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1. The India-Pakistan Peace Process
March-April 2010
Dr. Shaheen Akhtar
Research Fellow
Sidra Tariq
Asst. Research Officer
After the foreign secretaries meeting in India in the last week of February, Pakistan-India talks, once again, fell victim to a deadlock. India held on to its former stance that the composite dialogue with Pakistan could only be resumed after “greater trust” between them has been restored. Furthermore, the three-day Indo-Pakistan talks on the question of water projects that India is building upstream in Held Kashmir remained inconclusive. However, a major breakthrough was witnessed during the 16th SAARC Summit (April 28-29) at Thimpu in Bhutan, where the first bilateral meeting took place between the premiers of India and Pakistan since Sharam-el-Sheikh. During the meeting, the two leaders agreed that their foreign ministers would meet soon to draw up a roadmap for future talks.
The Pakistani leadership was much disappointed at the inconclusive outcome of the secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan in the last week of February. However, Pakistan continued its efforts to resume the peace talks.
On 5 April, President Asif Ali Zardari while addressing the joint session of Parliament stressed that normalisation of relations with India was crucial for durable peace in the region. He said: “We can fight militancy better through dialogue and cooperation instead of doubting each other…Pakistan wanted an “honourable and peaceful settlement of all outstanding disputes.” He said that his country did not desire an arms race in the region, but added that “a disproportionate increase in military budget by the largest democracy does not help the cause of arms reduction.”(1)
On 3 March, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that Pakistan went to the recently held foreign secretary-level meeting in New Delhi with an open mind, as it wanted its ties with India to “normalize” by resolving the bilateral disputes through sustained and meaningful dialogue. He said: “Engaging in talks for the sake of talks will serve no purpose. India has to change its approach towards Pakistan which somehow continues to be anchored in the Cold War mindset.”(2)
On 6 March, Qureshi said that Pakistan had conveyed to India that it wanted “result-oriented and purposeful dialogue” and was not interested in a mere” photo session.” He said: “Pakistan was not in a hurry and could wait for the meaningful dialogue process.”(3)
On 4 March, referring to the recently-concluded foreign-secretary level talks, Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said that Pakistan was certainly not “happy” that India was not ready to resume the composite dialogue. He stated: “Obviously, we are not happy given that India is not yet ready to come back to the composite dialogue process. Pakistan, as the foreign minister has said, would like to engage with India purposefully and would like to have structured negotiations with India to settle and resolve all the bilateral disputes. There are proposals on the table and we will see what the Indian response is to our suggested roadmap. It is our desire for the sake of peace and prosperity in the region that India returns to a meaningful dialogue process.” He added: “If India agrees to the roadmap without any pre-condition and to resume composite dialogue, it will not find Pakistan wanting.”(4)
On 3 March, Federal Minister for Defence, Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar while talking to High Commissioner of New Zealand Brian Sanders said that good relations between India and Pakistan could help bring stability and economic prosperity to the region. The Minister said: “India needed to show flexibility to resolve all outstanding issues with Pakistan, which was essential for the economic and social prosperity of the entire region.”(5)
On 7 March, responding to Indian Defence Minister AK Antony’s criticism that India had complained to the US Defence secretary during his recent visit that “Pakistan’s acquisition of modern weapons are a matter of concern”, the Foreign Office spokesman said that Pakistan’s military doctrine was purely defensive in nature. Mr. Basit said: “It is India’s dangerous military doctrines and massive militarisation that are matters of huge concern for regional stability whereas Pakistan has always acted to protect its legitimate security interests. Our military doctrine is purely defensive in nature.”(6)
On 25 March, at the opening session of the Strategic Dialogue in Washington, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi expressed the hope that the United States would play a “constructive” role in resolving the Kashmir dispute and providing Pakistan with “non-discriminatory” access to energy. Qureshi said: “Pakistan seeks peaceful resolution to all issues in South Asia, including Kashmir. We hope the U.S. will maintain its constructive engagement to encourage this process.”(7)
On 26 March, Qureshi informed the National Assembly that during the recent talks in New Dehli at the Foreign Secretary-level, Pakistan had proposed a roadmap for future bilateral interaction to the Indian side. However, Indian response was awaited. He said: “India has, so far, not agreed to resume the composite dialogue process although it acknowledged its relevance and the results achieved through this mechanism. Indian approach on the resumption of composite dialogue is uni-focal, that is terrorism. Pakistan remains convinced that dialogue is the only way forward to resolve outstanding issues between Pakistan and India and to achieve peace, security and development in the region.”(8)
On 1 April, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister while speaking in the Senate said that Pakistan conveyed to the U.S. its concerns about Indian interference in Afghanistan. He told the House: “We have also conveyed these concerns to the U.S [along with documentary proof of growing Indian role in the region]. Our apprehensions are legitimate and we informed them that these legitimate concerns need to be addressed.”(9)
On 13 March, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said there was solid evidence of the Indian involvement in acts of terror in Balochistan and the government was taking up this matter diplomatically with the Indian government. He said: “We are not levelling mere allegations against India but have solid evidence of the Indian involvement in Balochistan….The weapons recovered from various areas were also Indian-made”(10)
On 15 April, Pakistan said it was looking forward for a meaningful engagement with India and stressed that only “result-oriented talks” could prove to be fruitful for the region. A spokesman from Pakistan’s foreign office said: “Dialogue with India is not a favour by Pakistan to India or vice versa. Let me underline that engaging in meaningful and result-oriented talks is in our mutual interest and in the interest of the region.”(11)
On 2 March, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that all problems between India and Pakistan could be resolved through meaningful bilateral dialogue if only Pakistan took more serious steps to deal with terrorist elements that targeted India. He said: “I hope that the world community gets the right message that India is a victim of terrorism. That we have a situation where our neighbour has promised, unambiguously, not to allow its territory to be used for perpetrating terrorist acts directed against India and yet on the ground progress has been rather nil.”(12)
On 1 March, Manmohan Singh reiterated that India wanted to discuss all outstanding issues with Pakistan in a terror-free environment. He said: “There is no change in our position. We seek a peaceful and normal relationship with Pakistan. We should be good neighbours. In that quest, we have consistently sought to engage those in Pakistan who are ready to work with us.”(13)
On 5 March, Singh said that India’s decision to hold foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan was calculated. Denying the charges that he had sought mediation between Pakistan and India by Saudi Arabia and talks with Pakistan were held under the US pressure, he said: “Our policy towards Pakistan is consistent, cautious and realistic.” He stressed the need to keep communication channels with Pakistan from breaking down and said: “The scope of any miscalculation can only worsen in an environment of no contact.”(14)
On 16 March, Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said it was “very, very difficult” to resume the composite dialogue process at the moment. She said: “... please realise that there are groups in Pakistan that continue to follow an agenda of violence, of hatred…It is very, very difficult to be convinced in such a situation that we should set aside these concerns and just move on. And that is why, I said when you talk of resuming composite dialogue [it] becomes very, very difficult to do that in the current situation.”(15)
On 21 March, Indian Minister for External Affairs S M Krishna said that the foreign secretary level talks between Islamabad and India did not disappoint him. In an interview to CNN-IBN, he said: “Let me put it this way that nothing dramatic was expected in the meeting between the two foreign secretaries. We invited the foreign secretary of Pakistan to come to India so that we could start the talks, so that we could know what Pakistan’s position is. I was not disappointed because I did not expect much from that meeting. And it was only an icebreaker.”(16)
On 12 March, Indian Home Ministe, Chidambaram said India would act “swiftly and decisively” if another terrorist attack emanated from Pakistani soil. He stressed that Pakistan needed to “reinvent” itself as a genuine democracy and a responsible neighbour. He said: “The two nations are nuclear powers, and war is not an option, so we must talk… At other times, we must remain vigilant….If we are able to establish with a reasonable degree of certainty that another attack on India emanated from Pakistani soil, we will respond swiftly and decisively.”(17)
On 9 March, India took strong notice of claims made by Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik that India’s intelligence agencies were behind the blast in Lahore on the Special Investigation Agency (SIA) building on 8 March. Indian Minister of State for Defence Pallam Raju made it clear that Pakistan’s allegations were baseless. He said: “It’s unfortunate that they are making such statements….We understand, we empathise with Pakistan as they are also a victim. We should act together in containing terror.”(18)
On 15 March, Indian Home Secretary Gopal Pillai said that a bombing that killed 16 people in Pune in February 2010 was carried out by home-grown Islamists with alleged links to militants in Pakistan. He alleged that Indian Mujahideen operatives were being trained in Pakistan and had links with the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba. He said: “The handlers are the same, the set of handlers which was involved in Mumbai.”(19)
On 3 April, India expressed its disappointment over Pakistan’s lack of interest to reciprocate by inviting Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao to Pakistan for continuation of talks. A government official in New Delhi said: “It is now Pakistan’s turn to invite the Indian foreign secretary to Islamabad, “but we have not heard anything…we need, at least, to keep the dialogue going on.”(20)
Issue of terrorism: On 1 March, Pakistan strongly rebuffed the accusations levelled by Indian Defence Minister A K Antony that 42 terror camps were “still active” in Pakistan and that the lack of a solemn effort by that country (Pakistan) in dismantling them was the major source of concern for India. Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesman rejected the allegations saying, “India should better share proof of existence of these camps with Pakistan rather than firing in the air.”(21)
