Pakistan Security Brief - November 1, 2011

Drone strike kills 4 militants in North Waziristan; New York Times investigates Haqqani Network’s relationship with Pakistan; Trilateral summit on Afghanistan’s future held in Istanbul; Zardari cites Pakistani dedication in fight against terrorism, Gilani lauds joint U.S.-Pakistan military efforts; U.S. exonerates Pakistan for 2007 killing of U.S. soldier; Three headless bodies discovered, militants blow up school; Gunmen kill FIA official; Militants kidnap doctor; Khan: 354 militants captured in Malakand this year; Police arrest eight in Karachi; BRA ambushes local pro-government militia vehicle; Pakistan asks U.S. for help with second IMF bailout; IAEA discovers Pakistan-Syria nuclear ties; Lal Masjid cleric acquitted in four charges.

Drone Strike

• A U.S. drone strike in Mir Ali, North Waziristan killed four militants on Monday, according to Pakistani intelligence officials, while another five people were injured in the strike.  Villagers in Mir Ali claimed that all of the victims were “local tribesmen.”  Meanwhile, an increase in U.S. drone strikes has resulted in calls for the Supreme Court to “take suo moto action against…[U.S.] drone attacks” in Pakistan’s tribal regions.  The Defence of Pakistan Council (DPC), which is pushing the Supreme Court for suo moto action, has also asked the court to “direct the government to compensate the heirs of 3,315 Pakistanis killed in the U.S. drone attacks.”[1]

Haqqani Network

• A New York Times article investigates the depth of the relationship between the Haqqani Network and the Pakistani government. The article speculates that far from being entrenched in remote tribal safe havens, senior members of the Haqqani Network freely travel through prominent Pakistani cities. According to the report, Khali Haqqani, an important fundraiser for the group, has long resided in Islamabad and Nasiruddin Haqqani serves as the network’s primary liaison with Pakistani intelligence.  The New York Times also claims that Pakistani military and intelligence officials view the Haqqani Network as a vital tool in preserving Pakistani interests in Afghanistan. As quoted by the New York Times, an editor with Pakistani daily The News, Mahreen Zahra-Malik, claims that despite recent American pressure against the Haqqani Network, “establishment circles have come pretty close to admitting the Haqqanis are assets.”[2]

Trilateral Summit

• Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari is set to meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai later this week ahead of the trilateral Conference on Security and Cooperation in the Heart of Asia hosted by Turkish President, Abdullah Gul, in Istanbul.  The Karzai-Zardari meeting has been regarded by political analysts as an attempt to “defuse tensions between the sides before the two-day regional conference on Afghanistan's future” and to “begin a new period of cooperation” between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s trip to the conference has been cancelled due to the death of her mother. Clinton was expected to speak to Afghanistan’s neighbors, particularly Pakistan and Iran, to “underscore” the need for both countries to respect Afghanistan’s “sovereignty and territory” and to discuss the 2014 withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country. This trip was on the eve of a revision of U.S. strategy in Afghanistan in which the U.S. has given Pakistan a “principal role” in bringing insurgent groups to the negotiating table.[3]

• While in Turkey, Zardari announced that Pakistan’s fight against terrorism had led to the death of over 36,000 Pakistanis and an economic loss of $70 billion to the country. Zardari added, “No one should question our commitment or intentions in fighting the war.”  Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani built upon Zardari’s comments by highlighting Pakistan’s support for military action against terrorists and lauding the joint military efforts of the U.S. and Pakistan in the region. Gilani also cited U.S. construction of Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs) in areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan as an important socioeconomic supplement to military action in the region.[4]

U.S.-Pakistan Relations

• The U.S. Army has officially exonerated Pakistan for the 2007 killing of U.S. Army Major Larry Bauguess.  A military report on the incident revealed that a single Pakistani militiaman had “possibly” acted alone, sparking a firefight between U.S. and Pakistani troops, and cited “little evidence to support collaboration with the Pakistani militia or military.”[5]

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

• On Monday, police discovered three headless bodies in Bannu. In a separate incident, militants blew up a school building in Adezai early Monday morning.[6]

• Unknown gunmen killed a senior Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) official in Peshawar on Monday. According to police sources, the FIA agent had been tasked with investigating human trafficking cases.[7]

• According to police officials, Dr. Said Jamal was kidnapped in Hayatabad on Monday. Several other doctors have been kidnapped from the Peshawar suburb of Hayatabad in recent months.[8]

• On Monday, Deputy Inspector General of Police Akhtar Hayat Khan announced that 354 militants had been captured in Malakand this year through the combined efforts of police and security forces. Khan also attributed the successful security operation in Swat as contributing to the collective peace in the region.[9]

Karachi Violence

• On Tuesday, police arrested eight suspects throughout Karachi, including a target killer and a police officer. According to authorities, the target killer confessed to the murders of over a dozen people and the police official was detained for his involvement in a shootout in Gulberb.[10]

• The Baloch Republican Army (BRA) ambushed a local pro-government militia vehicle killing four officers and wounding five others in Bugti.  A BRA spokesman claimed responsibility for the attack, citing the casualties. Security officials have acknowledged the incident but have not confirmed the killings.[11]

Pakistan IMF Bailout

• The Express Tribune reports that the Pakistani government has asked the U.S. to assist it in “seeking a second bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF),” a claim that has been rejected by the Pakistani government but confirmed by sources within Pakistan’s Finance Ministry.  Mark Stoh, spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, commented that the U.S. wished not to “intervene in IMF affairs,” while another U.S. government official suggested Pakistan not look to the U.S. for “special favors.”[12]

Pakistan-Syria Nuclear Ties

• The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has discovered a “previously unknown complex in Syria” that suggests ties between Abdul Qadeer Khan (AQ Khan), the “father of Pakistan’s atomic bomb,” and the Syrian government’s quest for a nuclear weapon.  According to an IAEA investigation, the al Hasakah cotton complex has “striking similarities” to uranium enrichment facilities seen in Libya, leading experts to question the extent of Syria’s “nuclear history.”[13]

Terrorism

• Judicial Magistrate Kashif Qayyum Sheikh acquitted Lal Masjid cleric, Abdul Aziz, on four of twelve charges filed against him.  Aziz faced charges of conducting inflammatory speeches, issuing fatwas against military operations, possessing illegal weapons, and kidnapping police officers.[14