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- Caitlan Coleman and Joshua Boyle, a Canadian-American couple who were kidnapped while traveling in Afghanistan in 2012, were freed in Pakistan on Thursday along with their three children. Both Pres. Trump and the Pakistani military hailed the rescue as a case of intelligence cooperation between the U.S. and Paksitan. The exact circumstance of the release are unclear, but the family appears to have been tracked in a car and intercepted near the town of Kohat by Pakistani security services; accounts conflict as to whether any of the captors were killed or captured in the confrontation.
- The couple’s release coincides with a visit by U.S. National Security Council advisor Lisa Curtis and Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Alice Wells to Pakistan; they met with Chief of Army Staff Bajwa and Pakistani foreign military officials, ahead of expected visits by Secretaries Tillerson and Mattis later this month.
- The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan released new quarterly figures on civilian casualties in Afghanistan through September of this year, finding a slight increase in the number of civilian deaths and decline in the number of wounded. The number of casualties attributed to U.S. and Afghan air force airstrikes increased significantly, with at least 205 killed and 261 wounded.
- Court proceedings in the corruption cases against Maryam Nawaz, her husband Mohammad Safdar, and other Sharif family members were delayed on Friday as PML-N-affiliated lawyers clashed with courthouse security personnel. Nawaz Sharif did not return from London to attend the proceedings as previously reported.
- In remarks on Thursday, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar criticized the formation of the national unity government, and said that foreigners “should not be allowed to decide regarding the election outcomes”.
- PM Abbasi distanced himself and the PML-N from remarks by Mohammad Safdar denouncing the Ahmadi minority community; in a separate interview, the military’s chief spokesman Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor insisted that the army was a “national army” and not restricted to the majority faith. A PML-N investigation into later-reversed changes in the oath for candidates affirming the finality of Mohammad’s prophethood was completed on Friday, but the findings have not been disclosed as of this writing.
- In a vote on Wednesday, members of a Wolesi Jirga vote to scrap a tax of mobile phones implemented by the Afghan government in 2015, noting that half of the surcharge revenue was collected by mobile phone companies and not the government; the Ministry of Finance warned that the move would “seriously damage” government finances.
Pakistan — Security
- Canadian-American Couple Released: On Thursday, officials in the U.S., Canada, and Pakistan confirmed the release of Caitlan Coleman and Joshua Boyle, a Canadian-American couple who were kidnapped while traveling in Afghanistan in 2012 and have been held by the Haqqani network in the years since, along with their three children born in captivity. In a statement, Pres. Trump said that “the Pakistani government’s cooperation is a sign that it is honoring America’s wishes for it to do more to provide security in the region.” The Pakistani military’s statement said the operation “underscores the importance of timely intelligence sharing and Pakistan’s continued commitment” to counterterrorism efforts. Boyle’s parents tell the Toronto Star that he told them the family was being transported in the trunk of a car and that a firefight broke out before the Pakistani military freed them; in a subsequent interview with the Star, he said that some of his captors had escaped. The Pakistani army statement said the “coordinated operation” took place after U.S. intelligence tracked the family’s passage through the Kurram Agency; Dawn puts the location of the rescue as the Nawe Kali area near the town of Kohat, and reports heavy surveillance drone presence in the area prior to the incident. The Dawn report also says that one of the family’s captors was injured and two others fled the scene; on Friday, the AFP quoted Pakistan military spokesmen who suggested that all the captors had fled after their car went offroad to avoid a vehicle stop. Taliban sources tell Reuters that the family “spent most of their captivity at Haqqani strongholds inside Pakistan, and not in Afghanistan”. Anonymous Pakistani security officials deny to the Guardian that any ransom was paid; the Haqqani network had previously threatened to kill the captives if the execution sentence against Anas Haqqani, a brother to the group’s senior leadership held by the Afghan government, was carried out. The family departed Pakistan on a flight to the UK on Friday; Boyle, who was previously married to an elder sister of Canadian detainee Omar Khadr, had objected to transiting through the U.S. airbase at Bagram. [CNN] [WSJ] [Reuters] [AFP] [Dawn] [Dawn] [ET] [ET] [ET] [The Nation]
- Quetta Shooting: A policeman was killed and three other people injured, including a child, in a driveby shooting in Quetta on Friday. No claim of responsibility has been reported. [ET]
- Journalist Killed in Swat: Haroon Khan, a freelance TV journalist working in Swat, was killed in an attack on his home on Thursday; no claim of responsibility has been reported. [Dawn]
Pakistan — Politics and Diplomacy
