New CIA station chief arrives in Islamabad; Political and military leaders push to resolve Karachi violence; India lobbies U.K. for LeT crackdown; Xinjiang attacks may not be linked to ETIM; Gilani in Saudi Arabia; Investigation of HuT in military makes little progress; Political parties voice support for Seraiki province; Bomb wounds ten soldiers in S. Waziristan; 200 total militants killed in Kurram operation; Sixteen NATO tankers torched; Three police killed in Quetta.
U.S.-Pakistan Relations
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The Express Tribune reports that a new CIA station chief has arrived in Islamabad. The last station chief left supposedly due to health reasons, though it has been rumored he had a tense relationship with the head of the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha. The previous station chief was forced to leave after a Pakistani security official allegedly leaked his identity.[i]
Karachi
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On Monday, during the 141st Corps Commanders’ Conference, the Pakistani military’s top leaders expressed that they were concerned about the security situation in Karachi. The Corps Commanders said that they “expected that the measures recently undertaken by the Government would help redress the situation.” On Friday, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) begrudgingly accepted proposals for a “deweaponization” of Karachi, as President Asif Ali Zardari invited them to rejoin the ruling coalition. The chairwoman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan told AFP that most of the victims of Karachi’s violence have been “poor and destitute.”[ii]
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
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The Express Tribune reports that India is pushing the U.K. to crack down on the activities of the LeT’s charity-wing Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD.) The British government is reportedly concerned that Pakistan has not adequately targeted groups like LeT and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ). Indian security forces killed two LeT militants, including a “divisional commander,” in Kashmir over the weekend.[iii]
China-Pakistan Relations
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Al Jazeera reports that recent acts of violence in China’s Xinjiang province may not have been related to Islamist extremism. China has blamed the East Turkistan Islamist Movement (ETIM) for the attacks and claimed the group was trained and armed in Pakistan. Since 9/11, China has linked Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang province to Islamist terrorists to justify crackdowns on the ethnic group. Al Jazeera says many experts doubt ETIM is still active.[iv]
Gilani in Jeddah
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On Sunday, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani arrived for a two-day visit in Jeddah. He will reportedly meet with King Abdullah on Monday. They are expected to discuss improving economic cooperation.[v]
Hizb-ut Tahrir (HuT)
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The investigation of the international Islamist organization Hizb-ut Tahrir’s (HuT) influence within the military has reportedly made little progress. An anonymous security official told the Express Tribune the investigation has been hindered by the organization’s international presence and ability to operate from countries in Europe where the group is not banned.[vi]
New Provinces
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Discussions continued over the weekend regarding the establishment of new provinces in Pakistan. On Friday, Prime Minister Gilani stated the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) would support proposals for the creation of a Seraiki province once the committee formed to explore the issue had set forth its recommendations. The MQM has also expressed that it would support the Seraiki province proposal in the National Assembly. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) reportedly will announce their support for the division of Pakistan’s four provinces into thirteen.[vii]
FATA
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On Monday, a bomb attack wounded ten Pakistani soldiers in Sararogha, South Waziristan. Three of the soldiers are critically wounded.[viii]
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The Associated Press reports two hundred militants have been killed in the military offensive in Kurram Agency in the past month, including four killed on Monday. A Pakistani official, Javed Ullah, says fighting has “slowed” since the beginning of Ramadan.[ix]
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
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On Saturday, a bomb exploded, destroying sixteen NATO oil tankers en-route to Afghanistan. The bomb targeted the tankers while they were parked near Peshawar. No casualties have been reported.[x]
Balochistan
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On Sunday, gunmen opened fire on a police vehicle in Quetta, killing three police officers including the Station House Officer (SHO). The gunmen have not been identified.[xi]