Pakistan Security Brief

Thousands of NATO vehicles containers remain stranded at Karachi port; Senate Intelligence Committee leader says trust between U.S. and Pakistan “very low”; Pakistan Olympic mission denies scam involving “potential terrorists” being smuggled into London; U.S. drone kills 14 militants in North Waziristan; ISI chief to call for end to U.S. drone strikes in meeting with CIA chief; Pakistani government asks Supreme Court to dismiss order for prime minister to reopen corruption cases against President Zardari; Armed men attack NATO container trucks near Torkham border crossing; Gunmen in Balochistan’s Gwadar town kill eight Coast Guard personnel.      

NATO Supply Route

  • Karachi Port Trust (KPT) General Manager Azhar Hayat has said that no NATO containers or vehicles had left the KPT since Pakistan’s reopening of the ground lines of communication (GLOCs) on July 3. Hayat stated, however, that he expected the clearance process to begin this week. He also noted that NATO would incur over $26 million in storage charges, also known as demurrage charges, for storing its containers and vehicles at the KPT for an extended period of time. Although port authorities previously estimated that they could clear the backlog of stored containers in 24 days, they expect the process to take longer now due to the onset of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Currently, NATO has 3,851 vehicles and 1,983 containers stored at the KPT.[1]      

Drone Strikes

  • A U.S. drone fired at least six missiles at a compound owned by militant commander Sadiq Noor in the village of Dray Nashtar in the Shawal sub-district of North Waziristan on Monday, killing up to twelve militants with suspected ties to Hafiz Gul Bahadur. Torabi Markaz, the compound targeted in the attack, was being used as a training facility by militants, according to the Express Tribune. It is unclear whether Noor, a close ally of Bahadur, was killed in the attack.[2]  

  • Lt. Gen. Zahirul Islam, the new head of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, will meet with CIA director David Patraeus on August 2 to discuss the U.S. drone campaign in Pakistan, according to a Pakistani intelligence official. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the official said that the ISI chief will urge the U.S. to end drone strikes on Pakistani soil in favor of an alternative arrangement in which the U.S. provides a target list to Pakistan and then the country’s security forces carry out the attack.[3]

International Relations

  • Between Sunday and Monday night, a barrage of artillery rounds fired from Pakistan hit Dangam district of eastern Kunar province in Afghanistan. Though no casualties were reported, the firing comes a day after four civilians were killed in the same area in shelling from inside Pakistan. Speaking with Pakistan’s ambassador to Kabul Muhammad Sadiq on Sunday, Deputy Afghan Foreign Minister Jawed Ludin issued a warning, saying “any continuation of such reported shelling against Afghan villages could have a significant negative impact on bilateral relations.” Kunar police Chief Ewaz Muhammad Naziri said 1,960 shells had hit the eastern province of Afghanistan in recent months, an accusation which the Pakistani government denies.[4]

  • Speaking at the World Affairs Council on Monday, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein called trust between the U.S. and Pakistan “very low” and said she would like to see “an improved relationship.” She further described Pakistan’s reopening of the GLOCs as “a very good sign” but expressed concern with recent cross-border attacks emanating from Pakistan.[5]

  • On Monday, the UK-based tabloid The Sun reported a scam in which Pakistani nationals would be brought into London as participants and officials tied to the Pakistani Olympic delegation. The scam, involving Lahore-based politician Abid Chaudhry and other officials, was allegedly bringing in “potential terrorists.” Aqil Shah, head of Pakistan’s Olympic mission, called the charges “baseless” and “an attempt to malign Pakistan.” Rehman Malik, advisor to the prime minister for internal affairs, created a team to investigate the charges and directed authorities to arrest those responsible for preparing fake passports and documents.[6]      

Domestic Politics

  • On Tuesday, the Pakistani government asked the Supreme Court to withdraw its July 12 order requiring Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf to reopen old corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. The government’s statement said that the cabinet had not yet made a decision on the matter and that the prime minister was constitutionally bound by the advice of his cabinet. It also said that the court lacked the authority to summon the prime minister and that it could no longer initiate contempt of court proceedings against the prime minister.[7]

  • Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said on Tuesday that holding individuals in contempt of court was an important tool for ensuring implementation of the judiciary’s orders. During the court’s hearing of petitions challenging the Contempt of Court Bill 2012, Chaudhry stated that Article 204 of Pakistan’s Constitution, which outlines the judiciary’s power to initiate contempt proceedings, permits the court, not parliament or the executive, to frame the judiciary’s use of contempt of court. Additionally, he noted that the law appeared to undermine the court’s jurisdiction and that the government’s hasty passage of the law was not correct.[8]     

  • The Frontier Corps (FC) on Tuesday submitted its reply to the Supreme Court denying that it had any missing persons in custody. The reply came in response to the Supreme Court’s order ten days ago requiring the FC to release eight missing persons allegedly taken by the FC from different parts of Balochistan. The FC also claimed that insurgents dressed in FC uniforms had committed “high profile acts of terrorism.” Chief Justice Chaudhry was not satisfied with the response and ordered paramilitary and civilian officials to appear before the court on Wednesday.[9]     

