Pakistan Conflict Monitor

Disarming of Key City Proposed to Stop Targeted Killings

Targeted Karachi Killings Lead to Calls to Disarm City, Central Asia Online, 28 July 2010

EXCERPT: "Disarming Karachi is essential to control the city’s skyrocketing rate of assassinations, analysts say. Worried about increases in targeted killings, political observers are demanding that the government de-weaponise the city and divert funds into economic policies, such as reducing poverty and increasing job opportunities, to curb the violence. The government has formed a committee to look into implementation of a de-weaponisation programme, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah said, adding the government has ordered a judicial enquiry into the increase in targeted killings from January 2010 until the present. About 42 people were killed July 21-26. Some of the dead were affiliated with the Awami National Party (ANP), the Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the Punjabi Pashtun Ittehad (PPI); most were not political activists. The MQM and ANP have blamed each other for the recent violence, but Federal Home Minister Rehman Malik rejected accusations of either party’s involvement and instead denounced the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). 'People from different castes, creeds and backgrounds live in the city in harmony, but terrorists want to spark violence on an ethnic basis in order to achieve their dirty motives,' Malik said. [...] 'In the first six months of this year, 889 people have been murdered, of which some 260 were targeted in the city,' Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) data indicate. "

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Related articles:
SHC demands comment on target killings, The Express Tribune, 30 July 2010
Sindh govt establishes tribunal to investigate Karachi killings, DAWN, 27 July 2010

Related posts:
Following a "spate of targeted killings", Karachi begins crackdown on "criminal elements", 27 July 2010
Political meetings in Karachi banned, 16 June 2010
Wave of violence sparks protests across Karachi, 14 June 2010
200 arrested after political killings in Karachi, 20 May 2010
Targeted killings, ethnic violence plague Karachi, 25 January 2010

Pakistan Builds Up Navy to Fight Terrorism, Piracy

Pakistan Navy Planning Massive Overhaul, New Acquisitions to Counter Terror Challenges, Oneindia News, 23 April 2010

EXCERPT: "The Pakistan Navy  is planning a massive overhaul of its current fleet and would acquire several new ships and other hardware in order to effectively face terrorism and piracy challenges posed in the high seas. Interacting with reporters on the sidelines of the Defence Services Asia (DSA) 2010 exhibition, which is being held in Kuala Lumpur, Pakistan Navy Chief Admiral Noman Bashir said as part of a comprehensive strategy, the country's naval forces would be acquiring several new ships and upgrade its submarine operations to enhance its sea surveillance capability. A press statement issued by the Pakistan Navy, said that it has already acquired two new F-22 frigates from China, and that the third vessel is to be commissioned in two to three months time."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Pakistan gets two P-3C Orion surveillance aircraft, The News International, 30 April 2010
High alert on India's water borders, BBC News, 29 April 2010
US to provide Pakistan Navy with missile frigate, DAWN, 26 April 2010
Pakistan gets 2nd AEW&C jet from Sweden, The News International, 25 April 2010
Admiral Noman Bashir, Pakistan Navy [interview], Proceedings of the US Naval Institute, March 2010

Related posts:
Air force doctrine changed to tackle militancy, 29 March 2010
US transfers Cobra helicopters to Pakistan, 17 March 2010
US to offer Pakistan smart bomb kits, drones, 3 March 2010
US expands arms sales to both India and Pakistan, 26 February 2010
China and Pakistan: A formidable partnership in high-tech defense production, 18 December 2009

Air Force Doctrine Changed to Tackle Militancy

Pakistan Changes Air Force Security Doctrine to Counter Militancy, Sify News, 27 March 2010

EXCERPT: " The Pakistan Air Force (PAF), traditionally trained to defend the air space against India, has modified its security doctrine to counter the home-grown Taliban insurgency, the PAF chief said Saturday. Air Chief Marshall Rao Qamar Suleman, in a rare media briefing at the air headquarters in Islamabad, said the 'concept of security has changed for Pakistan due to threat posed by internal militancy'. Traditionally, Pakistan has defined its operational strategy with reference to India, with which it has fought three wars since gaining independence from Britain in 1947. [...] The air force, for the first time, was tested during the Swat operation last spring where it successfully targeted some of the Taliban's key hideouts with minimum collateral damage."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Indian F-16 deal better than Pakistan's, The Hindu, 29 March 2010
India voices concerns over US arms for Pakistan, DAWN, 29 March 2010
Contingency plan ready to respond to threats: Pakistan Air Force, DAWN, 28 March 2010
US to provide 14 F-16 jet planes to Pakistan, China View, 27 March 2010

