AREA BRIEFS

May 1 – May 15

WWW.SSII.COM.PK

CONTENTS

Foreword (General Observations)……………………………………………………………2

Americas……………………………………………………………………………………...5

Arms Control and Disarmament……………………………………………………………...8

China and East Asia…………………………………………………………………….……12

Middle East and West Asia…………………………………………………………….…….14

South Asia…………………………………………………………………………………....25

2

Area Briefs: 1-15 May

General Observations

Pakistan

Pakistan tested its FM 90 surface to air missile on 11 May. This can simultaneously

engage multiple types of targets at one time.

A tragic accident, May 8, involving the crash of an Mi-17 helicopter of the Pakistan

army while carrying diplomats and their wives travelling for an official function to

Naltar in Gilgit Baltistan undermined what was to be a PR exercise for tourism in the

safer northern areas of Pakistan. Immediately, the TTP claimed credit and although

this was repudiated by the military and civil leadership, doubts remained and were

voiced by the international media. Diplomats were also ordered by their countries not

to use Pak govt means to travel to official functions. This was a grim reminder of the

difficulties Pakistan faces and will face in convincing not only its own people but also

the international community of the visiting or investing in Pakistan.

Terrorism continues to spread especially in Karachi despite an ongoing Rangers’

operation in that city and a nationwide National Action Plan (NAP). A targeted attack

on a passenger bus carrying members of the Ismaili community on 13 May killed 45

and injured a number of others. Apart from the national trauma, this attack will have

a long term fallout also as the Aga Khan has already reduced projects in Pakistan and

will lead to further reconsiderations. What is equally worrying is that Daish pamphlets

were found on the bus clearly showing Daish linkage to the attack. That the

government of Pakistan is still not prepared to accept the reality of a Daish presence

in Pakistan means there can be no effective movement to pre-empt this group before it

takes strong roots in the country – assuming it has not done so already. The NAP has

been unable to move in tackling extremism and disarming of militant groups; nor has

it moved to acting against proscribed groups some of whom operate openly in the

country.

The Corp Commanders’ meeting on 6 May followed by the Foreign Secretary’s

statement on 14 May regarding the involvement of India’s RAW in terrorism in

Pakistan are the first time Pakistan’s civil and military leadership has openly accused

RAW of actual acts of terror in Pakistan. But no one knows what Pakistan will do

next to deal with this RAW threat. Also contradictions abound within the government

with security officials and the Foreign Office holding RAW responsible for terrorism

in Pakistan and the cricketing set up moving for a cricket series with India. This

disconnect within the government in visible on multiple fronts.

The PM hosted an APC on 13 May to clear up confusion over the China Pakistan

Economic Corridor (CPEC). However, the presentation only created more confusion

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especially over the multiple routes’ priority and other issues. What the govt needed to

do but failed was to answer the following basic questions: to explain the exact route/s

and the sequence in which these will be developed along with the timeline for the

development of each route. What are the specific projects included in the PCEC and

their province-wise distribution? The investment for each of these projects; the

sponsors involved in each of these projects; the debt and equity breakdown of each

project; the source and terms of both equity and debt for each one of these projects.

What all stakeholders in Pakistan need to understand is that the PCEC is a strategic project

especially for China which is seeking not just economic but also strategic access westwards –

at a time when the US is building an arc around China to contain it, especially in the East

with strategic cooperation between the US, India, Japan and Australia through presence in

the South China Sea and in the Ballistic Missile Defence System.

For China the PCEC is a breakthrough from the western encirclement with economic and

strategic access to West Asia, Europe and Africa where China has been building its access

for decades – since the sixties. The “One Belt, One Road” theme extends beyond Pakistan.

For Pakistan the PCEC’s importance is only being viewed unidimensionally in terms of the

macro economic benefits, but without assessing the regional impact of the route itself and the

projects included in the PCEC. What is also being ignored is the criticality of how the

underdeveloped areas of Pakistan can benefit and thereby address the deep sense of

deprivation felt by the people of areas like Balochistan and KP.

Also the PCEC brings Pakistan centre stage of a long-term strategic partnership with China

extending westwards as well as northwards into China, Afghanistan and Central Asia. So we

need to look at the PCEC on two levels: One, on the specifics of the Route that is to go

through Pakistan; and, two, at the broader strategic plan.

International

The Summit called by President Obama for the GCC states did not go according to

the US script because Saudi Arabia and most of the other Gulf States’ rulers did not

attend themselves and sent their ministers instead. This showed the rowing mistrust

between the Gulf States and the US, which has come to the fore because of the

impending Iran nuclear agreement. However the mistrust itself has been there for

some time and the Iran nuclear issue has focused this fact.

The UK elections, against all predictions, brought the Conservatives back into power

but this time with a clear albeit small majority. Labour suffered a terrible defeat not

only in Scotland but also in England. The Scottish National Party almost swept the

polls in Scotland winning 56 of the 59 seats. The anti immigration Party, UKIP, won

only 1 seat while the Lib Dems also got a resounding defeat as a result of their going

into coalition with the Conservatives last time and abandoning the electoral platform

on which they had won seats. The Conservatives have committed to reassessing UK’s

EU membership. Equally interesting is the fact that although UKIP won only 1 seat,

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its votes have increased and it stood second in a number of constituencies. So there is

a growing anti-immigrant vote in the UK.

---Dr Shireen M Mazari

Director General

5

AMERICAS

USA

International

On May 15, the Washington Post reported that US President Barack Obama has pledged

support and “ironclad commitment” to the Gulf nations to help protect their security. Obama

and leaders from six Gulf nations are gathering at Camp David to work through regional

tensions in the Middle East to balance the expected nuclear deal with Iran.

The GCC leaders include foreign minsters from Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and UAE. Heads-of-

states of Qatar and Kuwait are also participating in the Summit. Obama has reassured the Gulf

leaders gathering at Camp David that US advances towards Iran would not come at the expense of

commitments to their security. Officials in the Gulf countries have said that they may seek nuclear

programmes of their own if Iran is allowed to continue enriching uranium under the proposed

agreement.

On May 13, CNN reported that the US is considering to deploy aircraft and ships to contest

Chinese claims to the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. China has cautioned

the US against taking any actions that might be considered provocative.

The South China Sea is the subject of numerous rivals asserting territorial claims including China,

Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei disputing sovereignty of the several island

chains and nearby waters. China supports freedom of navigation in South China Sea. It asserts that

freedom of navigation does not give one country’s military aircraft and ships free access to another

country’s territorial waters and airspace.

On May 11, the White House dismissed a controversial report by Seymour Hersh that alleged

US President Barack Obama and his administration had lied about the circumstances

surrounding the 2011 killing of Osama bin Laden. On May 10, in the London Review of

Books, Seymour Hersh reported that US President Barack Obama had lied to the American

people regarding the operation carried out against Osama Bin Laden that resulted in his death.

