Pakistan Security Brief

Petroleum and Natural Resources Minister says that no firm is willing to build Iran-Pakistan pipeline due to international sanctions; U.S. considering bill that would stop aid to Pakistan if NATO supply routes do not reopen; India’s proposed hydroelectric project on Neelum River could reduce Pakistan’s hydroelectric power by 14 percent; Army claims to have killed 10 Uzbek militants in North Waziristan, locals say dead are mostly civilians; U.S. Treasury sanctions two al Qaeda fundraisers; Three injured in Balochistan bombing; Three injured in Peshawar grenade attack; IMF approves $550 million loan to Pakistan; Chaudhry officially appointed as Foreign Secretary; Supreme Court orders acting Inspector General of the Frontier Corps to appear in Balochistan missing persons case.

U.S.-Pakistan Relations

• According to a Friday report in Dawn, the U.S. Congress is considering a bill that will put more conditions on American aid to Pakistan. The bill would require the U.S. Secretary of Defense to certify that Pakistan is taking action against militant groups on its territory, is disrupting cross-border attacks, and is not using American funds to persecute minority ethnic or religious groups. The bill would also cut aid to Pakistan if the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) supply lines through Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa are not reopened. The bill has already passed through the House of Representatives, and reportedly has the support of President Barack Obama.[1]

Iran-Pakistan Relations

• On Thursday, Petroleum and Natural Resources Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told the Senate that no local or international firms are willing to build the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline due to the threat of international sanctions.[2]

• In a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Muhammad Javed Zarif on Thursday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that he would like Pakistan to have friendly relations with all of its neighbors. He also praised Iran’s recent nuclear deal and encouraged Iran to continue its engagement with foreign powers.[3]

India-Pakistan Relations

• According to a Friday report in The Express Tribune, Abdul Basit, who is Pakistan’s Ambassador to Germany, has been chosen to succeed Salman Bashir as Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India. Basit had previously been chosen as Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary, but that decision was reversed, reportedly due to an internal power struggle within the government.[4]

• On Thursday, Petroleum and Natural Resources Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told the Senate that India’s planned construction of a hydroelectric project at the Kishanganga (or Neelum) River in Indian-administered Kashmir would reduce Pakistan’s hydroelectric power production by 14 percent.[5]

Militancy

• On Thursday, security forces killed 10 militants in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan agency. Reportedly, most of the militants were Uzbek nationals. Separately, reports from citizens of Mir Ali appear to contradict army reports that soldiers killed 23 militants who ambushed an army convoy on Wednesday. According to a Thursday report in The Wall Street Journal, many of those killed in what appear to be punitive operations by the army responding to a recent militant-launched bomb attack on a military checkpost are civilians. The report claims 20 truck drivers were singled out and executed by soldiers outside a restaurant, while several women and children died as a result of artillery shelling by security forces on villages in the Mir Ali area.[6]

• On Thursday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on two al Qaeda financiers, one based in Yemen, and the other in Qatar. Qatar-based Abd al Rahman bin ‘Umayr al Nu’aymi has funneled money to al Qaeda in Syria, Iraq, and the Arabian Peninsula, as well as al Shabaab in Somalia. Yemen-based ‘Abd al Wahhab Muhammad ‘Abd al-Rahman al Humayqani has provided financial support for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).[7]

• On Friday, a bomb blast near a girls’ college in Chaman, Qilla Abdullah district, Balochistan injured three people.[8]

• On Thursday, a hand grenade attack injured three people outside a mosque in the Peerano Kali area of Peshawar.[9]

• On Friday, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that Pakistani forces have the right to retaliate against terrorist attacks from other countries.[10]

Domestic

• On Thursday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a $550 million loan tranche to Pakistan after a review of Pakistan’s financial situation. The loan is part of the $6.7 billion loan package approved by the IMF for Pakistan in September.[11]

• On Thursday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif held a meeting with army chief General Raheel Sharif, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Rashid Mehmood, and other high ranking officials. The group discussed the recent suicide attack on soldiers in North Waziristan and the possibility of reviving talks with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).[12]

• On Thursday, the government officially appointed Aizaz Chaudhry as the new Foreign Secretary. His appointment had been made public earlier in the month, but was not official.[13]

• On Thursday, the Peshawar High Court ordered the Foreign Secretary to present an explanation within 20 days as to why the government has ignored the court’s previous direction to take the drone issue to the United Nations. The Foreign Secretary could face contempt of court charges if he does not comply.[14]

• On Thursday, the Supreme Court ordered the acting Inspector General of the Frontier Corps to appear before the court in the Balochistan missing persons case, and directed the Frontier Corps to recover the missing persons.[15]

• On Friday, three Pakistan Army Major-Generals were promoted to Lieutenant General. Maj. Gen. Zahid Latif has been serving as the Director General Personnel Service at General Headquarters; Maj. Gen. Ikramullah Haq has been serving as the Force Commander Northern Areas; and Maj. Gen. Obaidullah Khan Khattak has served as the Inspector General of the Frontier Corps (Balochistan). [16]

Pakistan-Turkey Relations

• On Thursday, Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz met with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Islamabad as part of the first round of the annual High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council. The two sides discussed closer economic ties and security concerns.[17]