Pakistan Security Brief

Suicide bomber kills 28 in Quetta; Car bomb kills 18 in Peshawar; Ministry of Finance to decide on IMF loan; British Prime Minister David Cameron visits Pakistan; Afghanistan angry at Pakistan over “power share” proposal; Kerry to meet with Pakistani officials at ASEAN conference; Four soldiers killed, 16 wounded in IED in North Waziristan; Altaf Hussain quits, then returns, as MQM chief; Two Nanga Parbat suspects arrested; Grenade thrown at Pakistan Embassy in Tripoli; Iran-Pakistan pipeline to finish on time, says government official; 9 killed in shootings throughout Balochistan; Sharif emphasizes bilateral relations with China; U.S.-Pakistan business conference concludes in Dubai; Two policemen killed in Peshawar; Two schools blown up in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa; According to Pakistan Army, 75 militants, 21 soldiers killed in Parachamkani in the last month; India and Pakistan exchange prisoner lists; Zardari approves 2013-2014 national budget; Germany will not press charges in 2010 drone death of citizen in North Waziristan; Rangers search Karachi Central Jail in connection with Karachi June 27 bombings; 11 killed in Karachi over the weekend.

Militancy  

Domestic

 Afghan-Pakistan Relations

  • According to Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Ershad Ahmadi, Pakistan’s suggestion of a power sharing agreement between the Afghan Taliban and the Afghan government—proposed by Pakistan’s Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz during a meeting with Ahmadi—is a play by Pakistan to obtain more influence in Afghanistan. According to Ahmadi, this agreement would be a, “means for the Pakistanis to achieve what they could not achieve through their proxy (the Taliban) on the battlefield.”[40]

 UK-Pakistan Relations

  • On Sunday, British Prime Minister David Cameron became the first foreign head of state to visit Pakistan since the election of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Cameron promised the British government’s support in combating extremism in Pakistan and, separately, remarked on Pakistan’s role in—and the benefits derived from—a stable, democratic government in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed his support for Afghan-led peace talks as well, noting that Pakistan, “promote[s] the shared objective of a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, to which the three million Afghan refugees currently living in Pakistan can return with honour and dignity.”[41]

Iran-Pakistan Relations

  • During a briefing to the Committee on Petroleum and Natural Resources on Friday, the Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources said that the Pakistan-Iran Gas Pipeline Project would meet its December 2014 completion deadline.  Once finished, the project will help ease the country’s energy crisis according to The News in a report on Saturday.[42]

 India-Pakistan Relations

  • Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced on Saturday that he will send Federal Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif to India to discuss opportunities for energy collaboration in the face of Pakistan’s ongoing energy crisis.  Indian members of the Pak-India Joint Business Council assured Sharif that the government of India could assist in providing science education and training.[43]

  • According to Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, in a statement on Friday, dialogue between Pakistan and India will resume after the newly-elected Nawaz Sharif-led government settles into power. According to Khurshid, progress in relations between the two countries will “move forward one step at a time.”[44]

  • Indian-administered Kashmir saw security crackdowns on Monday, after protests condemning the shooting of a teenager by Indian forces turned violent, resulting in Indian Army soldiers firing into the crowd on Sunday. The forces are in the area for anti-militant operations.[45]  

  • According to the terms of a 2008 Consular Agreement, the Foreign Office provided the Indian High Commission with a list of Indian nationals imprisoned in Pakistani jails as part of a biannual prisoner list exchange.  The prisoners are released when their jail sentence is complete, although the government may release some low-level prisoners periodically as a goodwill gesture.[46] 

 China-Pakistan Relations

 

