Pakistan Security Brief - June 14, 2012

U.S. drone strikes kill eight militants in Miram Shah; U.S. Defense Secretary Panetta says closure of GLOCs costs $100 million per month; Pakistani senior foreign office official says absence of U.S. apology for Salala air raid main obstacle to reopening NATO supply routes; Afghan President calls on Pakistan to help bring stability to Afghanistan; Pakistani Foreign Minister meets with Danish counterpart; Pakistan’s deputy permanent representative to the UN emphasizes diplomacy and dialogue for dealing with Iran; Haqqani published article denying involvement in Memogate and stressing importance of U.S.-Pakistan relationship; Report documents decrease in suicide bomb attacks per year in Pakistan; Five people killed in Karachi; Police seize suicide vest in Mardan. 

Drone Strikes

• On Thursday morning, a U.S. drone strike killed four suspected militants in Miram Shah in North Waziristan. The drone fired two missiles at a militant compound in the Razmak Adda area of Miram Shah Bazaar, killing four “Punjabi militants,” according to a senior government official. The attack comes one day after a separate drone strike killed four suspected militants, also in Miram Shah. On Wednesday, the U.S. drone fired two missiles at a vehicle carrying the suspected militants near Isha village.[1]

NATO Supply Routes

• Speaking to the U.S. Senate Appropriations subcommittee on the FY2013 Budget Request for the Defense Department,  U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the closed Ground Lines of Communications (GLOCs) through Pakistan are costing the U.S. as much as $100 million per month as the U.S. is forced to transport supplies to Afghanistan through the Northern Distribution Network (NDN), which the Pentagon has estimated to cost between two and three times more than the GLOCs through Pakistan. Speaking at the same hearing, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein said “some civilian acceptance of the mistakes” made in the Salala incident could resolve the dispute over reopening the NATO supply lines and improve the U.S.-Pakistan relationship. U.S. Secretary of Defense Panetta said that the administration had already “expressed regret for the mistakes that were made,” but that other issues had to be resolved before the supply routes were reopened. The Defense Secretary also rejected calls for cutting military assistance to Pakistan wholesale, saying “I’d be very careful about shutting down aid to Pakistan.” Panetta instead suggested putting conditions on aid to Pakistan. [2]  

• Speaking to reporters during a weekly news briefing on Thursday, Foreign Office spokesman Muazzam Khan said the Pakistani political leadership is making efforts to improve the troubled relationship between Pakistan and the U.S. The Foreign Office spokesman added that negotiations over reopening the NATO supply routes were not stalled only due to Pakistan raising the tariff on the supply route, but rather that there were several other factors involved.[3]

• A Pakistani senior foreign office official said the absence of a U.S. apology for the Salala air raid remains the main impediment to reopening NATO supply routes to Afghanistan. Speaking to Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity, the official added that Pakistan would even be willing to drastically reduce its proposed taxes and transit fees if the U.S. “accepts full responsibility” for the incident. The official added that tariff rates are not holding the talks up and that “once the US tenders an apology, the issue of taxes and transit fees will be settled in no time.”[4]

International Relations

• Speaking at a day-long conference attended by 29 countries in Kabul on Thursday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai called on Pakistan to help bring stability to Afghanistan and fight terrorism and extremism in the region. The Afghan President requested Pakistan to provide assistance in trying to find a political resolution to the 10-year war in Afghanistan. Karzai emphasized the strong role both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia should play in establishing successful peace discussions with the Taliban.[5]  

• Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar met with Danish Foreign Minister Villy Sovndal in Islamabad on Wednesday to discuss future bilateral cooperation pertaining to economic trade and the war against terrorism. The Danish Foreign Minister praised Pakistan for the progress the country has made in regards to human rights, saying “I commend Pakistan on significant progress in both democratic reforms and strengthening of [its] human rights commitment.” Foreign Minister Khar expressed disappointment in the low volume of bilateral trade between the two countries and invited Denmark to invest in Pakistan’s struggling energy sector. The meeting between the two ministers comes as the EU parliament considered a trade agreement with Pakistan today.[6]

• President Asif Ali Zardari met with Pakistan High Commissioner to India Salman Bashir in Islamabad on Wednesday to discuss the future of Pakistan-India relations. President Zardari expressed satisfaction over the process made thus far, but emphasized a desire for an uninterruptable dialogue process that could be used to facilitate peaceful solutions to outstanding issues. The President also drew attention to the role the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Indian Trade Promotion Organisation and Trade Development Authority of Pakistan will play in strengthening Pakistan-India relations in the future.[7]

• Speaking to members of the UN Security Council on Tuesday about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Ambassador Raza Bashir Tarar, Pakistan’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, said sanctions should not be used as “an end in themselves,” but rather diplomacy and dialogue are necessary to prevent tensions from escalating.[8]

Memogate

• Writing in the opinion section of Washington Post, Hussain Haqqani, former Pakistani Ambassador to the U.S., said he had nothing to do with writing or sending the memo to U.S. Admiral Michael Mullen requesting American help to prevent a supposed Pakistani military coup. Earlier this week a judicial committee submitted its findings to the Pakistani Supreme Court concluding that Haqqani did send the memo and acted against Pakistan’s interests in doing so. In the article, Haqqani went on to say that though he did not author the secret memo, he believed that the parts of the document that suggested changes in Pakistan’s counterterrorism and nuclear policies were not treasonous, but rather were “in line with global thinking.” The former ambassador also claimed his “real crime” was “standing up for U.S.-Pakistan relations for Pakistan’s sake,” and reiterated his support for a civilian-led Pakistani government that would engages in peaceful relations with the U.S.[9]

Militancy

• The number of deadly suicide bombings per year in Pakistan has steadily decreased from its peak of 90 incidents in 2009, according to Pakistan Body Count, an online group that collects data from media reports, hospitals, and the internet. According to data collected by the group, while 2009 witnessed the largest number of deadly suicide bombings, 2010 experienced the highest casualties with 1,153 people killed in 58 suicide bombing attacks. 44 suicide bombings occurred in 2011 and the group reported that 16 suicide bombings have occurred in 2012 thus far.[10] 

• Five people were killed in a series of violent incidents across Karachi on Wednesday. Unknown gunmen riding on a motorbike killed one person and injured another near Sagheer Centre and shot dead a person associated with the People’s Amn Committee (PAC) near Cheel Chowk, Nawa Lane. Police also discovered two bodies in Sahib Dad Goth and another body near Kunwari Colony.[11]

• Unidentified gunmen killed two people in separate incidents in Karachi on Thursday, kidnapping and later killing one person in the Khadda Market area of Lyari and murdering another in Khushaal Chowk in Machar Colony.[12]

• Police in Mardan seized a suicide jacket and explosive materials from a deserted house near a police post on the outskirts of the district.[13]