According to Hersh, Obama's decision to publically announce killing of the Al-Qaida leader

was part of a series of well-coordinated events made up by military and intelligence officers

to validate the President’s version of events.

Seymour Hersh is considered a left-wing Democrat and is famous for exposing the My Lai massacre

carried out by US troops during the Vietnam War. In his latest article Hersh has claimed that that the

Obama administration cooperated with Pakistani intelligence officials to kill Osama Bin Laden, and

that the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Director General of the Inter-Services Intelligence Agency

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(ISI) knew about the mission, contrary to Obama's claim that Pakistani officials were not aware of the

raid in advance. (see also South Asia Area Brief)

On May 8, ABC News reported that a former US government employee Charles Eccleston, has been indicted after attempting to hack Nuclear Regulatory Commission agency computers

to steal and then sell nuclear secrets to Iran, China and Venezuela, US officials have said.

Eccleston moved to the Philippines in 2011 and allegedly sent dozens of "spear-phishing"

emails to former colleagues in January 2015 containing malware that could be used to extract

classified nuclear information.

On May 7, the New York Times reported that the US Senate advanced legislation that would

allow Congress to review a nuclear deal between world powers and Iran, clearing a major

hurdle after weeks of threats from Republicans to resist the bill’s passage. Under the

compromise, Congress would have 30 days to review any nuclear accord with Iran.

In the event that lawmakers pass a resolution of disapproval, Barack Obama would be unable to lift

some of the congressional sanctions on Tehran. Negotiations between Iran and six world powers

(China, France, Russia, UK, US, Germany) are ongoing. However, a tentative framework announced

in April 2015 is a significant breakthrough. The final nuclear agreement, whose new deadline is June

30, 2015, envisages a gradual lifting of tough financial and trade sanctions imposed on the Islamic

Republic since 2006 in exchange for verifiable limits on its enrichment of uranium to ensure Tehran

does not develop nuclear weapons.

Domestic

On May 13, USA Today reported that the House of Representatives voted to pass the USA

Freedom Act, approving a bill that would change the way the National Security Agency

(NSA) gathers telephone data of American citizens. Under the bill, NSA would be prohibited

from collecting telephone data under the Patriot Act 2001. Instead, the agency would have to

acquire a warrant every time it wanted to access phone records. Officials would need to

submit data requests in order to collect relevant data from companies.

Obama Administration continues to face privacy concerns, and a backlash over revelations about

the scope of government surveillance, bulk data collection, and privacy infringement of citizens.

On May 12, the New York Times reported that a train was accidently derailed in Philadelphia,

killing at least seven people. Initial reports said that the train was travelling at twice the speed

limit

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Latin America

On May 12, Reuters reported that French President Francois Hollande has called for an end to

the US trade embargo against Cuba. Hollande is the first Western head of state to meet Cuban

leader Fidel Castro in Havana since the US announced plans in December 2014 to re-establish

diplomatic relations with the country.

The visit is the first by a Western European leader in almost 30 years and the first since the EU froze

political and cultural ties with Cuban government in 2002. As Cuba re-renters the global economic

system, French multinational companies are looking forward for businesses and collaborations in

trade and commerce in Cuban markets.

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ARMS CONTROL AND DISARMAMENT

President Barack Obama and senior officials from six Gulf nations held a two-day

Summit (May 13-14) on issues in the Middle East, including a potential nuclear deal

with Iran.

President Barack Obama invited Gulf leaders amid their suspicions that Washington was no

longer committed to their security and was doing too little to stop Iran’s destabilising actions

across the region. US offered to provide weapons systems in exchange for GCC support for

the deal with Iran. The Gulf countries have demanded US support for the Saudi-led war

against Yemen. The Summit did not yield any concrete agreement between the gulf nations

and the US. The gulf countries have been demanding more significant upgrade of their

security alliance than the US is willing provide. However the lack of participation by GCC

leaders is viewed as a sign that many of its members are displeased with what the US is

offering including talks with Iran over its nuclear programme.

On May 13, according to Defence Security Cooperation Agency, the US State

Department pushed for approval of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Norway for

AIM 9X Block II Sidewinder Missiles and associated equipment, parts, training and

logistical support for an estimated cost of $345 million.

The Government of Norway has sought the purchase of up to 200 AIM-9X Block II

Sidewinder Tactical Missiles, 2 AIM-9X Special Air Training Missiles (NATMs), 40 CATM-

9X Block II Captive Air Training Missiles (CATMs), 10 AIM-9X Block II Tactical Guidance

Units, and 20 AIM-9X Block II CATM Guidance Units, containers, support and test

equipment, spare and repair parts, personnel training and training equipment, publications

and technical documentation, U.S. Government and contractor logistics and technical

support services, and other related elements of logistics and programme support. Norway

requires these capabilities for mutual defence, regional security, force modernization, and

U.S. and NATO interoperability.

On May 13, according to Defence Security Cooperation Agency, the US State

Department is seeking approval of Foreign Military Sale to Japan for UGM-84L

Harpoon Block II Missiles and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical

support for an estimated cost of $199 million.

Japan intends to use the Harpoon Block II missiles to supplement its existing Harpoon

missile capability.

On May 12, Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, Tomasz

Siemoniak, unveiled plans to buy cruise missiles to go along with an intended

purchase of three new submarines from France.

France authorised the procurement of the submarines and long-range MBDA missiles by

Poland. Under the plan, Poland could acquire 24 missiles for three submarines.

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On May 9, according to Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Pakistan boosted its

air capability defence with the testing of the FM-90 missile system.

The FM- 90 missile system has the ability to engage multiple types of target at one time. The

system enhances Pakistan's air defence capability both in range and accuracy.

On May 9, North Korea claimed that it had tested a submarine-launched missile.

The test has spurred a strong reaction from the US State Department which said that

launches using ballistic missile technology are “a clear violation” of UN Security Council

resolutions. Washington and the United Nations have long urged North Korea to refrain from

actions that can escalate tensions in the region.

On May 5, according to The Diplomat, the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency

(DSCA) announced that the US State Department approved a $3 billion sale of 17 V-

22 Osprey military transport aircraft and associated equipment to Japan.

The US Congress now has to approve the concept of the sale and the Japanese government

will also have to give the go-ahead before companies can agree to term and delivery dates. In

January 2015, the Japanese Diet approved a defence budget that called for the purchase of

five Ospreys. Deliveries of all aircraft are expected to be completed within the next five

years. The sale also includes 40 Rolls Royce Engines, 40 Infrared Radars, 40 Missile

Warning Systems, 40 Countermeasure Dispenser Systems, 40 Global Positioning System

(GPS) Receivers, and 80 Night Vision Goggles, among a host of other items, the DSCA press

release states.

