Pakistan Security Brief

Musharraf admitted to hospital for heart pain, Musharraf treason court delays hearing; More explosives found along Musharraf’s travel route; Saudi Foreign Minister reportedly to press Prime Minister Sharif for Musharraf safe passage; Government officials discuss resuming peace talks with TTP; TTP rejects possibility of peace talks; India and Pakistan exchange list of nuclear sites, prisoners; Pakistan’s Ambassador to the U.S. says withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Afghanistan not desirable; PTI’s anti-drone protests fizzling out; Army corps commanders meet to discuss security issues; PM Sharif plans to strengthen National Security Council; Army to modernize artillery corps; PM Sharif blames depreciation of rupee on poor economic policies of previous governments; Attack scare at Central Jail in Peshawar; Explosion in Islamabad; Suicide bomber kills Shia pilgrims in Balochistan; Rickshaw blast kills three in Peshawar; IED kills policeman in Tank; Rangers kill two TTP commanders in Karachi.

Musharraf

• On Thursday, former president Musharraf was admitted into the intensive care unit of the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology at a military hospital in Rawalpindi. Musharraf was on his way to a court hearing in Islamabad when he reportedly developed chest pains and was taken to the hospital instead. A special court decided not to issue an arrest warrant for president Musharraf after he missed his third court hearing at which he was to be indicted for treason. The hearing has been rescheduled for January 6.[1]

• On Wednesday, police discovered explosives along a route on which former president Musharraf was scheduled to travel. The police have not identified the individuals responsible.[2]

• A Thursday article in The News reported that Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Prince Saud Al Faisal, will deliver a message from King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on January 7, where the two will allegedly discuss granting safe passage out of Pakistan to former president Pervez Musharraf. Sources cited in a Thursday Geo News article stated that the government is considering options to send Musharraf abroad for medical treatment. According to a Thursday article in Geo News, Pakistan’s defense minister Khwaja Asif stated that the government had no made the decision to send former president Musharraf abroad.[3]

Peace Talks

• According to a Thursday article in the Express Tribune, the government plans to make “important announcements” regarding peace talks with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) by the end of this month. On Wednesday, the TTP reported that the government of Pakistan approached Maulana Samiul Haq, the leader of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Sami (JUI-S) and Maulana Fazlur Rehman of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) to discuss the resumption of peace talks with the organization. Haq has reportedly reached out to the deputy leader of the TTP, Sheikh Khalid Haqqani, who is an alumnus of the Haqqania madrassa, through teachers at the seminary. Haqqani has reportedly promised to pass on Haq’s message to TTP leader Mullah Fazlullah, who will decide on whether peace talks will go ahead, through a TTP source said it was unlikely they would, given Fazlullah’s bitter experiences negotiating with the Government of Pakistan.[4]

• On Wednesday, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said the government was sincere about pursuing peace talks with the TTP. According to an article in Geo News, he also stated that some Taliban factions opposed peace talks, but that those individuals needed to reciprocate the government’s offer for dialogue.[5]

• On Tuesday, according to an article in the Express Tribune, the TTP rejected the possibility of peace talks until the government stopped targeting its leaders. The organization’s former spokesman, Ehsanullah Ehsan told the Express Tribune that the TTP will issue a formal response to the government’s offer later.[6]

India-Pakistan Relations

• On Wednesday, representatives from India and Pakistan exchanged lists of their nuclear facilities, as well as information regarding prisoners in each country’s custody, a tradition that began in December 1988 when both countries agreed to a Prohibition of Attacks against Nuclear Installations and Facilities.[7]

U.S.-Pakistan Relations

•  On Thursday, Pakistan’s ambassador to the U.S. stated that the withdrawal of all American troops from Afghanistan is not desirable. The ambassador also stated that although defense and security issues are important, cooperation between the U.S. and Pakistan in the energy sector and the strengthening of trade and economic ties are his top priorities.[8]

NATO blockade

• According to a Thursday article in The News, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protests that have blocked NATO supplies from entering Pakistan have largely dissipated. At the height of the protests, there were five camps set up throughout Peshawar, only one of which remains. The few remaining protestors have also stopped checking inbound vehicles.[9]

Domestic

• On Thursday, the Pakistan Army’s corps commanders met at the army’s General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, where they discussed Pakistan’s security situation and expressed satisfaction over the operational preparedness of the military to manage possible threats. On Tuesday, Pakistan’s army chief General Raheel Sharif stated that the army will modernize the Corps of Artillery as part of the military’s plans to prepare for future threats.[10]

• On Wednesday, Prime Minister Sharif spoke of plans to strengthen the National Security Council (NSC) in a way that will allow stakeholders to discuss important issues in a more open forum.[11]

• On Tuesday, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics reported that Pakistan’s year-on-year inflation rose to 9.2 percent in December. The consumer price index also fell 1.3 percent from November.[12]

• On Wednesday, Prime Minister Sharif stated that the poor economic policies of previous governments have contributed to the depreciation of the rupee and to Pakistan’s current economic problems.[13]

• On Thursday, security personnel responded to intelligence reports warning of a potential attack by militants on Peshawar Central Jail by deploying more than 200 security and army personnel in and around the jail.[14]

• A Thursday article in The News reported that Pakistan’s Election Commission has dissolved the Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Pakistan, a political party founded by the nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan in July 2012. In addition, the Election Commission also announced two new political parties, bringing the total number of parties in Pakistan to 281.[15]

Militancy

• On Wednesday, a suicide bomber attacked a bus of Shia pilgrims returning from Taftan, a town in Balochistan bordering Iran, killing two and injuring 31 others. In response to the attack, the Majlis-e-Wahdatul Musilmeen (MWM) declared a three-day mourning period.[16]

• On Tuesday, explosives planted on a rickshaw killed three people and injured four in the Chamkani suburb of Peshawar. [17]

• On Thursday, an improvised explosive device (IED) blast targeting a police vehicle killed one policeman and injured three others in Tank district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).[18]

• On Thursday, Rangers (Sindh) killed two TTP commanders in the Manghopir area of Karachi.[19]

• On Wednesday, Pakistan’s Rangers (Sindh) arrested two target killers near Karachi’s Wireless Gate Al Falah. Earlier near Jam Kanda Goth, Rangers arrested two others and recovered weapons from the accused.[20]

• On Thursday, an explosion outside the house of a businessman in the Defense Housing Authority (DHA) in Islamabad partially damaged the home but resulted in no casualties. According to the Thursday article in Geo News, the businessman had previously received threats from extortionists.