Related posts:
50 killed in military operations in FATA, 25 March 2010
Taliban fighters killed in airstrike, 15 March 2010
US transfers Cobra helicopters to Pakistan, 17 March 2010
US to offer Pakistan smart bomb kits, drones, 3 March 2010
US expands arms sales to both India and Pakistan, 26 February 2010

US Transfers Cobra Helicopters to Pakistan

US Delivers Pakistan Cobra Choppers, The News International, 17 March 2010

EXCERPT: "The United States on Tuesday handed over a fleet of modern AH-1 Cobra helicopters to Pakistan, which has been inducted in the Army Aviation, Geo news reported on Tuesday. The delivery consists of 14 to 16 helicopters. The channel quoted its sources as saying that helicopters of this design are being used by the Jordanian Armed Forces. The US will also fund $75 million to upgrade the helicopters currently being used by the Pakistan Armed Forces."

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For information on arms transfers to Pakistan, visit the Stockholm International Peace Institute's Arms Transfers database.

Related articles:
US No. 1 arms exporter, China, India top importers: SIPRI, Economic Times, 15 March 2010
Pakistan helicopter crashes during raid: Military, Sify News, 2 February 2010
Maintaining Pakistan's Cobra attack helicopters, Defense Industry Daily, 5 October 2008
US gives eight Cobra helicopters to Pakistan, Reuters, 2 February 2007

Related posts:
US to offer Pakistan smart bomb kits, drones, 3 March 2010
US expands arms sales to both India and Pakistan, 26 February 2010
Urging cooperation, US offers drones, 22 January 2010
China and Pakistan: A formidable partnership in high-tech defense production, 18 December 2009
Security forces need capacity building: PM, 20 November 2009

US to Offer Pakistan Smart Bomb Kits, Drones

US to Offer Smart-Bomb Kits, Drones to Pakistan, The Wall Street Journal, 2 March 2010

EXCERPT: "The Pentagon will transfer sophisticated laser-guided-bomb kits to Pakistan, escalating the Obama administration's recent push to better arm Islamabad for its military campaign against the country's Islamic militants. US military officials said Pakistan will soon receive equipment capable of converting 1,000 traditional munitions into 'smart bombs' that can more precisely strike targets on the ground. American officials hope the reconfigured bombs will help Pakistan minimize civilian casualties as it battles insurgents in the country's tribal regions. Pakistan will also soon take possession of a dozen American-made surveillance drones and 18 late-model F-16 fighter jets, sharply expanding the Pakistani military's ability to track and strike targets in remote, insurgent-controlled parts of the country. The laser-guided-bomb kits could spark some unease in India, where officials have been warily watching the expanded U.S. military aid to Pakistan and wondering if the weapons would one day be turned against them."

Read the full story.

Related articles:
US to send Pakistan laser-guided bomb kits, Reuters, 2 March 2010
US-Pakistan arms deal irks India, CBS News, 25 March 2005

Related reports:
Arms control and proliferation profile: Pakistan, Arms Control Association, 2009
Conventional arms transfers to developing nations, 2000-2007 [pdf], Congressional Research Service via OpenCRS, 23 October 2008. Occasional mention of Pakistan.

Related posts:
US expands arms sales to both India and Pakistan, 26 February 2010
Urging cooperation, US offers drones, 22 January 2010
China and Pakistan: A formidable partnership in high-tech defense production, 18 December 2009

US Expands Arms Sales to Both India and Pakistan

US Sells Arms to South Asian Rivals, The Wall Street Journal, 25 February 2010

EXCERPT: "The Obama administration is sharply expanding American weapons transfers to both India and Pakistan, longtime rivals about to sit down for peace talks Thursday. The U.S. has sought to remain neutral in the thorny relationship between the nuclear-armed neighbors. But Washington hasn't been shy about pursuing weapons deals in the region, which officials say will lead to closer ties with each country while creating new opportunities for American defense firms. The U.S. has made billions of dollars in weapons deals with India, which is in the midst of a five-year, $50 billion push to modernize its military. At the same time, American military aid to Pakistan stands to nearly double next year, allowing Islamabad to acquire more U.S.-made helicopters, night-vision goggles and other military equipment. The aid has made it easier for Pakistan to ramp up its fight against militants on the Afghan border, as the U.S. tries to convince Islamabad that its biggest security threat is within the country, not in India... But India and Pakistan have each been irked when the U.S. made big-ticket weapons sales or transfers to the other."