On May 4, India’s Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said that final negotiations to

buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from France would start this month (May 2015) and end as

soon as possible.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that New Delhi had ordered 36 of the

“ready to fly” planes following talks with President Francois Hollande during a visit to

France last month. The deal – estimated to be worth five billion euros ($5.5 billion) –

followed tortuous years’-long negotiations on buying the jets.

On May 4, according to Khaleej Times, France and Qatar have inked a 6.3-billion-

Euro ($7-billion) deal on the sale of Rafale fighter planes to the Gulf state.

The agreement includes an order for 24 jets manufactured by French defence group Dassault

with an option on a further 12 planes. The contract also included the sale of MBDA missiles

to Qatar as well as the training of 36 Qatari pilots and 100 technicians by the French

military.

NPT Review Conference 2015 and Iranian Nuclear Issue

The 2015 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear

Weapons (NPT) started on April 27, 2015 and will end on May 22, 2015 in New York. The

President-designate of the Review Conference is Ambassador Taous Feroukhi from Algeria.

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On May 4, according to Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), in a statement released at the

outset of the 2015 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, more than

100 current and former senior political, military and diplomatic leaders from 43

countries call for a renewed sense of urgency and responsibility among NPT members

to achieve a successful 2015 NPT Review Conference.

The statement calls on states to take a number of steps toward a safer world during the

Review Conference. Following are the main points among the calls for action:

o Nuclear-armed states should narrow the conditions for nuclear weapons use

and declare that the sole purpose of their weapons is to deter the threat.

o Russia should act upon President Putin’s statement supporting continued talks

to reduce nuclear arsenals, and the U.S. should remain open to such talks.

o The P5 states should increase transparency into their process and should

present new commitments for 2015-2020.

o Nuclear weapon states that have not participated in the Humanitarian Impact

of Nuclear Weapons initiative should do so.

o The Conference should make convening the Middle East WMD-Free Zone

Conference a priority for the next Review cycle, confirming the paramount

importance of creating a WMD Free Zone in the Middle East for global

security.

o States Parties should support efforts to secure nuclear weapons-usable

materials around the globe, including through the development of a security

system that covers all materials, employs international standards and best

practices and builds confidence.

On May 1, according to Fars News, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif

underlined that the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) shares Tehran's view that Israel's

nuclear disarmament is a prelude to a Middle East free from the weapons of mass

destruction (WMDs).

Zarif in a statement read at the 2015 NPT Review Conference called for a Middle East free

from weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and urged the international community to exert

pressure on Israel to dismantle its nuclear weapons and respect the NPT. Israel possesses

nuclear weapons that are not declared and has not joined the NPT. Israel also does not allow

international bodies to inspect its controversial nuclear programme.

On May 7, according to The Guardian, the US Senate advanced legislation that would

allow Congress to review a nuclear deal between world powers and Iran, clearing a

major hurdle after weeks of Republican infighting threatened the bill’s passage.

Senators overwhelmingly voted 98-1 in favour of the bill.

Under the compromise, Congress would have 30 days to both review any nuclear accord

with Iran and pass a resolution of disapproval. Negotiations between Iran and six world

powers are ongoing, but a tentative framework announced last month marked a historic

breakthrough. Under the provisional agreement, restrictions will be placed on Iran’s

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enrichment of nuclear material so that it cannot lead to atomic weapons. In exchange, the US

and European Union will terminate all nuclear-related economic sanctions on Iran once the

UN nuclear agency confirms that Iran has met its conditions.

---Muhammad Abdul Qadeer & Muhammad Shoaib

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CHINA & EAST ASIA

China

On May 11, the Russian and Chinese navies started their first joint exercises in the

Mediterranean.

The joint exercises between the two countries show growing defence ties between Beijing

and Moscow and a demonstration that China’s maritime horizons are broadening. Over recent

years, Russia has been seeking to restore its naval presence in the Mediterranean, which

largely lapsed at the end of the Cold War. China, unlike Russia, has traditionally not seen the

Mediterranean as an area of strategic concern. But over recent years its importance to Beijing

has increased markedly. China’s growing economic role in the region and the importance of

securing shipping lanes for its trade have given the Chinese a new focus.

On May 11, US security and nuclear energy officials briefed US lawmakers about the

proposed 30-year extension of a US nuclear power cooperation deal with China.

The White House’s willingness to push ahead with the nuclear accord with Beijing illustrates

the evolving relationship between the world’s two largest powers. Both countries view each

other with mutual suspicion and competitiveness as well as vital economic and strategic

global partners. However commentators argue that the new agreement will pave the way for

US companies to sell dozens of nuclear reactors to China, the biggest nuclear power market

in the world.

North Korea

On May 9, North Korea claimed that it had tested a submarine-launched missile.

Test would violate multiple UN Security Council resolutions banning North Korea from

using ballistic missile technology. Some Western media reported that the best estimate of

North Korea’s nuclear arsenal is that it could make up to 20 weapons but that its ability to

make them small enough for a missile is unclear. Many western observers believe that North

Korea may be moving faster than previously thought in developing its missile technology.

On May 13, North Korea's Defence Minister Hyon Yong-chol has been executed for

showing disloyalty to leader Kim Jong-un.

North Korea has publicly executed the country’s defence minister after the regime accused

him of treason. Hyon was executed because he expressed discontent towards leader Kim

Jong-Un and failed to follow Kim’s orders on several occasions. North Korean leader Kim

Jong Un has been accused of ordering the executions of as many as 15 top officials in 2015.

North Korea’s military leadership has been in a state of perpetual reshuffle since Kim took

power.

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Japan

On May 13, Japan hosted its first global arms fair with a particular focus on maritime

security.

PM Shinzo Abe has been pushing to boost the role and capability of Japan’s military. The

government has also moved to lessen restrictions on home-grown weapons industry, allowing

it to sell more hardware abroad in an effort to boost the sector. Observers in Japan says that

the new rules could allow Tokyo to supply weaponry to nations that sit along important sea

lanes to help them fight piracy.

On May 1, The Guardian reported that Japan outlined 2030 carbon target ahead of the

Paris Climate Summit.

Japan has proposed to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent by 2030 as its

contribution to a global summit on climate change to be held later this year. Japan is the

world’s fifth biggest emitter of climate-warming carbon dioxide. The Paris Summit starting

in November 2015 aims to finalise an agreement as part of efforts to limit global average

temperature rises to 2°C above pre-industrial times.

On May 1, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wrapped up his US visit aimed at

strengthening economic and political ties between the two allies.

Shinzo Abe has been a strong advocate of closer ties with the US. He arrived in the US

during a Washington battle over legislation that would give Obama the authority to negotiate

the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a cornerstone of his second-term agenda.