On 17 March, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said that India was ‘exploring all possibilities with Pakistan” but the later “was not taking serious steps” to destroy 42 terror camps on its soil. On the issue of terrorist infiltration, he said: “Kashmir is becoming normal. Violence is less. This situation cannot be tolerated by forces inimical to India.”(22)
On 20 April, India clarified that the issue of terrorism would have to be addressed first to resume the composite dialogue. External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said: “though the composite dialogue had suspended after the Mumbai attacks, India had opened up with Pakistan so as to “bring them to talk about terror and convince them that once terror is addressed, other things will follow.”(23)
The 2009-10 annual report of the Indian Home Ministry claimed that terror infrastructures in Pakistan were still intact and “penetration in Jammu and Kashmir” remained uninterrupted with a considerable increase in 2009. The report declared: “There are reports to indicate that the infrastructure for training terrorist elements across the border continues to remain intact. The available information reveals that the infiltration that consistently decreased since 2005 has reversed in 2009 and increased substantially when compared to 2008…There were 485 attempts of infiltration last year in comparison to 342 in 2008.”(24) Top
Role of a third-party mediator not acceptable: On 5th March, Mr. Singh firmly ruled out any role for a third party mediator in settling differences between India and Pakistan. Regarding the role of the US vis-à-vis indo-Pak relations, he said: “I categorically state that not once has he (Obama) sought to pressurise India into taking one position or the other. On the contrary, he has always expressed understanding of the position we have taken from time to time.”(25)
Nonetheless, on 13 March, regarding Saudi Arabia’s role as a mediator Mr. Shah Mehmood Qureshi said: “If a friend like Saudi Arabia comes forward for mediation between Pakistan and India, we will go ahead without hesitation.”(26)
Issue of Hafiz Saeed’s arrest: On 2 March, India’s Home Minister P Chidambaram criticized Pakistan for allowing JuD chief Hafiz Saeed to make “provocative” speeches against India instead of acting against him for his role in the 26/11 attacks. He stressed: “We are very clear about the role of Saeed (in the Mumbai carnage). It is a role that deserves to be investigated. Based on the information we have given, any responsible government will investigate it.”(27)
On 4 March, Pakistani authorities declared that the new dossiers from India did not contain actionable intelligence and were not enough to arrest Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed. According to Pakistani news sources: “Saeed would also not be arrested and no case would be instituted against him since the dossiers have no actionable intelligence to implicate (him) in any charge of terror or other offence.”(28)
On 7 March, expressing "surprise" over Pakistan's claim that the issue of arrest of Hafiz Saeed, one of the 26/11 masterminds, was not taken up during Foreign Secretary-level talks, India said it had been demanding action against him since the Mumbai attacks and that the matter was raised "strongly" during the talks. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had earlier stated on 6 March that India never demanded the arrest of the Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Saeed nor discussed the issue at the talks between Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir. However, Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman stated: “Saeed's activities, including his recent vitriolic and venomous statements aimed at fomenting further acts of terrorism against India and the unhindered public space and freedom he enjoys in Pakistan was raised strongly by India during the Foreign Secretary-level talks.”(29)
Meeting of Premiers in Washington: On 13 April, Indian and Pakistani prime ministers met at the Walter E. Washington convention centre in downtown Washington, venue of the Nuclear Security Summit and shook hands for the first time since Sharam-el-Sheikh.(30) This gesture of shaking hands was seen as a positive development in both India and Pakistan. However, on 15 April, at the conclusion of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington DC, Dr. Singh declared at a news conference that there could be no talks with Pakistan until it cracked down on the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks.(31)
SAARC Summit and the peace process: A major ice breaking meeting between the premiers of India and Pakistan took place on the sidelines of the 16th SAARC Summit held at Thimpu, Bhutan.
On 29 April, the first bilateral meeting in nine months was held to end the diplomatic impasse in ties between the two neighbours since 26/11. The two leaders decided to upgrade the bilateral dialogue to the political level, something which Islamabad had been insisting upon for months. The Pakistani premier assured Manmohan Singh that his government “would not allow the misuse of the Pakistani territory for launching terror attacks in India.” The two PMs instructed their foreign ministers and foreign secretaries to meet “as soon as possible” to work out on possibilities to pave the way for a “substantive dialogue” on all issue of common concern to reinstate trust in the relationship. Dr. Singh conveyed to PM Gilani: “India is willing to discuss all issues with Pakistan but terrorism is holding back the process of talks between the two countries.” Mr.Gilani said his government was serious about impeaching the seven people arrested in link with the Mumbai carnage.(32)
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that one–to-one interaction between the two Prime Ministers took place in a “positive spirit” and that Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani invited his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh to visit Islamabad and Dr. Singh said “he would look forward to visiting the country.”(33)
Commenting on the meeting, Indian Foreign Secretary Rao said: “The meeting was an exercise in mutual comprehension as lack of trust has impeded normalisation of relations. They (the PMs) agreed to assess the current state of affairs and then to start afresh on the way forward…The focus is on charting a course forward so that the searchlight is on the future and not on the past.”(34)
On 29 April, deputy special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan at the State Department, Paul Jones said that President Barack Obama believed that reducing tensions between India and Pakistan is a “high priority” for the United States. However, he clarified that the American support for that process “is best done in a quiet fashion.”(35)
On 2 March, admiring the Aman Ki Asha initiative and its purpose of bringing peace and stability to the South Asian region, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said: “The Aman Ki Asha initiative is doing an important job, helping to find common ground between Pakistan and India. It builds on the traditions, history, language and culture that Pakistan and India share….I support the aims of this initiative — to bring together the people of the two countries in order to help promote dialogue.”(36)
On 5 April, the Wall Street Journal claimed that President Barack Obama is seeking to “intensify American diplomacy aimed at easing tensions between India and Pakistan, asserting that without détente between the two rivals, the administration’s efforts to win Pakistani cooperation in Afghanistan would suffer.” The Journal noted: “A debate continues within the administration over how hard to push India, which has long resisted outside intervention in the conflict with its neighbor. The Pentagon, in particular, has sought more pressure on New Delhi, according to U.S. and Indian officials. Current and former U.S. officials said the discussion in Washington over how to approach India has intensified as Pakistan ratchets up requests that the U.S. intercede in a series of continuing disputes.”(37)
On 14 March, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Pakistan would not budge an inch from its principled stance on Kashmir and the water issues with India. He said: “Pakistan wanted friendly relations with India based on mutual respect and wanted to talk to Delhi on an equal basis.”(38)
Most of the Kashmiri leadership expressed disappointment at lack of any progress in Indo-Pak secretary level meeting in the last week of February 2010.
On 27 February, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said that the two countries need to exhibit a greater sense of purpose in pursuing the dialogue process. He stressed that the current impasse between India and Pakistan had damaging implications for Jammu and Kashmir. He held: “after trying all other options including war, threat of war, coercive diplomacy if it is obvious the dialogue is indispensable it has to be pursued to its logical conclusion without staking interests of any more generations of people especially in Jammu and Kashmir.”(39)
On 4 April, PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said the recommencement of a high-level dialogue between India and Pakistan was fundamental for peace in the subcontinent. He said: “Neither India nor Pakistan can afford hostility for long because peace is imperative for development and economic growth of both the countries.”(40)
On 2 March, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said the relations between the neighbours had direct bearing on the state. He said: "The smooth relations between India and Pakistan have good effect on our state and bad relations create an adverse result. So we must welcome the dialogue process between the countries.”(41)
On 15 March, All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq asked Saudi Arabia to play a ‘positive role’ in bringing Pakistan and India closer for resolution of the Kashmir issue. He said: “Saudi Arabia which has friendly relations with both India and Pakistan should play a positive role in bringing the two countries closer to pave [the] way for resolution of Kashmir issue.”(42)
On 16 April, APHC stated that a significant talk with India on Kashmir issue could only be held with the participation of Pakistan and senior Kashmiri leadership. Chairman of the Kashmiris’ joint political platform, Maulana Muhammad Abbas Ansari, said: “We have never shied away from talks, but these should be purposeful. We are prepared even to work as a bridge between Islamabad and New Delhi on way to find an amicable resolution of the issue in line with the Kashmiris’ aspirations.”(43)
On 30 March, during a meeting of the Hurriyat Conference, Hurriyat leaders expressed alarm over the current stalemate between India and Pakistan. The meeting held: “The Hurriyat feels that hopes of a solution to the Kashmir issue are fading which is a cause for concern. The resolution of the issue is in the interest of the people of the two countries and the future of Kashmir is also linked to it.”(44)
On 16 April, chairman Hurriyat Conference (G), Syed Ali Shah Geelani, rejected the new document for the settlement of Kashmir issue prepared by senior Hurriyat (M) leader Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat. The document was based on the “four points of demilitarization of the state, opening of all the roads linking Kashmir to Pakistan, joint management and irrelevant borders.” Reiterating his position on the right of self-determination for Kashmiris, Geelani said: “Nothing else can be accepted but self-determination. There is no scope for us to change the stand. We stand strongly by our conviction of attaining self-determination for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.”(45)
A spate of incidents of firing has been witnessed in the past few months along the Line of Control, with both India and Pakistan accusing each other for initiating the attack.
