Pakistan-Afghanistan Update: More Than 200 JuD Properties Reportedly Seized; Afghan Civilian Casualties Dropped in 2017

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Topline

• US officials say they are still seeking information on “concrete steps” being taken by Pakistan to curtail the operations of Jamaat-ud-Dawa and its affiliated charities; finance advisor Miftah Ismail tells the WSJ that more than 200 JuD properties have been seized by the government in the past week.
• The UN’s annual report on civilian casualties in Afghanistan reported an overall nine percent decline in the number of casualties from last year, but a rise in the number of casualties from coalition airstrikes. In total, the report found 3,438 civilian deaths and 7,015 wounded in 2017.
• At a Supreme Court hearing on Wednesday on challenges to the Elections Act 2017’s provisions allowing politicians disqualified from office to continue as party leader, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar sought reports on the role of the party chief in selecting the party’s senate candidates.
• A NATO spokesman dismissed the Taliban’s statement on Wednesday calling for dialogue with the United States, saying that “the recent attacks speak louder than these words”.
• The PML-N will reportedly nominate senator Raja Zafarul Haq as senate chairman should it win control of the upper house after next month’s elections.
• Pakistan has reportedly rejected a $5 billion Asian Development Bank program to install “smart meters” for the electricity grid, a move that may lead to the withholding of future loan programs.

 

Pakistan — Security

• JuD Crackdown: A State Department spokesman said that the U.S. welcomed new Pakistani efforts to crack down on the operations of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa and its affiliated charities but was seeking additional information on the “concrete steps” being taken to curtail their financing ahead of a Financial Action Task Force meeting scheduled for next week. Finance advisor Miftah Ismail told the WSJ that more than 200 JuD properties had been seized in the last week; a spokesman for the JuD vowed to challenge the takeover in the courts. [The Nation]

 

Pakistan — Politics and Diplomacy

• Corruption Investigations and Other Legal Battles: At a Supreme Court hearing on Wednesday on challenges to provisions of the Elections Act 2017 that allow a disqualified politician to serve as a party chief, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar ordered a report from the major parties as to who within the party had approved their respective senate candidate choices. Speaking outside an accountability court appearance on Thursday, Nawaz Sharif said that he “would not accept” efforts to remove him from his party leadership position. On Wednesday, the National Accountability Bureau filed supplementary references against Nawaz Sharif, his sons, and Ishaq Dar. The court rejected a petition by Nawaz to be allowed to skip hearings from Feb 19 – Mar 5. Also on Thursday, Chief Justice Nisar ordered the formation of a committee to prepare legal guidelines for the recovery of money in foreign accounts. In other court hearings, Chief Justice Nisar warned that he would overturn out-of-turn promotions given to Punjab police officers, who he suggested were being promoted despite facing charges of carrying extrajudicial killings. Elsewhere, a Karachi anti-terrorism court indicted MQM-Pakistan leader Rauf Siddiqui in connection to the 2012 Baldia Factory fire case, and Imran Khan filed a petition seeking the dismissal of charges against him related to the PTI’s 2014 Islamabad sit-ins. [Dawn] [Dawn] [Dawn] [Dawn] [Dawn] [Dawn] [The Nation] [The  Nation] [The Nation] [ET] [ET] [ET]
• Other Political Activity: The Express Tribune reports that the PML-N will nominate party chairman Raja Zafarul Haq as its candidate for senate chairman should it secure control of the upper house of parliament after the March senate elections. Lawyers for Ishaq Dar have challenged the rejection of his nomination papers for reelection before the Lahore High Court. Dawn notes new strains between the PML-N leadership and former interior minister Chaudhry  Nisar Ali Khan. Representatives of the new MQM Bahadurabad group met with rival leader Farooq Sattar on Wednesday in an attempt to resolve their split. [Dawn] [Dawn] [The Nation] [The Nation] [Dawn] [ET] [The Nation]

 

Pakistan — Economics and Development

• Energy Reforms: Dawn reports that Pakistan has rejected a $5 billion Asian Development Bank-sponsored smart metering program to upgrade the electricity grid, a move that ADB officials warn could lead to a refusal to provide any future loans to the distribution sector. Pakistani officials cited high costs and a long installation time as reasons for rejecting the program.

 

Pakistan — Remainders

• Supreme Court Issues Arrest Warrant Against Husain Haqqani in Revival of ‘Memogate’ Case [Dawn] [ET] [The Nation]
• Public Accounts Committee Finds Expiring Funds Transferred to Permanent Accounts in Violation of Budget Rules [ET]
• Rawalpindi Corps Commander Visits Line of Control [ET]
• Two High Court Judges Hold Dual Nationality, Supreme Court Told [Dawn]
• Government Seeks to Prepare New Five-Year Plan [ET]
• Senate Seeks Extradition of Former PIA CEO [Dawn]
• Commentary: Why Trump’s Troubling Pakistan Policy Dooms Afghanistan Peace – “Pakistan has limited influence to bring Taliban to the negotiating table, and has little incentive to do so when there is lack of clarity about American policy and Pakistan’s own relations with Washington are strained.” [Touqir Hussain, The Diplomat]

 

Afghanistan — Security

• UN Report on Civilian Casualties: The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan released its annual report on civilian casualties on Thursday, which found that 3,438 civilians were killed and 7,015 wounded in 2017, a total decline of nine percent compared to the year prior. Despite the overall decline, the number of casualties caused by airstrikes carried out by international and Afghan government forces increased, although the NYT notes that the increase did not match the overall rise in the use of airstrikes during this period. Around two thirds of all casualties were still attributed to the Taliban, Islamic State, and other anti-government forces. [Reuters] [TOLO] [Khaama Press] [Khaama Press] [UNAMA Report (pdf)]
• Attacks and Operations: Faryab provincial police report that a mass Taliban force attacked multiple security checkposts in the Qaisar district beginning earlier this week but that they had been repelled as of Thursday; four police officers and three milita members were reportedly killed, as well as 23 Taliban fighters. A would-be suicide bomber was arrested in Lashkar Gah on Wednesday. [Khaama Press]

 

Afghanistan — Politics and Diplomacy

• Taliban Talks: Responding to a Taliban statement on Wednesday calling for the resolution of “the Afghan issue through peaceful dialogues”, a spokesman for the NATO mission in Afghanistan said that “the Taliban statement alone does not show willingness to engage in peace talks. The recent attacks speak louder than these words”.
• Karzai Interview: The Washington Post interviews former Pres. Hamid Karzai, who reiterates calls for a national Loya Jirga and the “need to go back to the people” but professes “no desire to return” to office.

 

Afghanistan — Remainders

• Senior Al Qaeda Member Faces Sentencing in Brooklyn Court for Conspiring to Kill US Servicemembers in Afghanistan in 2003 [WAPO]
• Former Presidential Spokesman Says He ‘Resigned Under Pressure’ [Pajhwok]
• Afghan Leaders Mark Anniversary of Soviet Withdrawal [TOLO]
• Technical Studies Underway for ‘Five Nations Railway Corridor’ [TOLO]
• Commentary: Nine Percent Reduction in Civilian Casualties in 2017: Better News (But Still Bad) – “If the reduction in civilian casualties is to become a downward trend, rather than a one-year blip, some of the ways forward are clear. Government forces, UNAMA says, need to cease firing mortars and carrying out air strikes in civilian-populated areas and develop clear rules of engagement and tactical directives for using these weapons.” [Kate Clark, AAN]