---Muhammad Abdul Qadeer

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MIDDLE EAST & WEST ASIA

On May 14, the two day US-GCC Summit at Camp David concluded. US President

Barack Obama vowed to back Gulf allies against any external attack.

President Obama hosted the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council summit at Camp David

where he assured the Gulf States that US would cooperate with them to address the

destabilising activities in the region.

The leaders issued a joint statement which said that in the event of aggression, the US would

stand ready to work with the Arab nations in addressing the security threats. It would include

the use of collective means including the potential use of military force, for the defence of

GCC states.

The Gulf States had differences with the US, particularly over a possible nuclear deal with

Iran, which according to them, would allow Iran to build nuclear weapons in the future.

Some leaders of the GCC states did not attend the summit including King Salman Bin

Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, which is being viewed as a show of frustration with the US

President.

Egypt

On May 9, an Egyptian court sentenced Egypt’s deposed leader Hosni Mubarak and

his two sons to three years in prison and a fine in a retrial on corruption charges they

faced earlier.

The corruption case concerns charges that Mubarak and his two sons robbed millions of

dollars’ worth of state funds over the course of a decade. The funds were meant to pay for

renovating and maintaining presidential palaces but were instead allegedly spent on

upgrading the family’s private residences. Earlier, Mubarak was sentenced to three years,

his sons to four in the case. He later appealed, sparking the retrial. A lawyer for Mubarak

said the judge’s decision can be appealed.

On May 4, according to Khaleej Times, five members of the banned Muslim

Brotherhood in Egypt were sentenced to death for killing 13 people, including 11

policemen in 2013.

The Brotherhood members were accused of attacking the Kerdasa police station on August

14, 2013, the same day when Egyptian security forces dispersed two Brotherhood protest sit-

in camps in Cairo and Giza, killing hundreds of people. They were also accused of

possessing unlicensed weapons among other charges. In February 2015, the court sentenced

183 defendants to death in the same case. Thirty-five of them were sentenced in absentia.

Thousands of pro-Morsi and Muslim Brotherhood leaders and members have been put on

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trial since the army deposed the president in 2013 following massive street protests against

his rule. In April 2015, an Egyptian criminal court sentenced the ousted president Mohamed

Morsi and 12 other Muslim Brotherhood leaders for 20 years in prison for inciting violence

near the Ittihadeya presidential palace in 2012.

Iran

On May 14, Iranian naval vessels fired warning shots over a Singapore-flagged ship

in international waters in the Gulf, prompting it to flee to United Arab Emirates

waters.

The Alpine Eternity, a 29,130 gross tonnes oil products tanker, safely reached the UAE port

of Jebel Ali after coming under attack in the Gulf. Iran is currently in a standoff with a Saudi-

led coalition over security inspections of one of its own cargo ships.

On May 13, according to Fars News, Iranian destroyer, Alborz, locked its missile

systems on an invading vessel in the Gulf of Aden after a high-speed boat left

Yemen's coasts and rushed to attack it.

The incident took place as Iran's 34th fleet of warships is in the Gulf of Aden on an anti-

piracy mission. Also, an Iranian cargo ship carrying humanitarian aid is on its way to

Yemen. The naval fleets of the US and some other western countries have several times

reduced their distance from the Iranian fleet in violation of international rules.

In a related development on May 9, the US and French warships in the Gulf of Aden were

warned by Iran to change their directions. The US and French planes, helicopters and

warships approached the Iranian warships in a provocative move, ignoring the

internationally set 5-mile standard distance from Iran's 34th fleet of warships.

The Gulf of Aden, which links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean

Sea, is an important energy corridor, particularly because Persian Gulf oil is shipped to the

West via the Suez Canal.

On May 13, according to Khaleej Times, a senior Iranian commander, Brigadier-

General Masoud Jazayeri, warned the US that a “fire might start” over an aid ship

bound for Yemen, if the Pentagon urged it to change course.

The Pentagon said it was tracking the Iranian aid ship, named Iran Shahed. Earlier, Iran

announced that Iranian warships will accompany the cargo ship bound for the Yemeni port

of Hodaida. The Iranian cargo ship set sail on May 8, 2015 and could be intercepted by

Saudi-led coalition forces, which are blockading Yemen as part of a military campaign

against the Houthis.

Iran’s Red Crescent sent this ship carrying 2,500 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Yemen. The

Saudi-led military coalition imposed an air and naval blockade on Yemen. Saudi Arabia and

its Arab allies have accused Iran of seeking to smuggle weapons and ammunition to the

Houthis.

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On May 7, according to Khaleej Times, Iran released a Marshall Islands-flagged

Maersk Tigris container ship and its crew which were seized in the Strait of Hormuz

in April 2015.

The Maersk Tigris was diverted on April 28, 2015 by Iranian patrol boats in the Strait of

Hormuz, prompting the US to send vessels to monitor the situation and to accompany US-

flagged vessels passing through the Strait. The US Navy ships began accompanying US-

flagged commercial vessels through the Strait on April 30, 2015. This reflects heightened

tension in the region.

On May 6, according to Dawn, a four day 20th Oil, Gas, Refining and Petrochemical

fair was held in Tehran.

Iran has the world’s fourth largest proven oil reserves and the second biggest gas deposits,

both of which have long been seen as untapped and ready for exploration. Major energy

firms left or were restrained from doing business after the US and the EU imposed sanctions

on the Iranian industry in 2012, as punishment for Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme.

According to the Iranian Oil Ministry, delegates of 29 foreign countries including Britain,

China, France, Germany, Russia, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates attended the

Tehran exhibition. Some 1,200 Iranian companies and 600 international businesses

registered to participate, but no representatives from the US or Saudi Arabia attended the

fair.

On May 1, as reported by Khaleej Times, according to a confidential UN report, Iran

has been shipping weapons to Yemen’s Houthi rebels since at least 2009, indicating

that Tehran’s support dates back to the early years of the Shia militia’s insurgency.

The report was presented to the Security Council’s Iran Sanctions Committee in the last week

of April 2015. The panel of experts reported on the findings of an investigation into the 2013

seizure of an Iranian Ship (Jihan) by Yemeni authorities. The ship was carrying weapons.

The information collected by the experts suggests that the Jihan case follows a pattern of

arms shipments to Yemen by sea that can be traced back to at least 2009. In April 2009, the

crew of an unnamed Iranian vessel loaded crates of weapons onto Yemeni boats in

international waters which were then delivered to a farm in Yemen for use by the Houthis. An

Iranian fishing vessel was seized by Yemeni authorities in February 2011 carrying 900

Iranian-made anti-tank and anti-helicopter rockets intended for the rebels, the report said.

Iranian Nuclear Issue

On May 9, according to Fars News, Iranian parliamentarians plan to present a bill

with the highest degree of urgency which will require the government to suspend

nuclear talks with the world powers while the US continues its threats against Tehran.