On 1 March, India accused that Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire by resorting to unprovoked firing on at least five Indian posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district. Brigadier General Staff (BGS) Gurdeep Singh said: “Pakistani troops fired rockets and used heavy machine gun fire on at least five of our posts on the LoC in Ponch.”(46)
On 2 March, Pakistan said that two children were wounded in “unprovoked firing” by Indian forces across the Line of Control in the Battal sector of Azad Kashmir. A military official from the Pakistani side said: “An innocent boy and a girl were seriously injured due to unprovoked firing by Indian troops across the Line of Control…. Pakistani troops responded effectively.”(47)
On 28 March, a flag meeting between border security force (BSF) of India and Pakistan Rangers was held at Sialkot working boundary. ISPR reported that Pakistan Army and Rangers had strongly protested against violation of cease-fire accord by the Indian Border Security Force along the working boundary on mid night of 27 and 28 March.(48) Top
On 4 March, Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna told Rajya Sabha.that India had not denied share of water to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). He held: “The allegation that India has denied Pakistan the share of water it is entitled to under the IWT, signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan, is completely baseless and has been categorically rejected.”(49)
On 9 March, India dismissed Pakistan’s concerns regarding the flow of water and attributed its woes to “mismanagement of water resources and an attempt to divert attention from growing discontent in Sindh and Balochistan over denial of their share of Indus waters.” The Indian officials described it as “propaganda by both Pakistan’s political class as well as jihadi elements” against India.(50)
On 10 March, Indus Waters Commissioner Syed Jamaat Ali Shah said that India should fulfill requirements in letter and spirit besides enjoying certain rights over water of western rivers under the bilateral arrangements. He said that Pakistan did succeed in highlighting successive violations of the treaty in the past and that was why “India could not construct Wuller Barrage on Jhelum river and had to change the design of Salaal Hydropower Project on Chenab river….We cannot ignore this important issue as India is in process of building dozens of dams on Chenab and it could deprive Pakistan of its due share.”(51) Mr. Shah also said that Pakistan should build Mangla-Marala link canal on a priority basis to counter Indian designs on Chenab and strengthen its line of defence vis-à-vis India.
On 24 March, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in an interview to a Pakistani television channel said that the water dispute between Pakistan and India would have to be resolved ‘bilaterally’. She said: “Where there is an agreement, as there is between India and Pakistan on water, with mediation techniques, arbitration built in, it would seem sensible to look to what already exists, to try to resolve any of the bilateral problems between India and Pakistan.”(52)
On 24 March, US Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero said Washington would engage Pakistan and India to help improve their tension-brewing situation over water as America wanted the two South Asian neighbours to avoid any conflict over the lingering dispute. She said: “What we want to make sure that we can do is help countries avoid conflict over water. The potential for conflict over it exists not only in Pakistan and in India but in other places as well.”(53)
According to Pakistani news sources, in a series of water-sector projects over the Chenab River in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK), India has given a go-ahead to yet another mega project, which will be completed by 2016. According to The News, “GVK Power & Infrastructure Ltd bagged 690-MW Rattle Hydroelectric Power Project on March 10, 2010. Indian Rs 5,000 crore worth of project will be constructed on the River Chenab, after its confluence with Marusudar River, in the Drabshalla area of Kishtwar district, Jammu & Kashmir. The contract is based on build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) basis under a 40-year concession period. The Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Corporation (JKDPC) had floated global tenders of the project in 2008.”(54)
According to The News the Chenab water influx has alarmingly dropped by “7 million acre feet (maf) in the last three years” following India’s Baglihar Dam construction and its huge water use. The sources stated that due to this substantial reduction, Kharif crop was badly hit, “particularly in the Punjab and generally all over Pakistan…In comparison with 2007, Pakistan is presently suffering a 30 per cent slash in Chenab water availability, and it is a direct consequence of the Baglihar project and massive ground water usage by India through subsidised tubewells installed in its territory around the river.”(55)
On 29 March, Chairman Indus Water Treaty Council Hafiz Zahoor-ul-Hassan Dahr warned that Pakistan could become “another Somalia and Ethiopia” if India was not stopped to launch various projects that could divert the water flow of three rivers entering Pakistan from Occupied Kashmir. He stressed these projects were meant to control the water of “Chenab, Jhelum and Indus rivers, which were illegal and a clear violation of Indus Water Treaty.” He pointed out that “India was constructing 52 illegal dams, including five large ones, of which as many as 32 small dams had already been completed while 12 others would be finalised in 2014.”(56)
Three-day annual talks & the Indus Waters Treaty: A three day annual meeting on the IWT was held in Lahore (28-30 March). G Aranga Nathan headed the nine-member Indian delegation while Jamaat Ali Shah led the Pakistani side.
On 28 March, on the first day of the three-day annual talks on the Indus Waters Treaty, Pakistan raised its objections to construction of two new power projects on the Indus River by India. The Pakistani team expressed concern on the “Nimoo Bazgo hydel generation project,” being built in held Kashmir on the Indus River and “Chutak power plants and said it feared the Indian projects might obstruct smooth supply of water to Pakistan.”(57) However, at the end of the second round of talks, Pakistan and India failed to agree over the design criteria of the Nimoo Bazgo power project. Shah asked India to guarantee well-timed availability of “river flow data to Pakistan.” India agreed to the proposal put forward by Pakistan to review the design of Nimo Bazgo Dam project, also affirming the Pakistani “demand of reactivating the telemetry system on rivers as acceptable.” Nonetheless, India said this issue would be finalised after getting the opinion of technical experts.(58)
The three days’ talks failed to make progress on controversial hydropower projects being built by India on the Indus River. India was not willing to accept Pakistan’s claim about illegal design of Nimmo Bazgo and Chutak hydropower projects and also insisted upon postponing further dialogue on the issue till the next meeting of the commission. A Pakistani team member while expressing his concern said: “After constructing illegal structures on Chenab and Jhelum, India is now focusing on Indus River and has turned a deaf ear to Pakistan’s objections during the talks.” The Indian commissioner, nevertheless, said: “We can respond to objection of Pakistan only after seeking advice from the government.”(59)
The latest breakdown of talks could lead to intervention of a third party. The “World Bank-assisted mechanism” of an impartial expert or “court of arbitration is among various options that have already been sought by Pakistan to remove the differences on Baglihar and Kishanganga projects.”(60)
On 3 April, Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Sharat Sabharwal said that New Delhi had no ‘storage and diversion canals network’ to withhold Pakistan’s share of water, and all claims to the contrary were “preposterous”. He asserted that the “Permanent Indus Commission (PIC), which was established under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of 1960, should be used more effectively to address the water problems between India and Pakistan.”(61)
On 7 March, president Indo-Pak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IPCCI) S. M. Munir said India and Pakistan should work to create a sustained conducive environment for the promotion of trade and economic relations. He said: “businessmen should be provided free multiple visas with the privilege to visit any city of both countries to explore business opportunities.” He added that “100 Indian vegetable trucks daily enter Pakistan through Wagha border, but Pakistani trucks are not allowed to enter India.”(62)
On 25 March, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) decided to double the number of days open for trade across the existing points of the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The CCS allowed trade to be carried out for “four days a week instead of the existing two days.”(63)
On 3 March, Chairman of the Ansar Burney Trust, Ansar Burney, contacted the Indian government for the early release of three more Pakistanis on humanitarian grounds in the greater interest of justice and human dignity. He filed another writ petition in the “Indian Haryana Punjab High Court at Chandigarh” seeking justice for three more Pakistani prisoners held in Indian jails in most difficult conditions.(64)
On 6 March, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said that India had requested Pakistan during the Foreign Secretary-level talks for dates for the next meeting of the judicial committee on prisoners, but response from Islamabad was still awaited. He said: "This proposal was made so that these humanitarian issues are addressed expeditiously. Pakistan's response is still awaited.”(65)
On 10 March, the Supreme Court of India ordered the government to release “16 Pakistani prisoners who have completed their jail sentences.”(66)
On 26 March, the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) handed over 17 Pakistani prisoners, who have completed their terms in Indian jails, at the Wagah border to Rangers officials.(67)
Notes and References
1. Anita Joshua, “We are for peaceful settlement of all outstanding disputes with India: Zardari”, The Hindu, 6 April, 2010
2. “India following strategy of ‘talks for the sake of talks’: Qureshi”, Daily Times, 4 March 2010
3. “Pakistan wants result-oriented talks with India”, The News, 7March, 2010
4. Mariana Baabar, “FO rules out Pak-India proxy war in Afghanistan”, The News, 5 March 2010
5. “Prosperity of Pak, India hinges on friendly ties”, The Nation, 4 March, 2010
6. Mariana Baabar, “FO rejects Indian criticism of Pak mly doctrine, The News, 7 March 2010
7. Narayan Lakshman, “Pakistan still hopes for U.S. mediation on Kashmir”, The Hindu, 25 March 2010
8. Maqsood Tirmizi, “India plays games on composite dialogue: FM”, The Nation, 27 March 2010
9. Anita Joshua, “Pakistan: our apprehensions are legitimate”, The Hindu, 3 April 2010
10. “Solid evidence of Indian involvement in Balochistan terror acts: Malik”, The News, 13 March 2010
11. Kaswar Klasra, “Pakistan wants result-oriented talks with India”, The Nation, 16 April 2010
12. Vinay Kumar, “Manmohan: we can walk extra mile if Pakistan cooperates,” The Hindu, 2 March 2010
13. “No alternative to dialogue to resolve India-Pakistan issues”, The Hindu, 28 February 2010
14. “Decision to hold talks with Pakistan ‘calculated’, says Singh”, The News, 6 March 2010
15. “Composite dialogue difficult now: Nirupama”, The Hindu, 17 March 2010
