National Counter-Terrorism brief released; Nawaz Sharif to ask John Kerry for drone technology; Explosion in Lahore kills 5, injures 50, motive behind blast unclear; Leaked Abbottabad Commission report details hunt for bin Laden; Suicide attack in Hangu kills 10, injures 8; IMF bailout to come with strings attached; Militants set fire to NATO containers and an oil tanker; al Qaeda, Haqqani militants among dead in July 2 drone strike; Nawaz Sharif announces the opening of a “China cell”; Sharif and Manmohan Singh to meet at the U.N.; Gunmen kill former Assistant Director of the Intelligence Bureau; MQM has ‘full confidence’ in Altaf Hussain; Mortar shells fall in South Waziristan agency; Security officials find and defuse 4 IEDs in North Waziristan agency; JUI-F alleges vote-rigging by PTI.
Counter-Terrorism Policy
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According to a Saturday report in Dawn, a brief draft of the government’s “National Counter-Terrorism and Extremism” policy, expected to be released officially on July 12 at an All Parties Conference focusing on national security, indicates that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government will adhere to the same tenets the previous Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) followed to combat terrorism. The new policy calls for dismantling, containing, preventing, educating and re-integrating extremists into Pakistan. In a diversion from PPP policy, the PML-N plan also reportedly notes that environmental causes have contributed to extremism in Pakistan, admitting the “acceptance of violence in the society; indifference of political parties to the problem; existence of terrorist sanctuaries in the country; inappropriate role of religious forces (Ulema) and international linkages.” The Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani will be present at the All Parties Conference and will brief attendees on the state of security in Pakistan. Attendees will include the four provincial chief ministers and political leaders from Pakistan’s major parties, but Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan will not be in attendance, due to his visit to the U.K. for medical treatment on Monday.[1]
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On Saturday, in response to the government’s new “National Counter-Terrorism and Extremism” policy, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman called for revisions to the PML-N approach, noting that negotiations with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are not included in the national strategy. He also stressed meaningful action, stating, “if the state wants to take administrative measures it can but shunning political option[s] means setting up the national leadership for failure.”[2]
U.S.-Pakistan Relations
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According to a Monday report in the Express Tribune, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will formally ask U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for drone technology during Kerry’s upcoming visit to Pakistan later this month. Senior officials believe that an agreement on sharing the drone technology could lead to an end to the friction between the U.S. and Pakistan on strikes; however, similar appeals have been made in the past, yielding no results.[3]
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On Monday, Al Jazeera released a leaked copy of the “Abbottobad Commission,” report investigating the death of Osama bin Laden on May 4, 2011. According to a Monday report in Dawn, the “Abbottabad Commission” report discloses details of bin Laden’s life in Pakistan between 2002 and his 2011 death. In the report, the wife of Ibrahim al Kuwaiti, who was bin Laden’s trusted courier, details bin Laden’s life on the run, including one incident when a car bin Laden was riding in was pulled over for speeding by police in Swat between 2002 and 2003, but was sent on its way without incident after police either did not recognize bin Laden, or were paid off by al Kuwaiti. Ultimately, the commission finds “gross negligence” among top officials to be a key factor behind bin Laden’s safe haven in Abbottabad, as well as in the confused response to the American raid on bin Laden’s compound. Following the raid, relations cooled between the U.S. and Pakistan, resulting in the end of strategic dialogue between the two nations. The commission also provides recommendations to prevent similar U.S. operations within Pakistan. Among other steps, the commission recommends a probe into visas given to U.S. contractors, as well as strengthening the National Security Council to speed up responses to U.S. incursions.[4]
IMF Talks
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Although the International Monetary Fund (IMF) tentatively agreed to provide a $5.3 billion bailout loan to Pakistan on Friday, the IMF also mandated the identification and punishment of tax evaders in Pakistan as a prerequisite for the disbursal of funds. According to the Express Tribune, just 800,000 of Pakistan’s 180 million citizens pay taxes currently. Pakistan will also be forced to increase its electricity tariffs between 5 and 10 percent and increase interest rates by approximately one percent. [5]
Militancy
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An explosion at a restaurant on Saturday near Old Anarkali in Lahore killed at least five people and injured 50 others. Police have since arrested 90 suspects in connection with the investigation. According to police inspectors, the attack does not bear evidence consistent with regular explosive devices; no ball bearings or pieces of metal shrapnel were packed into the bomb; however, shards of glass contained within the bomb struck customers at the restaurant, leading to several fatal wounds. The blast occurred in a high security zone, which houses government offices and has led to immediate scrutiny on security in the Punjab capital.[6]
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According to an unnamed Pakistani intelligence official, two al Qaeda militants and two Punjabi Taliban fighters were among the victims of the July 2 U.S. drone strike in North Waziristan. Mullah Akhtar Zadran of the Haqqani Network and senior al Qaeda operative Abu Saif al Jazeri were the militants identified by officials. The other 13 killed were deemed “foot soldiers.” Contrary reports, including Dawn’s Sunday report, claim that one of two alleged al Qaeda militants is actually a Haqqani commander.[7]
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A suicide bomber crashed his explosives-laden motorcycle into a vehicle in Doaba, Hangu district on Monday. The attack killed eight people and wounded ten more.[8]
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Two bomb disposal squad officials were killed on Monday in Jamalabad, Swabi, Khyber-Pakhutnkhwa when a bomb they were attempting to defuse exploded. The bomb had been planted near a boy’s middle school.[9]
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Unidentified gunmen shot and killed former Assistant Director of the Intelligence Bureau Mujahid Khan in the Sheikhabad area of Gulbahar, Peshawar, on Sunday.[10]
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Two Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant commanders, Noor Muhammad and Habib Gul, were arrested on Saturday in Charsadda district during a search operation. However, the Station House Officer of Charsaddah city denied any knowledge of the attacks.[11]
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Unidentified gunmen shot and killed one man in Takkar, Mardan District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday.[12]
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On Saturday, unidentified gunmen killed one man in Mehrdi Chowk, Malakand, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.[13]