The Parliament's decision was announced after US Secretary of State John Kerry in an effort

to improve ties with Israel over the Iran policy said recently that military action is still

among possible options for Washington. Also Joe Biden, the US vice-president, repeated the

17

same remarks later. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed the US war

rhetoric against Iran and warned that Tehran would not negotiate under threat.

On May 4, according to Khaleej Times, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad

Zarif said that Iran is determined to end the “manufactured crisis” over its nuclear

programme and drafting of a final deal with world powers.

Iran has long asserted its nuclear programme is for peaceful energy purposes and that

international concerns about it seeking a nuclear bomb are misplaced. Javad Zarif told an

audience at New York University that Iran is willing to submit to the highest level of

international transparency and wants to conclude a final accord as soon as possible. If the

deal is fully implemented, Iran would scale back its nuclear activities for at least 10 years

along with other curbs in exchange for the lifting of United Nations, European Union and US

sanctions.

On May 6, according to Fars News, Tehran called on the 2015 Non-Proliferation

Treaty (NPT) Review Conference to put on its agenda the assassination of Iranian

nuclear scientists by Israel, and urged immediate measures to prevent repetition of

such crimes.

In June 2012, Iran announced that its intelligence forces have identified and arrested all

terrorist elements behind the assassination of the country's nuclear scientists. According to

the statement, Iran's Intelligence Ministry had detected some of Mossad's bases within the

territories of one of Iran's Western neighbours, which provided training and logistical

support to the terrorist networks. In the fifth attack of its kind in two years, terrorists killed a

32-year-old Iranian scientist, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, and his driver on January 11, 2012.

In a related development on May 1, according to Tehran Times, Iran’s ambassador to the

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Reza Najafi called for the complete annihilation

of nuclear weapons as one of the main principles of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

(NPT).

Najafi said this while reading out a statement at the 2015 Review Conference of the NPT on

behalf of the 120-member body of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). The NAM states also

expressed their concern over the nuclear-weapons based military doctrine of NATO states.

Earlier, the Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said that Israel is the main impediment to

the universality of the NPT. The Israeli regime is widely believed to be the only possessor of a

nuclear arsenal in the Middle East with up to 400 undeclared nuclear warheads. Tel Aviv has

rejected global calls to join the NPT and does not allow international bodies to inspect its

controversial nuclear programme.

Iraq

On May 13, according to Fars News, Saudi Arabia sent a large number of its medical

experts and doctors to the help the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)

terrorists in Western Iraq.

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According to Iraqi media, in March, 2015 the Iraqi security forces discovered several tons of

Saudi supplied foodstuff and dried fruits in ISIL hideouts in the city of Tikrit in Salahuddin

province after winning back control over the city. All the parcels carried labels which read:

"Saudi Arabia Kingdom of Humanity, Emergency Relief Aid for the Needy". In January,

Hussein al-Ramahi, the head of the political commission of Hezbollah brigades in Iraq,

disclosed that his forces had discovered Saudi supplied arms and ammunition in areas taken

back from ISIL control, adding that the arms aids have been dropped down for the Takfiri

terrorists by unidentified planes.

On May 13, according to Fars News, the successor of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the

Leader of the ISIL terrorist group, and the second in command, Abu Ala Afri was

killed in an air strike in Nineveh province.

Leader of ISIL Takfiri terrorist group Ibrahim al-Samarrai aka Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had

been temporarily replaced with Afri who was Al-Baghdadi's deputy and a former Iraqi

physics teacher after the ISIL leader was critically wounded during a joint attack of the Iraqi

army and popular forces on March 18, 2015. In late April, 2015 some Arab media reports

said Al-Baghdadi had died and members of the Takfiri group in Iraq had already sworn

allegiance to Abu Ala Afri as his successor.

On May 10, Iraqi authorities signed up the first batch of 1,000 recruits for a new

Sunni militia to help its security forces take back the western Anbar province from the

Daesh group, after years of reluctance to arm and train the tribal fighters.

Repeated requests by tribal leaders for funds and arms were ignored, in part because the

government distrusted the Sunnis, claiming many sympathised with the Daesh. In contrast,

the state has invested heavily in Shia militias, known as Popular Mobilisation Units, which

played a major role in fighting the Daesh around Baghdad and in other provinces. Iraq’s

new Prime Minister, Haider Al Abadi, has been more open to arming the Sunnis and

authorised the creation of a 6,000 strong Popular Mobilisation Unit in Anbar.

On May 9, according to Al Jazeera, fifty inmates and 12 policemen died in a prison

escape organised by Daesh.

After a riot erupted, dozens of prisoners escaped from the Al Khalis facility about 80km

northeast of Baghdad. Militants of Daesh, which seized large areas of Iraq and Syria, broke

in with the help of explosives to free 30 inmates and get into the jail’s weapons stores. The

prison holds hundreds of people convicted of terrorism.

On May 8, according to Khaleej Times, the leader of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish

region, Masoud Barzani, insisted that the US should arm his forces fighting the Daesh

group directly instead of passing though the federal government in Baghdad.

Barzani was on a week-long visit to the US to lobby for support. He said the central

government had not honoured a deal struck in 2007 between US, Iraqi and Kurdish

commanders that Kurdistan’s Peshmerga militia receive its share of US military aid from

Baghdad. The Kurdish Peshmerga have been helping Iraqi government forces to counter the

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new threat posed by the Daesh militants, but in doing so they have been operating deeper in

disputed mixed Arab and Kurd areas beyond the official Kurdistan Regional Government

(KRG) border.

On May 8, according to Khaleej Times, militants carried out a series of suicide attacks

against Mosques in north eastern Iraq killing at least 22 worshippers, including a

senior police officer.

Suicide attacks were carried out in the towns of Balad Ruz and Kanaan. The towns are

located in Iraq’s religiously-mixed province of Diyala, which witnessed major clashes

between government forces and insurgents in recent months.

Israel

On May 6, according to Khaleej Times, Israel approved construction of 900 settler

homes in annexed east Jerusalem, shortly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

formed a new right-wing religious coalition.

The new homes will be built in the east Jerusalem settlement neighbourhood of Ramat

Shlomo. In March 2010, the interior ministry announced a plan to build 1,600 settler homes

in Ramat Shlomo, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighbourhood in mainly Arab east Jerusalem.

In November 2013, the plan passed a further stage of approval but construction was held up

because the planning committee said new roads must be built first. The plan was approved

right after Benjamin Netanyahu signed an agreement giving a senior role to the far-right

Jewish Home that strongly backs settlement building and opposes a Palestinian state. US

President Barack Obama’s administration has had a cold relationship with Netanyahu,

notably over continued settlement-building which the international community views as a

major obstacle to peace with the Palestinians.