U.S.-Pakistan Relations



[1] “Quetta: Hazara Town suicide blast leaves 28 dead, over 60 hurt,” The News, June 30, 2013. Available at http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-107391-Quetta%3a-Hazara-Town-suicide-blast-leaves-28-dead,-over-60-wounded 
“Quetta mourns after deadly day in Pakistan,” BBC, July 1, 2013. Available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23124378
[2] “Peshawar car blast: FIR lodged against unknown outlaws,” The News, June 30, 2013. Available at http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-107409-Peshawar-car-blast%3a-FIR-registered-against-unidentified-outlaws 
“Peshawar blast death toll reaches 18,” The News, June 30, 2013. Available at http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-107355-16-killed-in-Peshawar-blast 
“Police names three TTP suspects in Peshawar attack,” Dawn, June 30, 2013. Available at http://dawn.com/news/1021998/police-names-three-ttp-suspects-in-peshawar-attack
[3]Muhammad Ejaz Khan, “Terrorists strike in Quetta, Peshawar, NWA,” The News, July 1, 2013. Available at http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-13-23808-Terrorists-strike-in-Quetta,-Peshawar,-NWA
[4] “Two of 16 Nanga Parbat attackers arrested: Police,” Express Tribune, June 30, 2013. Available at http://tribune.com.pk/story/570438/one-of-16-nanga-parbat-attackers-arrested-police/ 
[5]Tom Westcott, Umar Khan, “Hand grenade attack on Pakistani embassy,” Libya Herald, June 29, 2013. Available at http://www.libyaherald.com/2013/06/29/hand-grenade-attack-on-pakistani-embassy/ 
[6]“Gunmen attack two buses in Balochistan,” Express Tribune, June 30, 2013. Available at http://tribune.com.pk/story/570417/firing-on-two-buses-kills-3-in-balochistan/ 
[7] “Quetta unrest: Three handcuffed bodies found,” Express Tribune, June 30, 2013. Available at http://tribune.com.pk/story/570357/quetta-unrest-three-handcuffed-bodies-found/ 
[8]“Naseerabad: Three sleeping labourers shot dead; 4 injured,” The News, July 1, 2013. Available at http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-107434-Naseerabad%3a-Gunmen-kill-3-sleeping-workmen,-injure-4-others
[9]Umer Farooq, “KP government eyes troop withdrawal from Swat,” Dawn, July 1, 2013. Available at http://beta.dawn.com/news/1021572/kp-government-eyes-troop-withdrawal-from-swat
[10]Khawar Ghumman, “Militant Attacks on MPAs: KP Govt Wants Talks with Army Chief on Anti-Terror Strategy,” Dawn, July 1, 2013. Available at: http://beta.dawn.com/news/1021838/militant-attacks-on-mpas-kp-govt-wants-talks-with-army-chief-on-anti-terror-strategy
[11]Riaz Ahmad, “Two policemen gunned down in Peshawar,” Express Tribune, July 1, 2013. Available at http://tribune.com.pk/story/570861/two-policemen-gunned-down-in-peshawar/ 
[12]“Two schools blown up in Lakki,” The News, June 30, 2013. Available at http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-2-186868-Two-schools-blown-up-in-Lakki
[13]Muhammad Farooq, “SHO among 3 cops injured in Swabi blast,” The News, June 30, 2013. Available at http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-7-186854-SHO-among-3-cops-injured-in-Swabi-blast
[14]“Postal worker goes missing in Hangu,” The News, July 1, 2013. Available at http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-7-187000-Postal-worker-goes-missing-in-Hangu
[15] “Kurram Agency: 75 militants, 21 soldiers died in 34-day operation,” Express Tribune, June 30, 2013. Available at http://tribune.com.pk/story/570355/kurram-agency-75-militants-21-soldiers-died-in-34-day-operation/ 
[16]“Kurram Agency: One killed, three injured as vehicle hit landmine,” The News, July 1, 2013. Available at http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-107458-One-killed,-three-injured-as-vehicle-hit-landmine-in-Kurram-Agency
[17] “Polio Drive in Bajaur, Mohmand from Today,” Dawn, July 1, 2013. Available at: http://beta.dawn.com/news/1021823/polio-drive-in-bajaur-mohmand-from-today
Ismail Khan, “Anti-Polio Campaign Worker is Shot Dead in Pakistan,” New York Times, May 28, 2013. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/29/world/asia/anti-polio-campaign-worker-shot-dead-in-pakistan.html?_r=0
