Two U.S. drone strikes kill suspected militants in North Waziristan agency; VBIED explodes in Peshawar market; Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif meets with Indian Prime Minister in New York, agree to restore LoC ceasefire; Indian Prime Minister tells American President that Pakistan is the “epicenter” of terrorism; India’s Modi promises hard line against Pakistan if elected Prime Minister; TTP says Prime Minister does not have sufficient authority to meet TTP preconditions for engaging in peace talks; Prime Minister’s Adviser on National Security and Foreign Affairs rejects call for establishment of TTP office; Mohmand agency chief demands redrafting of the Constitution prior to dialogue; Prime Minister vows to raise issue of drone strikes during October 23 meeting with U.S. President; Pakistan will likely not complete its portion of Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline by the end of 2014; TTP commander killed by rival Wali-ur-Rehman group militants in Karachi.
Drone Strikes
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A U.S. drone strike in the Mohammad Khel village of Datta Khel sub-district in North Waziristan agency on Monday killed three people, although Pakistani intelligence officials claim as many as four militants may have died. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned the strike.[1]
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On Sunday, a U.S. drone strike killed six suspected militants and injured three others in the Dargah Mandi area of Ghulam Khan sub-district in North Waziristan agency. An unnamed security official told the Express Tribune that the militants were members of the Punjabi Taliban’s Qari Abbas faction.[2]
Peshawar Blast and Fallout
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On Sunday morning, a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) exploded in the Qissa Khawani Bazaar in Peshawar, killing 42 people and wounding approximately 107 more. According to a Monday report in the Express Tribune, the initial investigation has concluded the marketplace – rather than a nearby police installation – was the primary target of the blast. It is the third major attack in Peshawar in the span of a week. According to a Monday report in The News, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesperson Shahidullah Shahid denied any TTP involvement in the attacks.[3]
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Inspector General of Police Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Nasir Durrani announced on Monday that the provincial government has approved a targeted operation in Peshawar to clear public areas with police dogs and Bomb Disposal Units. No further details were immediately available, but the operation is expected to begin soon.[4]
Indo-Pakistan Relations
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On September 29, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New York. Prior to the meeting, a senior Indian official remarked that, given the poor state of bilateral relations, merely holding the event would be a considerable success. Despite these low expectations, the conversation was reportedly amicable and productive. Sharif and Singh agreed to direct their nations’ Directors General of Military Operations (DGMO) to restore the ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control. Each Prime Minister also extended a formal invitation for the other to visit, although the dates of these visits have not yet been determined. Singh agreed to look into allegations of Indian-incitement of unrest in Balochistan and Sharif expressed willingness to address India’s concerns regarding terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed.[5]
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During a visit to the White House on Friday, ahead of his scheduled meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told U.S. President Barack Obama that Pakistan remains an “epicenter of terrorist activity.” Singh remarked that expectations for bilateral negotiations would necessarily be “toned down” due to terrorism concerns.[6]
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Narendra Modi, the prime ministerial candidate for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the main opposition party in India, said on Sunday that, if he wins next year’s elections, he will take a stronger stance against Pakistan than the current Congress-led government.[7]
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Pakistan’s Press Information Department issued a statement by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Sunday criticizing remarks made by Indian Minister for External Affairs Salman Khurshid. During a press interview prior to the meeting between Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and Manmohan Singh in New York on Sunday, Khurshid claimed that the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence and the Pakistan Army are undermining the PML-N government’s peace initiatives.[8]
Talks with the TTP
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TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid told the press from an undisclosed location on Sunday that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s appeal to the United Nations to halt U.S. drone strikes and the imposition of preconditions for talks with the TTP demonstrates that he has no authority to initiate a peace dialogue. Shahid claimed only the United States government or the Pakistani military have sufficient authority. Shahid demanded that the PML-N demonstrate its authority by withdrawing forces from the tribal regions, halting drone strikes, and releasing accused militants before the TTP will engage in peace talks.[9]
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The Prime Minister’s Adviser on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz told the press on Monday that the TTP does not require an office for negotiations because the government intends to host the dialogue within Pakistan. During a press conference on Saturday, PTI chairman Imran Khan reiterated his recommendation that the government should declare a ceasefire and open an office for the TTP.[10]
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On Friday, TTP Mohmand agency chief Umar Khalid Khurasani released a statement in which he demanded the redrafting of the Pakistani Constitution prior to the commencement of peace talks. Khurasani reiterated his allegiance to TTP leader Hakimullah Mehsud but vowed that his faction would break with any TTP commander who participates in dialogue with the government.[11]
U.S.-Pakistan Relations