Earlier, the Israeli Prime Minister managed to form a government, just an hour before a

legal deadline. The composition of Netanyahu’s radical coalition marks a new shift to the

right by giving increased prominence to Naftali Bennett’s radical Jewish Home party, which

strongly backs settlement activity. The move will likely complicate Israel’s damaged

relationship with the Palestinians. The Palestinians immediately denounced Netanyahu’s new

administration, with chief negotiator Saeb Erakat saying it was clear it would not be working

for peace and would seek to expand settlements.

On May 4, according to Khaleej Times, Israeli Jews of Ethiopian origin, protested and

demonstrated against police brutality after the emergence of a video clip that showed

policemen shoving and punching a black soldier.

Anti-racism protest descended into one of the most violent demonstrations in Israel’s

commercial capital in years. The Ethiopian community, which now numbers around 135,500

out of Israel’s population of over eight million, has long complained of discrimination,

racism and poverty.

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Palestine

On May 13, the Vatican announced that it would soon sign a treaty that includes

recognition of the State of Palestine.

The treaty was finalised but still has to be signed. The treaty makes clear that the Holy See

has switched its diplomatic relations from the Palestine Liberation Organisation to the State

of Palestine. Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it was disappointed by the Vatican’s decision and

that the recognition would not advance the peace process. The Vatican had welcomed the

decision by the UN General Assembly in 2012 to recognise a Palestinian state. But the treaty

is the first legal document negotiated between the Holy See and the Palestinian State and

constitutes an official diplomatic recognition. Palestinian leaders celebrated the Holy See’s

recognition as particularly important, given the international stature of Pope Francis. For

Israelis, it was an emotional blow, since Francis has deep relationships with Jews dating

back decades.

On May 5, according to Khaleej Times, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

appointed Robert Piper of Australia as his new Deputy Special Coordinator for the

Middle East Peace Process.

Robert Piper was appointed in place of James Rawley of the US. Mr. Piper will also serve as

the Organisation’s Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied

Palestinian Territory. His appointment comes amid ongoing UN-backed reconstruction

efforts in Gaza where thousands of people are seeking access to building materials for urgent

repairs to their homes following the 2014 conflict in the war-ravaged area.

Qatar

On May 4, according to Khaleej Times, French President Francois Hollande arrived in

Qatar to oversee the signing of a multi-billion-euro deal to sell 24 Rafale fighter jets

to the gas-rich Emirate.

The CEO of French aerospace firm Dassault, Eric Trappier, signed the 6.3-billion-euro ($7-

billion) deal with Qatari defence officials in Doha. The agreement includes an order for 24

jets manufactured by French defence group Dassault with an option on further 12 planes.

Hollande also discussed with Shaikh Tamim, the 8th Emir of Qatar, the several crises rocking

the region, including the weeks-long Saudi-led coalition aerial campaign on anti-government

rebels in Yemen. In a separate agreement, France will train 36 Qatari pilots and around 100

mechanical engineers, as well as intelligence officers. Rafale jets can be used for

reconnaissance missions. France is also negotiating a fighter jet deal with UAE.

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Saudi Arabia

On May 13, according to New York Times, Saudi Arabia and many of the smaller

Arab states are now vowing to match whatever nuclear enrichment capability Iran is

permitted to retain.

Leaders of the Sunni Arab states are arguing that if Iran is allowed to retain its centrifuges,

Washington cannot credibly argue against other Arab states getting nuclear capabilities.

Over the last decade, the Saudi government has financed nuclear research projects but there

is no evidence that it has ever tried to build or buy facilities of the kind Iran has assembled to

master the fuel cycle.

On May 13, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud doubled Saudi Arabia’s aid

commitment to Yemen to $540 million.

On April 18, 2015, the Kingdom pledged the entire $274 million sought by the United

Nations in an appeal for emergency assistance to help victims of the war in Yemen. The UN

said that that money would “meet the life-saving and protection needs of 7.5 million people

affected” by a deepening humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

On May 10, rockets were fired into Saudi Arabia’s border region with Yemen.

Earlier on May 6, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud urged his fellow Gulf leaders to

stand up to Iran, as Yemeni rebels backed by Tehran bombarded a Saudi border city. Attack

from Houthi rebels from across the border hit the Saudi city of Najran. Mortar bombs and

Katyusha rockets hit hospitals, schools and houses.

On May 5, according to Khaleej Times, the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)

states met in the Saudi capital for the 15th Consultative Meeting under the

Chairmanship of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to discuss the ongoing situation

in the region including the conflict in Yemen and concerns over a potential final

nuclear deal with Iran.

The leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Member States reaffirmed their support

to Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi. They praised the Security Council

resolution No. 2216 which was issued under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. They called for

its implementation completely and accurately in order to contribute to the return of security

and stability in Yemen. The GCC leaders stressed their support of the urgent measures taken

by the Yemeni government to address the dangerous humanitarian situation in Yemen. The

GCC leaders expressed hope that the P5+1 agreement with Iran would ensure harmony and

would meet all the international standards related to security and safety of nuclear facilities.

Paris has also been deepening political and economic relations with Gulf leaders. Francois

Hollande arrived as a “guest of honour” at the Gulf summit.

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Syria

On May 13, according to Khaleej Times, Daesh group seized large parts of

strategically located Al Sukhnah town in central Syria’s Homs province in clashes

that killed 48 soldiers and militants.

The town lies on the highway that leads from eastern Deir Ezzor province, a Daesh

stronghold, to the ancient town of Palmyra. Palmyra is controlled by the regime and home to

spectacular Greco-Roman ruins that are listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO.

Control of Homs province is divided. The provincial capital is almost completely under

regime control, but opposition forces and Daesh hold large parts of the surrounding

countryside and desert. Homs is Syria’s largest province and is particularly important for the

government as it also neighbours Damascus province. It is home to the key Shaar gas field,

which is now back in government hands after Daesh fighters overran it in 2014, reportedly

slaughtering several hundred soldiers there.

On May 12, according to The New York Times, international inspectors have found

traces of banned toxic chemicals in at least three military locations in Syria. Traces of

Sarin, a nerve agent, were found in drainage pipes and in artillery shells in two places,

and traces of another banned toxin, Ricin, were found in a third location.

The traces of banned chemicals were found less than two years after President Bashar Al

Assad agreed to dismantle the country’s chemical arsenal. The recent events raised troubling

questions for international inspectors about whether Damascus was violating the terms of a

deal brokered by Russia and the US in 2013 that forestalled an American military strike. The

US and its allies held the Syrian government responsible for a series of chemical weapons

attacks, including a deadly Sarin attack near the capital, before that accord. Several

American and other Western intelligence analysts suspect that the Assad government hid

small stockpiles of banned chemical agents, such as Sarin, apart from the vast amounts that

were formally declared as removed from the country and ultimately destroyed.