16. Mariana Baabar, “Krishna not disappointed with Indo-Pak talks”, The News, 22 March 2010
17. “India to act ‘swiftly’ if 26/11 recurs: PC,” The Tribune, Chandigarh, March 3 2010
18. India rejects Pakistan's charges”, The Nation, 10 March 2010
19. “Pakistan-trained terrorists behind Pune blast: India”, Dawn, 16 March 2010
20. Iftikhar Gilani, “India upset at Pak ‘lack of interest’ in dialogue”, Daily Times, 4 April 2010
21. Kaswar Klasra, “Pak rejects Indian terror charges”, The Nation, 2 March 2010
22. “Don’t expect miracles from Indo-Pak dialogue: Antony,” The Sentinel, Guwahati, 18 March 2010
23. K. Balchand , “Composite dialogue with Pakistan only after talks on terror: Krishna, The Hindu 20 April 2010)
24. “Terror camps in Pak intact: Govt,” The Tribune,Chandigarh, 5 April, 2010
25. Ashok Tuteja, “No mediator needed to deal with Pak, says PM”, The Tribune, Chandigarh, 6 March 2010
26. Shakeel Ahmed, “FM invited to S. Arabia for briefing on Indian PM’s visit”, Dawn, 14 March 2010
27. Ashok Tuteja, “Inaction against Saeed”, The Tribune, Chandigarh, March 3 2010
28. “Dossiers no basis to arrest Saeed: Pak,” The Tribune, Chandigarh, 5 March 2010
29. “Pak stand on Saeed surprising, says India”, The Tribune, Chandigarh, 8 March 2010
30. “Handshakes that spoke louder than words”, Dawn, April 14, 2010
31. “PM: Talks with Pak only after action against 26/11 culprits”, The Tribune, Chandigarh, 15 April 2010
32. Ashok Tuteja, “Summit leads to thaw in Indo-Pak ties The Tribune, Chandigarh, 30 April 2010
33. Sandeep Dikshit, “Visit Islamabad, Gilani tells Manmohan “, The Hindu, 30 April, 2010
34. “Sandeep Dikshit, “India and Pakistan put dialogue back on track”, The Hindu, 30 April 2010
35. Anwar Iqbal and Masood Haider, “Reducing Indo-Pak tension US high priority’”, Dawn, 30 April 2010
36. Murtaza Ali Shah, “I support aims of Aman Ki Asha: David Miliband”, The News, 2 March 2010
37. Peter Spiegel, “U.S. Aims to Ease India-Pakistan Tension”, 5 April 2010, <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303450704575159901541431846.html>
38. “Pakistan won’t budge on Kashmir stance: Qureshi,” Daily Times, 14 March 2010
39. (“Failure of Indo-Pak talks disappointing: Mufti”, The Kashmir Times, Jammu, 1 March 2010
40. Dinesh Manhotra, “Resumption of Indo-Pak talks vital for peace: Mufti”, The Tribune, Chandigarh, 5 April 2010
41. “Indo-Pak relations impact J&K: Omar”, The Kashmir Times, Jammu, March 3 2010
42. APHC asks Saudis to help improve Pak-India ties”, The Nation, 15 March 2010
43. Mumtaz Alvi, “APHC wants Pakistan inclusion in Kashmir talks”, The News, 18 April 2010
44. “Hurriyat expresses concern over ‘deadlock’”, The Tribune, Chandigarh, 31 March 2010
45. Sana Altaf, “Geelani rejects Bhat’s document”, The Kashmir Times, Jammu, 17 Aril 2010
46. “Pak troops fire rockets on 5 LoC posts”, The Tribune, Chandigarh, 3 March 2010
47. India, Pak protest firing on LoC”, The Kashmir Times, Jammu, 3 March 2010
48. Maqbool Malik, “Pak protests Indian firing along working boundary The Nation, 29 March 2010
49. “Pakistan not denied its water share”, Dawn, 5 March 2010
50. Iftikhar Gilani “India links Pakistan’s concerns on water to ‘mismanagement’, Daily Times, 10 March 2010
51. Munawar Hasan, India urged to fulfill water agreements”, The News, 11 March 2010
52. Narayan Lakshman, “Pakistan must resolve water issue bilaterally: Hillary”, The Hindu, 25 March 2010
53. “US to engage India, Pakistan to end water dispute”, The News, 24 March 2010
54. Munawar Hasan, “India gives go-ahead to another dam on Chenab in IHK”, The News, 14 March 2010
55. Dilshad Azeem, “Chenab shrinks further as India diverts water”, The News, 28 March 2010
56. “India plans 52 projects to control Pakistan's water”, The Nation, 30 March 2010
57. “Concern over water conveyed to India”, Dawn, 29 March 2010
58. Munawar Hasan, “Indo-Pak talks on Nimmo Bazgo project inconclusive”, The News, 30 March 2010
59. Munawar Hasan, “Pak-India talks on hydro projects fail,” The News, 31 March 2010
60. ibid
61. Anita Joshua, “Discourse on India-Pakistan water sharing hots up”, The Hindu , 4 April 2010
62. “Indo-Pak Chamber calls for greater trade”, Dawn , 7 March 2010
63. Ajay Banerjee, “LoC now open 4 days for trade”, The Tribune, Chandigarh, 26 March 2010
64. “Burney renews call to free Pak prisoners from Indian jails”, The News, 4 March 2010
65. “India wants meeting on prisoners with Pak”, The Tribune, Chandigarh, 7 March 2010
66. “Indian SC orders release 16 Pak prisoners,” The News, 10 March, 2010.
67. “17 Pak prisoners return from India from two-year detention,” The News, 27 Mach 2010. Top
March-April 2010
Arshi Saleem Hashmi
Research Analyst
Humera Iqbal
Asst. Research Officer
With urgency in US efforts to bring the insurgency in Afghanistan to an end, the relationship between the two countries is passing through a stressful period. The variations in President Karzai’s utterances and the divergence in opinions with Washington is worrying for the US as it creates hurdles in the struggle. The new counterterrorism strategy has increased the pressures on the US with addition in its responsibilities. The US had further added to the number of its soldiers as needed for offensive operations in Afghanistan’s volatile regions but this has not been reciprocated by the coalition countries despite frequent calls by the US and NATO. This has put the US under more risks.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan is preparing for the September parliamentary elections. Karzai is vigorously pursuing the Taliban insurgent groups for negotiations though his efforts so far have not been very fruitful. Besides, Karzai has been trying to improve relations with neighbours for their assistance in Afghanistan. With the beginning of first ever Pak-US strategic dialogues both the countries are set to address each other’s concerns and strengthen bilateral cooperation. Pakistan is successfully fighting the terrorists in their strongholds along the border with Afghanistan and other areas in FATA.
Special US envoy Richard Holbrooke and General David Petraeus met President Karzai at a two-day conference held in Kabul to review US civilian and military engagements in Afghanistan. They discussed shared challenges and opportunities in future plans for the development of Afghanistan. To rebuild the ravaged farm sector, help in governance and reintegrate extremist elements in society it is planned to send civilian experts to Afghanistan. The US ambassador to Kabul, Karl Eikenberry, also unveiled a 40-million-dollar US-funded programme to improve governance in southern and eastern areas mainly hit by the insurgency.(1)
ISAF forces have realigned themselves with more populated areas according to the new counterinsurgency strategy. ISAF forces have started repositioning out of the isolated Korengal Valley in Kunar province. This joint move with Afghan National Security Forces is in accordance with the requirements of the new population-centric counterinsurgency strategy, according to Lt. Gen. David M. Rodriguez, Commander, ISAF Joint Command. According to the U.S. Army repositioning forces from the Korengal valley to more populated areas gives them greater flexibility. They are even able to carry out operations without a base similar to their work in the remote valleys. Coalition forces, in cooperation with their Afghan partners, also continue to work with local leaders and local government officials to create conditions conducive to the success of their strategies.(2)
A troubled multi-billion contract that has failed to create a reliable national police force in Afghanistan will be extended again. During a Senate homeland security subcommittee hearing, a Pentagon official laid out plans for a new "full and open competition" for police training that could take until the end of the year. The new proposal could hamper an already delayed training process. The decision also means that the government will be paying millions of dollars more to the current police trainer, DynCorp International. Federal auditors have criticized poor government oversight of the DynCorp contract for years though the DynCorp International have consistently defended their work in Afghanistan.(3)
NATO’s most senior civilian official Mark Sedwill , a former UK ambassador to Afghanistan, spoke at a Royal United Services Institute conference in London. He said that British and other NATO troops deployed in Afghanistan would face a tough time in future and could expect to be engaged in combat role for another three to four years. Not just this. Mark Sedwill also warned of further troop deaths in the region. He laid out steps crucial to ending the conflict as they would be followed in the planned Kandahar operation. He pointed out to the British government that Afghanistan’s and Pakistan’s stability which was crucial for world peace was threatened by al-Qaeda. He said their presence in Afghanistan was expected to continue for another ten to fifteen years after the end of insurgency for providing training and mentoring local forces.(4)
Kyrgyzstan for the second time in five years experienced political strife when rival political groups toppled the president of the country. This has raised fresh doubts for the future of US air base in Kyrgyzstan which is crucial for NATO troops’ surge in Afghanistan. The opposition leaders assured the US of not closing down the air base at Manas International Airport, a major transit hub for personnel and equipment en route to Afghanistan, though they do plan to have fresh terms of negotiations with the US for maintaining its military installations. Earlier, the Bakiyev government had tripled the rent and negotiated $150 million in other concessions. The instability in Kyrgyzstan might complicate Obama’s plan of deploying another 30,000 troops in Afghanistan. In March, 50,000 US and allied forces heading to and from Afghanistan transited through the Manas air base, more than three times the monthly average last year.(5)
According to the present and former officials in both the US and Pakistan, the CIA has been using smaller missiles and advanced surveillance techniques so that civilian casualties can be minimized in operations against the terrorists in Pakistan’s tribal areas. The CIA refused to publicly discuss its covert operations in Pakistan and declined to reveal the kind of weapons used by the agency. However, two counterterrorism officials said in interviews that advanced technology and tactics had resulted in more accurate operations and fewer casualties.(6)
A research and an analysis of the U.S. Drone Strikes in Pakistan from 2004-2010 showed that the 129 reported drone strikes in northwest Pakistan, including 33 in 2010, from 2004 to the present, had killed approximately 894 to 1,330 individuals, of whom around 605 to 952 were described as militants in reliable press accounts. Thus, the true civilian fatality rate since 2004 according to the analysis is approximately 30 per cent. The full report and the repercussion in Pakistan against these drone attacks can be seen from the link given below.(7)
A Pentagon report requested by the US Congress presented an assessment of the Taliban-led insurgency in Afghanistan. The report said that Taliban were expanding their operations despite major offensives carried out by the US forces in the militants’strongholds. The report reveals the insurgency’s deep roots and wide reach that enables it to withstand repeated US attacks and re-establish its influence while undermining the Western-backed government authority. Yet the Pentagon remains hopeful of the counter-insurgency strategy that Obama administration has worked out after reviewing past reports. Still the report portrays a grim situation in establishing lasting security especially in southern Afghanistan where the insurgency enjoys broad support. In fact the report concluded that insurgency in south might never be wiped out fully but they must contain it to prevent from endangering Karzai’s government.(8)
