Pakistan Security Brief - September 6, 2013

U.S. drone strike kills top Haqqani commander and al Qaeda commanders in North Waziristan; Indian and Pakistani prime ministers to meet in New York in late September; ANP leader, TTP militants among five killed in Karachi; NATO truck attacked in Peshawar; Blast at Peshawar police station wounds five; Karachi police to induct retired commandos; All Parties Conference on terrorism to be held on September 9; IMF seeks assurances of austerity measures; Gen. Kayani calls for prosperous Balochistan.

Drone Strike Kills Haqqani, al Qaeda Commanders

• A U.S. drone strike killed seven people and wounded up to three more in Dargah Mandi, North Waziristan on Friday, including a senior commander in the Haqqani Network, Sangeen Zadran, and other al Qaeda and foreign militants. Zadran was the “operational commander in Pakistan’s tribal areas for the Haqqani Network,” the “shadow governor” of Paktia province in Afghanistan and believed to be the commander responsible for previously or currently holding captive U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl. The Taliban have reportedly nominated Sangeen’s brother, Bilal, to replace him as shadow governor. A 32-year-old Egyptian al Qaeda commander and explosives expert, Zubir al Muzi, was also among the dead, as were three Jordanian and two local militants. The Pakistani foreign office condemned the drone strike as a violation of its sovereignty.[1]

Indo-Pak Relations

• According to reports on Friday, diplomatic sources say that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh are expected to meet in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting between September 26-27. Sharif is slated to speak at the UNGA on September 27 and Singh on September 28. The Prime Minister’s advisor on foreign affairs and security, Sartaj Aziz will meet Indian foreign minister Salman Khurshid in Kyrgyzstan on September 13.[2]

Militancy

• At least two people, including a local Awami National Party (ANP) leader, were killed in separate incidences of violence in Karachi on Friday. Elsewhere, Rangers personnel arrested 11 suspects in an operation in Baldia Town.[3]

• At least three TTP militants were killed in a shootout with police in the Mauripur area of Karachi on Thursday.[4]

• A NATO container truck on its way from Afghanistan was attacked with grenades near Karkhano checkpost in Peshawar on Thursday. No casualties were reported.[5]

• A blast at a police station in Peshawar on Friday injured five people, including three policemen. The bomb was reportedly planted on a motorcycle.[6]

• Unknown assailants shot at a man driving his car in the Khal area of Lower Dir district. There were no casualties reported.[7]

Karachi Unrest

• Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah agreed on a strategy to overhaul Karachi’s police force by inducting some 5,000-10,000 retired members of the Pakistan Army’s Special Services Group (SSG). Sources claim Sharif was also alarmed to learn from intelligence sources that over 6,000 alleged criminals had been hired under the previous government as paid, uniformed members of the Karachi police and working on behalf of local mafias and other criminal outfits.[8]

Taliban Talks

• An all parties conference (APC) has been scheduled by the federal government for September 9 in order to discuss its draft counterterrorism policy. The APC is expected to take a decision on whether or not to hold a dialogue with the TTP.[9]

Economy

• A delegation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is expected to arrive in Pakistan on Sunday to seek assurances that Pakistan will comply with agreed-upon conditions for the continued disbursement of a new $6.7 billion bailout package that the IMF’s board approved on Wednesday. The IMF is disbursing $547 million up front, and will release subsequent tranches following quarterly reviews of Pakistan’s performance.[10]

Domestic

• Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said on Friday during a ceremony marking Defence Day in Pakistan that the country’s defense lay in a “strong and prosperous Balochistan.” He appealed to warring tribes and disgruntled ethnic Balochis to “set aside their differences” for the prosperity of the province.[11]