Pakistan Security Brief

LeT, Ansarul Islam, attack TTP positions on Mohmand border; TTP kills nine in Karachi, wounds senior judge; U.S. special envoy James Dobbins meets with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif over Qatar talks; TTP kills Station Chief of Hayatabad police; John Kerry “snubs” Islamabad; al Qaeda changing communication after NSA leaks; Altaf Hussain’s cousin released on bail in murder case; FIA will investigate Musharraf; PPP-led government attempted to throw out Swiss Zardari case; Local peace committee member killed by TTP in Bannu; Pakistan discusses bailout as high as $7 billion, but IMF doubtful over Pakistan revenue collection; Citizen missing in Gilgit-Baltistan;17 percent GST will be collected retroactively from June 13; IED kills one, wounds three in Awaran; Man shot in Karachi; Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly calls for end to load shedding; One shot and killed in Hangu; New chemicals used in IED attacks; Policemen to escort polio vaccinators in Swabi; Gilgit-Baltistan budget released.

Militancy and Terrorism

•  Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan on Wednesday claimed responsibility for that day's attack on the security convoy of Sindh High Court senior judge Justice Maqbool Baqir in Karachi, citing Baqir’s legal rulings against militant groups as the group's motivation for attacking him.  Operatives attached a remote-controlled improvised explosive device (IED) to a motorcycle; when the device detonated during rush hour, it killed nine people and injured 15 others, including Baqir.[1]

• TTP's Mohmand faction spokesman, Omar Mukarram Khurasani announced on Wednesday that Laskhar-e-Taiba (LeT), Ansarul-Islam, and local lashkar “Mohmand Force” have launched operations against TTP positions at Shongrai and Jarobi Darra, Mohmand Agency. Khurasani alleged that LeT commander Haji Abdul Rahim is in charge of the operation and claimed that the militants have attacked TTP camps across the Afghan border as well, at Shunkrey and Maya.  Early reports suggest both sides have suffered casualties, but the numbers remain unclear.[2]

•  The TTP took responsibility for Wednesday’s attack on the Station House Officer (SHO) of the Hayatabad police station in Peshawar, Khyber-Pakthunkhwa.  Three unidentified gunmen opened fire on the SHO’s vehicle during a routine patrol near the Karkhano checkpoint, killing him and wounding four others.  One of the SHO’s responsibilities was ensuring the safe entry and departure of NATO supply trucks in the area.[3]

• According to a Washington Post report released on Wednesday, al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations are altering their methods of communication in light of the recent National Security Agency leaks by Edward Snowden. These changes range from using software programs to cloak internet IP addresses to using disposable phones.[4]

• The TTP killed local peace committee leader Malik Hashim Khan in an IED attack on Wednesday in the Zindi Falak Sher area of Jani Khel, Bannu region.  The explosion killed Khan and two others.[5]

• Unidentified assailants killed a shopkeeper in Mauripur, Karachi, after the man refused to pay extortion money.[6]

• National Assembly member Siraj Muhammad Khan said on Tuesday that the PTI is concerned about the recent increase in terrorist violence; Khan advised the government would support the victims and their families.[7]

• Following the recent death of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) MPA Imran Khan Mohmand in a suicide attack, the family has named his brother, Jamshed Khan Mohmand, as his political successor in constituency PK-27 (Mardan-5).[8]

• Police in Lalamusa, Gujrat District, Punjab arrested three people on Wednesday in connection with previous attacks against polio vaccination teams in Pakistan. [9]

• On Tuesday, police in the Dera Murad Jamali area of Nasirabad District, Balochistan rescued a boy who had been kidnapped from Quetta; law enforcement officers arrested the alleged kidnapper.[10]

• A Belgian tourist is reportedly missing in Giligit-Baltistan following last Saturday’s attack on foreigners at Nanga Parbat; a search operation for the missing person is underway.[11]

• Interior Ministry spokesperson Omar Hameed Khan announced on Tuesday that the Ministry was improving its security plan to provide greater safety against terrorist threats to guest workers and tourists. His statement addresses Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan’s recommendation for improvements to the nation’s security plan.  The Crisis Management Cell (CMC) has been specifically asked to provide protection to 4,000 Chinese workers employed throughout Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan on various projects. The shift comes in the wake of Saturday’s attack on foreign tourists at Nanga Parbat in Giligit-Baltistan.[12]

• In response to Opposition criticism about the number of civilian casualties during police encounters, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah claimed on Wednesday that the provincial government condoned the Punjab Police’s use of lethal force against “hardened criminals” resisting arrest.[13]

• Unidentified individuals planted an IED near a house in Jamrud sub-district, Khyber Agency; there were no casualties when the device detonated on Monday.[14]

• On Wednesday, unidentified militants planted an IED by the roadside in the Mashkay area of Awaran District.  The militants remotely detonated the device in an attack against a patrolling Frontier Corps convoy, killing one person and wounding three more.[15]

• The Crime Investigative Agency branch of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa police will transfer custody today of two Taliban-linked individuals to the Hangu Police, after the suspects confessed to the murder of PTI Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Farid Khan earlier this month.  The men, who had been hiding in Afghanistan, are alleged members of the Hangu-based militant organization Jamiat-e-Islami, and claimed to be working on behalf of local commander Nabi Mullah Hanafi.[16] 

• One man died on Tuesday when unidentified gunmen opened fire on him while on his way to mosque in Hangu, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province .[17]