According to senior officials, the Pentagon has increased the use of military’s most special teams in Afghanistan. It has more than doubled the number of highly trained elite teams that are assigned to track down Taliban leaders. This secretive buildup shows that Obama administration and senior military leaders want to destroy Taliban’s capabilities in a very limited time period.(9)
The Pentagon said that the US would soon transfer $600 million to Pakistan in the next few weeks to reimburse the government for the anti-terrorist military operations conducted in aid of the civil over the past years. This move marks the US attempt to address Pakistan’s complaints over the lengthy delays in US payments. The press secretary, Geoff Morrell, told reporters that Pakistan was concerned about the rate at which they were reimbursed from coalition support fund for their efforts in the fight against terror on behalf of the US within Pakistan borders. The US had imposed strict rules on approving the reimbursements after government audits showed some costs were not backed up with detailed documentation.(10)
An increase in insurgent attacks in Afghanistan comes as the NATO foreign ministers prepare to transfer security control back to the Afghans. The NATO foreign ministers have agreed on a plan for the US and other coalition powers in Afghanistan to start the handing over of security and governance duties to Afghan provincial authorities by November. (11)
The Pentagon is sending 800 more American soldiers to Afghanistan in the coming weeks so that they can train Afghan security forces. A battalion of the 82nd Airborne Division will be heading to Afghanistan soon and the soldiers will work as trainers for several months. This deployment is beyond the 30,000 additional troops as approved by Obama. The contingent is needed as other NATO countries are not willing to send their troops to train the Afghan army and police. At the NATO foreign ministers meeting in Estonia, NATO Secretary Gen. Anders Fogh Rasmussen urged the allied countries to contribute in training missions in Afghanistan so that once they prepare the Afghan soldiers and police to take over their country’s responsibilities by fall 2011, the foreign forces can begin to leave. The declining political support has hampered NATO’s commitment to the war all over Europe. As a result during the meeting in Estonia allied officials said NATO had fallen 450 people short of a goal to supply 2,000 trainers for the Afghan National Police force by October. (12)
The US Treasury Department has said that additional staff would be sent to Afghanistan so that financial networks providing money for the Taliban can be targeted. This boost in personnel along with additional staff dedicated to the effort in the US will coincide with the Pentagon's surge in military troops heading to the war over the next several months. The US counterterrorism officials believe that the insurgents finance their terror activities through the country's lucrative narcotics trade and donations from supporters in the Gulf who often route the money through Pakistan. Moreover, these insurgents have sufficient resources to sustain their recruitment and training programmes, carry out destructive attacks on Afghan civilians and confront foreign troops. At present there are more than a dozen Treasury staffers in Afghanistan and unknown number are to be dispatched to the battlefront. (13)
A conference on Afghanistan will be held in Kabul on 20 July where along with Pakistan other regional and international players will take part in working out a plan for stabilizing Afghanistan. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will attend the conference and expects Pakistan to send either President Asif Ali Zardari or Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani for the meeting. US special envoy Richard Holbrooke said that the Kabul conference would be an assurance of international support for the Afghan government. As the Kabul conference would be held after the jirga meeting, the Afghan government is expected to come to the meeting with a blueprint for the future setup. This might include some Taliban leaders as well.(14)
US State Secretary Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates had expressed concern and called the Afghan government’s attempt to seek reconciliation with the Taliban as premature. Robert Gates told the Senate panel that it was still too early for Kabul to reconcile with the senior militant leaders because the situation was not strong enough to convince the Taliban leaders of their defeat. Such a move could only be initiated once the insurgents became doubtful of the outcome of their fight. Hillary Clinton clearly said that Kabul’s move was a matter of concern to the US. The US was specifically concerned about the reintegration, reconciliation plans of Karzai government. These statements reveal the different reactions of the US, Afghanistan and India over the arrest of Mullah Baradar and his comrades. The US appreciated Pakistan’s efforts in collaboration with the CIA, while both Afghan and Indian officials blamed Pakistan for disrupting the reconciliatory deal with the captured militants.(15)
Musa Qala, an important town where the British mission in Afghanistan played a critical role is to be handed over to the Americans under the new Western strategy of military balance. Musa Qala, where 23 British soldiers died will be the first of a number of areas which will be transferred from UK to US control. A number of other areas under UK control will also be going to the Americans as part of ‘rebalancing’ process. Sangin is expected to stay in British hands but with the addition of a US contingent. A reflection of the new strategy in Helmand is seen where American troops are outnumbering the British troops. The 500-strong British force in Musa Qala, along with the troops withdrawn from other places under the plan, will move to the population centres of central Helmand. British troops would be focusing here on providing security for reconstruction projects whereas the US troops would be carrying out more offensive operations against Taliban. (16)
A major investigation has been ordered by the commander of ISAF, Major General Nick Carter, into the construction and logistics contracts awarded by coalition forces in Afghanistan that are worth hundreds of millions of pounds. There are high concerns that the donor money for the welfare of the Afghans is ending up in the hands of Taliban, drug lords and profiteers. A third of the cost supplied to armed forces in Afghanistan is spent on paying protection, bribery and safe passage fees. Trucks pay about $1,500 as ‘Taliban tax’ when they venture out from Karachi to Camp Bastion. In addition to this millions are made by a gang/clique around President Karzai, many of whom have interests in transportation and private security. Members of prominent Afghan families, including Hashmat and Ahmed Wali Karzai, brothers of President Karzai, and Hamed Wardak, the son of Defense Minister Rahim Wardak, are among those accused of controlling private security firms, benefiting from lucrative security contracts by paying off the Taliban. According to Afghan government sources almost $600m of aid for reconstruction projects goes on security each year. Hence, the US Congress is investigating allegations of a massive protection racket in which private security companies paid to protect routes for coalition forces are involved in paying off local warlords and the Taliban. (17)
The two-day strategic dialogue between the US and Pakistan at the ministerial level ended the first ever talks in which discussions ranged from nuclear deal to Islamabad’s role in the Afghan reconciliation process. However not much was said on a civilian nuclear agreement with Pakistan similar to India’s. The US officials were interested in knowing Gen. Kayani’s views on the role Pakistan will be playing. Three tangible results achieved by Pakistan included, $125 million for energy development, $51 million for upgrading three thermal plants and $40 million for the construction of priority roads in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province. The US administration also agreed to expedite the delivery of F-16 fighter jets, naval frigates and helicopter gunships, as well as new remotely piloted aircraft for surveillance missions. Some other significant pledges included improved market access for Pakistani goods, the creation of special economic zones, known as ROZs, along the Pak-Afghan border and a Bilateral Investment Treaty to stimulate investment in Pakistan. (18)
The US military officials said that Pentagon would transfer sophisticated laser-guided-bomb kits to Pakistan so that Pakistan was well armed during in its fight against the militants. Pakistan will be receiving equipment capable of converting 1,000 traditional munitions into smart bombs that can more precisely strike targets on the ground. This way the reconfigured bombs would help Pakistan minimize civilian casualties. (19)
Due to Western pressure in avoiding another fraud-ridden election President Karzai appointed a new head of Afghanistan’s Election Commission which received immediate approval from the UN. The UN not only endorsed the new chairman, Fazel Ahmed Manawi, a former Supreme Court Justice, but also supported the plan that would weaken a separate election-fraud monitoring body and would give Western representatives a veto power over its decisions that would avert Karzai’s attempt to take it over completely. The senior UN official in Kabul, Staffan de Mistura, said that with these changes the western countries could go ahead with financing the parliamentary elections scheduled for September. (20)
The United Nations shut down its mission in Kandahar and has evacuated many of its foreign staff from the city because of worsening security situation prior to major U.S. offensive. Hours after the announcement, suspected Taliban infiltrators blew up tankers at a fuel depot outside the city, near the airfield that serves as the biggest NATO base in the province. The attack killed four people and wounded at least 30. The UN evacuation also alarmed the city resident’s who are already worried about the planned biggest operation in the nearly nine-year old war. The U.N. spokeswoman Susan Manuel said that all Afghan staff in Kandahar had been told to remain inside their homes while some foreign staff was moved to the capital Kabul for their safety. (21)
Jean-Maurice Ripert, the UN special envoy in charge of humanitarian affairs for Pakistan, pressed donors to provide funds for an estimated 1.3 million displaced persons in the fight-hit northwest Pakistan. The UN envoy complained about insufficient funds ( $537 million) in response to UN humanitarian appeal made in February for Pakistan's internally displaced people (IDPs). At the UN headquarters he told the reporters that there was no funding at all for agriculture and education sectors in the tribal northwest region of Pakistan. The UN humanitarian coordinator for Pakistan, Martin Mogwanja, said that the UN so far only received $106 million from the donors, i.e. barely 20 per cent of the total appeal, and some of the projects would be suspended due to lack of finances. Northwest Pakistan has faced one of the world's worst humanitarian crises in recent years in the wake of fighting between government troops and insurgents linked to the Al-Qaeda network. Last year a total of 3.1 million people were displaced in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province and the semi-autonomous FATA along the Afghan border. (22)
