Pakistan Security Brief - October 24, 2011

U.S. and Pakistan discuss peace process; Levin says U.S. must sustain pressure on Pakistan over Haqqani Network; U.S. reevaluating supply routes to troops in Afghanistan; Anti-U.S. rally in Peshawar; Afghanistan to support Pakistan in event of U.S.-Pakistan war; Pakistan Army moves troops to Af-Pak border; Pakistan to train Afghan police and army; Pakistani jets ground Indian army helicopter; TTP demands Rs200 million from two Pakistan oil companies; Gilani comments on Pakistan’s UNSC win; Security forces deploy to Khyber agency; Eighty thousand Pakistanis displaced from North Waziristan; Militant activity in Swat; Chaudhry expresses concern over Balochistan law and order situation; Landmine blast kills one; Karachi police arrest 2 target killers; New IB director general appointed.

U.S.-Pakistan Relations

• While in Islamabad, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton admitted that the U.S. had met with a senior Haqqani Network leader prior to the Haqqani Network’s attacks on the U.S. Embassy and U.S. military base in Afghanistan last month, and Clinton reportedly revealed the role of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in facilitating the one-time “exploratory” meeting.  Later, Clinton expressed hope that the meeting was the first step toward dialogue for reconciliation and a “peaceful resolution” in Afghanistan.  Similarly, Clinton voiced optimism that Pakistan could “encourage” Afghanistan and Pakistan-based militants to “engage [in] the [region’s] peace process.” A senior Pakistani security official told the U.S. that the country was prepared to host negotiations with the Afghan Taliban but warned that Pakistan “must not be blamed” if the negotiations resulted in failure.  Meanwhile, the U.S. and Pakistan reportedly agreed upon a “blueprint” for the “reconciliation process in Afghanistan” and Clinton praised Pakistan’s cooperation and commitment to the U.S.-led war on terror.[1]

• On Saturday, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin argued that the U.S. must be prepared to sever all ties with Pakistan if it continued to remain soft on the Haqqani Network.  Levin also maintained the U.S. right to unilateral action against Pakistan-based militants attacking U.S. forces in Afghanistan.  Levin further called for the U.S. to designate the Haqqani Network as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). Meanwhile, during meetings with high-level Pakistani officials in Pakistan, Clinton excused Pakistan from launching a military operation in its tribal regions, saying there were “different ways of fighting [militants] besides overt military action.” Moreover, Clinton encouraged Pakistan to “take advantage” of the current U.S. and NATO troop presence in Afghanistan “while it’s still there.”[2]

• A senior U.S. State Department official reported that the U.S. is moving toward routing non-essential supplies to U.S. military in Afghanistan through Central Asia and Uzbekistan instead of Pakistan, given current U.S.-Pakistan relations, in the event Pakistan decided to restrict or close its supply routes.[3]

• During an anti-U.S. protest attended by 1,500 activists in Peshawar on Sunday, former Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad said that JI would “strongly oppose any changes made by the [Pakistani] government in its foreign policy” toward the U.S.[4]

Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations

• During a Saturday meeting with Geo News, a Pakistani TV station, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said that Afghanistan would support its “brother” Pakistan in the event of a war between the U.S. and Pakistan or India and Pakistan and called on Pakistan to work with Afghanistan toward regional “peace and harmony.”  Karzai also encouraged Pakistan to conduct peace talks with the Taliban and the Haqqani Network, which he said he believed were based in Pakistan.  Later, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani applauded Pakistan’s role in international relations, noting “Karzai’s unconditional support to Pakistan against foreign aggression,” among other things, as a testament Pakistan’s successful and effective foreign policy.[5]

• On Friday, Dir Operation Commander Brigadier Saqib Rashid revealed that 10 Pakistan Army units had been deployed to Barawal tehsil, Upper Dir, which is along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, and claimed that Barawal had been “cleared of insurgents” in a search operation which killed 70 militants and resulted in the arrest of hundreds of suspected militants.  Rashid also noted that 172 people, including security forces, had been killed and another 478 had been wounded “during incidents of insurgency” in the region. Rashid also announced that the Pakistan Army had established security check points along the border in Dir in an effort to prevent militants from entering Pakistan.[6]

• On Friday, Prime Minister Gilani announced that “Pakistan was ready to train the Afghan army, police, and administration” following the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in 2014, adding that regional peace could not be complete with “peace in Afghanistan.” On Saturday, Punjab Assembly member Shabina Riaz reiterated Pakistan’s hope for regional stability, suggesting that a “stable and peaceful Afghanistan” would benefit Pakistani interests.[7]

Pakistan-India Relations

• On Sunday, Pakistan Air Force jets forced the landing of an Indian army helicopter that had strayed “deep into [Pakistani] air space” near the Line of Control (LOC), a de facto border that divides the Kashmir region.  Pakistan Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas announced that four Indian army officers had been taken into custody, while the Indian army affirmed there had been no intentional intrusion into Pakistani airspace, citing “whiteout” snow storm conditions as the cause of the incident.  Later, Pakistan released the Indian officers, averting a “potential military and diplomatic crisis” between the two nuclear-armed nations, according to The New York Times.[8]

Pakistani Taliban

• The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), led by commander Hakimullah Mehsud, has “threatened to attack installations of Pakistan State Oil (PSO) and Shell Pakistan” if the oil companies fail to pay the TTP Rs 200 million in “extortion money” within the next 20 days. The TTP claimed that it had not threatened to attack companies providing oil to NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, as security officials had previously reported.[9]

Pakistan’s UNSC Seat

• After winning a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Friday, Prime Minister Gilani called Pakistan’s victory a “resurgence of [the country’s] diplomatic image in the world body” and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to world peace.[10]

FATA

• On Friday, security forces armed with “tanks and artillery” entered the Bara sub-district of Khyber agency to launch an offensive against the region’s militancy.  Security forces were also deployed to the “boundary between Peshawar and Khyber agency” in an attempt to deter militants from entering Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in as a result of the military operation. On Saturday, security forces destroyed over 40 homes and the regional headquarters of militant group Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) in Bara sub-district and arrested 30 suspects.  Officials reported that thousands of residents of Bara sub-district were ordered to leave “ahead of the military operation [on Saturday] so as to minimize collateral damage” and were destined for the Jalozai Camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).[11] 

• The Express Tribune reports that over 80,000 Pakistanis have been displaced from their homes in North Waziristan due mainly to militant activity and fears of U.S. drone strikes.  Meanwhile, over 980,000 Pakistanis, including those from North Waziristan, remain internally displaced.[12]

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

• Security officials bolstered security in Swat district on Friday following “reports about the entry of suicide bombers in Charbagh and Khwazakhela [sub-districts].”  Meanwhile, police arrested two suspected militants in the Kabal sub-district of Swat.[13] 

Balochistan

• On Friday, Pakistan’s Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry voiced concern “over the recovery of decomposed bodies from Balochistan” and the government’s failure to ensure law and order in the province.  Chaudhry said that a Supreme Court bench would be convened to “resolve the issue of enforced disappearances and restoration of peace in Balochistan.”

• One man was killed and two others were injured on Sunday when a landmine exploded in Dera Bugti district.[14]

Karachi Violence  

• On Sunday, Karachi police arrested two suspected target killers and seized a small cache of weapons.  One of the suspects was wanted for his involvement in 236 murder cases.[15]

Police

• Pakistan has appointed Aftab Sultan as the “new director general (DG) of the Intelligence Bureau (IB),” at the recommendation of Prime Minister Gilani.[16]