UN report claims al Qaeda core is weakened but nodes remain persistent threat ; Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif emphasizes importance of restoring cease-fire along LoC; Indian Defense Minister directly implicates Pakistan Army in August 6 attack; Update on investigation of DI Khan jailbreak; Indian troops injure Pakistani civilian along LoC; Pakistan Air Marshal calls for preparation for “two-front war”; Suicide blast at police funeral kills approximately 38, including senior officers; Additional security personnel deployed to Karachi Cantt Station in response to threat against passenger rail; New counter-terrorism policy to be released on August 30; 14 suspects detained in connection with murder of police officials investigating June attack on Nanga Parbat base camp; Eid-ul-Fitr to be celebrated on Friday; PTI, JUI-F prepare for lawsuits against one another; Opposition leader in National Assembly calls for power-tariff protests.
United Nations Al Qaeda report
-
Analysts on the United Nations Security Council Sanctions Committee on terrorist organizations delivered a report to the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday. Their report criticizes al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri’s management abilities, noting that he “has demonstrated little capability to unify or lead al-Qaida affiliates.” The report also observes that “Al-Qaida's core has seen no revival of its fortunes over the past six months. A degraded senior leadership based in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region continues to issue statements, but demonstrates little ability to direct operations through centralised command and control.” Despite pointing out the weakness of al Qaeda’s core leadership in Pakistan, the report cautions that regional affiliates—particularly al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula—remain a persistent threat.[1]
LOC Disputes
-
During a meeting at the Foreign Office on Thursday with senior officials, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif emphasized the importance of using Pakistani and Indian direct military channels to avoid further escalation of the ongoing dispute along the Line of Control (LoC), according to the Express Tribune. In the wake of Tuesday’s ambush which killed 5 Indian soldiers, Sharif called for interacting with India, “constructively with a view to building trust and confidence.” Furthermore, Sharif emphasized the importance of restoring a cease-fire along the LoC. Sharif also noted that he is looking forward to meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the U.N. General Assembly in September, and encouraged the use of existing mechanisms to ease tensions.[2]
-
On Thursday, Indian Defense Minister A.K Antony directly blamed Pakistan for Tuesday’s ambush on Indian troops, which killed five Indian soldiers and left one wounded. According to Antony, “It is now clear that specialist troops of the Pakistan Army were involved in this attack. We all know that nothing happens from Pakistan's side of the border without the support, assistance, facilitation and often direct involvement of the Pakistan Army.”[3]
-
On Thursday according to Pakistani officials, Indian troops fired upon a male civilian along the LoC in Kashmir. The civilian was severely injured and evacuated to a hospital. Thursday’s shooting comes two days after 5 soldiers were killed by armed gunmen, who India claims were Pakistan Army soldiers.[4]
-
In a new briefing on Thursday, U.S. State Department Spokesman Jen Psaki commented on the ongoing Kashmir flare-up, noting that the U.S. hopes that India and Pakistan “will continue to take steps they have taken recently to improve their bilateral relations.” Psaki notably also refused to answer questions regarding al Qaeda head Ayman al Zawahiri’s whereabouts in Pakistan.[5]
-
Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafiq Butt announced on Wednesday that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) must prepare for a two-front war with both India and militancy within Pakistan. Butt’s statement came as he was announcing new in-air refuelling capabilities for Pakistan’s JF-17 aircraft. Butt also noted that the PAF’s ability to respond to asymmetrical warfare has improved, stating, “while we have always prepared for the traditional and ominous external threat, the new predicament did take us a while to get up to speed with, but …we did manage to learn on the job quickly and are very efficiently supporting our ground troops in all their operations against militants and terrorists.”[6]
-
On Wednesday, leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah claimed that conflict along the LoC has erupted due to the incumbent government’s “weak policies.”[7]
Quetta Bombing
-
On Thursday, a suicide attacker killed 38 people and injured approximately 50 others at the funeral procession of a local police station house officer (SHO). The SHO was killed earlier today when unidentified gunmen opened fire on his police vehicle in Alam Chowk, Quetta. The subsequent suicide attack occurred at the Police Lines mosque in Quetta, Balochistan province prior to the start of funeral prayers for the SHO. A number of policemen were in attendance, and the casualties included several senior officials: Deputy Inspector General of police Fayaz Sumbal, Deputy Superintendent of Police Headquarters Shamsuddin, and Superintendent Ali Meh.[8]
