Punjab Home Department warns of militants joining IS; TTP spokesman calls Malala Yousafzai an “enemy of Islam;” Two militants killed in clashes between TI members, LI militants in Khyber Agency; Ten militants killed in Khyber Agency; IED injures eight in Sibi, Balochistan; U.S. affirms that North Waziristan operation successful in disrupting militants; ISAF commander meets army chief; Russian President visits India for Russia-India summit, signs nuclear cooperation deals with India; Pakistan maritime security agency arrests 58 Indian fishermen; Foreign office spokesperson, Jamaat-e-Islami chief condemn CIA’s torture of detainees; PML-N offers to resume talks with PTI; PTI chief agrees to suspending “Plan C” on establishment of judicial commission; PML-N leader requests PTI representatives to attend meetings on electoral reforms; Punjab Chief Minister inaugurates police training center in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Islamic State in South Asia
-
According to a December 11 Dawn report, the Punjab home department has reportedly informed the provincial police force that some Chechen and Uzbek militants who left Waziristan as a result of Operation Zarb-e-Azb are trying to join Islamic State (IS) in Pakistan. The letter from the home ministry claims that “Salafi” groups within Pakistan are more inclined to join IS but also that IS faces resistance from some groups in the country.[1]
Militancy
-
On December 11, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesperson Muhammad Khurasani released a statement accusing the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Malala Yousafzai, of being an “enemy of Islam” and maligning Islam in exchange of money and fame. Khurasani further claimed that Malala is a weapon in the cultural war which the West has lost in the Middle East and the rest of the world. Meanwhile, TTP Jamatul Ahrar spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan tweeted a statement condemning Gordon Brown and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for using Malala as a child soldier. Ehsan further declared that the group would continue to fight against all kinds of soldiers.[2]
-
On December 10, two Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) militants were killed in clashes with anti-Taliban militiamen belonging to the group Tauheed-ul-Islam (TI) in the Narai Baba area of the Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency. TI members reportedly attacked LI and TTP hideouts with heavy weapons and captured militants’ bunkers.[3]
-
On December 9, security forces attacked LI and TTP hideouts, killing ten militants and destroying five hideouts in various areas of the Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency.[4]
-
On December 11, a roadside improvised explosive device (IED) injured at least eight people in Sibi, Balochistan.[5]
Foreign Affairs
-
In a joint statement after the 23rd meeting of the U.S.-Pakistan Defense Consultative Group (DCG) in Washington D.C. on December 10, the U.S. delegation affirmed Pakistan’s claim that the ongoing military operation in North Waziristan has successfully disrupted militants operating in the area. The delegations of the two countries also discussed the need for a strategy to reimburse Pakistan for operational expenses after the expiry of the Coalition Support Fund at the end of fiscal year 2015. The Pakistani delegation of the DCG was headed by Defense Secretary Retd. Lt. Gen. Alam Khattak, while the U.S. delegation was headed by Christine Wormuth, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy.[6]
-
On December 11, Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), General John Campbell met with army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. The two Generals reportedly discussed matters related to the progress of Operation Zarb-e-Azb, the regional security situation and co-ordination along the Pak-Afghan border during the meeting.[7]
-
According to a December 10 report in The Hindu, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Russian cooperation with Pakistan will serve the “long-term” interests of all countries in the region, including India, due to its focus on counter-terrorism and anti-drug operations. President Putin arrived in New Delhi on December 10 for the annual Russia-India summit. On December 11, President Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed a “vision” agreement which outlines cooperation in the field of nuclear power, with Russia slated to eventually supply India with 20 nuclear reactors. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi declared that Russia remains India’s most important defense partner.[8]
-
On December 11, Pakistan’s Maritime Security Agency arrested 58 Indian fishermen for allegedly violating its territorial waters in the Arabia Sea. The agency also seized 11 Indian boats.[9]
U.S. Senate Report on CIA
-
On December 11, Pakistani foreign office spokesperson Tasneem Aslam condemned the CIA’s torture of detainees and called for respecting international humanitarian laws while combatting international terrorism. Aslam further declared that the U.S. administration had given an assurance that it would not repeat the use of torture methods previously employed by the CIA.[10]
-
On December 10, Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq condemned the CIA’s treatment of prisoners outlined in the recent U.S. Senate report and asked the government to clarify its efforts on identifying Pakistani citizens in U.S. custody in Guantanamo and Bagram in Afghanistan and the steps being taken to bring them home. [11]
Domestic Politics
-
On December 10, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership extended an unconditional offer to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders for resumption of dialogue between the two parties. Speaking at a press conference in Lahore, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar urged PTI chief Imran Khan to postpone his scheduled protests until the judicial commission arrived at a decision on alleged poll rigging during the May 2013 general elections. Dar also said that the government would try to hold first session of the dialogue process on December 11. In response, Khan said that he was ready to suspend his “Plan C” and cancel protests if the government set up a judicial commission before the scheduled Karachi shutdown on December 12. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has reportedly assigned Dar the responsibility of resuming talks with PTI at the earliest.[12]
-
On December 11, Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal requested that the PTI send its representatives to attend meetings of the parliamentary committee on electoral reforms in an attempt to implement electoral reforms with national consensus. Iqbal further reiterated that the government hoped to end the current political impasse through dialogue with the protesting parties.[13]
Internal Security
-
On December 10, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Parvez Khattak inaugurated a joint police training center (JPTC) funded by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). The nine-million dollar modern training center will train up to 600 Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa police officers and 200 Levies forces annually in advanced policing methods. The training center is equipped with a barracks, helipads, a 400-meter shooting range, rappelling towers, combat sheds and mock urban and rural terrain settings.[14]