Pakistan Conflict Monitor

US Gives $500M in Development Projects to Gain Public Trust

Pakistan Leaders Praise Aid Promises, but Public is Wary, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2010

EXCERPT: "U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday unveiled development projects for Pakistan ranging from hydroelectric dams to hospital makeovers in hopes of reversing Pakistani perceptions that American officials view the nation through the prism of fighting terrorism while ignoring some of its most serious needs. [...] The Obama administration has been working to dispel Pakistan's deep mistrust of the U.S., a wariness rooted in how Washington treated Pakistan in the years after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1988-89. During Moscow's occupation of Afghanistan, the U.S. and Pakistan teamed up to support mujahedin fighters against Soviet troops. But after the Soviets left, U.S. attention to the region dissipated. During the second Bush administration, the bulk of the billions of dollars in aid that Washington channeled to Pakistan went to the country's military and to anti-terrorism efforts, while Pakistan's economic and social ills were largely ignored. [...] Nevertheless, the Pakistani public is likely to remain wary of Washington's intentions, in part because Pakistani society still thrives on webs of conspiracy theories that cast doubt and skepticism on the U.S. actions in the region."

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Related articles:
U.S. hopes Afghanistan-Pakistan trade deal boosts cooperation in war effort, The Washington Post, 19 July 2010
Clinton chairs Pakistan dialogue, Al Jazeera, 19 July 2010
Plots in Pakistan's press, Foreign Policy // The AfPak Channel, 15 July 2010

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Pakistan in the danger zone: A tenuous US-Pakistan relationship, 29 June 2010
No move to block US aid to Pakistan: Holbrooke, 12 May 2010
Dissenting views on disbursement of US aid to Pakistani organizations, 16 April 2010
Inadequate international aid funding jeopardizes UN humanitarian projects, 12 April 2010
US unveils civilian strategy for Afghanistan, Pakistan, 22 January 2010

Kidnappers Free Aid Workers

Pakistan Kidnappers Free Aid Workers, AFP, 15 July 2010

EXCERPT: "Three aid workers employed by US-based charity Mercy Corps have been freed in good health by their abductors after a five-month kidnap ordeal in Pakistan, officials said. The aid workers and their driver were kidnapped in the southwestern province of Baluchistan, which is troubled by banditry, regional insurgency, Taliban violence and sectarian killings. They went missing on February 18 in Qila Saifullah district, about 200km northwest of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan. The driver was killed last month, prompting Mercy Corps to close offices in Baluchistan and the neighbouring province of Sindh. 'It is confirmed that three Mercy Corps workers have been released by the kidnappers in the wake of negotiations by tribal elders,' provincial home secretary Akbar Hussain Durrani told AFP on Thursday. 'No ransom was paid for their release,' he added."

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Related articles:
Mercy Corps employees freed in Pakistan; work remains on hold, The Seattle Times, 14 July 2010
Mercy Corps leaves abductees in the lurch, The Nation, 19 June 2010

Related posts:
Govt fails to curtail violence in Balochistan, 6 July 2010
Aid agency closes offices following kidnapping, execution, 15 June 2010
Aid agency attacked, workers killed, 10 March 2010
Security concerns challenge development in Balochistan, 2 March 2010
NGO workers kidnapped in Balochistan, 19 February 2010

Red Cross Hospital Treats Taliban and Children

Patched Up in Pakistan: Red Cross Hospital Treats Taliban and Children, Spiegel Online, 30 June 2010

EXCERPT: "A Red Cross field hospital in Peshawar specializes in treating victims of the armed conflicts in northwest Pakistan and Afghanistan. The doctors don't ask which side their patients are on. For them, they are all victims. [...] Since April 2009, the ICRC has been running the field hospital, which was set up to treat victims of the ongoing conflict between government forces and armed groups in Pakistan's tribal areas and North West Frontier Province. White tents stand close together on a well-guarded property in the middle of Peshawar, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the border with Afghanistan. Norway has donated the funding for the accommodation. Some 200 people work here, including 180 Pakistanis. Two surgical teams operate and carry out amputations every day in one of the tents, battling to save people's lives. The building next door, which has two brand new operating theaters, is almost finished. But there are just too many victims. Usually up to 12 new patients are admitted per day, but after military operations or attacks by insurgents sometimes 40 seriously injured people arrive at one time."