On May 11, according to Dawn, at least 72 fighters were killed in a single day as the

Syrian army battled to relieve some 250 besieged regime loyalists under rebel assault.

Earlier on May 10, rebels, including Al-Qaeda loyalists, stormed a complex in north western

Syria where some 250 regime loyalists were trapped for two weeks. The Syrian Observatory

for Human Rights said rebels had entered the hospital complex in the town of Jisr al-

Shughur. It is the first time that the rebels managed to penetrate the complex. Among the 250

people holed up inside were around 150 regime troops, including "high-ranking officers," as

well as their family members and some civil servants. Government troops and militia battled

to reach the hospital to relieve the siege. More than 220,000 people have been killed in Syria

since the conflict began with anti-government protests in March 2011 that turned into civil

war after a crackdown by security forces.

On May 9, according to Khaleej Times, Syria’s Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal

Mekdad criticised a new US programme to train moderate rebel fighters in Jordan,

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saying it will only fuel terrorism and further complicate efforts to reach a political

solution.

US officials say the programme is part of a broader effort to build a force capable of fighting

Daesh extremists and not President Bashar Al Assad’s forces. The training started in Jordan

with about 90 rebels. The programme will expand to training sites in Turkey, Saudi Arabia

and Qatar, with 400 fighters completing the pre-screening process. Syrian rebels have been

pleading for international help, particularly in the form of weapons, ever since the uprising

against Assad’s rule that began in 2011. Moderate rebels have long said that the West’s

failure to bolster their forces helped fuel the rise of militants like the Daesh group.

On May 1, according to Khaleej Times, US-led airstrike killed 55 civilians in Syria,

which was the highest civilian loss since US and Arab states started air raids against

Daesh militant group.

According to the British-based Observatory for Human Rights, the raid had mistakenly struck

civilians in a village on the eastern banks of the Euphrates River in Aleppo province. US-led

strikes had killed at least 118 civilians in Syria from the start of the raids on September 23.

The campaign also killed nearly 2,000 Daesh fighters. The US-led air strikes had little impact

on the Daesh group, slowing its advances but failing to weaken it in areas it controls. The

group has built its own government in Syria’s city of Raqqa, where it is most powerful. The

US and its allies say their aim is to support moderate rebels fighting against both Syrian

President Bashar Al Assad and Daesh.

Yemen

On May 12, a five-day humanitarian cease-fire began in Yemen, just hours after

coalition warplanes struck against rebels and their allies.

The truce will test the adversaries’ desire to enter into peace talks to try to end the fighting

that has killed hundreds of civilians since March 2015. Both sides say they are ready to

respond with violence if their opponent breaks the cease-fire. In a related development, on

May 11, Yemen’s rebels and their allies said that they would accept a five-day humanitarian

cease-fire to allow aid to reach civilians after more than a month of airstrikes from a Saudi-

led military coalition. According to the UN, the conflict killed more than 1,400 people, many

of them civilians, since March 19, 2015. The country of some 25 million people has endured

shortages of food, fuel, water, medicine and electricity as a result of a naval, air and land

blockade. The cease-fire would help ease the suffering of civilians in the Arab world’s

poorest country.

On May 10, warplanes from the Saudi-led coalition bombed the residence of Yemen’s

former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Saleh, who stepped down in February 2012 following a year of deadly nationwide protests

against his three-decade rule, is accused of siding with Houthi insurgents who have rebelled

against UN-backed President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.

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On May 6, according to Khaleej Times, at least 80 people, many of them civilians,

were killed in the Yemeni port of Aden as fighting escalated between Houthi fighters

and local supporters of President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.

The dead included at least 40 Yemeni civilians who were trying to flee heavy fighting in Aden

when the Houthi fighters fired shells at their boat. The civilians were among some 50 people

who were on the boat as it left the Al Tawahi district of Aden and headed towards safer areas

in Al Buraiqa in the west. Residents and local fighters said 40 other people, including a

senior army officer, had been killed in fighting overnight in other parts of Aden, including an

estimated 30 Houthi fighters and 10 local gunmen.

On May 6, according to Khaleej Times, US Secretary of State John Kerry pledged $68

million in aid for humanitarian groups working in Yemen during a visit to Djibouti.

Kerry met government officials during his stop in Djibouti, the tiny Horn of Africa nation

across the Gulf of Aden and its vital shipping lanes. Djibouti has become an important centre

for Washington’s interventions in Africa and against militant safe havens in Yemen. The US

has beefed up its small consular operations in Djibouti to help process Yemeni-American

families fleeing the conflict in Yemen.

On May 2, according to Khaleej Times, US Secretary of State John Kerry said that it

was not inevitable that Yemen would become a failed state, stressing that the US was

working “very hard” to find a solution for Yemen’s crisis.

John Kerry was talking to reporters in Sri Lanka a day after the UN Security Council failed

to back a Russian appeal for an immediate ceasefire or humanitarian pauses in Yemen.

Earlier, Russia requested an urgent meeting of the 15-member council as the Saudi-led air

war on Yemen’s Houthi rebels entered a sixth week, which cut off deliveries of fuel, food and

medicine. UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged a humanitarian pause in the conflict as embattled aid

agencies said they desperately need supplies, including fuel to run infrastructure such as

hospitals. UN efforts to resume peace negotiations for Yemen have run into hurdles over

disagreements on the venue for the talks, with Gulf countries insisting they be held in Riyadh.

---Muhammad Shoaib

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SOUTH ASIA

Pakistan

External

On May 12, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and COAS General Raheel Sharif

accompanied by a high level delegation visited Kabul. Pakistan pledged full support

for an Afghan-led peace and reconciliation process.

The visit by Pakistan’s civil and military leadership comes after both countries worked for

months to improve relations between them. The visit also followed a recent meeting in Qatar

between the Afghan government and the Taliban political leadership, which raised hopes of

restarting peace talks. During the visit, Pakistani officials also voiced serious concerns over

Indian intelligence agency RAW’s involvement in Pakistan. Pakistan has repeatedly shown

displeasure over India using Afghan soil to carry out attacks on Pakistan which is also

affecting Pakistan’s fight against extremism. However President Ghani has sought to soothe

Pakistani concerns about Indian spy agency RAW’s involvement in Afghanistan. Observers

also argue that reconciliation with Pakistan has been Ghani’s top agenda item. Pakistani

leadership is also expected to raise the issue of the presence of Pakistani Taliban’s

leadership in Afghanistan.

On May 10, US investigative journalist, Seymour Hersch wrote in the London Review

of Books that the killing of Bin Laden was not an all-American affair and the

Pakistanis were well aware of the operation and that they’d known his whereabouts

since 2006.

On May 11, in a related development the White House rejected a report by Seymour

Hersch which claimed that the official US version of the raid on Osama bin Laden’s

compound was a cover up.

