Carney: U.S. safer due to Pakistan’s counterterrorism cooperation; Pakistan reaches out to U.S. on 9/11; Afghan refugees in Pakistan worry they will not be able to return home; Aspiring terrorist en route to Pakistan arrested in New York City; Decrease in suicide bombings in Pakistan; U.S. drone strike kills five in North Waziristan; Pakistan seals its border with Afghanistan, announces that militants have moved to Quetta; Americans kidnapped in Quetta; Police arrest terrorists in Peshawar; Indian Mujahideen to blame for New Delhi bombing; Political accusations against the ANP; Musharraf pledges to return to Pakistan; Chief Justice argues for democracy; Interior Minister claims external elements to blame for Pakistan’s violence; Restoring peace in Karachi government is “top priority”; Over 200 arrested in Karachi; One killed in renewed Karachi violence; Pakistan restricts activities of Dawat-e-Islami; Leads on Taseer kidnapping; Flooding in Sindh devastates region.

Decade-Long War on Terror

  • President Obama’s press secretary, Jay Carney, stated on Saturday evening that the U.S. is a safer place post-9/11 due to the counterterrorism support it has received from Pakistan.  Carney also acknowledged the struggles that Pakistanis have faced in regard to al Qaeda.  He noted that Pakistanis have paid a heavy price as they have been constant victims of terrorism.[1]

  • Pakistan reportedly made attempts to publish an ad in The New York Times which listed the number of Pakistanis killed during the U.S. war on terror.  Pakistan placed the figure of civilians killed at over 21,000, while noting that the Pakistan Army had lost an additional 2,795 troops.  Pakistan was unable to publish the ad in the Times and instead had the ad placed in The Wall Street Journal.  The ad maintained Pakistan’s commitment to the “war for world peace” while highlighting the sacrifices the country has made during its campaign against terrorism.[2]

  • Instability in Afghanistan has caused millions of Afghans to cross the border into Pakistan over the past three decades, and many refugees fear that the withdrawal of U.S. troops will cause further instability, according to a report by Reuters.  They also fear that the Taliban will once again gain control of their country, limiting refugees’ opportunities to return home and participate in Afghanistan’s reconstruction.   The majority of Afghan refugees are victims of discrimination in Pakistan, and Pakistan has only agreed to allow Afghans to remain in country until the end of 2012, raising questions as to how Pakistan will deal with Afghan refugees after 2012.[3]

  • An Albanian citizen was arrested in New York City on Friday prior to boarding a flight to Turkey.  The man was allegedly traveling to Pakistan and is being charged with “providing material support to a terrorist organization by plotting to travel to Pakistan to join a radical fighting group.”[4]

  • A report by The News revealed the number of Pakistanis killed in suicide bombing and attacks in the decade since September 11, 2001.  The death toll was estimated at 4,808, the result of over 303 suicide attacks, which injured an additional 10,149 people.  Despite these high figures, data concludes that suicide bombings are declining inside Pakistan.[5] 

North Waziristan Drone Strike

Quetta

Peshawar

  • The police were on high-alert around the tenth anniversary of 9/11 as rumors spread that terrorists may attempt attacks on Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).  Police were able to prevent the detonation of 15 kilograms of explosives on the Grand Trunk Road on Friday and arrested four suspected terrorists in Peshawar for their involvement in an attack on police.[9]

New Delhi Bombing

  • After investigating a Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HuJI) e-mail claim of responsibility for last week’s deadly bombing of a New Delhi court, Indian officials have announced that they now believe the Indian Mujahedeen is to blame for the attack.  Indian authorities were careful not to immediately charge HuJI, a Pakistan-based militant group, with the bombing.[10]

Pakistani Politics

Karachi Violence

  • In a press conference, Malik addressed the accusations of Zulfiqar Mirza, a Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) politician.  Mirza had accused Malik of releasing Karachi “target killers,” but Malik denied the statement, calling all of his actions “transparent and without discrimination.” Malik also met with Governor Sindh Ishratul Ebad, pledging that security operations between police and the Rangers would continue until peace was fully restored in Karachi.  Ebad articulated to Malik that restoring peace in Karachi should be the government’s top priority as Pakistan’s economy relied upon it.[15]

  • Over 200 suspects were arrested in Karachi on Sunday, along with hundreds of weapons, as Rangers conducted a 12 hour search operation.  Among the 200 people detained for questioning were two alleged “target killers” and eight “most wanted criminals.”  The Rangers also carried out a search operation in Karachi on Saturday in which they arrested six suspects and confiscated several arms from the Alfalah Society.[16]

  • Violence resumed on Saturday in Karachi, as one man was killed and two others injured when armed men gunned them down.  Police are currently investigating the incident.[17]

