Pakistan-Afghanistan Update: UN Reports Decline in Civilian Casualties; PTI Prepares Bills on FATF, NAB, and Jhadav

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• On Monday, UNAMA released its midyear report on civilian casualties for 2020, reporting 1,282 civilians killed and 2,176 wounded across the country since January. This represents an overall 13% decline over the same period last year, but the report attributed the drop to a decline in attacks by the Islamic State, saying that “there has been no reduction in civilian casualties caused by the Taliban and Afghan national security forces”. 58% of all casualties reported by the UN were attributed to anti-government elements, and 23% to government forces; both the government and Taliban disputed those figures.
• Amb. Khalilzad departed Washington for another round of regional meetings, including stops in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Qatar, Norway, and Bulgaria. In an interview, Taliban negotiator Mullah Baradar said that the outcome of the US-Taliban agreement had been “positive so far” but warned that “if the foreign forces do not leave Afghanistan on schedule, the Islamic Emirate will make the necessary decisions”. In a statement on Sunday, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen accused the NDS of re-arresting freed Taliban prisoners, who he claimed had strictly followed direction not to reengage in fighting after their release. Foreign Minister Atmar reiterated that the government would not release Taliban prisoners convicted of serious crimes, and called on the Taliban to provide a different list of prisoners to release.
• The PTI government is preparing to introduce legislation aimed at showing compliance with Financial Action Task Force money laundering and counter-terrorism financing controls, as well as amendments to the National Accountability Bureau’s law, and on an ordinance allowing an appeal against accused Indian spy Kulbhushan Jhadav’s sentence. Opposition leaders and bar associations have called for the resignation of the NAB chairman, citing a recent Supreme Court judgment that had criticized the NAB for delays in corruption cases.
• Tajikistan is cutting electricity supply to Afghanistan from 450 to 40 megawatts beginning Monday, citing a reduction in water supply to power its hydroelectric generation.
• On Monday, the Punjab provincial government announced “smart lockdown” restrictions during Eid, including overnight market closures. As of Monday, Pakistan reports 274,286 confirmed COVID-19 cases, out of 1.89 million tests, with at least 5,842 associated deaths
• As of Monday, Afghanistan reports 36,263 confirmed COVID-19 cases, out of 87,378 tests, with at least 1,269 associated deaths.

 

Pakistan — Security

• Tensions with India: In remarks in the national assembly on Friday, Law Minister Farogh Naseem defended the government’s ordinance allowing a review petition against the death sentence for accused Indian spy Kulbhushan Jhadav, saying that Pakistan was obliged to due to do so under the International Court of Justice’s rulings in the case. The government is preparing to introduce legislation on the ordinance on Monday; PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari continued criticism of the government’s actions in remarks on Saturday. The Pakistani military announced on Sunday that it had shot down an Indian quadcopter drone that crossed the Line of Control border in Kashmir. [ET]
• Balochistan Attacks: A Pakistani soldier was killed and three others injured in an attack in the Kech district in Balochistan on Saturday; no claim of responsibility was reported. Separately, the Pakistani military announced that it had killed a Balochistan Liberation Army militant during a separate raid in the district, seizing a weapons cache in the process. [ET]
• Journalism Under Threat: The family members of Anwar Jan Khetran, a Balochistan journalist and social media activist who was killed on Thursday, accuse provincial food minister Abdul Rehman Khetran of ordering his murder in retaliation for Jan’s reporting; the Balochistan Levies registered a case against the minister on Sunday. Separately, PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari met with recently released Islamabad journalist Matiullah Jan on Friday.