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Related articles:
US arms sales are propping up Pakistan as a regional challenger [op-ed], Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, 11 February 2010
Citing India purchases, China justifies arms sales to Pakistan, Thaindian, 23 December 2009
US sold $4.5 billion worth arms to Pakistan in three years: Report, Thaindian, 17 September 2009

Related reports:
US arms sales to Pakistan [pdf], Congressional Research Service, 24 August 2009

Related posts:
US to expand Pakistan training program, 12 February 2010
NATO, Pakistan pursue closer relations, 4 February 2010
Urging cooperation, US offers drones, 22 January 2010
China and Pakistan: A formidable partnership in high-tech defense production, 18 December 2009
Security forces need capacity building: PM, 20 November 2009

China and Pakistan: A Formidable Partnership in High-Tech Defense Production

 J-10: The New Cornerstone of Sino-Pakistani Defense Cooperation, The Jamestown Monitor // China Brief, 16 December 2009

EXCERPT: "China and Pakistan have forged a formidable partnership in high-tech defense production. This partnership is born of their ever-deepening military and strategic cooperation that is also reflective of the burgeoning capacity of China's defense industries and the budding Sino-Pakistani defense relationship. The epitome of this bilateralism is the recent revelation that the Chinese have agreed to the sale of 36 J-10B fighter jets to Pakistan. The J-10 aircrafts are known to be one of the most advanced weapon systems in China’s arsenal, of which Pakistan will be the first recipient. With the delivery of 36 fighter jets, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) will raise two fighting squadrons that will further sharpen its combativeness. The J-10 deal was reportedly sealed for a whopping $1.4 billion, which accounts for 70 percent of Chinese average arms sales of $2 billion a year. The deal marks the depth of a strategic alliance between Beijing and Islamabad. . . Although there is a proliferation of joint defense projects between China and Pakistan, their collaboration in aviation industry has peaked at the turn of the millennium. . . Pakistan also plans to export these aircraft to developing countries for which, it says, orders have already started pouring in."

Read the full report.

Related articles:
Pakistani PM lauds China's contribution in Pakistan, China View, 18 December 2009
Pakistan and China: A Fraying Friendship?, TIME, 19 February 2009

Related reports:
Understanding a few of Chinese interests in Pakistan [doc], Center for Research and Security Studies, [Islamabad, Pakistan], 25 October 2009
India’s security dilemma vis-à-vis China: A case of optimum or sub-optimum restraint? [pdf], Regional Centre for Strategic Studies, 2009
China's Peaceful Rise and South Asia [pdf], Islamabad Policy Research Institute, August 2008

Related posts:
Can China deliver in Pakistan?, 3 December 2009
Pakistan, China to jointly work on counter-terrorism strategy, 13 November 2009

Security Forces Need Capacity Building: PM

'Security Forces Need Capacity Building: PM', Daily Times, 20 November 2009

EXCERPT: "While terrorists are launching attacks out of 'desperation', security forces have the 'will, resolve and ability' to defend Pakistan, but law-enforcement agencies lack the capacity, said Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Thursday. 'We have the will, the resolve and the ability to fight this war, but we lack the capacity. The world should help us build the capacity of our law-enforcement agencies,' Gilani told journalists after addressing the 'Green Journalists Award' distribution ceremony. The prime minister blamed the previous regime for pursuing a 'dual policy of running with the hare and hunting with the hound'. . . 'The US should do more now, and help build the capacity of our forces.'"

Read the full story.

Related articles:
Pakistan urges Ottawa to lift arms ban, Toronto Star, 11 November 2009
US speeds aid to Pakistan to fight Taliban, The New York Times 28 October 2009
Pakistan urges tightened border control to prevent arms, militants movement, China View, 22 October 2009
Meet the Pakistan counterinsurgency capability fund, The Washington Independent, 3 April 2009
Pakistan to arm anti-Taliban militias, The Sydney Morning Herald, 24 October 2008

Related reports:
Pakistani capabilities for a counterinsurgency campaign: A net assessment, New America Foundation, 17 September 2009
US arms sales to Pakistan, Congressional Research Service, 23 September 2009