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Related articles:
Red Cross defends helping Taliban [in Afghanistan] treat casualties, CNN, 27 May 2010
US to increase Pak civil, military aid: Holbrooke, The News International, 20 June 2010

Related posts:
Relief agencies urge Pakistan army to agree to new aid rules, 10 June 2010
Humanitarian access still a challenge: Expert, 14 May 2010
Returnees' situation dire amid volatile security situation, 3 May 2010
Pakistan among top ten humanitarian disasters: Report, 23 December 2009
Aid workers worried for civilians in war zone, 4 November 2009

Islamic Charities and Human Security in Pakistan

Islamic Charities and Human Security in Pakistan, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 12 May 2010

EXCERPT: "Pakistan, insists Christopher Candland, is neither a failed nor a failing state. Key institutions—such as the military, judiciary, and legislature—are all strong and growing even stronger. However, the Pakistani state is failing to provide basic services to its 180-million strong population—one in which, according to Candland, 32 percent subsist below the poverty line and more than 65 percent 'struggle to survive' on or below $2 a day. Speaking at a May 12 Asia Program event, Candland, a 2009-2010 Woodrow Wilson Center Fellow, argued that Pakistan’s Islamic welfare associations—charitable organizations motivated both operationally and financially by the Muslim faith—play an important role in providing for the country's most needy. In fact, these charities make a major contribution to Pakistanis' human security (a term Candland described as 'the capacity of the individual to protect oneself from harm,' which requires access to quality health care and education). [...] Candland described three categories of Islamic welfare associations in Pakistan. One is state-based. [...] The second category of Pakistani Islamic charities is partisan. It is comprised of both Islamic political parties (such as the Jamaat-i-Islami) and political parties that feature Islamic welfare systems. [...] While these partisan associations mainly focus on education, Candland stated that the third category of Islamic charities—nonpartisan associations—mostly emphasize health care."

Read the full summary.
Watch the video of the event.

Related articles:
Is Pakistan a failed state? No., Foreign Policy // The AfPak Channel, 24 June 2010
Pakistan: The Lost Generation - Fixing Pakistan's Schools [article & video], PBS // Frontline, 23 February 2010

Related posts:
Beyond madrasas: Assessing the links between education and militancy in Pakistan, 23 June 2010
New controls on militant charities stifle Eid fundraiser, 8 December 2009
Hardline Pakistani schools a draw for foreigners, 14 December 2009
Lack of basic education fuels rise in Taliban, extremism, 9 November 2009
Education system and links to extremism, 3 November 2009

UK's AfPak Envoy Quits; Hague Seeks to Deepen Pakistan Ties

UK Special Envoy to Afghanistan Who Called for Talks with Taliban Quits, The Guardian, 21 June 2010

EXCERPT: "Britain's special envoy to Afghanistan, known for his scepticism about the western war effort and his support for peace talks with the Taliban, has stepped down just a month before a critical international conference in Kabul. [...] Cowper-Coles, who also had Pakistan in his remit as special envoy, clashed in recent months with senior Nato and US officials over his insistence that the military-driven counter-insurgency effort was headed for failure, and that talks with the Taliban should be prioritised."

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Hague Seeks to Deepen Pakistan Ties, AFP, 23 June 2010

EXCERPT: "Foreign Secretary William Hague pledged on Wednesday to deepen strategic relations with Pakistan as he paid his first visit to Islamabad since the coalition government took power. 'We are keen to deepen the UK-Pakistan strategic dialogue,' the Conservative politician told a news conference, without elaborating. The previous Labour government said that 75 percent of extremist plots affecting Britain - which is home to an estimated one million people of Pakistani descent - have links to Pakistan. Hague paid tribute to the 'enormous sacrifices' made by Pakistan in the widening fight against Islamist militants in the northwest region bordering Afghanistan, where British troops are locked in a war against the Taliban. 'Many thousands of soldiers in Pakistan have lost their lives in battling against violent extremism, and so I think that this must be understood all over the world,' he said. [...] He refused to comment when asked if the possible departure of the US commander of international forces in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, could be a setback for NATO efforts in the war-torn country."