Seymour Hersch, has disputed the Obama administration’s account of the death of the Al-

Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden, in Pakistan four years ago. However his version of events

has been explicitly rejected by the White House. Reacting to the report, former Secretary of

Defence and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Leon Panetta said “I can assure you

bin Laden was not in the custody of Pakistan.” Panetta is one of several US officials who

have denied the credibility of the report, including White House National Security spokesman

Ned Price and White House spokesman Josh Earnest. The raid by the US Seals in 2011 in

Abbottabad killing Osama bin Laden prompted a wave of confusion. The relations between

the US and Pakistan reached their lowest point after the US raid on the al-Qaeda leader’s

Abbottabad hideout.

On May 8, a Pakistan military helicopter with a delegation of diplomats on board

crashed in the Gilgit-Baltistan region killing seven including the ambassadors to

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Pakistan from Norway and the Philippines, and the wives of the ambassadors from

Indonesia and Malaysia.

The chopper convoy was carrying diplomats and their families on a three-day tour for the

launch of a tourism project. This has been a worrying trend for the past decade in Pakistan’s

ageing fleet of Russian-made MI-17 helicopters. A mechanical problem caused the Mi-17

helicopter to go down and the helicopter caught fire as it was landing. The Pakistani Taliban

eagerly contacted local reporters and claimed the responsibility which was only meant to

create chaos in the country.

On May 7, US handed over 14 combat aircraft, 59 military trainer jets and 374

armoured personnel carriers to Pakistan.

The United States is withdrawing its forces from Afghanistan and has offered some of the

weapons it is leaving behind to its allies in the region, including Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Technically, these weapons are classified as “Excessive Defence Articles”, i.e. equipment

used by the US forces, which can be supplied to allied nations at withdrawal instead of

shipping them back to the United States. The weapons also include F-16 armaments

including 500 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles.

On May 6, President of Maldives, Abdullah Yameen Abdul Gayoom on his two-day

(May 6 – May 7) visit to Pakistan held meetings with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz

Sharif. During his visit the two countries signed four accords relating to Sports,

Health, Education, and Narcotics.

Leaders of the both countries have stressed upon the need to improve people to people

contact. This is only possible in an environment of peace and security. The trends to promote

bilateral as well as regional connectivity among the countries will also increase the

economic interaction among the states.

On May 6, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop visited Pakistan and announced

an assistance package of about $16 million for reconstruction projects in Pakistan’s

areas affected by militancy and floods, and to support a trade initiative.

The $16m assistance was part of a total aid package of approximately $20m. About $8m will

be spent on restoring damaged infrastructure, supporting livelihood and improving service

delivery in areas of Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, Fata and Balochistan affected by flood and

conflict.

On May 6 Pakistan’s top military leadership in a Corps Commanders’ meeting said

that the Indian intelligence agency RAW is fuelling terrorism in Pakistan.

Pakistan has quite often raised concerns over Indian involvement in subversive activities in

Pakistan. Confessional statements of some criminals Pakistan had arrested recently point

towards RAW’s growing activities to weaken Pakistan by promoting terrorism. Earlier, in

2015, the government decided to take a tougher approach towards India and raised its

concerns over alleged Indian involvement in acts of terrorism in the country. Pakistan had

long been protesting that India’s RAW having entrenched itself in Afghanistan had been one

of the main perpetrator’s of terrorist activities in Pakistan.

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Pakistan

Internal

On May 13, at least 45 people were killed and 20 were critically injured in a gun

attack on a bus carrying member of the Ismaili Community in Karachi.

Jundullah a splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban claimed the responsibility. A leaflet was

also left at the scene claiming the so-called Islamic State group was responsible. The Ismaili

community in Pakistan is mostly apolitical. Many religious minorities in Pakistan blame the

government for not doing enough to protect them.

On May 12, target killer and a former political activist of the Muttahida Qaumi

Movement (MQM) Saulat Mirza was hanged at Balochistan’s Machh Jail.

Saulat Mirza had been on death row for nearly 17 years. He was sentenced to death in 1999,

years after the assassination, the murder case of the KESC MD. Media attention was focused

on Saulat Mirza when he made startling disclosures in a video released hours before his

earlier scheduled execution in March 2015. He confessed that he had been ordered by MQM

chief Altaf Hussain to kill the KESC MD. The MQM however denied any involvement in the

killing.

India

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his three-day (April 14 – 16) visit to China

met Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two leaders are expected during the visit to

sign economic deals worth $10 billion.

Since taking office Narendra Modi has pursued a more activist foreign policy than India’s

previous government. India has deepened its ties with the US and strengthened military

cooperation with Japan, both of which are locked in maritime disputes with China. But India

has also signed up to become a founding member of the China-led Asian Infrastructure

Investment Bank.

On May 6, Indian Home Ministry said the government had no clue about the

whereabouts of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

The statement is in direct contrast to Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s stand, who had

alleged in November 2014 that Pakistan was providing shelter to Dawood Ibrahim. Pakistan

has always denied Indian allegations that it shelters Dawood Ibrahim.

In a related development, Pakistan’s High Commissioner in India Abdul Basit said

India’s admission that it was not aware of Mumbai fugitive Dawood Ibrahim’s

whereabouts is a vindication of Pakistan’s stand that the wanted underworld don was

not hiding in the country.

On May 6, India signed an agreement with Iran to jointly develop the Chahbahar port

in southeast Iran.

The deal comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi attempts to improve India’s access to

Afghanistan and other central Asian countries at a time when China is expanding its role in

the region. India’s deal with the Iranian government comes a few weeks after China unveiled

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a $46 billion infrastructure related to CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) in

Pakistan.

Afghanistan

On May 3, Taliban representatives met with Afghan political figures in Qatar. The

two sides discussed a possible ceasefire but ultimately disagreed over the continued

presence of US troops in the country.

Taliban and Afghan political representative said the Qatar dialogue was also attended by

representatives of several countries including the US, China and Pakistan. The closed-door

talks hosted by Qatar’s foreign ministry represent a tentative sign of life in the effort to end

the devastating 13-year-old war in Afghanistan. The informal talks came as fighting

escalated after the withdrawal of most U.S. and allied troops. The Taliban recently launched

an offensive in northern Afghanistan.

Nepal

On May 12, Nepal was hit by a second major earthquake of 7.3 magnitude leaving 65

dead and around 2,000 injured but the toll is expected to rise.

In a related development, according to a US Defence official, a US military helicopter

carrying six Marines and two Nepalese Army soldiers went missing during a mission

in Nepal delivering aid to earthquake victims.

The country is still recovering from a devastating quake on April 25 that claimed over 8,000

lives. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit on April 25, 2015 killed more than 8000 people

and flattened entire villages, leaving hundreds of thousands homeless in the country’s worst-

recorded quake since 1934.

---Muhammad Abdul Qadeer