• On Tuesday, District Police Officer Dr. Mian Saeed Khan announced that two policemen will escort members of polio vaccination teams in Swabi, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa at all times. The Taliban has condemned and attacked vaccination volunteers, claiming that they “emasculate” Muslim men and that the volunteers are “CIA spies.”[18]

• The Haqqani Network and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan have reportedly begun using Potassium Chloride, found in matches, in lieu of Ammonium Nitrate fertilizer for the construction of IEDs, according to a USA Today report on Wednesday. Potassium Chloride is about one-third of the cost of Ammonium nitrate, and can be used immediately as an explosive when combined with fuel, while Ammonium nitrate requires additional chemical changes.[19]

U.S.-Pakistan Relations

• U.S. Special Representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan Ambassador James Dobbins met with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani , and National Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz on Wednesday in Islamabad. In the talks, Dobbins claimed that “President Karzai is ready to move forward with us” in the peace talks with the Afghan Taliban, and briefed Sharif on recent events in Qatar, and Afghanistan, in addition to discussing bilateral relations between the U.S. and Pakistan. Dobbins also acknowledge the importance of Pakistan’s role in the peace talks, stating,” I don’t think anybody controls the Taliban, but I think Pakistan probably has the greatest influence.” Sharif also emphasized the importance of the talks to Pakistan, noting that his country has “the highest stakes” involved in the Qatar talks. The same day, a senior official in the foreign ministry condemned Karzai’s initially “contradictory approach” to the talks, stating that, “it appeared that President Karzai neither wanted the Doha initiative nor next year’s Afghan presidential elections to succeed.” [20]

• According to a Wednesday article in Dawn, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s decision to visit New Delhi, but skip over Islamabad, is being viewed as a snub to the new Pakistani government. Kerry had initially cited the conflict in Syria as his excuse for failing to meet with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as scheduled in early June. However, Kerry visited India recently, meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and discussing India’s role in the drawdown in Afghanistan.[21]

Domestic  

• On Wednesday, Iftikhar Hussain, cousin of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain, was released on bail in London in connection with the murder of former MQM leader Imran Farooq. Altaf Hussain has condemned the arrest, calling it an “international conspiracy” against him. Farooq had reportedly been planning to pursue a political career apart from MQM shortly before he was murdered.[22]

• According to a report in Dawn on Wednesday, former Law Secretary Yasmin Abbasi secretly sent a second letter to Swiss authorities on November 22, 2012, asking them to shun corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, when the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) retained control over the government. The Supreme Court had earlier compelled the government to write a letter to the Swiss government asking it to reopen the investigation; the second letter was sent without notifying the courts. Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhmmad Chaudhry has ordered an inquiry into the second letter; the first letter was sent on November 5, 2012.[23]

• On Wednesday, human rights activist  Asma Jahangir echoed comments by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, calling for the Balochistan government to mandate cooperation between security forces, and to place intelligence and security agencies directly below the authority of the government.[24]

Musharraf Proceedings 

• Attorney General Munir Malik submitted his reply to the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday, finalizing the government’s intentions to try former President Pervez Musharraf on treason charges. The government also announced the formation of a committee that will include members of the Federal Investigation Agency and which will collect evidence against Musharraf. Reportedly, the government will only charge Musharraf with his imposition of emergency law on November 3, 2007, rather than his 1999 coup.[25]  

• The government decided on Wednesday that former President Pervez Musharraf will face trial alone, in accordance with a 2009 Supreme Court ruling that assessed no other government or military entities colluded with Musharraf to engage in unconstitutional behavior in November 2007.  Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif discussed the matter with senior military officials prior to Monday’s announcement, likely to avoid disputes between civilian and military authorities over the proceedings.[26]

• Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) leader Dr. Tahirul Qadri, and other members of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) voiced their support for former President Pervez Musharraf in a meeting on Wednesday, according to Musharraf’s political advisor Chaudhry Sarfraz Anjum Kahlon. According to Kahlon, treason charges against Musharraf,“demonstrate that Nawaz is a democratic dictator who believes in pursuing the reckless path of personal revenge.”[27]

Economy    

• According to a report in Business Week on Wednesday, the Finance Ministry of Pakistan may ask for a bailout of as much as $7 billion, contrary to reports last week which placed the number at $4.5 billion. Pakistan is currently plagued by declining foreign reserves, which stand at 40 percent of their total at the same time last year.[28]

• According to senior officials, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) team visiting Islamabad to discuss the  bailout for Pakistan remains doubtful over the government’s ability to collect the Rs 2,007 billion ($20 billion) that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar claims the government will be able to raise in revenue over the 2013-2014 fiscal year, which could complicate Pakistan’s bailout proceedings. According to a senior ministry official, the IMF wants to take action by performing a “tightening of the monetary policy to control [the] fiscal deficit, inflation and exchange rate stability.”[29]

• Once the Finance Bill is passed on Thursday, the proposed 17 percent general sales tax for the 2013-2014 fiscal budget will be imposed retroactively to cover dues from June 13, 2013, according to official sources on Wednesday.[30]

• The Gilgit-Baltistan budget for the 2013-2014 fiscal year was unveiled on Tuesday. The budget has a Rs 24.6 billion ($250 billion) outlay, and earmarks Rs 9 billion ($90 million) for development in the region.[31]

Electrical Crisis

• On Tuesday, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly passed a resolution urging the federal government to put an end to imposed load-shedding, which has plagued Pakistan throughout its electrical shortages. In the resolution, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly claimed that the “law and order” of the province has been compromised by unscheduled electrical cut-offs.[32]