Pakistan Security Brief

Obama reminds Pakistan to remain mindful of U.S. interests; Gates echoes sentiments of Mullen; Pakistan warns Afghan officials against jumping to conclusions; Kayani claims army is ready for cross border attacks; Court finds MQM main instigator of Karachi violence, PML-N chief calls for ban of militant party wings; Rangers arrest two dozen in strike crackdown; Abbottabad Commission frees bin Laden family; Families of kidnapped boys have “lost hope”; Pakistan Army soldier dies in firefight; Two men killed by landmine, bodies discovered, and rockets fired in Balochistan; Musharraf accuses India of seeking an “anti-Pakistan Afghanistan”.

U.S.-Pakistan Relations

• In a press conference on Thursday, President Obama assured Pakistan that U.S. aid to Pakistan’s flood victims would not be hindered by the “poor decisions [of Pakistan’s] intelligence services” but warned that Pakistan must remain mindful of U.S. interests in order to maintain a “long-term strategic relationship” with the U.S.  Obama noted that Pakistan’s vested interests in Afghanistan have led to Pakistan’s interactions with “unsavory characters” in the past but applauded the role of Pakistan in rooting out al Qaeda operatives along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, labeling Pakistan an “effective partner.”  Obama also suggested that the U.S. would work to improve “conversations” between Afghanistan and Pakistan.  Afterward, Pakistan’s Senate Foreign Affairs Committee chair, Salim Saifullah, warned Obama that continued U.S. criticism of Pakistan would encourage militants, evoke anti-American sentiment in Pakistan, and may endanger the “prospect of peace in Afghanistan.”[1]

• During an award ceremony at West Point on Thursday night, former U.S. Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, “echoed the sentiments” of former U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, Admiral Mike Mullen, noting links between Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Haqqani Network. Gates indicated that it would be in the best interest of the U.S. to maintain efforts at altering Pakistan’s current “hedging strategy” when dealing with militant groups.[2]

Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations

• On Thursday, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry bemoaned the allegations of Afghan officials linking the Karzai assassination plot to the Haqqani Network and training camps in North Waziristan.  According to the BBC, although details of the assassination plot are still emerging, Afghanistan authorities were quick to identify connections between the assassination suspects and the Haqqani Network.[3] 

• On Thursday, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani proclaimed that the Pakistan Army was prepared to counter any terrorist attacks launched from Afghanistan. Kayani’s comments came after the conclusion of a joint military exercise with Saudi forces outside of Jhelum.[4]

Karachi Violence

• On Thursday, the Supreme Court’s suo moto decision found that all political parties in Karachi were responsible for the city’s violence, but the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was the most culpable.  The MQM has denied these accusations and suggested it has been targeted by the judiciary due to its liberal views. BBC correspondent Syed Shoaib Hasan suggested that much of the city’s violence was backed by the complicity of MQM and other political parties. The court also cited the politicization of the Karachi police force as a major contributor to the escalation of targeted killings in the city.  In a response to the Supreme Court's suo moto findings, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif called for all political parties with militant wings to be barred from Karachi.[5]

• Rangers arrested the leader of the Sunni Tehrik party and two dozen others in a crackdown on a strike orchestrated by the Sunni Tehrik in Karachi. Firing incidents occurred throughout Karachi Thursday evening and a Sunni Tehrik activist was accidentally gunned down by fellow party members attempting to force shops to close.[6]

Abbottabad Commission

• Deceased al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s widows and daughters have been cleared to leave the country  following an “exhaustive interview” session with the Abbottabad Commission, which was investigating the May 2 raid by U.S. Special Operations Forces on the bin Laden compound.  The Commission also recommended that Pakistan charge Dr. Shakil Afridi with conspiracy against the State of Pakistan and high treason for his role in running a “CIA-sponsored fake vaccination program” that attempted to gain DNA samples from the bin Laden family.[7]

Kidnapped Boys

• The parents of 27 boys kidnapped by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) over a month ago have reportedly “lost hope” that the boys will be safely recovered.  The families have not been contact with the boys’ abductors since the militant group released a video outlining its demands.[8]

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

• A Pakistan Army soldier was killed during a raid on the home of a Taliban commander called Shahzeb on Thursday night in Mardan’s Takhtbhai sub-district when security forces engaged in a firefight with militants.[9]

Balochistan

• Two men were killed when their motorcycle set off a landmine in Dera Bugti on Thursday. In another incident, two bullet-ridden bodies were found in Turbat. Both men were kidnapped separately within the past month. Later, a rocket was fired by unidentified militants at Mand town of Kech district on Thursday, although no injuries were reported.[10]

Pakistani Politics

• Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf accused India of seeking to create an “anti-Pakistan Afghanistan” to promote Indian strategic interests in South Asia. Musharraf alleged that Afghanistan’s intelligence officers, soldiers, and diplomats are “indoctrinated against Pakistan” while receiving training in India. Musharraf conceded that India did not seek to confront Pakistan militarily, but contended that India sought to dominate Pakistan though economic and diplomatic policy. According to the New York Times, Pakistan has attempted to strengthen its relationship with China in recent weeks to offset India’s gains in the region. However, China has largely rebuffed Pakistan’s efforts in light of Pakistan’s instability and U.S. interests in the region.[11]