Islamist Group Banned

  • Following an investigation into the assassination of former Punjab Governor Salmaan Tasser, the proselytizing organization Dawat-e-Islami has been restricted by the Pakistani government. Dawat-e-Islami was previously believed to have been an apolitical religious organization; however, it was discovered that a member of the group was responsible for Taseer’s assassination, causing Pakistani intelligence agencies to place the group on close watch.  The military has been examining Dawat-e-Islami’s movements and has found that elements of Pakistan’s armed forces are closely related to the group and have been providing it financial support.[18]

Taseer Kidnapping

Flooding in Sindh



View Citations
[1] “US safer because of Pak support,” Nation, September 11, 2011. Available at
[2] Haider, Masood and Iqbal, Anwar. “Pakistan reaches out to US on 9/11 anniversary,” Dawn, September 11, 2011. Available at http://www.dawn.com/2011/09/11/pakistan-reaches-out-to-us-on-911-anniversary.html
[3] Conway, Rebecca and Nauman, Qasim. “Decade after 9/11, Afghans languish in Pakistan,” Reuters, September 11, 2011. Available at http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/11/us-sept11-pakistan-refugees-idUSTRE78A0BM20110911
[4] “Albanian charged in plot to join Pakistani group,” Dawn, September 9, 2011. Available at http://www.dawn.com/2011/09/09/albanian-charged-in-plot-to-join-pakistani-group.html
[5] Mir, Amir. “Ten years after 9/11: suicide attacks declining in Pakistan,” The News, September 12, 2011. Available at http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=67173&Cat=2
[6] “Five killed in NWA drone attack,” The News, September 12, 2011. Available at http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=8733&Cat=13
[7] Baloch, Shehzad. “‘Taliban moving to Quetta from FATA’,” Express Tribune, September 11, 2011. Available at
[9] “Four ‘terrorists’ held in Peshawar,” The News, September 10, 2011. Available at http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=66898&Cat=2
[10] Majumder, Sanjoy. “Delhi bomb: Indian group 'may be behind' court attack,” BBC, September 9, 2011. Available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14849681
[11]“US provided ANP funds during 2008 elections: Altaf Hussain,” Geo, September 9, 2011. Available at http://geo.tv/9-9-2011/86004.htm
 “ANP may quit if MQM rejoins govt, says Iftikhar,” The News, September 11, 2011. Available at http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=67145&Cat=7
“MQM accuses ANP of being a terrorist outfit,” Geo, September 11, 2011. Available at http://geo.tv/9-11-2011/86086.htm
[12] “Musharraf vows return to Pakistan,” BBC, September 9, 2011. Available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14857454
Manan, Abdul. “New alignment: PPP in secret talks with Musharraf’s party,” Express Tribune, September 12, 2011. Available at http://tribune.com.pk/story/250575/new-alignment-ppp-in-secret-talks-with-musharrafs-party/
[13] “Democracy essential for writ of law: CJP,” Geo, September 9, 2011. Available at http://geo.tv/9-9-2011/86002.htm
[14] “Foreign elements planning to destabilise country: Malik,” Dawn, September 10, 2011. Available at http://www.dawn.com/2011/09/10/peace-restored-in-rural-balochistan-claims-malik.html
[15] “Malik denies releasing target killers,” Geo, September 12, 2011. Available at http://geo.tv/9-12-2011/86124.htm
“Malik, Ebad meet, discuss Karachi security,” Dawn, September 12, 2011. Available at http://www.dawn.com/2011/09/12/malik-ebad-meet-discuss-karachi-security.html
[16] “Rangers operation: Over 200 suspects arrested in Karachi, arms recovered,” Express Tribune, September 11, 2011. Available at http://tribune.com.pk/story/249952/search-operation-in-karachi-continues-several-more-suspects-arrested/
“Six held in Rangers search operation in Karachi,” Dawn, September 10, 2011. Available at http://www.dawn.com/2011/09/10/six-held-in-rangers-search-operation-in-karachi.html
[17]  “1 killed, 2 hurt in Karachi firing incidents,” Geo, September 10, 2011. Available at http://geo.tv/9-10-2011/86020.htm
[18] Yousaf, Kamran. “Dawat-e-Islami comes under military’s radar,” Express Tribune, September 12, 2011. Available at http://tribune.com.pk/story/250572/clamping-down-dawat-e-islami-comes-under-militarys-radar/
[19] “Five held in connection with Shahbaz Taseer kidnapping,” Geo, September 10, 2011. Available at http://geo.tv/9-10-2011/86041.htm
[20] “Gilani in Tehran: Iran to give $100 million for flood affected in Sindh,” Express Tribune, September 11, 2011. Available at http://tribune.com.pk/story/250295/gilani-in-tehran-iran-to-give-100-million-for-flood-affected-in-sindh/
“Monsoon rains affect millions of people, UN launches humanitarian response,” United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, September 11, 2011. Available at http://reliefweb.int/node/445979