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Related articles:
Gilani hopes Pak-UK relations to attain new heights under new British govt, The Associated Press of Pakistan, 23 June 2010
Band aid for a wounded city, The Express Tribune, 23 June 2010

Related posts:
Afghanistan, Pakistan get higher priority at DfID, 26 May 2010
UK to provide £665 million in aid over four years, 9 April 2010
UK to help rebuild conflict affected border areas, 9 March 2010
Britain says Pakistan aid rises despite crunch, 21 January 2010
Pakistan must do more: UK, 30 November 2009

Falling Financial Reserves Threaten Army Operations: Govt

Pak Army Claims that Its Financial Reserves Depleting Fast, Hindustan Times, 18 June 2010

EXCERPT: "Pakistan's war on terror could be affected as the financial reserves of the armed forces are depleting fast because of the on-going counter insurgency operations on the border with Afghanistan, the Defence Secretary Syed Athar Ali has said. Ali, a retired lieutenant general has told parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that if required funds are not provided to the military, it would be forced to 'reprioritise' its options, possibly affecting Pakistan's cooperation in the war on terror. He told the lawmakers on Thursday that the financial reserves of the armed forces were depleting fast because of ongoing military operations near or along the western border. [...] Pakistan's expenses on the war on terror are reimbursed by the US from the Coalition Support Fund. The US reimburses Pakistan’s expenditure on food, clothing, transportation, communications and medical care, helicopter operations and repair and maintenance of equipment. However, payments over the past few years have been delayed after the US introduced a stringent auditing regime following allegations that Pakistan had diverted funds provided for the war on terror."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Falling reserves may harm war on terror, DAWN, 18 June 2010
"Give us our money or we’ll withdraw",The Express Tribune, 18 June 2010

Related posts:
Pakistan lobbies for additional military aid, 17 June 2010
US praises Pakistan's "excellent cooperation"; security pledge made, 19 May 2010
Dissenting views on disbursement of US aid to Pakistani organizations, 16 April 2010
US-Pakistan relationship uncertain: Brief, 29 March 2010
Pakistan must do more: UK, 30 November 2009

Pakistan Lobbies for Additional Military Aid

Pakistan Wants Combat Copters, The Washington Times, 15 June 2010

EXCERPT: "Pakistan is seeking advanced U.S. attack helicopters and other weapons as part of a comprehensive arms package to bolster preparations for what its military is calling a 'silent surge' of more than 100,000 troops into the mountain lairs of al Qaeda's senior leadership in the country's Northwest Frontier Province. 'I have been ambassador here for two years, and all I have to show for it is eight secondhand Mi-17 transport helicopters for a war that requires helicopters to root out al Qaeda and the Taliban,' Pakistan's ambassador to Washington, Husain Haqqani, said in an interview with The Washington Times. [...]  But the Pakistani wish list also includes equipment that is not traditionally associated with counterinsurgency or mountain warfare. [...] Retired Army Lt. Gen. David W. Barno, who commanded coalition forces in Afghanistan from 2003 to 2005, said the helicopters Pakistan wants would be useful to counterinsurgency operations. 'My sense is that all of those helicopters are useful in counterinsurgency operations, given the rugged terrain of western Pakistan. It is less clear that is the case with M1 tanks and air-defense missiles.'"

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Pakistan gets F-16s on stiff conditions, UPI, 15 June 2010
US to deliver 18 F-16s to Pakistan by month's end, The Express Tribune, 13 June 2010

Related posts:
US special ops aiding Pakistan's "hold and build" operations, 13 April 2010
US transfers Cobra helicopters to Pakistan, 17 March 2010
US to offer Pakistan smart bomb kits, drones, 3 March 2010
Response to US troop presence surprisingly muted, 4 February 2010
Security forces need capacity building: PM, 20 November 2009

Aid Agency Closes Offices Following Kidnapping, Execution

Mercy Corps Leaves South Pakistan, BBC News, 15 June 2010

EXCERPT: "The US-based aid agency Mercy Corps is pulling out of two southern Pakistani provinces for security reasons. Nearly 50 offices in Balochistan and Sindh are to be shut. The decision follows the kidnapping of four of the agency's local staff in February, allegedly by pro-Taliban gunmen. One has since been killed and a ransom is sought for the others. Mercy Corps told the BBC that Pakistan's government had done little to help free the men. Its announcement follows similar decisions by other international aid organisations, including the UN, to scale back operations in Pakistan since 2009. [...] 'The decision has been taken following developments after the kidnapping of our team members,' Dr Saeedullah Khan, head of Mercy Corps operations in Quetta, told the BBC. He said a videotape of its employee being murdered had been sent to the organisation, with the ultimatum that the remaining three would also be killed unless a ransom of 100m rupees ($1.2m; £800,000) was handed over. 'We have protested strongly and are closing down 40 offices in Balochistan, and eight in Sindh province as a protest.'"