-
On Thursday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif directed Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan to complete preparations of the nation’s new counterterrorism strategy by August 30. His announcement follows today’s suicide attack in Quetta that killed more than two dozen people, including several senior police officials.[9]
Domestic
-
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party is gearing up for a legal case against Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, according to a Thursday The News report. The PTI has formed a legal committee composed of four party members to explore a defamation suit against Rehman after he labeled PTI chief Imran Khan a “jewish agent.” On Wednesday, Rehman announced that he will seek to disqualify PTI chairman Imran Khan from parliament on “moral grounds.” [10]
-
JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced on Wednesday that the JUI-F has teamed-up with the majority Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party in order to pursue its own priorities, which the PML-N has agreed to, and in particular to bring peace to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.[11]
-
According to a Thursday The News report, PTI donors in the United States have ceased fundraising activity for the party, citing a lack of transparency in the PTI’s use of the money, as well as a decline in the quality of party leadership. According to Dr. Nasrullah M. Khan, the second ranked PTI party member in the United States, “the leaders sitting in central office are a bunch of low level intelligence and have no morals.”[12]
-
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Ahmad Shah announced on Wednesday that in a response to increased power tariffs, the Pakistan Peoples Party will hold a protest in the National Assembly. Furthermore, Shah called the incumbent PML-N party “unprincipled” by allying with the Muttahida Quami Movement, which he claims is responsible for the murder of several PPP party members.[13]
Militancy
-
A representative of the Home and Tribal Affairs Department claimed on Wednesday investigators have questioned approximately 100 officials in relation to the Dera Ismail Khan prison break. They have also issued summons to a dozen senior officials for an unspecified purpose on August 12.[14]
-
According to a Geo News report on Thursday, additional security personnel – including Rangers, police officers, and intelligence officials – have deployed to Karachi Cantonment Station. Unnamed sources claim terrorist or militant groups have vowed attacks against passenger trains if extortion money remains unpaid before Eid. Bomb disposal squads are searching trains prior to their departure from the station.[15]
-
On Wednesday, the Deputy Inspector General of Police in Gilgit told Radio Pakistan that security officials detained 14 individuals in the Diamer region of Gilgit-Balistan. The suspects were arrested in connection with Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP) faction Janud-e-Hafsa’s attack on Tuesday that killed three police officials. At the time of their death, the victims were investigating the TTP’s assault on foreign tourist at the Nanga Parbat base camp in June.[16]
-
Unidentified gunmen killed a man on Wednesday in his residence in Nawa Killi, Quetta.[17]
-
The official death toll from Wednesday’s blast in Mastung, Balochistance province, has increased from two to three people. A total of 21 people sustained injuries.[18]
-
On Wednesday, unidentified gunmen killed Baloch singer Kachkol Bihar in Turbat of Kech district, Balochistan province.[19]
-
Unidentified gunmen wounded a man in the vicinity of Chakar Khan Road in Khuzdar district, Balochistan.[20]
-
An improvised explosive device (IED) inside a pressure cooker detonated outside a shop late on Tuesday night in Kohat, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. There were no casualties.[21]
-
Police officers responding to a tip located an explosives cache in the vicinity of Manshera, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province on Wednesday. The cache contained two grenades, three kilograms of explosives materials, three IEDs, detonators, and ball bearings.[22]
-
On Wednesday, a landmine exploded in Bakhshapur town,Kashmor district, Sindh province. The blast killed three people.[23]
-
Unidentified gunmen opened fire on a tribal leader and his bodyguard in the Shagai area of Mohmand agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA). The bodyguard sustained injuries but the tribal elder was unharmed. In a separate incident, another tribal elder was injured in a roadside IED blast in Wazir Killay, Mohmand agency.[24]
Eid-ul-Fitr
-
Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee Chairman Mufti Munib-ur-Rehman announced today that Eid-ul-Fitr will occur on Friday.[25]