Prime Minister appoints General Raheel Sharif as new army chief; Prime Minister names new CJCSC; Prime Minster appoints new Supreme Court Chief Justice; Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline negotiations put on fast track; Three Afghan Taliban leaders released; Chief Minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa asks Prime Minister to stop NATO supply routes; Pakistan begins construction of nuclear power plant in Karachi; Lawyers and police clash in Islamabad outside Supreme Court; Five dead and two injured in Balochistan clash; Four policemen killed and two injured in Hyderabad attack; Prime Minister says Karachi operation will continue; Militants torch NATO tanker in Balochistan.
New Appointments
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On Wednesday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif named Lieutenant General Raheel Sharif as the new army chief. Sharif, who is currently the Inspector General of Training and Evaluation, will assume the position officially on Friday. Sharif is seen as a relative moderate on India, and has advocated switching Pakistan’s focus from India to the internal militant threat. Sharif’s appointment came as somewhat of a surprise, given that he was the third most senior general in line for the promotion and implies that the previous two choices were passed over for consideration. Nevertheless, according to an AFP report, Sharif is expected to follow the same policies as his predecessor, General Ashfaq Kayani. General Sharif, who is not related to the Prime Minister, shares his Lahore upbringing and Kashmiri roots.[1]
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On Wednesday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appointed Lieutenant General Rashad Mahmood as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC)hairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee ( Staff.s will take up their new posts on Friday, the same day that the current . Both Mahmood and Lieutenant General Raheel Sharif, who Sharif appointed as the new Army Chief, have been promoted to the rank of four-star general, with effect from Thursday, November 28. General Mahmood is currently serving as Chief of General Staff. Both of these appointments passed over General Haroon Aslam, who was the most senior military officer.[2]
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On Wednesday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appointed Minister for Water Power Khawaja Asif to the additional position of Defense Minister. Sharif had previously held the Defense portfolio. Information Minister Pervaiz Rasheed was also appointed as the Law Minister.[3]
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On Wednesday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif moved ahead with the appointment of Tassaduq Hussain Jillani to replace Iftikhar Chaudhry as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Chaudhry will retire on December 12. According to The Express Tribune, Jillani is less confrontational than Chaudhry.[4]
Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline
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On Tuesday, Pakistan’s Advisor on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Iranian Foreign Minister Dr. Muhammad Javad Zarif decided to fast track discussions on the Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline Project. The two officials hope to establish a realistic time schedule for the implementation of the project.[5]
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On Tuesday, the Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Resources Jam Kamal Khan, while addressing the participants of the Annual Technical Conference (ATC), said the government would start importing liquid natural gas (LNG) via the Iran-Pakistan pipeline on a short-term basis, and is working out a plan to explore shale gas in the longer run.[6]
Afghan Reconciliation Process
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Late on Tuesday, Pakistan released three senior Afghan Taliban leaders as part of an ongoing process to facilitate the Afghan peace process. An unnamed source identified the freed Taliban members to be Mullah Abdul Ahad Jahangirwal, a former adviser to Taliban supremo Mullah Omar, Mullah Abdul Manan, a former Taliban governor in Helmand, and Mullah Younus, a former military commander. The release came just a few days after Afghan government-backed peace negotiators visited Pakistan and met senior Taliban leader, Mullah Abdul Ghani Barader. The number of freed Afghan Taliban since November has now passed fifty.[7]
U.S. Drone Strikes
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On Tuesday, a United Nations committee passed a resolution, with Pakistani support, calling for the protection of rights while fighting terrorism. The resolution included a reference to drone strikes, saying that the United Nations needs to come to an agreement on rules governing drone warfare.[8]
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Protests
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On Tuesday, the Chief Minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Pervez Khattak asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to prevent NATO supplies from passing through the country until the federal government can convene a meeting to address the issue of drone strikes. Khattak stated that until such time, the transportation of all NATO supplies to and from Afghanistan should be blocked.[9]
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On Monday, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) named the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) director, John BrennanA has not confirmed this. Hangu district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). The PTI disclosed the name of the Islamabad Chief of Station, but the CIeiilitary officer.es over General Haroon Aslam, who was the most senior. has not confirmed the , the same day that the current The PTI information secretary Shireen Mazari asked the Hangu police to name Brennan and the agency’s Islamabad station chief as suspects for murder and “waging war against Pakistan.”[10]
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On Tuesday while addressing a press conference at the site of the sit-in on Ring Road in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, leaders from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) said they were achieving their desired results as their workers continued the blockade of NATO supplies for the third straight day. The police have not stopped workers of either party from stopping supply trucks. However, police have lodged their first information report against the protestors, who are believed to be involved in obstructing the NATO supplies and questioning drivers.[11]
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On Wednesday, police arrested a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) activist for allegedly damaging NATO tankers during the November 24 protests in Peshawar.[12]
Domestic
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On Tuesday, an accountability court set December 9th as the date for indicting former president Asif Ali Zardari in four corruption cases. After the indictment, the court will commence with Zardari’s trial. Zardari is accused of receiving contracts and kickbacks while serving as President.[13]
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On Tuesday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ceremonially broke ground on a $9.59 billion nuclear power complex to be built in Karachi with China’s help.[14]
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On Tuesday, a clash between lawyers and police outside the Supreme Court building in Islamabad left several injured, including many lawyers, nine policemen, and the Assistant Commissioner Islamabad.[15]
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On Tuesday, Pakistan repaid $400 million to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) but has not come up with a viable plan to avoid sliding toward default. The Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said it had emergency plans to ensure foreign inflows of $550 million by the end of December. Pakistan’s dwindling reserves touched the lowest level of $3.2 billion after the repayment of $400 million to the IMF on account of outstanding loans. Next month, Islamabad will have to repay three small installments to the IMF totaling $350 million.[16]
Militancy
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On Tuesday, an armed clash between two groups in the Maraw Dasht area of Mastung district, Balochistan, killed five people and injured two. According to Levies force personnel, the two clans used automatic weapons and rockets against each other due to an old feud.[17]
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On Tuesday, unidentified militants attacked police vehicles in Latifabad and Sakhi Pir police station in Hyderabad City, killing four policemen and injuring two.[18]
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On Wednesday, Karachi police arrested 90 individuals accused of involvement in theft, looting, and murder. A total of 73 raids took place in the East, West, and South zones of the city.[19]
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On Tuesday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif stated that the Karachi operation will continue until the fulfillment of its objectives. Sharif directed the authorities to implement the Protection of Pakistan Ordinance (PPO) to deal with the crimes and offenders in Karachi.[20]
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On Tuesday, paramilitary Rangers and police carried out joint operations in different parts of Karachi, killing at least nine criminals in shootouts that took place across the city. The raid occurred on the eve of a Supreme Court hearing on Karachi’s law and order implementation.[21]
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On Wednesday, militants damaged a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) oil tanker in Baghbana, Khuzdar district, Balochistan. There was no loss of life.[22]
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On Wednesday, a clash between two student groups at the Dawood College of Engineering and Technology in Karachi left eight people injured.[23]