Read the full story.

Related articles:
BLUF claims issuing threats to ICRC, The Nation, 16 May 2010
ICRC cuts operations in Balochistan, DAWN, 15 May 2010

Related posts:
UN temporarily closes offices in Peshawar, 6 April 2010
Aid agency attacked, workers killed, 10 March 2010
NGO workers kidnapped in Balochistan, 19 February 2010
Embattled UN rethinking Afghan-Pakistan role, 6 November 2009

Relief Agencies Urge Pakistan Army to Agree to New Aid Rules

Relief Agencies Urge Pakistan Army to Agree New Aid Rules, AlertNet, 9 June 2010

EXCERPT: "Aid agencies in Pakistan have drawn up guidelines for their relationship with the military to protect their neutrality and enable them to reach civilians caught up in the army's operations against the Taliban. For over a year, the United Nations, together with scores of relief groups, has been providing aid to more than 3 million people displaced by fighting as the military moves to root out al-Qaeda-linked insurgents in Pakistan's northwest. But aid workers say the response has been beset by challenges, including the denial of access to conflict zones like the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) along the Afghan border, where many civilians are fleeing their homes. Others have voiced concerns that their impartiality is being compromised by the dominance of the Pakistani army, which is heavily involved in humanitarian activities. 'At the start of the emergency last year, our first priority was to respond to the needs on the ground due to the scale and speed of those who were fleeing the fighting,' said Manuel Bessler, head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Pakistan. [...] 'We do need better coordination and so together with the rest of the humanitarian community, we have drafted a set of guidelines which we have presented to the Pakistani army, and we hope that we can reach agreement and improve the effectiveness and reach of humanitarian response.'"

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Major increase in development fund for FATA, The Express Tribune, 10 June 2010
UN: Aid program in Pakistan under threat, VOA News, 17 May 2010

Related posts:
Pakistan displacement figures for 2009 at record high: Report, 17 May 2010
Returnees' situation dire amid volatile security situation, 3 May 2010
More than 200,000 flee violence in tribal regions, 9 April 2010
Humanitarian access still a challenge: Expert, 14 May 2010
Displacement crisis far from over: UN, 7 January 2010

EU, NATO Seek Better Ties with Pakistan

EU Promises Pakistan Cooperation, but Free Trade to Wait, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 4 June 2010

EXCERPT: "Pakistan and the European Union have promised to step up cooperation in areas ranging from security to energy during a summit in Brussels. But Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani failed to make noticeable headway on Pakistan's chief aim - securing free trade with the bloc. [...] 'Developments in Pakistan have a direct influence on Europe and in the whole world. Therefore it is in our own interest to be constructively engaged with Pakistan,' noted the summit's host, Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the Council of the European Union. Van Rompuy also observed that the EU is home to roughly a million people of Pakistani origin. [...] The EU today also said it would contribute 69 million euros ($83 million) to the Malakand Fund for the rehabilitation of conflict areas. [...] Although the EU and Pakistan also discussed security cooperation, the bloc's contribution remains limited to civilian matters - training law enforcement officials, assisting in criminal justice reforms, and contributing to 'counter-radicalization' measures. [...] Also in Brussels, at NATO headquarters, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen assured the Pakistani leader there would be no precipitate withdrawal from Afghanistan. 'I have stressed to the prime minister, and through him to the Pakistani people, NATO will stay in Afghanistan as long as it takes to finish our job, there should be no misunderstanding about that,' Rasmussen said."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
NATO leader says alliance stands ready to assist Pakistan, ChinaView, 4 June 2010
NATO, Pakistan seek to boost non-military ties, AFP, 4 June 2010
Sarkozy queried over Pakistan arms cash, BBC News, 4 June 2010
Spain, Pakistan pledge to fight against terrorism, AFP, 2 June 2010

Related posts:
Mobilizing NATO for Afghanistan and Pakistan, 23 February 2010
NATO, Pakistan pursue closer relations, 4 February 2010
NATO Afghan convoy attacked in Karachi, 28 January 2010
European Union aid to Pakistan: Steadily on the rise, 15 December 2009
EU plans to strengthen action in Afghanistan and Pakistan, 27 October 2009
Prioritize Pakistan: NATO Parliamentary Assembly, 27 November 2009