Pakistan Security Brief

Tribesman file suit against CIA legal chief over drone strikes; Shift to attacks on U.S. targets abroad seen in AQ strategy; House panel releases bill that would block Pakistan aid; Zardari and Karzai to discuss security in Kabul; Pakistan yet to work on torture report; Eleven militants killed in Kurram clash; Five militants killed by remote-controlled bomb; Karachi violence comes from a history of political and ethnic tension; Shahzad did not drive car to Islamabad before death; Sufi Muhammad faces murder and treason charges; Aid workers kidnapped in Balochistan.

 

Drone Strike Backlash

  • On Monday, three Waziristan tribesmen “filed a complaint with the police” against former CIA legal counsel John A. Rizzo for approving drone strikes that killed civilians. One of the tribesmen who lodged the complaint insists that his brother and son, who were both killed in suspected CIA drone strikes, were “peaceful Pakistani citizens.” The tribesmen’s attorney, Mirza Shahzad Akbar, claims Rizzo is liable for the wrongful deaths of civilians killed in drone strikes as he was responsible for approving a list of people to be targeted in the attacks. Akbar is also the founder of the Foundation for Fundamental Rights, an NGO currently partnered with the U.K.-based rights group Reprieve in an effort to draw attention to civilian deaths resulting from drone strikes. Reprieve and the Foundation for Fundamental Rights are sponsoring a photo exhibit showing the destruction caused by U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan. The exhibit opened on Tuesday in a London gallery.[i]

Al Qaeda to Alter Strategy

U.S.-Pakistan Relations

  • On Monday, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., released an initial draft of a bill that would “block” aid to Pakistan, Egypt, Lebanon, and the Palestinian Authority “unless the Obama administration reassures Congress that they are cooperating in the worldwide fight against terrorism.” Aid to Pakistan, specifically, would be blocked unless the Secretary of State can reassure Congress that the government of Pakistan is “fully assisting the United States with investigating the existence of an official or unofficial support network in Pakistan for Osama bin Laden, including by providing the United States with direct access to Osama bin Laden's relatives in Pakistan and to Osama bin Laden's former compound in Abottabad.”[iii]

Pak-Afghan Relations

Torture in Pakistan

FATA

Karachi

  • A Washington Post report details the roots of violence in Karachi. The report explains how political and ethnic tension between the Pashtun and Mohajir populations has brought Karachi to the brink of chaos. The Urdu-speaking Mohajirs, represented by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM[RNJ1] ), say the Pashtun population is “sheltering terrorists in Karachi,” while the Pashtuns, represented by the Awami National Party (ANP), say Karachi’s Pashtuns have been pushed out of political representation for too long.[viii]

Trials and Investigations

Balochistan

 

[i] “Pakistanis seek arrest of former CIA legal chief over drone attacks,” Reuters, July 19, 2011. Available at
“Photo Exhibit Shows Alleged US Drone Strikes,” AP, July 19, 2011. Available at
[ii] “Al Qaeda Seen Aiming at Targets Outside U.S.,” WSJ, July 19, 2011. Available at
[iii] “House bill to limit aid to Pakistan, Palestinians,” AP, July 19, 2011. Available at
[iv] “Af-pak relations: Zardari to hold talks in Kabul today,” Express Tribune, July 19, 2011. Available at
“Afghan mortars kill Pakistani soldiers,” AFP, July 19, 2011. Available at
[v] “Torture – a word missing in Pakistan’s penal code,” Express Tribune, July 19, 2011. Available at
[vi] “Security forces kill 11 militants in Kurram,” Dawn, July 19, 2011. Available at
[vii] “Blast kills five militants in South Waziristan,” Geo, July 19, 2011. Available at
[viii] “Violence in Pakistan’s largest city exposes deep divides,” Washington Post, July 19, 20111. Available at
[ix] “Death of a journalist: ‘Shahzad’s car was brought to dumping site in a container,’” Express Tribune, July 19,2011. Available at http://tribune.com.pk/story/212828/death-of-a-journalist-shahzads-car-was-brought-to-dumping-site-in-a-container/
[x] “Court charges Sufi Mohammad with murder, treason,” Express Tribune, July 18, 2011. Available at
[xi] “Pakistani Workers of U.S. Aid Agency Feared Kidnapped,” Reuters, July 19, 2011. Available at
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