Pakistan Security Brief

TTP spokesman says Mullah Fazlullah is in Afghanistan, other sources say he has moved to Dir district; PTI and JI protests against U.S. drone strikes continue in Peshawar; Prime Minister urges PTI to stop protests; Foreign Office Spokesman says Pakistan is trying to ensure safe passage for NATO supply vehicles; Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources to lead delegation to Qatar; Six dead in clash between militants and security forces in Balochistan; ASWJ Punjab leader killed in Lahore; Gunmen kill Levies official and injure three in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa; 50,000 security personnel to be deployed to Balochistan ahead of local elections; Finance Minister asks for early release of Coalition Support Funds from U.S.

Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan

• On Friday, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) spokesperson, Shahidullah Shahid, said that TTP chief Mullah Fazlullah is still living in Afghanistan, contrary to “irresponsible” reports that he is in Pakistan.[1]

• According to a Friday report in The News, TTP chief Mullah Fazlullah has returned to Pakistan and has decided to lead the organization from Dir district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa due to the growing threat of drone attacks in North Waziristan. The change in location occurs amid reports of growing criticism from the Mehsud faction of the TTP that the new leader has failed to avenge the death of Hakimullah Mehsud.[2]

PTI Protests and Fallout

• On Thursday, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) continued their protests in Peshawar against American drone strikes. PTI chairman Imran Khan spoke at the event, criticizing Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s government for saying “one thing to the Americans and the complete opposite to the nation.”[3]

• On Thursday, the Peshawar branch of the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) held a meeting at which the party decided that the protests in Peshawar should end because the United States has stopped supplying troops in Afghanistan via Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. However, according to The News, JI activists joined the PTI in protests on the outskirts of Peshawar on Friday.[4]

• On Thursday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reportedly urged PTI chief Imran Khan to stop his anti-drone protests, saying that they are not going to stop the drones, but they are causing damage to the Pakistani economy.[5]

• On Thursday, a Foreign Office spokesman said that Pakistan is trying to ensure that North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) supplies safely reach Afghanistan in order to smooth the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan.[6]

Qatar-Pakistan Relations

• According to a Friday report in The News, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Abbasi will lead a delegation to Qatar on December 8 to negotiate a contract to supply Pakistan with Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).[7]

Militancy

• On Thursday, five suspected militants and one member of the Frontier Corps died in an exchange of fire in Naseerabad district, Balochistan.[8]

• On Friday, Maulana Shamsur Rehman Muavia, the leader of the Punjab branch of the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), a right-wing Deobandi religious organization, was shot to death in Lahore.[9]

• On Thursday, unidentified gunmen killed a Malakand Levies official and injured three others in Sakhakot, Malakand District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.[10]

Domestic

• On Thursday, a spokesman for the Southern Command headquarters said that Pakistan is in the process of deploying 50,000 security personnel to Balochistan to increase security ahead of the local government elections on Saturday.[11]

• After being issued a contempt of court charge on Thursday, Frontier Corps Balochistan Inspector General Ejaz Shahid submitted a medical report to the Supreme Court purportedly showing that he is too ill to attend hearings on the Balochistan missing persons case.[12]

• According to a Friday report in The Express Tribune, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif avoided being ordered to make an appearance in court in the Balochistan missing persons case by promising the court that the government would soon present “good news” to the Court. The Supreme Court continues to insist that the government produce the 33 missing persons.[13]

• In a meeting with U.S. Ambassador Richard Olson, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar asked for the United States to release Coalition Support Fund money early to boost Pakistan’s low foreign exchange reserves.[14]

• On Thursday, the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Rashad Mahmood and Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Muhammad Asif Sandila, met separately with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to discuss national security and other related issues. Mahmood and Sandila also met on Friday in Islamabad to discuss the preparedness of the Pakistan Navy.[15]