Zardari acknowledges militant groups were “deliberately created and nurtured” by Pakistan for “tactical” objectives; Pak government: Operations in Swat and Buner over; Reports: Baluchistan insurgency on the rise
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    • President Zardari acknowledged that militant groups were “deliberately created and nurtured” by Pakistan for “tactical” objectives. He made these comments while speaking to retired civil servants who met him on July 7 to discuss national security issues. This was for the first time that a Pakistan president has acknowledged complicity in creating terror groups1.

    Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira meanwhile told reporters on July 8 that the military operation in Swat and Buner had been completed and these two districts were safe for people who had been displaced to return to their homes. He however did not rule out possibility of isolated incidents of terrorism2. Other reports suggested that insurgency in Baluchistan was steadily gaining ground with the province’s governor noting that the situation was “pretty volatile3.”

    Two US air strikes on July 8 killed at least 43 militants and wounded militant leader of the northern Swat valley, Maulana Fazlullah. The attacks, on a forest training camp and a vehicle convoy, were aimed at eliminating the network of Taliban leader, Beitullah Mehsud. Pakistan military spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas confirmed that Fazlulah was injured in one of the strikes, according to “credible information4.’ Earlier on July 7, a US drone attack killed at least 16 militants in South Waziristan.

    In other developments, the US House of Representatives on July 9 approved a $48.8 billion spending bill, inclusive of $1.5 billion for Pakistan. Both chambers of the US Congress have separately approved legislation to triple US assistance to Pakistan to $1.5 billion a year. The Senate version, known as the Kerry-Lugar bill, now has to be reconciled with the House version, which seeks strict conditions for providing economic and military assistance to Pakistan5.

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