Ten militants killed in two U.S. drone strikes, including top Haqqani commander; Clinton says U.S. must not abandon Pakistan; U.S. envoy meets with Pakistani leadership; Haqqani Network questions U.S. sincerity; Pakistan designates India MFN; Senate committee refuses to attend GHQ briefing; Rangers launch crime hotline to improve Karachi law and order; ANP postpones elections over security concerns; Pakistani journalist released; Security forces kill six militants; Militants attack police station in Mohmand; KP to establish emergency operation center in Peshawar; Islamabad city police foil terror attack; Two kidnapped boys escape Taliban captors; Gunmen destroy six NATO tankers; Pakistan rejects FMCT.
Drone Strikes
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A U.S. drone strike killed four militants in North Waziristan on Thursday. One of the militants, Jalil Haqqani, was a senior commander of the Haqqani Network tasked with coordinating logistical operations and maintained close ties with the group’s leader, Sirajuddin Haqqani. A separate drone strike killed another six militants in South Waziristan. The militants had reportedly been firing rockets at the U.S. base in Machadad Kot, Afghanistan.[1]
U.S.-Pakistan Relations
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On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the U.S. must not abandon its relationship with Pakistan and called on Pakistan to aid U.S. efforts to stabilize Afghanistan. Clinton added, “Pakistan has to be part of the solution or [it] will continue to be part of the problem.”[2]
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U.S. Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman met with Pakistani leaders in Islamabad on Thursday. Grossman’s visit came just two days after Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta openly acknowledged that the U.S. was waging a war against militants based in Pakistan. Reflecting on his discussion with Pakistani leadership, Grossman said, “We continue in a systematic way to identify the interests that we share with Pakistan… and find ways to act on them jointly.” In a meeting with Grossman, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani announced that the relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan must extend beyond counterterrorism cooperation. The two agreed to work toward bilateral cooperation in trade, water, power, and infrastructure. In a separate meeting, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Ashfaq Parvez Kayani discussed Pakistani security issues with Grossman. Kayani emphasized that Pakistan would not tolerate cross border attacks emanating from Afghanistan and highlighted the need for increased intelligence sharing between the U.S. and Pakistan to better combat terrorism.[3]
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On Thursday, a senior commander of the Haqqani Network announced that the U.S. was insincere in its efforts to include the Haqqani Network in peace negotiations on Afghanistan. This statement came in response to Secretary of State Clinton’s comments earlier this week suggesting that the U.S. would be open to including the Haqqani Network in peace talks. The commander further emphasized that the Haqqani Network was part of the Taliban and said, “We had rejected many such offers from the [U.S.] in the past and reject this new offer as we are not authorized to decide the future of Afghanistan.”[4]
Pakistan-India Relations
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During a meeting with lawmakers on Wednesday, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar announced that Pakistan would grant India Most Favored Nation (MFN) status, indicating that the two countries would enjoy normal trade relations following years of strained relations.[5]
Pakistani Politics
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The Senate Committee on National Security, led by Senator Raza Rabbani, refused to attend a briefing on Pakistan’s security by the General Headquarters (GHQ), noting that the committee is, as part of the National Assembly, institutionally superior to the military and cited parliamentary rules that prohibit the committee from being briefed by other organizations.[6]
Karachi Violence
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On Wednesday, the Sindh Rangers launched a crime hotline in Karachi to facilitate the apprehension of “criminals, extortionists, target killers, [and] suspicious elements.”[7]
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The Awami National Party (ANP) has postponed party elections in Sindh indefinitely after having received threats that militants may target party offices and members.[8]
FATA
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Rehmatullah Darpakhel, a Pakistani journalist who was kidnapped from Miram Shah, North Waziristan on August 11, was released on Thursday after tribal elders brokered a deal with Darpakhel’s captors. A report by World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) cited Pakistan as the most dangerous country for journalists, noting that 36 journalists have been killed in the country within the past decade.[9]
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Security forces killed six militants in an artillery attack launched on militant hideouts in Orakzai agency on Thursday.[10]
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Over a dozen militants launched a rocket attack on the Saro Kalli police station on the Mohmand border late Wednesday night. No police officers were injured in the attack and no militant casualties have been reported. In a separate incident, one child was killed and another was injured after setting off an unexploded mortar shell in Ziarat Khazena.[11]
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
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Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is working to establish a Provincial Emergency Operation Center (PEOC) in Peshawar, which will provide the province with the “latest and best structures and mechanism[s] to respond to any and all calamites,” according to KP Director General Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Shakeel Qadir.[12]
Terrorism
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A potential terrorist plot was foiled by police in Islamabad on Thursday when two suspects were arrested with heavy weapons and ammunition hidden in their vehicle.[13]
Kidnapped Boys
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Two Pakistani boys kidnapped over a month ago have escaped from their Taliban captors and returned home to Bajaur agency. Pakistani authorities believe the Taliban is still holding 23 boys in Afghanistan.[14]
NATO Tankers
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A convoy of NATO oil tankers was targeted by militants in the Shikarpur area of Sindh province on Thursday. Six tankers were destroyed after being set ablaze by gunfire. On Wednesday, police recovered two NATO oil tankers stolen by gang of criminals in Saranan, Balochistan.[15]
Fissile Material
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During a UN General Assembly meeting on Tuesday, Pakistan voiced its opposition to negotiations on the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT), citing national security concerns. Pakistan proposed an alternative treaty that would reduce existing fissile material stockpiles and ban future production due to fears that the FMCT would put Pakistan at a strategic disadvantage against countries with superior existing stockpiles.[16]