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One man was killed and another wounded on Friday when a gunmen opened fire in Khwajaabad, near Mingora, Swat District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.[14]
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Unidentified militants launched three rockets at a police checkpoint on Friday night in the Manjikhel area of Thall sub-district , Hangu district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.[15]
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Police officials arrested one militant during a raid on Saturday in the Charbagh area of Mingora, Swat district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.[16]
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The Government Girls Primary School of Bannu, Bannu district in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, sustained structural damage in an explosion caused by unidentified militants on Saturday.[17]
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On Saturday, one policeman and four civilians were injured during an attack on a checkpoint in Torghar district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.[18]
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Unidentified individuals in Afghanistan launched at least 50 mortar shells into South Waziristan agency on Saturday. A shell falling on the town of Angoor Adda, allegedly fired by the Afghan National Army, killed one man and wounded five others.[19]
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On Sunday, security officials found and defused four improvised explosive devices along the Miram Shah-Datta Khel road near Miram Shah, North Waziristan Agency.[20]
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Yesterday, members of the Frontier Corps and Khassadar Force detained 14 individuals in Jamrud sub-district of Khyber agency. As of Monday morning, security officials had released all but one of the suspects.[21]
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On Friday, the Frontier Corps (FC) disrupted an attempted vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attack against an FC outpost in the Boya Area of North Waziristan Agency.[22]
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Unknown militants opened fire on a NATO container truck moving through Dhadar, Bolan district on Sunday. No casualties were reported in the attack, but the contents of the truck were destroyed.[23]
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Unidentified militants set fire to three NATO containers in the Western Bypass area of Quetta today. There were no casualties.[24]
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On Saturday, unknown militants opened fire on Chinese-owned oil tanker trucks in Choto, Mastung, Balochistan. No casualties were reported, but one of the tankers was destroyed in the firing.[25]
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Unidentified individuals murdered one man in Quetta on Saturday.[26]
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On Monday, officials found the body of a man likely shot to death in Ghanchi Para, Saddar Town, Karachi. In a separate incident, a mutilated corpse was recovered from the Phase II area of Defence near Karachi.[27]
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Unidentified gunmen shot and killed two people, including a police assistant sub-inspector, and wounded one more in the New Karachi area of Karachi on Monday.[28]
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Six abducted men were found on Monday, after being kidnapped from a Malir, Karachi cattle market on Sunday. Reportedly, their abductors fled, fearing a Rangers raid in the area.[29]
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Rangers detained seven individuals and confiscated an unspecified number of weapons in Karachi on Sunday.[30]
Pakistan-China Relations
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In a statement in Guangzhou, China on Sunday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced the opening of a “China cell” in the prime minister's secretariat, which will oversee the recently agreed upon 2,000 kilometer trade corridor and energy and infrastructure agreements between Pakistan and China.[31]
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On Saturday, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal described several of the economic agreements signed last week by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during his visit with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. The government of Pakistan expects trade with China to increase from $12 billion per year to approximately $20 billion.[32]
Domestic
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Sindh governor Ishratul Ibad Khan and Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah met with President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday to discuss law and order in Karachi, specifically in Lyari, which has been rocked by violence in recent weeks. On Monday, the Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court Mushir Alam directed authorities to increase judicial security throughout Karachi, calling for bulletproof vehicles for judges.[33]
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Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) leader Haider Abbas Rizvi expressed full confidence in MQM chief Altaf Hussain on Sunday, noting that the investigation of Hussain in connection with the murder of former MQM leader Imran Farooq is a “conspiracy.”[34]
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On Saturday, unnamed Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) leaders indicated that the MQM will not join the PPP in the Sindh government, after 78 percent of its activists voted against the decision during a referendum on June 20. An official decision has not been released yet.[35]
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According to a Monday report in the Express Tribune, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) has published a paper titled “Were Pakistan’s elections fair? JUI white paper on election rigging in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA),” alleging wide-spread vote rigging by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) including the disposal of JUI-F votes in drains and fields throughout Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.[36]
India-Pakistan Relations
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The government of India confirmed on Monday that Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will meet Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September, although they have yet to determine the content of the talks. Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid told reporters on Friday that he expects the new government of Pakistan to determine accountability for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, but also expressed optimism for the future of bilateral relations between India and Pakistan. It is unclear whether relations will thaw sufficiently for Singh to visit Pakistan before India’s elections in May 2014.[37]
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The prosecutor in the 2008 Mumbai bombings, Chaudhry Azhar, who took over the case following the murder of the last prosector, Chaudhry Zulfiqar in May, failed to appear in front of an Islamabad court to cross-examine casewitnesses on Saturday as well as in a Rawalpindi Anti-Terrorism Court investigating Benazir Bhutto’s murder. Azhar cited “security concerns” and is reportedly receiving death threats.[38]
Musharraf trial
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The PPP continued calls for the trial of former President Pervez Musharraf on treason charges on Saturday, the anniversary of General Zia-ul-Haq’s 1977 military coup. According to Senator Farhatullah Babar, “the message of July 5 is that no dictator must go unpunished.”[39]