Militancy



[1] Kazim Alam, “Racking up the bill: Thousands of NATO containers stranded,” Express Tribune, July 24, 2012. Available at http://tribune.com.pk/story/412303/racking-up-the-bill-thousands-of-nato-containers-stranded/
[2] “Drone kills 12 militants at training compound,” Express Tribune, July 24, 2012. Available at http://tribune.com.pk/story/412308/drone-kills-12-militants-at-training-compound/
“U.S. Missiles Kill 9 Suspected Militants in Pakistan,” AP, July 24, 2012. Available at http://world.time.com/2012/07/24/u-s-missiles-kill-9-suspected-militants-in-pakistan/
[3] Nasir Habib, “Pakistan spy agency chief to tell CIA: End drone strikes; ID targets for us to attack,” CNN, July 24, 2012. Available at http://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/24/world/asia/pakistan-isi-cia-meeting/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fedition _asia+%28RSS%3A+Asia%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
[4] Sayed Salahuddin, “A day after Kabul’s warning to Pakistan, more cross-border shelling reported,” Washington Post, July 23, 2012. Available at http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/a-day-after-kabuls-warning-to-pakistan-more-cross-border-shelling-reported/2012/07/23/gJQAVpfB4W_story.html
[5] “Trust between US and Pakistan very low: Feinstein,” Geo News, July 24, 2012. Available at http://www.geo.tv/GeoDetail.aspx?ID=60250
[6] “UK tabloid sets off another sporting controversy,” Express Tribune, July 24, 2012. Available at http://tribune.com.pk/story/412301/uk-tabloid-sets-off-another-sporting-controversy/
[7] “Pakistan govt asks Supreme Court to drop orders,” AFP, July 24, 2012. Available at http://news.yahoo.com/pakistan-govt-asks-supreme-court-drop-orders-130402633.html
“NRO Case: SC returns Federation’s reply,” Geo News, July 24, 2012. Available at http://www.geo.tv/GeoDetail.aspx?ID=60243
“NRO case: SC declares govt’s reply inadmissible,” Dawn, July 24, 2012. Available at http://dawn.com/2012/07/24/nro-implementation-pm-could-not-write-letter-to-swiss-authorities/
[8] “New contempt law against delivery of justice: CJ,” Geo News, July 24, 2012. Available at http://www.geo.tv/GeoDetail.aspx?ID=60240
Azam Khan, “Contempt of court: Can parliament clip court’s power? No, says apex court,” Express Tribune, July 24, 2012. Available at http://tribune.com.pk/story/412298/contempt-of-court-can-parliament-clip-courts-power-no-says-apex-court/
[9] “Balochistan security: FC says no missing persons in custody,” AFP, July 24, 2012. Available at http://tribune.com.pk/story/412416/balochistan-security-fc-fails-to-produce-missing-persons-seeks-police-powers/
[10] “Gunmen attack NATO supply trucks,” AFP, July 24, 2012. Available at http://www.geo.tv/GeoDetail.aspx?ID=60257
Riaz Khan, “Gunmen attack NATO convoy in Pakistan, 1 killed,” AP, July 24, 2012. Available at http://news.yahoo.com/gunmen-attack-nato-convoy-pakistan-1-killed-083808531.html
[11] “Police foil attack on checkpost,” Daily Times, July 24, 2012. Available at http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\07\24\story_24-7-2012_pg7_9
“Three CD shops blown up,” Daily Times, July 24, 2012. Available at http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\07\24\story_24-7-2012_pg7_8
“4 children injured in Darra Adamkhel blast,” Express Tribune, July 24, 2012. Available http://tribune.com.pk/story/412399/four-children-injured-in-darra-adamkhel-blast/
[12] Shehryar Mirza, “Police discover, defuse second bomb outside Consulate,” Express Tribune, July 23, 2012. Available at http://tribune.com.pk/story/412013/blast-heard-near-chinese-consulate-in-karachi/
[13] “Police arrest several suspects in Karachi,” Geo News, July 24, 2012. Available at http://www.geo.tv/GeoDetail.aspx?ID=60218
“Eight, including target killers, arrested in separate raids,” Daily Times, July 24, 2012. Available at http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\07\24\story_24-7-2012_pg12_7
[14] “Security forces pounded militants’ hideouts in Orakzai; seven killed,” Dawn, July 24, 2012. Available at http://dawn.com/2012/07/24/security-forces-pounded-militants-hideouts-in-orakzai-seven-killed/
[15] “Gwadar: 8 killed in attack on checkpost,” The News, July 21, 2012. Available at http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-59827-Six-killed-in-rocket-attack-on-Levies-checkpost--
“2 killed, one escapes in Quetta,” Daily Times, July 24, 2012. Available at http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\07\24\story_24-7-2012_pg7_27
[16] “Man shot, wounded in Landikotal,” Daily Times, July 24, 2012. Available at http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\07\24\story_24-7-2012_pg7_6
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