- US-Pakistan Talks: Thursday’s announcement of the Boyle-Coleman couple’s release coincided with a visit by Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia Alice Wells and National Security Council director Lisa Curtis to Pakistan, ahead of a planned visit by Sec. Tillerson to Pakistan later this month. The group met with Chief of Army Staff Bajwa and foreign ministry officials; the foreign ministry described the talks as “very constructive”. [The Nation] [ET]
- Brawl at Courthouse Delays Indictment Hearings: Hearings were delayed on Friday in the corruption case against Maryam Nawaz, her husband Mohammad Safdar, and other members of the Sharif family, after lawyers affiliated with the PML-N clashed with security personnel at the court. Imran Khan denounced the incident as an attack on the judiciary; the interior ministry has opened an investigation into the incident. National Accountability Bureau officials say their prosecutors were “deliberately attacked” during the brawl. The next hearings in the case have been set for Oct 19. Contrary to earlier reports former prime minister Nawaz Sharif did not return to Pakistan on Friday to attend the hearings and remains in London. On Friday, lawyers for Nawaz filed a Supreme Court petition challenging the corruption cases against him. [ET] [Dawn]
- PM, Army Criticize Safdar Remarks on Ahmadis: Speaking in parliament on Thursday, PM Abbasi distanced himself and the PML-N from remarks by Mohammad Safdar earlier this week denouncing the Ahmadi minority community and calling for a bar on their service in government and the military, saying that “no one in the party would agree with him”. At a separate interview on Thursday, the army’s chief spokesman Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor said that “the Pakistan Army is a national army… It’s not true that army can be joined only by Muslims because we are a Muslim country.” A PML-N committee tasked with investigating changes in the oath for candidates affirming the finality of Mohammad’s prophethood presented a final report to Nawaz Sharif on Friday; party leaders have not disclosed any of their findings. [ET] [The Nation]
- Other Political Activity: In a press conference on Thursday, former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan denied that there was any “forward bloc” within the PML-N to split the party. On Thursday, the PPP introduced legislation in the senate to reinstate requirements that party officeholders be eligible for public office. Former prime minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali announced on Friday that he was quitting the PML-N. [Dawn] [Dawn] [The Nation]
Pakistan — Remainders
- Several Arrested in Lahore after Barelvi Leaders Challenge Ahle Hadith Leaders to Debate [ET]
- Extradition Hearings Delayed for Pakistani-American Suspect [Reuters]
- CPEC Shifting Gears to Industrial Parks [Dawn]
- Iran Deports 73 Pakistani Nationals [The Nation]
- Pakistan Briefs Security Council Members on Indian Ceasefire Violations [ET]
- Judicial Commission Advises Against Tenure Extensions for Seven Judges [ET]
- Pressure on External, Fiscal Accounts to Persist, State Bank Projects [Dawn]
Afghanistan — Security
- Civilian Casualties: The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan released new quarterly figures on civilian casualties in Afghanistan covering the January – September period; 2,640 civilians were killed and 5,379 injured, a slight increase in the number of deaths and decrease in the number of injuries compared to the same period last year. Casualties from Afghan and U.S. airstrikes jumped more than 50%, with at least 205 killed and 261 wounded. On Friday, residents in Kunar’s Sawkai district disputed reports by provincial police officials that a U.S. drone strike had killed 18 Islamic State-affiliated fighters, saying all of those killed had been civilians. [AFP] [UNAMA Report] [AAN]
- Attacks and Operations: Nangarhar police officials say that ground and air operations in the Haska Mina district killed at least six ISIS fighters on Friday. Afghan Air Force planes targeted Taliban hideouts in airstrikes in the Sayad district in Sar-e-Pul on Thursday, which military officials claim killed five Taliban fighters. [TOLO] [Pajhwok]
Afghanistan — Politics and Diplomacy
- Hekmatyar Criticizes NUG Formation: In remarks on Thursday, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar criticized the formation of the national unity government, saying that “the results of the upcoming elections should not be suspended at any cost” and that foreigners “should not be allowed to decide regarding the election outcomes”.
- Election Planning: On Thursday, Abdul Aziz Aryaee, the head of the Electoral Complaints Commission, warned against unspecified interference in the body’s operations, saying “those who were involved in electoral fraud in the past are still present” in the commission and threatening his resignation.
Afghanistan — Economics and Development
- MPs Vote Against Telecom Tax: In a vote on Wednesday, members of the Wolesi Jirga telecommunications committee voted to cancel the tax on mobile phones imposed by the government in 2015; a parliamentary investigation found that only Afs 7.9 billion was collected by the government, against Afs 14 billion taken in by private companies through the surcharge. On Thursday, the Ministry of Finance said that the move would “seriously damage” government finances and called for an alternate source of income to be found.
Afghanistan — Remainders
colin cookman 