TTP negotiating committee proposes several possible venues for peace talks; Government and security forces consider creating “peace zones” to allow TTP members to engage in dialogue without fear of being arrested; Head of the TTP negotiating committee criticizes check points that have hindered freedom of movement; TTP Spokesman says Pakistan’s Defense Minister unaware of the location of detention centers and detainees; Prime Minister may travel to Iran soon; Pakistan may grant MFN status to India by Friday; Pakistan, Taliban deny knowledge of Malaysian flight mystery; Rangers kill three alleged terrorists in Karachi; Prime Minister holds high-level meeting to establish a National Intelligence Directorate and Rapid Response Force; Pakistan Development Fund to be used for major development projects; IMF representative cancels trip to Pakistan over security concerns.
Peace Talks
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On Tuesday, Professor Ibrahim Khan of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan- (TTP) nominated negotiating committee said that Miram Shah in North Waziristan and Ladha and Makin in South Waziristan agency had been recommended as possible venues for direct talks between the government-nominated negotiating committee and the TTP political shura. A government negotiator, Rustam Shah Mohammed, stated that the government committee is prepared to hold peace talks anywhere.[1]
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According to a Monday article in the Express Tribune, the federal government is considering creating “peace zones” where members of the government-nominated negotiating committee can engage in direct talks with the TTP. The head of the TTP intermediaries, Maulana Samiul Haq, stated that several TTP commanders are in hiding because they fear being arrested by security forces. Additionally, Professor Ibrahim Khan, a member of the TTP-nominated negotiating committee, suggested that a general amnesty and the withdrawal of troops from South Waziristan could help resolve the general issue of militancy. On Monday, the head of the TTP negotiating committee, Maulana Samiul Haq, criticized check posts set up by the Frontier Corps and other law enforcement agencies, ,which have limited the ability of TTP members to move freely and engage in dialogue.[2]
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On Monday, TTP Spokesman Shahidullah Shahid responded to an earlier statement by Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, stating that if Asif was unaware of the location of detention centers in Pakistan, then he could not know about the number of people being held at such facilities. On Sunday, Asif stated that there were no women or children in security forces’ custody when he rejected the TTP’s demand for the release of non-combatants. Shahid said there were detention centers in Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).[3]
Iran-Pakistan Relations
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According to a Monday report by Radio Pakistan, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is planning a visit to Iran to “maintain a balance” between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The timing of the visit remains unknown, and it has not yet been officially confirmed.[4]
India-Pakistan Relations
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According to a Tuesday report in Dawn, Pakistan is considering granting Most Favored Nation (MFN) status to India by the end of the week on the condition that India, in exchange, lower duties on Pakistani exports and grant other “substantial” trade concessions.[5]
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On Monday, the Indian Deputy High Commissioner to Pakistan was summoned to the Foreign Office to receive a formal complaint about India’s arrest of Pakistani fishermen. Pakistan claimed that the fishermen were still in Pakistani territory when they were detained.[6]
U.S.-Pakistan Relations
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On Monday, Acting U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Thomas Williams met with Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan in Islamabad to discuss security in the region and making the U.S.-Pakistan relationship more transparent.[7]
Missing Malaysian Plane
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On Monday, officials in Pakistan, India, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan rejected theories that the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 may have flown over their countries. An Indian defense official noted that India recently scrambled its air defenses in response to a weather balloon from Pakistan, saying that it is unlikely that a plane could have flown over India undetected. TTP and Afghan Taliban spokesmen also denied any involvement in hijacking the plane.[8]
Militancy
Domestic
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On Tuesday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif held a high-level meeting, where he issued a directive to establish a National Intelligence Directorate under the National Counterterrorism Authority (NACTA) in order to strengthen coordination between Pakistan’s military and civilian agencies. The new Directorate will have an intelligence and analysis center comprised of four intelligence groups: the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Military intelligence, federal law-enforcement agencies, and police intelligence departments. At the meeting, which included Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Chief of the Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, the ISI Chief Lieutenant-General Zahirul Islam, and all provincial chief ministers, Prime Minister Sharif approved the creation of rapid-response forces at both the federal and provincial levels.[10]
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According to a Tuesday article in The News, the Pakistan Development Fund (PDF) is to “serve as a pool to receive major foreign grants, aids, and loans from friendly countries” that will be used to fund Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s major projects. According to Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, planned infrastructure projects costing $20-25 billion, and to be funded out of donations to the PDF, are on the agenda.[11]
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According to a Tuesday report in The Express Tribune, the deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cancelled her trip to Pakistan to meet with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif due to security concerns. She was intending to review whether to disburse a $1.25 billion loan to Pakistan.[12]