[18] “Kidnapped girl recovered, five arrested,” The News, July 1, 2013. Available at http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-7-186994-Kidnapped-girl-recovered,-five-arrested
[19]“Two militants killed in Bara,” The News, June 30, 2013. Available at http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-7-186850-Two-militants-killed-in-Bara
[20]“LI frees jirga men,” The News, July 1, 2013. Available at http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-7-186998-LI-frees-jirga-men
[21]Irfan Burki, “4 tribesmen killed in SWA,” The News, July 2, 2013. Available at http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-7-186997-4-tribesmen-killed-in-SWA
[22]Zulfiqar Ali, “Mortar Attacks: Four Killed, 15 Injured in South Waziristan,” The Express Tribune, June 30, 2013. Available at: http://tribune.com.pk/story/570585/mortar-attacks-four-killed-15-injured-in-south-waziristan/
[23] “No prosecuction over German national killed by drone strikes in Pakistan,” Express Tribune, July 1, 2013. Available at http://tribune.com.pk/story/570924/no-prosecution-over-german-national-killed-by-drone-strikes-in-pakistan/ 
[24] “Search Operation Conducted at Karachi Jail,” The News, June 29, 2013. Available at: http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-107235-Drugs,-cell-phones,-arms-seized-from-inmates-at-Karachi-Central-Jail
 “At Least 20 Dangerous Convicts Shifted from Karachi to Sukkur,” Geo News, June 30, 2013. Available at: http://www.geo.tv/GeoDetail.aspx?ID=107327
[25]Syed Arfeen, “Weapons used in MQM MPA’s murder linked to four previous murders,” The News, June 30, 2013. Available at http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-4-186806-Weapons-used-in-MQM-MPAs-murder-linked-to-four-previous-murders
[26] “Hand grenade attack in Karachi injures 4,” Express Tribune, June 30, 2013. Available at http://tribune.com.pk/story/570434/hand-grenade-attack-in-karachi-injures-4/ 
[27]“Karachi: 5 TTP Suspects Arrested, Explosives Seized,” The News, June 30, 2013. Available at: http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-107394-Karachi%3a-5-TTP-suspects-arrested-along-with-explosives
[28]“Roadside bomb in Gulshan-e-Maymar defused,” The News, June 30, 2013. Available at http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-4-186805-Roadside-bomb-in-Gulshan-e-Maymar-defused
[29]Waqar Bhatti, “Rangers man, Haqiqi activists among five killed,” The News, June 30, 2013. Available at http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-4-186801-Rangers-man,-Haqiqi-activists-among-five-killed
[30]Fasahat Mohiuddin, “‘Killing of Suspects in Unacceptable,’” The News, July 1, 2013. Available at: http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-4-186948-Killing-of-suspects-unacceptable
Saher Baloch, “PPP Accuses Rangers of Extra-Judicial Killings in Lyari,” Dawn, June 29, 2013. Available at: http://dawn.com/news/1021578/ppp-accuses-rangers-of-extra-judicial-killings-in-lyari
Rana Haider, “Trial by Encounter,” Pakistan Today, July 1, 2013. Available at: http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2013/07/01/city/lahore/trial-by-encounter/
[31] “Karachi: Four in violent incidents, two in police encounter killed today,” The News, June 30, 2013. Available at http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-107472-Karachi%3a-Six-killed-in-violent-incidents,-police-encounter-today
[32] “25 arrested,” The News, June 30, 2013. Available at http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-6-186834-25-arrested
[33] “Police Kill Three in ‘Encounters,’” The News, July 1, 2013. Available at: http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-5-186968-Police-kill-three-in-%20encounters
[34]Khaleeq Kiani, “Talks with IMF in Critical Phase,” Dawn, July 1, 2013. Available at: http://x.dawn.com/2013/07/01/talks-with-imf-in-critical-phase/
Shahbaz Rana, “New Bailout in Jeopardy: IMF, Government Stick to their Guns,” The Express Tribune, June 29, 2013. Available at: http://tribune.com.pk/story/569959/new-bailout-in-jeopardy-imf-government-stick-to-their-guns/
[35] “President Signs Finance Bill 2013-2014 into Law,” Dawn, June 30, 2013. Available at: http://dawn.com/news/1021585/president-signs-finance-bill-2013-14-into-law
