her Wednesday meeting with Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna in New Delhi. Khar stressed that both nations remained committed to solving the Kashmir dilemma.[ii]

U.S.-Pakistan Relations

Al Qaeda

  • On Thursday, the Treasury Department said Iran has been aiding al Qaeda by allowing funds and operatives to travel through Iran, giving al Qaeda a supply line connecting South Asia to the Middle East. Resources have reportedly travelled through Iran via Iran-based al Qaeda operatives, including Ezedin Abdel Aziz Khalil, whom the Treasury claims Iran has consciously allowed to operate within the country.[v]

  • On Thursday, Michael E. Leiter, who recently resigned from his position at the helm of the National Counterterrorism Center, said reports that al Qaeda was on the verge of collapse were inaccurate and that the terrorist network was still a threat. Leiter said that although al Qaeda’s leadership was “on the ropes” in Pakistan, terrorists in the country were still capable of launching attacks against the U.S.[vi]

Mumbai Attacker Appeals Death Penalty Verdict

  • The only surviving member of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) team that attacked Mumbai in 2008, Mohammad Ajmal Amir Qasab, has appealed his death sentence in a Mumbai court. The November 2008 attacks killed 166 people. Qasab and one other team member attacked Mumbai’s main train station, killing fifty-two people.[vii]

FATA

Karachi

Balochistan

Malik IISS Speech

Floods



[i] “Pakistani Taliban say they have Swiss tourists,” AP, July 29, 2011. Available at
[ii] “Pakistan-India dialogue: Khar says this time the talks will go on,” ET, July 29, 2011. Available at
[iii] “Clinton, Zardari discuss aid, visa issues,” The News, July 29, 2011. Available at
[iv] “Misunderstandings with US to be removed, says PM,” Dawn, July 29, 2011. Available at
[v] “Treasury Says Iran Is Aiding Al Qaeda,” NYT, July 29, 2011. Available at
[vi] “Michael Leiter, at Aspen Forum, Says Al Qaeda Is Still a Threat,” NYT, July 28, 2011. Available at
[vii] “Mumbai gunman Qasab appeals against death penalty,” BBC, July 29, 2011. Available at
[viii] “Nine militants, six Lashkar men killed in Kurram,” The News, July 29, 2011. Available at
[ix] “War against the Taliban: Govt tramples on civil rights in tribal areas,” ET, July 29, 2011. Available at
[x] “Three more killed in Karachi firing incidents,” Geo, July 29, 2011. Available at
[xi] “Balochistan unrest: NATO container attacked in Mach,” ET, July 29, 2011. Available at
[xii] “Tablighi Jamaat centre breeding ground for extremists, says Malik,” The News, July 29, 2011. Available at
[xiii] “Tale of 2 villages a year after Pakistan’s floods,” AP, July 29, 2011. Available at
View Citations