Editor’s Note:  I’ve been sitting on this post for a few weeks now and finally have a chance to post it.  Fortunately for me, questions still linger about Pakistan’s motivations behind the recent spate of Taliban arrests.
SUMMARY
The first two months of 2010 have brought about a sea change on the ground in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  [...]

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HAKIMULLAH DEAD, PROBABLY.
Multiple media outlets reported today that Hakimullah Mehsud, leader of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), succumbed to his wounds from the January 14th drone strikes on Shaktoi, South Waziristan.  Pakistan’s interior minister, Rehman Malik, also stated that there was credible information that Hakimullah was dead.  (Insider Brief sources claimed on January 17th that Mehsud had [...]

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My post, “(Geopolitical) Reality Bites,” was published in Friday’s edition (01/08/10) of The Daily Times — a leading Pakistani English-language newspaper.  You can find the editorial here.
You can also now find the Insider Brief on Twitter.  You’ll find tweets covering a range of topics from notable publications to some of the latest chatter from our [...]

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While all eyes are focused on the insurgencies raging on both sides of Pakistan’s western border, Pakistan’s military continues to develop its conventional military capability alongside its counterinsurgency (COIN) capabilities.  There have been four major developments in the two last months:

December 8th – Pakistan received the first of seven Saab 2000 Erieye Airborne Warning [...]

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For the last several months, we’ve witnessed Pakistan tread down the path of implosion. The country finds itself in a recession and is relying once again on the IMF for budgetary support. The military campaign in South Waziristan may have merely displaced militants who continue to carry out retaliatory bombings and assassinations [...]

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Summary
Despite widespread skepticism of the Pakistani military’s will and ability to fight the Taliban, the second Swat campaign appears to be on the road to a successful conclusion with the expulsion of the Taliban from the once scenic valley.  Backed by civilian support, Pakistan’s military leadership looks to have plotted and executed a well thought [...]

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Background
Violence, protests and strikes erupted in Balochistan last week when the mutilated bodies of Baloch Nationalist Movement (BNM) chief Ghulam Muhammad Baloch, BNM vice-president Lala Munir and Baloch Republican Party leader Sher Muhamamd Bugti were found in an area bordering Iran.  The three Baloch nationalist leaders were kidnapped on April 3rd by unidentified gunmen from [...]

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Sherry Rehman, Pakistan’s Information Minister and senior PPP party member has reportedly resigned from the federal cabinet citing the government moves to censor the media. Reports today indicate that the government ordered local cable operators not to broadcast Geo TV.
We expect to see the further erosion of President Zardari’s government and his already tenuous [...]

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Summary
On September 23rd, Reuters reported that three intelligence officials confirmed that Pakistani troops and tribesman shot down a suspected US military unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) over South Waziristan. If true, Pakistan’s fast developing UAV industry could find itself bolstered with the latest American UAV technology.
Analysis
Viewed in the context of multiplying reports covering US cross-border [...]

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The media has been awash with reports of President Pervez Musharraf’s impending resignation in the face of the current coalition government’s move to impeach him. Late last week, both the Wall Street Journal and New York Times had issued reports that Musharraf was going to resign within days, with the Wall Street Journal going [...]

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From the Insider Brief to Pakistanis everywhere: happy independence day!
As the nation celebrates its 61st year of existence, we hope for a brighter future for Pakistan and its people. May each passing year bring us all closer to realizing a more prosperous and progressive Pakistan.
Pakistan Paindabad.

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Summary
Today, Asif Zardari and Nawaz Sharif, chairmen of Pakistan’s two largest parties agreed in principle to impeach President Pervez Musharraf. The agreement, however, is contingent on all coalition partners supporting the move. Just as there has been little-to-no “progress” on the reinstatement of the justices Musharraf sacked, it is just as unlikely that [...]

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On July 26th, it was announced that Prime Minister Gilani’s cabinet had taken the decision to place the ISI under the complete control of the Interior Ministry. As our sources reported, uproar ensued in the military establishment and less than 24 hours later, the decision was reversed.
Zardari’s Miscalculation
It’s an open secret that Benazir Bhutto’s [...]

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On the eve of his first visit to the United States, Prime Minister Yousaf Gilani and his cabinet made the decision to place Pakistan’s premier intelligence agency, the ISI, under the jurisdiction of the the Interior Ministry alongside the Intelligence Bureau. As a result, the Interior Ministry, headed by Rehman Malik, will have administrative, [...]

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