TTP will not observe cease fire until drone strikes stopped; Swat Taliban’s Fazlullah says that army chief is assassination target; Prime Minister’s Adviser on National Security and Foreign Affairs says that the government will continue to pursue talks with TTP; Government welcomes Ulema involvement in TTP peace talks; Mullah Baradar is in a safe house in Peshawar; Pakistan Army denies involvement in LoC violations; TTP kills 17 in Hangu; U.S. drone strikes have increased focus on Haqqani Network; Six alleged TTP militants killed in Karachi; Policeman shot to death in Karachi; Two ANP activists killed in Karachi; Balochistan to hold All Parties Conference; Bomb defused in Quetta; 97 people arrested in Karachi; Federal and Sindh governments agree to continue Karachi operations; All Parties Conference to be held in Peshawar .
Talks with the TTP
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Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Shahidullah Shahid said on Wednesday that the TTP will not respect any ceasefire with the government until drone strikes against the organization stop.[1]
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According to a Thursday report in The News, Swat Taliban leader Mullah Fazlullah warned in a video released on Facebook that he will target army chief General Ashfaq Kayani for assassination. He also claimed credit for the assassination of a Pakistani general in Upper Dir on September 15, and said that “negotiations with the government were a component of war which is still continuing.”[2]
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On Thursday, the Prime Minister’s Adviser on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz, said that the government remains open to talks with the TTP, despite a number of high profile terrorist attacks in recent weeks. He stated that the Taliban has many factions, and that the government should reach out to the ones that want to talk.[3]
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According to a Thursday report in The News, Top religious scholars of the Deobandi school of Islam, who called on the government and the TTP to respect a cease fire earlier this week, welcomed the TTP’s response signaling support of the plan. In a statement, they called on both sides to quickly move towards talks.[4]
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On Wednesday, Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid expressed support for the Ulema’s facilitation of peace talks between the government and the TTP. He claimed that the government’s offer for talks was effectively a ceasefire offer.[5]
Afghan Taliban Reconciliation
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According to a Thursday report in Dawn, former Afghan Taliban deputy Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is currently in a safe house in Peshawar. He has reportedly been in contact with other members of the Afghan Taliban, though no formal talks have commenced.[6]
India-Pakistan Relations
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After an Indian military commander alleged that Pakistani troops were involved in a September 24th violation of the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir near the Keran sector, the Pakistan Army responded on Wednesday with a statement denying any involvement. According to Indian officials, 30 to 40 armed men crossed the LoC. The fighters reportedly remain in hiding on the Indian side of Kashmir, and about a dozen of them have been killed in an ongoing operation by Indian troops.[7]
Militancy
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On Thursday, the (TTP) destroyed the compound of Mullah Nabi Hanafi, a former TTP commander who later switched sides and cooperated with the government, in Spin Tall, Hangu district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Militants opened fire on the compound before detonating a car bomb at the site, killing 17 people and injuring 22, although it is not clear if Hanafi was killed. TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid claimed credit for the attack.[8]
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According to a Thursday report in The News, the number of American drone strikes in North and South Waziristan has spiked in the last several months. The strikes have targeted most of the main terrorist groups located in the Waziristan area, but have focused on the Haqqani Network, allegedly because of an increase in cross-border attacks by the group.[9]
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Five police personnel were injured on Wednesday during an operation in the Mangal area in Abbottabad district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa which led to the capture of three terrorists who were planning to attack Abbottabad.[10]
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Peshawar police found and defused an improvised explosive device (IED) on Tuesday. The bomb had been planted in the office of the Peshawar Electricity Supply Company.[11]
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Karachi police and the Rangers killed a total of six alleged members of the TTP on Wednesday. Two law enforcement personnel were injured in one clash, which killed four militants. The other encounter resulted in the deaths of two militants in the Manghopir area of Karachi.[12]
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According to a Thursday report in The News, unidentified gunmen injured two Karachi policemen near the Metroville area of the city.[13]
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A Karachi policeman was shot to death by unidentified gunmen in Baldia Town, Karachi on Wedensday.[14]
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Two ANP activists were shot to death by unidentified gunmen on Wednesday in Karachi.[15]
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Police found and defused a bomb in Quetta on Wednesday after receiving a tip about a bomb on an abandoned bicycle near a stadium.[16]
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Alleged members of the TTP attacked police in Sohrab Goth, Karachi on Wednesday, injuring four police personnel.[17]
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Balochistan Chief Minister said on Wednesday that Balochistan will hold an All Parties Conference to begin talks with militant groups in the province.[18]
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An explosion in Miryan, Bannu district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa injured two people on Wednesday, including a former Frontier Corps official.[19]
Karachi Unrest
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Karachi police and the paramilitary Rangers arrested 97 people throughout Karachi on Thursday as part of the ongoing targeted operations in the city.[20]
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According to a Thursday report in The Express Tribune, the federal government and the government of Sindh have decided to continue the operations in Karachi.[21]
Domestic
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According to a Thursday report in The News, the Jamaat-e-Islami political party will convene an All Parties Conference (APC) in Peshawar tomorrow to discuss the recent string of attacks in Peshawar. The local branches of the Awami National Party (ANP), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami (JUI-S) will be participating. The PML-N will consult with the national leadership before deciding whether to participate.[22]
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The Sindh High Court approved increased security for former President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday, as he feels that his current level of security is not sufficient to protect him from numerous threats to his life.[23]
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Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Malik Baloch again called for international aid from the international community and the Pakistani diaspora for the earthquake affected areas of Balochistan.[24]