[36] “MQM chief Altaf Hussain takes back his resignation,” Express Tribune, June 30, 2013. Available at http://tribune.com.pk/story/570372/altaf-hussain-resigns-as-mqm-chief/ 
[37 “Lyariites protest ‘extra-judicial killings’ outside Karachi Rangers HQ,” Dawn, July 1, 2013. Available at http://beta.dawn.com/news/1022035/lyari-protesters-breach-red-zone-hold-sit-in-outside-karachi-rangers-hq
[38] “Swiss Letter Malafide, SC Prayed for Action,” The News, July 1, 2013. Available at: http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-107478-Swiss-letter-malafide,-SC-prayed-for-action
“Swiss Letter Saga,” Dawn, June 29, 2013. Available at: http://x.dawn.com/2013/06/29/swiss-letter-saga/
[39] “Clean-up: Nawaz calls for termination of corrupt officials,” Express Tribune, July 1, 2013. Available at http://tribune.com.pk/story/570846/clean-up-nawaz-calls-for-termination-of-corrupt-officials/ 
[40] “Pakistan’s Taliban-Kabul power-share proposal angers Afghans,” Dawn, July 1, 2013. Available at http://beta.dawn.com/news/1022049/pakistans-taliban-kabul-power-share-proposal-angers-afghans
[41]Nicholas Watt, “David Cameron Nudges Pakistan Back Towards Focus on Afghanistan,” The Guardian, June 30, 2013. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/30/cameron-nudges-pakistan-afghanistan-relations
David Cameron and Nawaz Sharif, “Pakistan Visit: Statements from David Cameron and Nawaz Sharif,” The Government of the United Kingdom, June 30, 2013. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pakistan-visit-statements-from-david-cameron-and-nawaz-sharif
Steven Swinford, “Pakistan Must Act Tough on Extremists,” Telegraph, June 30, 2013. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/david-cameron/10150962/David-Cameron-Pakistan-must-act-tough-on-extremists.html
“Pakistan backs Afghan peace efforts, British PM told,” Dawn, June 30, 2013. Available at http://beta.dawn.com/news/1021801/pakistan-backs-afghan-peace-efforts-british-pm-told
[42]“Pak-Iran Gas Pipeline Project To Be Completed On Time, Says Secretary Petroleum,” The News, June 29, 2013. Available at: http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-2-186757-Pak-Iran-gas-pipeline-project-to-be-completed-on-time,-says-secretary-petroleum
[43]“Minister for Power to Visit India,” Dawn, June 29, 2013. Available at: http://beta.dawn.com/news/1021761/minister-for-power-to-visit-india
[44]“Composite dialogue to resume once new Pak govt settles down: Salman Khurshid,” Express Tribune, June 28, 2013. Available at http://tribune.com.pk/story/569667/composite-dialogue-to-resume-once-new-pak-govt-settles-down-salman-khurshid/
[45 “Indian-administered Kashmir shuts down as police, militant killed,” Dawn, July 1, 2013. Available at http://beta.dawn.com/news/1022032/indian-administered-kashmir-shuts-down-as-police-militant-killed
[46]Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “Pakistan and India Exchange Lists of Prisoners,” Government of Pakistan, July 1st, 2013. Available at: http://mofa.gov.pk/pr-details.php?prID=1291
[47] “PM Stresses Importance of Pak-China Relations,” The News, June 29, 2013. Available at: http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-107268-PM-Sharif-stresses-importance-of-Pak-China-relations-
 “Nawaz Sharif’s Visit to Enhance Pak-China Economic Cooperation: Chinese Envoy,” Associated Press of Pakistan, July 1, 2013. Available at: http://www.app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=241142&Itemid=2
“Gwadar to Benefit both Pakistan, China: PM,” Dawn, June 30, 2013. Available at: http://beta.dawn.com/news/1021762/gwadar-to-benefit-both-pakistan-china-pm
[48]Mateen Haider, “Sartaj Aziz to meet Kerry in Brunei,” Dawn, July 1, 2013. Available at http://beta.dawn.com/news/1022048/sartaj-aziz-to-meet-kerry-in-brunei
[49]“Trade Ties: Pak-US Business Conference Concludes in Dubai,” The Express Tribune, June 30, 2013. Available at: http://tribune.com.pk/story/570260/trade-ties-pak-us-business-conference-concludes-in-dubai/
“Pakistan-US Business Conference in Dubai Major Success: Javed Malik,” Associated Press of Pakistan, June 27, 2013. Available at: http://www.app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=240713&Itemid=2
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