Mamnoon Hussain elected 12th President of Pakistan, PPP and ANP boycott elections; Over 250 prisoners, including at least 20 suspected militants, escape from the Central Prison of Dera Ismail Khan, at least 10 killed in assault; Kerry’s visit to Pakistan may revive “strategic dialogue”; Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif discusses energy investment with China; Sharif to visit Karachi on Thursday; Information Minister claims energy, terrorism remain Pakistan’s largest obstacles; Musharraf’s assets restored; Protests in Bannu over load-shedding; Police kill four militants in Quetta; IED kills two in Peshawar; Nine killed in Karachi.
Presidential Elections
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On Tuesday, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Mamnoon Hussain was elected President of Pakistan, securing a commanding 433 of 674 Electoral College votes from the National and Provincial assemblies. Hussain’s closest challenger, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf candidate Justice Wajihuddin Ahmed received 78 votes. As expected, Raza Rabbani, the Pakistan Peoples Party candidate, followed through on his pledge to boycott the elections, citing the change in election date. Along with the PPP, the Awami National Party decided to boycott the elections. Hussain had served briefly as Governor of Sindh in 1999 before Pervez Musharraf’s coup. Hussain will take his oath of office on September 8, when incumbent President Asif Ali Zardari’s term expires. Zardari , who had been out of town in the days leading up to the election, returned to Pakistan late Monday night before the elections. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif criticized the PPP’s decision to boycott the elections, noting that no political party boycotted the May 11 elections, and calling the change of date a “flimsy reason” to do so.[1]
Prison Break
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Hundreds of prisoners, including dozens of known militants, flooded out of the central prison in Dera Ismail Khan on Monday, following a brazen attack by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants on the facility. According to the Dera Ismail Khan Police Commissioner, at least 243 prisoners escaped, 30 of whom are militants. At least four policeman and five militants were killed in the assault. Using small arms, as well as mortars, hand grenades and rocket propelled grenades, over 150 militants attacked the prison late on Monday evening, killing the guards and using explosives to free the inmates. The attack closely resembles an April 14, 2012 jailbreak in Bannu, in which 400 prisoners escaped. The Bannu attack was intended to release Adnan Rashid, who was apprehended for involvement in a plot to assassinate former President Pervez Musharraf. According to a Tuesday BBC report, intelligence agencies had been aware of a possible attack on the Dera Ismail Khan prison for two weeks, and labeled the success of the prison break, “a huge embarrassment for authorities.” Furthermore, according to the Express Tribune, guards at the prison were inadequately armed, and understaffed. Police back up arrived four hours late to the prison. Chief Minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattack has termed the attack “a failure of intelligence agencies.”In a statement on Tuesday, TTP Spokesman Shahidullah Shahid claimed responsibility for the attack, claiming that around 300 prisoners were released in the attack.[2]
U.S.-Pakistan Relations
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According to a Thursday report in the Wall Street Journal, Secretary of State John Kerry’s upcoming visit to Pakistan, expected to occur within the next two weeks, may lead to a resumption of the “strategic dialogue” between the two nations, which was cut off in 2011 following the Abbottabad raid. With the drawdown in Afghanistan and rocky relations between the U.S. and Pakistan, a State Department spokesman noted, “the relationship, in future, will be more realistic and sober, which will not leave both parties disillusioned.”[3]
U.S.-China Relations
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On Monday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met in Lahore with a delegation of Chinese investors. During the meeting Sharif, along with his brother Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, encouraged the members to invest heavily in Pakistan’s energy sector.[4]
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During a meeting with Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar thanked China's leadership for its role in the recently approved Gwadar economic corridor, and spoke with Weidong about the particulars of the project.[5]
Domestic
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According to a Tuesday Express Tribune report, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is scheduled to visit Karachi on August 1. Sharif is expected to meet with the Sindh Governor and Ishratul Ebad Khan and Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah.[6]
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In celebration of Ramadan, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will travel to Saudi Arabia next Thursday and meet with King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz before he visits Mecca and Medina.[7]
Musharraf Treason Charges
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On Tuesday, the Anti-Terrorism Court of Rawalpindi ordered the release and restoration of all of former President Pervez Musharraf’s assets and bank accounts. Musharraf will be indicted on August 6.[8]
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A Balochistan High Court on Tuesday heard former President Pervez Musharraf’s bail request in the Akbar Bugti murder charges and turned it down.[9]
Energy Crisis
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In an interview on Tuesday, Minister for Information Parvaiz Rashid declared that combating Pakistan’s energy crisis, as well as maintaining peace and stability in the face of terrorism, is the two largest obstacles which face Pakistan today.[10]
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According to a Tuesday report in The News, Pakistan’s Petroleum Industry, which is in the midst of a multi-billion dollar deal with Qatar’s LNG company, was offered a trade deal with approximately 40 percent higher benefits by the American United LNG company in December 2012, but due to miscommunications, never became fully aware of the deal or pursued it further.[11]
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Protests continued in Bannu, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in anger over the imposed load-shedding protocols enforced throughout the district. Protestors damaged Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) property and set vehicles on fire, in addition to firing weapons into the air.[12]
Militancy
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During a raid in Quetta on Tuesday, police shot and killed four suspected militants, while two security officials were wounded in the operations. Police also recovered a large cache of small arms during the raid.[13]
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Lahore police conducted raids on alleged criminals on Bedian Road, Lahore on Tuesday, shooting and killing five men, while sustaining no casualties. The deceased were reportedly involved in the 2008 killing of an MPA candidate in Lahore, as well as several other murders.[14]
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In Koza Bandai, Swat district on Monday, two militants were shot and killed, while another militant was wounded during firefights between the police and militant groups in the region. Curfew has been imposed in the area.[15]
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An improvised explosive device (IED) detonated in Peshawar on Tuesday near a shop, killing one person and injuring another.[16]
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A blast in a warehouse in Peshawar caused the roof of the structure to collapse on Tuesday, killing the two people inside.[17]
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In court in Karachi on Monday, witnesses identified four Lashkar-e-Jhangvi members in connection with the killing of Muttahida Quami Movement MPA Sajjid Qureshi. Qureshi and his son were shot and killed in North Nazimabad on June 20. The militants were captured on July 11 in Kunwari Colony.[18]
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Nine people were killed throughout Karachi on Monday in separate shooting incidents. The head constable of a post in Muzaffarabad Colony was shot and killed by men on motorcycles, while raids conducted in Peerabad killed a suspected TTP militant, and wounded another. The TTP militant reportedly worked for the TTP’s target killing group. Another man was shot outside his home near Jauharabad. A labourer was shot and killed at a bus station near Jamshed Quarters, while a police informant was shot and killed in Orangi town. Another man was shot in Mauripur, while a reported party activist was killed in Saeedabad. Two bodies were recovered near Hub River Road.[19]
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In Mufazarrabad colony, Karachi on Tuesday, Rangers personnel arrested six suspected militants during a raid. Officials believe the suspects were planning an attack in Landhi; the Rangers officials found two suicide vests and hand grenades in the searches.[20]
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17 people were arrested in search operations in Khuga Khel, Khyber agency on Sunday after Frontiers Corps members conducted raids in the area.[21]
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On Tuesday, police released pictures of the suicide bomber responsible for Friday’s Parachinar bombings and offered Rs 500,000 ($5000) in reward for information on the man. The attacks, which took place near a Shia mosque, killed at least 57 people and wounded over a 100 more.[22]