TTP split a “surprise” to Mullah Omah; U.S. is “winding down” drone program in Pakistan; U.S. Secretary of State has phone conversation with Prime Minister; JuD leader says Kashmir dispute should take precedence over economic ties with India; Bomb Disposal Squad defuses bomb in Peshawar; Militants attack members of Shia clan, killing four; Van carrying newspapers burned in Rawalpindi.
TTP Split
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According to a Friday article in The News, the split in the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has come as a surprise to Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar, who made considerable efforts to end the infighting and secure the support of TTP fighters for the annual spring offensive against foreign troops in Afghanistan. Khan Said “Sajna,” who split from the TTP, pledged his allegiance to Mullah Omar and stated that his followers would follow the policies of former TTP leader Baitullah Mehsud. According to the article, Khan Said’s allegiance to Mullah Omar and his support from many Mehsuds, the Punjabi Taliban, Hafiz Gul Bahadur, the Afghan Taliban, and the Haqqani network, will “cost Fazlullah heavily in the long run.”[1]
U.S.-Pakistan Relations
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A Friday article in the Associated Press stated that the U.S. is “winding down” the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)-operated drone program in Pakistan. According to the article, the change is due to “stricter rules, diplomatic sensitivities and the changing nature of the al Qaeda threat.” The article also noted that many senior al Qaeda officials have been killed in Pakistan, and that Pakistan’s tribal areas are no longer a “hotbed of al Qaeda activity” like they once were.[2]
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On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had a phone conversation with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.[3]
India-Pakistan Relations
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According to a Friday report in The News, Jamaat-ud Dawa leader Hafiz Muhammad Saeed publicly addressed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to say that economic ties with India should not be improved until the Kashmir dispute is resolved. In a speech on Thursday, Saeed accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of causing Indian Muslims to support Pakistan and said that Muslims should create a common currency, market, and defense policy.[4]
Militancy
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On Friday, the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) found and defused an improvised explosive device (IED) placed under a vehicle near the Khyber Teaching Hospital University Town in Peshawar.[5]
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On Thursday, militants attacked a convoy of members of the Sipahe Tribe—a mainly Shia clan—who were returning from a funeral in Lal Pura, Orakzai agency, killing three tribesmen, a Levies official, and one of the militants involved in the attack. No one has claimed responsibility.[6]
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On Thursday, unidentified men in Rawalpindi attacked a van carrying Jang and The News newspapers and burned it.[7]