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon at a G8-led meeting held in Gatineau, Quebec, announced a plan to build trade and border infrastructure in the volatile Afghanistan and Pakistan regions. The project is called the Afghanistan-Pakistan Border Region Prosperity Initiative that aims at fostering economic development and local employment in the border region. The full G8 summit is scheduled to be held on 25-26 June this year in the Muskoka region of Ontario. (23)
The Paris Club creditor countries cancelled more than $1 billion in debt that Afghanistan owed them. The debt relief was announced in response to Afghanistan’s participation in a programme for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries. The Paris Club said that some $441 million was cancelled as part of the HIPC Initiative, while creditors voluntarily cancelled another $585 million. In March 2009 Afghanistan's total external public debt was estimated at $2.1 billion where almost half of that was owed to Paris Club members. (24)
The United Nations Security Council renewed its mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for one more year till 23 March 2011. A resolution to this effect was unanimously adopted by the 15-member body to provide support to Afghan government’s priorities on the issues of security, governance and economic development with the support of the international community. The Security Council also underscored the importance of the upcoming national legislative elections in September, calling for efforts to ensure the credibility, safety, and security of the elections. (25)
The UN’s new envoy to Afghanistan, Staffan de Mistura, met delegates of Hezb-i-Islami, one of the country’s main militant groups, in Kabul. Staffan de Mistura is the first Western diplomat to meet them since they arrived in the capital for peace talks with the government. Staffan de Mistura listened to their points and indicated that their visit to Kabul and the ongoing discussions with Afghan authorities further underscored the importance of the Afghan-led dialogue in order to bring stability to the country. The meeting was the first known one between a Western official and the group since they arrived in Kabul, and comes weeks before President Hamid Karzai plans a peace “jirga”, to which the Taliban have been invited. (26)
Motasim Agha Jan, a son-in-law of Taliban supremo Mullah Omar, was arrested in a raid conducted in Karachi. Motasim Agha Jan, ranked seventh in terms of seniority in the Taliban Shura hierarchy, was arrested from a house in Ahsanabad area in Karachi. He also held the office of prime minister during the regime of Taliban in Afghanistan. The arrests have been applauded by the US officials and several analysts regarded it a major blow to the Taliban in Afghanistan. (27)
Lahore city once again came under suicide attack that terrified the city. Two suicide bombers killed at least 45 people in attacks that occurred within seconds of each other and targeted military vehicles as they passed a crowded area. At least nine soldiers were killed and some 100 people were wounded. The explosions took place near the RA Bazaar, a busy residential and shopping area where army and security agencies have facilities. Another attack earlier by Taliban destroyed a building used by intelligence services which killed 13 people. (28)
A former officer of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Khalid Khawaja, was kidnapped by not so familiar Asian Tigers group in March along with another ISI officer, Col (R) Amir Sultan Imam and a British journalist Asad Qureshi. The Asian Tigers group killed Khalid Khawaja while a jirga of local notables and clerics deputed by the local administration retrieved his body from Karam Kot, about 7 km south of Mirali. A note was found with the body which said that Khawaja was killed because he was working for the US and anybody working for them would be treated the same way. In addition to this, in an email sent to the media the group said that Khawaja was executed because the government did not meet their demand of releasing senior Afghan leaders, Mullah Baradar and Mansoor Dadullah.(29)
A Pentagon report to the US Congress on Pakistan-Afghanistan situation has noted that Pakistan acknowledging its domestic threats from insurgents has deployed 140,000 troops in FATA. Pakistan for the first time in its history moved at least 100,000 soldiers from the Indian border to provide support for cleaning up of militants along the Afghan border. Pentagon in the report also pointed out that military operations in aid of the civil administration in Pakistan had affected eastern Afghanistan as the pressure on the opponent forces has resulted in reduction in insurgents’ safe havens there. Lately, the arrests by Pakistan of prominent Afghan Taliban leaders including Mullah Baradar has increased alarm among insurgent leaders about the security of their safe havens which is creating financial and logistical problems for them. (30)
The Pakistan government has warned militants in Swat to surrender by 15 May else their properties would be confiscated and their families expelled from the area. The security forces have also put up posters at prominent places in Swat carrying this strict warning. (31)
An escalation in attacks on security forces in South Waziristan and Mehsud tribesmen’s unwillingness to return to their areas has posed a difficult challenge for the government in dealing with militant leaders in the neighbouring North Waziristan Agency. North Waziristan has become a stronghold of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan. With an increase in the forces casualties, roadside bombings, ambushes and raids on security forces by militants associated with Hakeemullah Mehsud, the military is looking for new options. So far the military has under its control over 75 per cent of the approximately 2,419 square kilometers of Mehsud territory in South Waziristan, which includes major towns, roads and communication networks, while it has an indirect control and influence in the remaining 25 per cent peripheral area which officials say provides space to militants to sneak back and carry out fresh attacks. (32)
A squad of at least five suicide bombers armed with rocket-propelled grenades, guns and car bombs struck the outer security parameter of the heavily-guarded US Consulate in Peshawar from the main T-junction connecting the city with the cantonment and the highway to Afghanistan. The attack on the consulate and a rally of the Awami National Party (ANP) in Timergara killed 51 and injured over 120 people. The responsibility for the well-planned attack was claimed by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan. (33)
Five anti-Taliban political leaders were killed in the Swat Valley of northern Pakistan which was the site of a major military operation against Taliban terrorists. The pro-government leaders were killed in three attacks earlier also in the valley. All the victims were from the area that played a main role in the peace talks in the valley. Swat has returned to relative peace after the operation but such killings have raised fears among the local residents that Taliban forces are regrouping once again. Pakistan’s army chief, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, travelled to Swat to reassure the leaders and people of the valley of the military’s unending support and continued fight against militants. (34)
According to the UN estimates more than 200,000 civilians have fled from the northwest areas of Pakistan due to Pakistan’s latest offensive against militants in the region. The military has been air-striking insurgents in the tribal region of Orakzai so that insurgents could be flushed out of the rugged mountainous area near the Afghan border. Last year as a result of army operation in the tribal South Waziristan many Taliban terrorists escaped to Orakzai. Since the start of the fighting at the end of last year almost 210,000 people fled to Orakzai which includes 50,000 people who left in the last month because of an intense military operation in the area. More than 300 suspected militants had been killed in Orakzai since mid-March, 2010. (35)
The Pakistan army has been fighting continuously against Taliban militants in the Orakzai Agency. On 23 April, at least 50 people were killed and 27 injured in three separate clashes in Orakzai. The dead included 48 militants and two security officials while 23 militants and 4 security officials were injured. In another clash of the first round of fighting, officials reported that in Sanghra-Qambarmas area of Lower Orakzai at least 25 militants were killed and 23 injured due to clashes between security forces and militants. In addition, three militants were arrested during the operation. (36)
Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Kayani, apologized to the Kuki Khel tribe of Tirah Valley for the regrettable death of civilians in air strikes of 10 April. Residents and local government officials reported that 63 civilians were killed in the strike on suspected Taliban. The army chief expressed condolences to the families of those killed and ordered steps that could prevent further civilian casualties. The Kuki Khel tribe had resisted Taliban attempts to extend their influence to Saravilla.(37)
The elders of Mehsud tribes including Balolzai, Manzai and Shamakhel tribes agreed to government’s demand of keeping peace in South Waziristan. The tribes’ elders consented to return and assist government in creating peace in their areas during a jirga in Tank city. Shahab Ali Shah, Political Agent of South Waziristan, told the jirga that the government would continue to hold negotiations with tribal elders for the purpose. However, he clearly pointed out that as long as Taliban were not completely wiped out the military operation in aid of the civil administration would continue. The tribal elders’ response was that the IDPs would return to their homes once the security of their areas was guaranteed and all military operations ended in the area. (38)
Pakistani security official reported that Hakimullah Mehsud who was believed to be dead after a January drone strike near the border of North and South Waziristan, is still alive. It was said that he got some minor injuries and is believed to be hiding somewhere in the tribal areas of Pakistan. The news is a setback in the US and Pakistani fight against militants in the ungoverned tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan. (39)
Pakistani police arrested a key Taliban leader, Mian Gul Saeed, from Karachi. Mian Gul Saeed belongs to Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, a group of militant leader Fazalullah. He earlier managed to escape from Pakistan army during an operation launched in Swat Valley against militants. Police said that Mian Gul Saeed had confessed attacking the Pakistan army and blowing up a bridge in the town of Kharraray and murdering five people in Matta area. (40)
Police recovered 3,000kg of high-grade explosives, sophisticated weapons and two suicide vests from a shop in Iqbal Town, Lahore, and arrested 15 suspects. Whereas a day earlier police had seized 1,500kg of explosives, hand-grenades, suicide vests and a number of bullets from the same area. The police raided the shop on the information provided by the counterterrorism cell of Inter-Services Intelligence. Iqbal Town’s SP said that the ongoing search operation carried out by joint police teams with the help of local people had resulted in another seizure of explosives. This seizure included no less than 600kg of explosives used in a vehicle blown up in Model Town on 8 March and 3,000kg of explosives seized that could have been used in 10 similar attacks. During the search operation, officials of the Crimes Record Office started maintaining records of people, especially Afghans. The Iqbal Town division police picked up 3,700 people, including Afghans, for interrogation while released those who satisfied them about their identity. (41)