 

Pakistan — Politics and Diplomacy

• FATF Legislation: The PTI government is preparing to introduce eight pieces of legislation in the national assembly on Monday aimed at showing compliance with Financial Action Task Force criteria on money laundering and counter-terrorism financing. The government is also preparing legislation to limit the National Accountability Bureau’s ability to investigate businessmen, among other changes. [Dawn]
• Corruption Investigations and Other Legal Battles: In a filing with the Lahore High Court on Saturday, the National Accountability Bureau accused PML-Q leaders Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi of corruption and money-laundering, seeking the reopening of cases against them; Moonis Elahi, Chaudhry Pervaiz’s son, tells Dawn that the party “won’t lodge any complaint with the PTI or the prime minister” over the issue, although a party spokesman said that “these cases are being repeatedly closed and reopened occasionally for political engineering”. In a resolution on Saturday, the high court bar associations called for the NAB chairman’s resignation, citing a recent Supreme Court judgment that had criticized the NAB for delays in corruption cases; the PPP also echoed that call in a statement on Sunday. In a statement to the court on Saturday, the NAB attributed delays and backlogs and to a shortage of accountability courts capable of deciding cases. Separately on Monday, the government ordered a “comprehensive investigation” against beneficiaries of sugar profiteering, based on an earlier commission report. [Dawn] [Dawn] [Dawn] [Dawn] [Dawn] [ET] [ET] [ET]
• Other Political Activity: Opposition party leaders plan to meet after Eid to discuss challenges to the PTI government. The Sindh provincial government has appointed Ziaur Rehman, the younger brother of JUI-F leader Fazlur Rehman, as the deputy commissioner for the Karachi Central district, drawing criticism from PTI and MQM leaders; the younger Rehman is a member of the Khyber Paktunkhwa civil service. On Monday, the federal government ordered Rehman’s return to service in Khyber Paktunkhwa. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari met with BNP-M leader Sardar Akhtar Mengal on Saturday. The PTI and opposition lawmakers marked the second anniversary of the 2018 general elections on Saturday. [Dawn] [Dawn] [Dawn] [ET] [ET] [ET] [ET] [ET]

 

Pakistan — Economics and Development

• COVID Crisis: Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, health advisor Zafar Mirza reiterated warnings over a potential spike in coronavirus cases after Eid; in an earlier statement on Saturday, Planning Minister Umar repeated calls for the public to “avoid going to public places and ensure social distancing during prayers and gatherings”. On Monday, the Punjab provincial government announced “smart lockdown” restrictions during Eid, including overnight market closures. As of Monday, Pakistan reports 274,286 confirmed COVID-19 cases, out of 1.89 million tests, with at least 5,842 associated deaths; Mirza noted on Monday that this was the lowest number of new daily deaths from the virus reported in the past three months. At least ten Chinese nationals working on a power project in Bahawalpur were hospitalized with the coronavirus on Friday. The Islamabad High Court declined a petition on Monday from private school owners seeking to open, deferring the decision to the government. [The Nation] [ET] [ET] [ET] [Dawn] [Dawn]

 

Pakistan — Remainders

• UN General Assembly President Skips Pakistan Visit [Dawn] [ET]
• Foreign Minister Qureshi Speaks with Saudi Counterpart [ET]
• Khyber Paktunkhwa Seeks Wheat Imports Amidst Flour Shortage [Dawn]
• Aviation Minister Says PIA Will Be ‘Restructured’, Not Privatized; Civil Aviation Authority to Be Split [Dawn] [Dawn] [ET] [ET] [The Nation]
• CPEC Authority Chairman Touts Balochistan Road Projects [ET] [Dawn] [Dawn]
• Punjab to Require Teaching Licenses [Dawn]
• Pakistan Received $13 Billion in Foreign Loans in Outgoing Fiscal Year [ET]

 

