HAQQANI NETWORK LEADER KILLED IN DRONE STRIKE
Nasiruddin Haqqani was reportedly killed by “gunmen on motorbikes” this month as he bought bread in a Rawalpindi market. Nasiruddin was the son of Haqqani Network founder Jalaluddin Haqqani and brother to the current leader of the Network, Sirajuddin Haqqani. Nasiruddin was considered the primary financial envoy and political emissary to groups and governments friendly to the Haqqani Network. Routine visits to the Gulf Sheikdoms were aimed at securing funding from foreign benefactors and his financial contacts were unrivaled by any other member of the Network. Furthermore, he was the acting representative of the Haqqani Network when the Taliban opened their Doha offices. The killing has further aggravated tensions between the US and Pakistan, which suspects the CIA’s involvement in the killing, though Nasiruddin had a multitude of enemies from competing insurgent factions. The Haqqani network has close links to Pakistan’s intelligence service, the ISI, and the killing has raised uncomfortable questions about how a terrorist leader was able to operate so openly – and own several houses -- inside Pakistan’s main cities. (BBC, November 11, 2013; Al-Jazeera, November 11, 2013)
ELECTORAL TURMOIL IN MALDIVES
After a November 9 general election, the Maldives was unable to produce a new President. Current President Mohamed Waheed was required by law to step down November 10, but has since refused to do so pending the inauguration of a new executive. Former President Mohamed Nasheed has been the front-runner in both general election votes thus far, but has not yet secured the necessary 50% vote threshold to avoid a run-off. The Maldives’ Supreme Court, which has been the primary actor in delaying the electoral process, refused to allow the runoff to take place on November 10, and instead scheduled the runoff for November 16. Protesters have been in the streets since Waheed’s announcement that he would not step down and there are reports of police clashes with protesters. (Reuters, November 11, 2013; New York Times, November 11, 2013)
BOYCOTTING THE COMMONWEALTH SUMMIT IN SRI LANKA
Indian Prime Minister Mammohan Singh joins Canadian PM Stephen Harper in refusing to attend a meeting of Commonwealth leaders in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Singh instead elected to send his Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid to the summit. Both leaders have opted out of the meetings in response to an ongoing investigation into human rights abuses committed by the Sri Lankan government in their 26-year war with the insurgent group commonly known as the Tamil Tigers. That war came to an end in 2009, amid reports of indiscriminate killing by government forces. Canada and India both have large Tamil expatriate communities, and their leaders are reticent to offend these populations. (BBC, November 10, 2013; Reuters, November 10, 2013)
PAKISTANI PATRIOT ACT
Pakistan has adopted a new anti-terror law. Currently, local Pakistani courts are responsible for trying all cases related to insurgency or criminality in whatever district an act occurs. The new legislation is designed to lift some of the judicial burden off of those courts, although it is unclear what the alternative mode of processing will be. Human rights activists claim that people are presently being held incommunicado without charge in “internment camps.” Activists claim that the new law will broaden the purview under which security forces can detain people. Inserted in the legislation is also a provision that allows Pakistani security forces to detain non-citizens for up to 90 days without charge under an alien detention clause. This is likely to affect the substantial inflow of refugees from Afghanistan as well as the large numbers of internally displaced persons who reside in Pakistan. (Washington Post, November 10, 2013)
THREATS, ANTI-DRONE PROTESTS IN PAKISTAN
Protesters staged a large rally in Peshawar, Pakistan as well as other cities throughout the nation in protest of continuing drone strikes in the region. These protests follow a vote on November 4 in Kyber-Pakhtunkwa province where leaders voted in favor of blocking NATO supply lines to Afghanistan if drone strikes continue. Road links through Pakistan are still the main exit point for U.S. supplies departing Afghanistan. The US subsidizes approximately 30% of the provincial budget in Kyber-Pakhtunkwa through foreign aid and military assistance. (New York Times, November 4, 2013)