A senior US counterterrorism official said that an al-Qaeda leader, Hussein Al-Yemeni, was killed in a missile strike in Miramshah, North Waziristan. Hussein Al-Yemeni is believed to have played a key role in the bombing of a CIA post in Khost, Afghanistan, in December last year that killed seven CIA agents and a Jordanian officer. He is considered an important al-Qaeda planner and explosives expert who had established contacts with groups ranging from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to Afghan and Pakistani Taliban militant groups. (42)
According to a Los Angeles Times report and a senior diplomatic source, Taliban militants in FATA were refusing to collaborate with al-Qaeda fighters. A senior diplomatic source also said that Pakistani intelligence sources confirmed that the Taliban were refusing to provide shelter or assistance in attacks in Afghanistan even in return for payments. He added that there was a large shift away from al-Qaeda and now a very small number of Taliban were left who supported al-Qaeda. Majority of them is keeping a distance. The pro-al Qaeda militants had been weakened so much in the tribal areas that they were shifting their people to other areas inside Pakistan and using Punjabi Taliban to cause attacks like the one in Lahore. (43)
The security forces ended operations against militants in Bajaur Agency after capturing headquarters of Taliban and al-Qaeda in Damadola. Local military commanders said that as many as 22,00 militants were killed since the launch of operation ‘Sherdil’ in August 2008 whereas 149 troops died and 615 got injured. Commandant Frontier Corps, Major General Tariq Khan said that Damadola had been a nerve centre of terrorism because of its strategic importance as it is linked to Afghanistan, Chitral, Swat and Malakand region. (44)
The head of Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission (IEC), Mr. Azizullah Ludin, and his deputy resigned from their posts. President Karzai’s spokesman said that Azizullah’s tenure had come to an end and he did not wish to continue. Both resignations were accepted by the government. (45)
A traditional peace jirga of Afghanistan’s tribal and community leaders has been delayed until the last week of May as decided by the jirga preparatory committee. It was delayed because the programme clashed with President Karzai’s travel schedule which included his planned visit to Washington from 10-13 May. Another delay occurred due to a request by parliamentarians that candidates’ submit their registration for September parliamentary polls from 2-4 May. The main aim of the jirga is to bring together leaders from all over Afghanistan’s mixed blend of ethnic, tribal, geographic and gender interests. About 1,500 people had been expected to attend and discuss the crucial issues confronting Afghanistan in the context of Karzai’s plan to bring peace and development to the country. (46)
According to the UN Office of Drugs and Crime report, Afghanistan besides being a big opium supplier for 90 per cent of world’s heroin has now become world’s largest producer of another drug, hashish. The report released in Kabul calculated the amount of cannabis grown in the country and said that Afghan farmers earned up to $94 million last year from selling 1,500 to 3,500 tons of hash, extracted from cannabis crops. It is believed by the US and NATO officials that a part of this revenue is used by insurgents to finance their attacks. The report said that about 42,000 acres (17,000 hectares) of cannabis in half of the country’s 34 provinces mainly in the rich soil of the south is harvested where about 320 lb. (about 145 kg) per hectare (about 2.5 acres) which is more than three times the yield from cannabis grown in Morocco.. If the land is used to grow wheat then insurgents would not be able to get financial support.(47)
The Taliban are moving into Kandahar, planting bombs and plotting attacks for fighting back NATO and Afghan forces in their planned offensive in the city. NATO and Afghan forces have planned to carry out operations so that the Taliban could be pushed out of the city which was headquarters during their rule in Afghanistan. International forces aim at boosting local government’s hold in the area so that Taliban could be stopped from returning. One of the Taliban commanders said that in case of intense military pressure they would leave the place to return when foreign forces left. He said they still got widespread support among Kandahar’s 500,000 residents who are also Pashtuns because of American attitude towards the people. Many people in Kandahar are afraid of the NATO offensive as that would lead to more violence. Furthermore, he said that Taliban attacks were being carefully planned and ordered by the senior military and political command that assigned jobs and responsibilities to its rank and file. (48)
Senior Afghan officials in the military and presidential palace have criticized Pakistan for the arrest of Mullah Baradar, the No. 2 Taliban official, and others like him. Afghan officials’ objection is that its effects derailed the Afghan efforts in having peace talks with the Taliban. Some of them said that Afghans had been secretly in contact with Mullah Baradar before his arrest and he had prepared to join the 1,400 people descending on Kabul next month for a peace conference. Despite Afghan requests, Pakistan has refused to hand over Baradar and other Taliban leaders and denied any intention of derailing the Taliban talks. Pakistani officials claim that if there were talks between the Afghan government and Baradar then why did they allow him to leave Afghanistan?. Besides, if he was an important part of peace talks then he would have stayed in Afghanistan and if he was vital to the proposed jirga then why was information provided by the US to capture him.(49)
Recently the US relations with President Karzai have become strained because his criticism of the West’s role in Afghanistan. Karzai told a group of parliament members that if foreign interference in his government continued, the Taliban would become a legitimate resistance, one that he might join. He said that “if I come under foreign pressure, I might join the Taliban.” This was reported by Farooq Marenai, who represents the eastern province of Nangarhar. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs described the comments as troubling especially at a time when the US military needed cooperation ahead of the immense offensive this summer. Robert Gibbs further said that Americans were frustrated and the comments could damage the support they needed from all sides in moving ahead. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said that Karzai must choose his words carefully as they had impact in the US. While President Karzai told CNN later that he did not intend to break with the U S but only wanted to make sure they all understood each other’s position. Karzai added that Afghanistan was a country of Afghans and their partners were there only to help them. Basically the lawmakers opined that Karzai’s threat was not serious but reflection of his anger over the US and international pressures over many issues like electoral reforms, combating corruption and contacts with Taliban insurgents. (50)
Abdul Rahman, a prominent Afghan tribal leader, was assassinated by Taliban gunmen in his home district of Zharai near the southern city of Kandahar. Abdul Rahman had become widely known because of his criticism of Karzai against the Taliban killings in Kandahar province ahead of a planned NATO-led offensive. At least 13 community leaders and government officials were also killed in and around the city of Kandahar in less than two months. Even the UN moved its foreign staff out of the city and asked 200 of its local employees to stay at home because of the deteriorating security situation. Abdul Rahman was among the elders who took President Karzai to task at an angry meeting of 1,500 tribesmen in the city at the start of April. He also feared being killed by the Taliban in case of opposing them.
The BBC's Lyse Doucet, who was among the few foreign journalists at the shura in Kandahar, said that the elders made it clear to Karzai that his government was as much a problem as the militants who have grown in strength in the region in recent years. President Karzai had gone to Kandahar with top US commander Gen. Stanely McChrystal to gain support for the anti-Taliban offensive. The tribesmen clearly told Karzai that they were not ready for any major military assault and Karzai assured them of not starting any operation without their support. (51)
One of the main insurgent groups, Hezb-i-Islami, fighting the Afghan government and allied countries in Afghanistan, expressed its willingness to act as a bridge between the US and Taliban. A spokesman for a delegation from the Hezb-i-Islami which is engaged in talks with Karzai said that their initiative was prompted by Obama’s decision of withdrawing US troops. Although it is not clear how much influence Hezb-i-Islami has on Taliban since there had been violent clashes recently between the two groups in northern Afghanistan. Moreover, the talks between Karzai and Hezb-i-Islami are still at an early stage and it’s not clear whether Karzai would have a deal with the group’s leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a ferocious warlord. (52)
President Karzai arrived on a two-day visit to Pakistan where he was warmly received by the Senate Chairman Farooq Naik. The meeting was held at Aiwan-i-Sadr where President Zardari and the entire federal cabinet was present. The main purpose of the meeting was to revive the joint grand jirga process between the two countries which was first initiated in 2007. The two sides agreed to a roadmap of jirgagai (small jirga) which would be first held in Kabul shortly after Afghanistan’s internal peace jirga. The jirgagai will be followed by a grand jirga in Islamabad later. (53)
The US Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad happened to be in Afghanistan at the same time which caused a tense situation. Robert Gates, who came to Afghanistan for reviewing progress of the Western troops’ surge against Taliban, accused Tehran of playing a double game of offering friendship to Afghan government and simultaneously providing low-level support and money to the Taliban. Ahmadinejad was attending a joint conference in Kabul which was his first visit to the country after re-election. Ahmadinejad reacted to Gates’ statement and accused the US of playing a double game in Afghanistan and creating terrorists and then fighting them. Ahmadinejad rejected the presence of foreign troops as a solution for peace in Afghanistan. In addition to this he offered full support to the Afghan people and government in the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Karzai during the conference said little and thanked Ahmadinejad for the support and friendship in offering cooperation for peace and security in Afghanistan. (54)
During a joint conference in Islamabad President Karzai referred to India as a close friend while Pakistan and Afghanistan as “conjoined twins.” Karzai with these remarks aimed at easing Pakistan’s concern aver Indian presence in Afghanistan and said that his country would never allow activities directed against any of its neighbours. Moreover, Karzai pledged to take action against any country using Afghan territory against a neighbour because Afghans don’t want Afghanistan to become a land of proxy wars for India and Pakistan and Iran and the US. (55)