Afghanistan — Security

• Civilian Casualties: On Monday, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan released its midyear report on civilian casualties for 2020, reporting 1,282 civilians killed and 2,176 wounded across the country since January. This represents an overall 13% decline over the same period last year, but the report attributed the drop to a decline in attacks by the Islamic State, saying that “there has been no reduction in civilian casualties caused by the Taliban and Afghan national security forces”. 58% of all casualties reported by the UN were attributed to anti-government elements, and 23% to government forces; both the government and Taliban disputed those figures. In a statement on Saturday, the Afghan National Security Council said that the Taliban had killed 46 civilians and wounded 93 in attacks around the country over the preceding week. [Ariana News]
• Other Attacks and Operations: An Afghan army helicopter crash landed in the Kajaki district in Helmand on Monday; some accounts indicate it was shot down. Four militiamen were killed in an insider attack in the Uruzgan provincial capital of Tirin Kot on Sunday. Two Afghan soldiers were reportedly killed in a double car bombing in the Nahr-e-Siraj district in Helmand over Saturday night. The body of an Afghan policewoman who had reportedly been kidnapped by the Taliban was recovered in the Andar district in Ghazni on Saturday. Three Afghan commandos were reportedly killed in an attack on their checkpost near the Ghor provincial capital of Feroz Koh over Friday night. Two Afghan Local Police soldiers were killed in a bombing near a recruiting center in the Laghman provincial capital of Mehtar Lam on Friday; more attacks were reported on Sunday. Four civilians were killed in a roadside bombing in the Baghlan provincial capital of Pul-e-Kumri on Friday. [TOLO] [TOLO] [Khabarnama] [Khabarnama] [Khaama Press] [Khaama Press] [Khaama Press] [Khaama Press]

 

Afghanistan — Politics and Diplomacy

• Peace Talks: Amb. Khalilzad departed Washington on Friday for another round of regional meetings, including stops in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Qatar, Norway, and Bulgaria. In an interview with Iran’s Tasnim news agency, Taliban negotiator Mullah Baradar said that the outcome of the US-Taliban agreement had been “positive so far” but warned that “if the foreign forces do not leave Afghanistan on schedule, the Islamic Emirate will make the necessary decisions”. In a statement on Sunday, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen accused the NDS of re-arresting freed Taliban prisoners, who he claimed had strictly followed direction not to reengage in fighting after their release. In an interview on Saturday, Foreign Minister Atmar said that the government would not release Taliban prisoners convicted of serious crimes, and called on the Taliban to provide a different list of prisoners to release. Speaking during a visit to Nimroz on Sunday, Pres. Ghani vowed that he would “not compromise on the republic” in talks. In a press conference on Saturday, former NDS chief Rahmatullah Nabil alleged that Afghanistan had “been victims of a proxy war. Now it’s proxy peace — we are paying the price, but we have no say in the peace”. [TOLO] [TOLO] [Khabarnama] [Khabarnama] [Khabarnama] [Khaama Press]

 

Afghanistan — Economics and Development

• COVID Crisis: As of Monday, the ministry of public health reports 36,263 confirmed COVID-19 cases, out of 87,378 tests, with at least 1,269 associated deaths. On Saturday, the Inspector General’s Office of Afghanistan criticized the ministry of public health’s management of the coronavirus response and reported misuse of funds allocated for the response, warning that it would be making prosecution recommendations against an unspecified number of officials. Despite a parliamentary vote rejecting the government’s food distribution plan, Vice Pres. Saleh’s office is continuing to advocate for the plan, pledging “full transparency” of its operations. [Khabarnama] [TOLO]
• Energy Imports: Tajikistan is cutting electricity supply to Afghanistan from 450 to 40 megawatts beginning Monday, citing a reduction in water supply to power its hydroelectric generation.

 

Afghanistan — Remainders

• Ministry of Finance Preparing for Finnish Donors Conference [TOLO]
• Former Deputy Minister of Hajj Sentence to Prison [Khabarnama]
• More Than 2,000 Private Media Companies Reportedly Have Lapsed Licenses [Khabarnama]
• Saudi Arabia Pledges Funds for 600 Schools [Khabarnama]
• Report: Twenty-Sixth Report of the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team – “The Monitoring Team estimates the current ISIL-K membership in Afghanistan at 2,200. The leader is sheikh Matiullah Kamahwal, previously the head of ISIL-K in Kunar. … According to Member States, Al-Qaida is covertly active in 12 Afghan provinces and Aiman al-Zawahiri remains based in the country. The Monitoring Team estimates the total number of Al-Qaida fighters in Afghanistan at between 400 and 600. … Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) operates under the Taliban umbrella from Nimruz, Helmand and Kandahar Provinces. The group reportedly has between 150 and 200 members from Bangladesh, India, Myanmar and Pakistan.” [UN]