Mullen denies being asked to help topple army chief; U.S. confident of Pakistan’s ability to handle nuclear weapons; Gilani and Singh hold talks, Gilani urges strengthening of SAARC; Pakistan will not “backtrack” on granting India MFN status; Malik calls for hanging of sole-surviving Mumbai terrorist; Two dead after battle between militants and security forces in Miram Shah; Six dead in firefight between militants and local militia in Khyber agency; Women and children rally for missing persons in Quetta; Heightened security measures implemented in Peshawar for Eid-ul-Azha, nine killed in Lahore; Sindh province to revert to commissioner system; Truckers decry police and customs corruption.
U.S.-Pakistan Relations
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On Wednesday, former U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen officially denied receiving a letter from President Asif Ali Zardari via Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz. Zardari’s letter, which Ijaz claims was hand-delivered to Mullen, reportedly called on the U.S. to save the government from a possible military coup and asked for U.S. assistance in “removing the army and ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) chiefs” in exchange for Pakistan’s cooperation against militant groups.[1]
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On Wednesday, U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner reiterated a statement made by the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad on Monday expressing confidence in Pakistan’s ability to defend its nuclear arsenal.[2]
Pakistan-India Relations
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On Thursday, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met with Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani during a summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to discuss a continued cooling of tensions between the two countries. The two leaders covered issues ranging from border disagreements, terrorism, bilateral trade, and the contentious Kashmir region. Following the talks, Singh announced that the two nations had a “unique opportunity” to improve their relations. Also at the SAARC summit, Gilani called for the consolidation and vitalization of SAARC activities in the region. Gilani said, “We must enable SAARC to capture the imagination of our peoples and contribute to creating strong mutually beneficial bonds as this alone will assure a glorious future of peace and prosperity.”[3]
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While in the Maldives on Wednesday, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said that Pakistan would not “backtrack” on its recent decision to grant India Most Favored Nation (MFN) status.[4]
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On Thursday, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik called for the hanging of the sole-surviving terrorist from the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Ajmal Kasab, saying, “Kasab is a terrorist. He is a non-state actor. He should go to gallows.”[5]
FATA
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A man and young girl were killed as the result of a battle between militants and security forces in Miram Shah, North Waziristan on Thursday. In the 16-hour exchange, security forces backed by helicopter gunships and artillery fire targeted militants on rooftops and hidden in houses throughout the city. The security force’s artillery fire targeted the city’s Medical Complex Plaza destroying nearly 50 medical shops and a large part of the hospital. In a separate incident, five people were injured in Frontier Region Kohat when their vehicle struck a roadside explosive device. Also, police exchanged fire with armed motorists in Lakki Marwat; one of the gunmen was apprehended.[6]
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On Thursday, four members of a pro-government militia and two militants were killed in a firefight in Khyber agency. According to a local official, the incident occurred when over 30 Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) militants attacked a local militia patrol. Speaking of the incident, one resident said, “the militants beheaded one of the peace committee’s (militia) members and took away the head.”[7]
Balochistan
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Women and children gathered in Quetta on the first day of the Eid-ul-Azha holiday to “protest the abduction and disappearance of hundreds of Baloch.” The rally was orchestrated by the group Voice For Baloch Missing Persons (VFBMP) and called for an end to forced disappearances in the province.[8]
Eid-ul-Azha
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Strict security measures were implemented for the celebration of Eid-ul-Azha in Peshawar. According to police officials, check points were established throughout the city and over 7,000 policemen were mobilized in anticipation of violence.[9]
Sindh
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On Thursday, the Sindh government announced that it would return to a “local bodies system” of governance last used in 1979. This system is expected to “temporarily end [Sindh’s] administrative crisis” between the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and will place power into five districts until “a mutually acceptable local government system in Sindh” is agreed upon.[10]
Corruption Charges
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The Pak-Afghan Transport Owners Association President, Mohammad Noor Khan, has alleged that truckers “supplying goods to Afghanistan” are habitually victims of extortion by police and customs agents. Khan claims that truckers are given no option but to pay the extortion fee and has demanded that the governor of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa “take notice of the situation and injustices.”[11]