Pakistan Security Brief
MQM promises to continue protests until government gets UK authorities’ guarantee of protection for Altaf Hussain; Karachi remains on lockdown as strike against Hussain’s arrest continue; TTP suicide bomber kills five including two army colonels in Rawalpindi; TTP cross-border attack kills four soldiers in Bajaur agency; Rangers, FC kill eight militants on Sindh-Balochistan border; U.S. adopts neutral position in Pak-Afghan border dispute; Russia says arms sales to Pakistan not targeted at any third nation; Jang newspaper editor attacked.
MQM Leader’s Arrest and Fallout
Muttahid Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Farooq Sattar said on Wednesday that the MQM would continue to hold protests across Karachi until the Pakistani government obtained guarantees from British authorities that MQM chief Altaf Hussain, currently in British custody, would be “protected.”[1]
The port city of Karachi remained on lockdown through Wednesday following strikes and protests by MQM supporters denouncing the news of MQM leader Altaf Hussain’s arrest in the UK.[2]
Militancy
A Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) suicide bomber attacked a Pakistan Army vehicle near Fateh Jang outside Rawalpindi. The attack killed five people, including two army lieutenant colonels. TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid claimed the attack was revenge for the deaths of seven TTP members in Karachi and the extrajudicial killings of TTP members in military custody.[3]
On Wednesday, TTP militants based in Afghanistan attacked the Manozangal and Moukha military posts in Bajaur agency, killing four soldiers and wounding four more. Sources quoted in the report claim this was the third attack of its kind since May 25. Intelligence officials believe Mullah Fazlullah-led TTP militants based in Afghanistan’s Kunar and Nuristan provinces are responsible for the attacks. [4]
A joint operation by Sindh Rangers and Balochistan Frontier Corps (FC) personnel killed eight militants on the Sindh-Balochistan border on Tuesday night. Three FC personnel were also injured in the operation. Fighting is reportedly ongoing near the Pat Feeder area on the provincial border.[5]
Afghan-Pakistani Relations
U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan James Cunnignham told Afghan officials that Afghanistan should resolve an ongoing border dispute with Pakistan bilaterally, and that the U.S. intends to stay neutral in the dispute. The comments come a day after Afghan officials sought U.S. intercession against Pakistan, which they claim is responsible for a rash of rocket attacks inside Afghan territory. Pakistan denies the charges and blames Afghanistan for several attacks by Afghanistan-based militant on Pakistan army checkposts.[6]
Russo-Pakistani Relations
Russia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a statement on Wednesday clarifying that its recent decision to lift an arms embargo against Pakistan and offer it Mi-35 Hind attack helicopters was not aimed at any third country but intended to help Pakistan in its fight against terrorists and narcotics smuggling.[7]
Domestic
A Pakistani editor for the country’s top-selling Urdu-language Jang newspaper was assaulted on Sunday after leaving his office in Multan, Punjab. The assault is part of a series of recent attacks against the Jang media group in Pakistan which is currently engaged in an ongoing spat with the country’s powerful military and intelligence establishment.[8]