President Karzai visited China where agreements were signed between the two countries on trade and economic cooperation. Both countries leaders pledged to work hard in combating terrorism in Central Asia and to cooperate in maintaining security in the region. Chinese President Hu Jintao offered support and aid to Afghanistan in its reconstruction and supported Afghanistan’s efforts in establishing its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. (56)
A group of eleven police officers from Afghanistan are being trained on how to effectively combat drug trafficking during a two-week OSCE-organised course in Domodedovo, outside Moscow, Russia. The course is organised by the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) Strategic Police Matters Unit in cooperation with the Russian Interior Ministry's Academy. The participants will take part in practical exercises to learn how to plan and organise searches and investigations against drug trafficking. The entire process of prosecuting drugs-related criminal cases from the police investigation to court trials is part of the training. (57) Top
Notes and References
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2. “ISAF units realign in eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar province”, Combined Joint Task Force - 82, 14-04-10, http://cjtf82.com/press-releases-mainmenu-326/2665.html
3. Christine Spolar, “Afghan Police Training Delayed: DynCorp Contract Extended As Pentagon Plans For Re-Bid”, Huffington Post, 15-04-10, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/15/afghan-police-training-de_n_539878.html
4. “Afghanistan forces face four more years of combat, warns Nato official”, Guardian News, 29-04-10, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/29/afghanistan-combat-nato-official
5. Philip P. Pan and Craig Whitlock, “Future of U.S. air base in turbulent Kyrgyzstan uncertain”, The Washington Post, 09-04-10, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/08/ AR2010040800787.html
6. Joby Warrick and Peter Finn, “Amid outrage over civilian deaths in Pakistan, CIA turns to smaller missiles”, The Washington Post, 26-04-10, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/ 2010/04/25/ AR2010042503114.html
7. Peter Bergen and Katherine Tiedemann. “The Year of the Drone”, New America Foundation, 26-04-10, http://counterterrorism.newamerica.net/drones
8. “Afghan Taliban getting stronger, Pentagon says”, the Los Angeles Times, 29-04-10, http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/29/world/la-fg-0429-us-afghan-20100429
9. Julian E. Barnes, “U.S. doubles anti-Taliban special forces”, the Los Angeles Times, 15-04-10, http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/15/world/la-fg-secret-surge15-2010apr15
10. “US moving to reimburse Pakistan for military costs: Pentagon”, Yahoo News, 29-04-10, http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100429/pl_afp/pakistanunrestusmilitarybudget
11. “NATO agrees to hand back security to Afghanistan”, ABC News, 27-04-10, http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/connectasia/stories/201004/s2883611.htm
12. “U.S. Troops Fill NATO Training Gap in Afghanistan”, www.npr.org, 27-04-10, http://www.npr.org/ templates/story/story.php?storyId=126311052
13. Lolita C. Baldor, “US Treasury beefing up staff in Afghanistan”, The Seattle Times, 07-04-10, http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2011549901_apustreasurytaliban.html
14. Anwar Iqbal, “US seeks Pakistan-Afghan reconciliation”, Dawn News, 21-04-10, http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/us-seeks-pakistanafghan-reconciliation-140
15. “Kabul’s move for talks with top Taliban upsets US”, Dawn News, 29-03-10, http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/19-kabuls-move-for-talks-with-top-taliban-upsets-us-930-hh-04
16. Kim Sengupta, “US troops to take over from British forces in Musa Qala”, The Independent, 12-03-10, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/us-troops-to-take-over-from-british-forces-in-musa-qala-1920098.html
17. Jonathan Owen, “Army launches investigation: Corrupt Afghans stealing millions from aid funds”, The Independent, London, 07-03-10, http://news.independentminds.livejournal.com/6252180.html?thread=44987796
18. “Strategic dialogue opens up possibilities for further talks”, Dawn News, 27-03-10, http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/strategic-dialogue-opens-up-possibilities-for-further-talks-730
19. Yochi J. Dreazen, “U.S. to Offer Smart-Bomb Kits, Drones to Pakistan”, The Wall Street Journal, 02-03-10, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704486504575097960182360150.html
20. Richard A. Oppel Jr. and Carlotta Gall, “United Nations Endorses Afghan President’s Choice to Lead Election Commission”, The New York Times, 17-04-10, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/ 18/world/asia/18afghan.html
21. Ismail Sameem, “U.N. shuts Kandahar mission as security worsens”, Yahoo News, 28-04-10, http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/7118865/u-n-shuts-kandahar-mission-as-security-worsens/
22. “UN lobbies for more aid for Pakistan's displaced persons”, Relief Web, 13-04-10, http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/SMAR-84H33P?OpenDocument
23. “Cannon announces G8 border project for Afghanistan and Pakistan”, Canada.com, 29-03-10, http://www2.canada.com/nanaimodailynews/news/business/story.html?id=ab98357d-86d9-4972-b48d-7595ab8f1387
24. “Countries cancel $1 billion in Afghanistan debt”, CNN News, 17-03-10, http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/03/17/afghanistan.debt/index.html
25. “UN extends assistance mission in Afghanistan for 12 more months”, People’s Daily Online, 23-03-10, http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90856/6927109.html
26. “UN envoy meets Hezb-i-Islami negotiators”, Dawn News, 26-03-10, http://www.dawn.com/wps/ wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/un-envoy-meets-hezbiislami-negotiators-630
27. Faraz Khan, “Mullah Omar’s son-in-law held from Karachi”, Daily Times, 05-03-10, http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?date=3/5/2010+11:04:24+PM
28. Aleem Maqbool, “Pakistan 'suicide bombers' kill 45 in Lahore”, BBC News, 12-03-10,
29. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8563698.stm
30. “Ex-ISI official Khalid Khwaja found dead in Fata”, Dawn News, 30-04-10, http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/04-khalid-khwaja-killed-qs-13
31. “Pakistan has moved 100,000 troops from eastern border”, Dawn News, 30-04-10, http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/pakistan-has-moved-100%2C000-troops-from-indian-border-pentagon-040
32. “Swat militants told to surrender by May 15”, Dawn News, 30-04-10, http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/swat-militants-told-to-surrender-by-may-15-040
33. “North Waziristan poses a formidable challenge”, Dawn News, 27-04-10, http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/north-waziristan-poses-a-formidable-challenge-740
34. Ali Hazrat Bacha and Haleem Asad, “Militants attack US consulate, ANP rally; 51 killed”, Dawn News, 06-04-10, http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/ metropolitan/03-blast-in-saddar-area-of-peshawar-ss-03
35. “Killings Rattle Pakistan’s Swat Valley”, The New York Times, 22-04-10, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/23/world/asia/23pstan.html
36. Sebastian Abbot, “200,000 civilians flee Pakistan military offensive”, Yahoo News, 12-04-10, http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100412/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan
37. Manzoor Ali, “Clashes in Orakzai Agency, 50 dead”, The Express Tribune, 23-04-10, http://tribune.com.pk/story/8342/25-militants-killed-in-orakzai-agency/
38. “COAS apologises to Kuki Khel tribe for civilian deaths”, Daily Times, 18-04-10, http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\04\18\story_18-4-2010_pg7_2
39. “Mehsud tribes to help govt guard peace in S Waziristan”, Daily Times, 20-04-10, http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\04\20\story_20-4-2010_pg7_5
40. “Police arrest Taliban leader from Karachi”, The Express Tribune, 15-04-10, http://tribune.com.pk/story/7074/police-arrest-taliban-leader-from-karachi/feed
41. Muhammad Faisal Ali “3,000kg of explosives, arms, suicide vests seized in Lahore”, Dawn News, 17-04-10, http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/3,000kg-of-explosives,-arms,-suicide-vests-seized-in-lahore-730
42. “Al-Qaeda leader ‘killed in drone strike’”, Dawn News, 18-03-10, http://www.dawn.com/ wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/14-al-qaeda-leader-killed-in-drone-strike-830-zj-01
43. Anwar Iqbal, “Taliban distancing themselves from Al Qaeda: experts”, Dawn News, 14-03-10, http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/taliban-distancing-themselves-from-al-qaeda-experts-430
44. Maqbool Malik. “Troops seize Damadola for first time”, The Nation, 03-03-10, http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/03-Mar-2010/Troops-seize-Damadola-for-first-time
45. “Afghan election chief and deputy resign”, BBC News, 07-04-10, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/ south_asia/8607101.stm
46. “Afghanistan’s ‘peace jirga’ delayed: official”, Yahoo News, 21-04-10, http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100421/wl_sthasia_afp/afghanistanunrestpoliticsjirgadelay
47. Vivienne Walt, “Afghanistan's New Bumper Drug Crop: Cannabis”, Time, 01-04-10, http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1976867,00.html
48. Kathy Gannon, “Taliban prepares to fight U.S., Afghan forces”, The Fayetteville Observer, 18-04-10, http://www.fayobserver.com/Articles/2010/04/19/992200
49. Joshua Partlow and Karen DeYoung, “Afghan officials say Pakistan's arrest of Taliban leader threatens peace talks”, The Washington Post, 10-04-10, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/09/AR2010040904807.html?hpid=topnews
50. Robert H. Reid, “Analysis: Karzai’s threat is a big gamble”, www.poststar.com, 05-04-10, http://poststar.com/mobile/article_48fd67dc-4126-11df-a483-001cc4c03286.html
51. “Afghan elder who spoke out shot dead near Kandahar”, BBC News, 28-04-10, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8649258.stm
52. Julian Borger, “Afghan insurgents offer to make peace and act as go-between with Taliban”, Guardian.co.uk, 24-03-10, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/24/afghan-insurgents-peace-bridge-taliban-us
53. Baqir Sajjad Syed and Syed Irfan Raza. “Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to revive jirga process”, Dawn News, 11-03-10, http://beta.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/ front-page/19-wideranging-talks-held-with-karzai-agreement-to-revive-jirga-process-130-hh-01
54. “Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attacks US for Afghan 'double game'”, BBC News, 10-03-10, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8559084.stm
55. “India 'close friend', Pak 'conjoined twin' for Karzai”, Rediff News, 11-03-10, http://news.rediff.com/report/2010/mar/11/india-is-close-friend-pak-twin-brother-says-karzai.htm
56. “Afghanistan, China sign economic agreements”, Yahoo News, 25-03-10, http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/6978415/afghanistan-china-sign-economic-agreements
57. “Afghan Police Officers Start Anti-Drug Training in Russia”, Bernama.com, 03-03-10, http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news_lite.php?id=479356.