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Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Saturday that he would discuss the issue of drone strikes during his meeting with U.S President Barack Obama on October 23.[12]
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Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif addressed the Pakistani community in New York on Saturday. His speech emphasized the economic crisis facing the government. Sharif noted that the administration struggles to appropriate scarce financial resources between increasing energy security, funding education, or repaying development loans. [13]
Iran-Pakistan Relations
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Pakistan will likely fail to meet the December 2014 deadline for the completion of its portion of a Pak-Iran gas pipeline because the government did not include funding for the project in this year’s federal budget, according to a report in The News. Citing concerns that U.S. sanctions on Iran will target its funding for the project, Pakistani officials have requested that Iran finance the entire $1.8 billion undertaking. An unnamed Petroleum Ministry official also claimed the government has delayed the project in order to negotiate lower prices with its Iranian counterparts.[14]
Karachi Unrest
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Police officials detained three suspects on Sunday from Garhi Afghanan village in Wah Cantonment, Punjab province. According to the police, the men participated in targeted killings and extortion rackets in Karachi.[15]
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Unidentified gunmen killed a Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) activist in Orangi Town, Karachi, on Sunday. In a separate incident, unidentified gunmen killed a civilian in the Nazimabad area of the city.[16]
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Seven people died in violent incidents throughout Karachi on Monday.[17]
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A Bomb Disposal Squad defused an IED outside the residence of an Awami National Party leader in the Orangi Town area of Karachi on Saturday. In separate incidents, unidentified gunmen killed two people in other parts of the city.[18]
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On Monday, security officials in various parts of Karachi detained 8 suspects involved in targeted killings.[19]
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Unidentified gunmen injured Manzar Alam, the former Chairman of the Korangi Association of Trade and Ministry on Saturday in Karachi.[20]
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An explosion in the Korangi Industrial Area of Karachi killed one policeman and injured another on Saturday. The blast may have been caused by a hand grenade.[21]
Militancy
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Alleged TTP commander Hatim Mehsud and his chief operational commander for Karachi, Sher Khan Mehsud, died in a clash with members of the rival Karachi faction of the TTP’s Wali-ur-Rehman group in the Gulshan-e-Bunair area of Karachi on Friday. Security personnel conducted an operation following the incident, detaining approximately 24 suspects and some explosive materials.[22]
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Unknown militants attacked the convoy of Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Malik Baloch with rockets on Monday. No one was injured in the attack. Baloch was visiting the Awaran district of Balochistan, which was hit by last week’s earthquake.[23]
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Baloch militants clashed with a Frontier Corps (FC) convoy on Saturday in the Prome area of Panjgur district, Balochistan, leaving five militants and four FC personnel dead.[24]
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On Sunday, police officials in Karachi detained former Station House Officer (SHO) Baghadai Javed Baloch in connection with the torture and murder of notorious Lyari gang leader Arshad Pappu.[25]
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On Sunday, officials recovered a mutilated corpse in Balakot, within the Mansehra district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.[26]
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On Saturday, unidentified assailants killed a Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) council leader inside a mosque in Karak, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.[27]
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On Friday, security officials recovered a grenade from along the Bannu-Kohat road in Bannu district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.[28]
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A rocket shell was discovered and defused by a bomb disposal unit in the Baliamina area of Hangu district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.[29]
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An alleged terrorist was arrested by police after an exchange of gunfire in Nowshera, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The man, who is reportedly from Afghanistan, resisted arrested and was injured by police in the resulting shootout.[30]
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Four bodies, including those of three children, were discovered in Dargai sub-district, Malakand district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday. The reason for the killing is unclear.[31]
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A government employee who had been kidnapped last month in Hayatabad, Peshawar district, Khyber-Pakhutnkhwa, was released by his unidentified captors on Saturday.[32]
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Police detained a “suspicious man” outside LeT founder Hafiz Muhamamd Saeed’s residence in Johar Town, Lahore, on Sunday. No additional information was immediately available.[33]
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Four unidentified gunmen killed a woman in Mughalpura, Lahore district, Punjab on Saturday.[34]
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Unidentified gunmen killed two people on Sunday, a man and his driver, in Batapur, Lahore district, Punjab.[35]
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Unidentified gunmen killed a woman at a hospital in Quetta on Friday.[36]
Domestic
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The government of Pakistan repaid $146.6 million to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday. This was the twentieth installment in Pakistan’s repayment plan for a bailout package distributed in November 2008 to avoid a balance of payments crisis. Pakistan has repaid $720 million in debt to the IMF during the current fiscal year.[37]