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PP RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHIL #0392/01 0220916
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 220916Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6410
INFO RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI PRIORITY 4346
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE PRIORITY 1177
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR PRIORITY 9450

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 000392 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
S/CT - RHONDA SHORE AND NCTC 
SCA - PETER MAIER AND SAMEER SHETH 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PK PREL PTER
SUBJECT: 2006 COUNTRY REPORTS ON TERRORISM -- PAKISTAN 
 
REF: 06 STATE 175925 
 
¶1.  Embassy Islamabad submits the following draft text for 
inclusion in the 2006 Country Reports on Terrorism: 
 
Few countries play as central a role as Pakistan in the long 
war on terrorism and few have experienced as much suffering 
at the hands of terrorists.  Credible reports estimate that 
as many as 900 Pakistanis lost their lives in 2006 in more 
than 650 terror attacks, with another 1500 people seriously 
injured.  Pakistan has experiences attacks emanating from 
international terror networks such as al Qaida and its 
supporters, as well as violence stemming from Sunni-Shia 
sectarian strife and from militant nationalists.  Attacks 
occurred with greatest frequency in the regions bordering 
Afghanistan:  Balochistan, North West Frontier Province 
(NWFP) and the adjacent Federally Administered Tribal Areas. 
 
Al Qaida reiterated calls for the overthrow of President 
Musharraf, remaining a threat to Pakistan and the 
international community despite the Government's efforts to 
eliminate al Qaida elements.  The Government continues to 
pursue al Qaida and its allies aggressively through 
nationwide police action and military operations in the 
Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).  Pakistan 
maintains approximately 80,000 troops, including Army and 
Frontier Corps (FC) units, along the rugged border with 
Afghanistan. Pakistan Army and FC units have targeted and 
raided al Qaida and other militant safe havens in the FATA. 
In November, a suicide bomber killed 43 Army recruits and 
injured more than 40 others at a military training facility 
in Dargai, NWFP.  Operations throughout the year against al 
Qaida and Taliban command and control capabilities helped to 
disrupt support for the anti-Coalition insurgency in 
Afghanistan and anti-militant activity in Pakistan.  In early 
2006, recognizing that military operations alone would not 
restore security and stability to the FATA, President 
Musharraf directed governmental agencies to devise a 
comprehensive strategy to accelerate economic and social 
development, strengthen political administration and enhance 
security in the region.  By year's end, the FATA Sustainable 
Development Plan was undergoing a final review before its 
presentation to the Pakistani public and international 
community. 
 
Pakistani security services cooperate closely with the United 
States and other nations to eliminate terrorism both within 
Pakistan and abroad.  The hundreds of suspected al Qaida 
operatives killed or captured by Pakistani authorities since 
September 2001 testify to Pakistan's commitment and 
determination.  Close cooperation between Pakistani, British 
and American law enforcement agencies exposed the August 2006 
London-Heathrow bomb plot, leading to the arrest in Pakistan 
of Rashid Rauf and other conspirators believed to be 
connected to the case.  Pakistani authorities arrested two 
suspects in the March 2006 bombing of the U.S. Consulate in 
Karachi, which killed American diplomat David Foy and two 
others and injured more than 50 by-standers. 
 
Pakistan's leaders have taken steps to prevent support to the 
Kashmiri militancy and forcefully denounced acts of terrorism 
in India, including bombings in Varanasi in March and Mumbai 
in July.  Meeting in September on the margins of the 
Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Havana, President Musharraf 
and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh agreed to establish 
an Anti-Terrorism Mechanism to coordinate bilateral exchange 
of information on terrorist threats. 
 
Armed conflict between the national government and militant 
Baloch nationalists escalated, culminating in the August 26th 
death of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti during a raid by security 
forces on his mountain hideout.  The shadowy "Balochistan 
Liberation Army" (BLA) claimed responsibility for dozens of 
terror attacks on government offices and economic 
infrastructure in the province, as well as in neighboring 
Sindh and Punjab.  The Government declared the BLA a 
terrorist organization in April.  In addition to violence 
related to the militant Baloch nationalists, a series of bomb 
attacks in the provincial capital of Quetta followed robust 
police actions against suspected Taliban fighters in the last 
quarter of the year. 
 
Sectarian violence - a scourge in Pakistan for more than two 
decades - claimed hundreds of lives, although the total 
number of sectarian terror attacks continued to decline for 
the second year in a row.  A suicide bomber killed 29 and 
injured 50 people participating in a February 9 Shia 
religious procession in Hangu, NWFP.  On April 11, at least 
 
ISLAMABAD 00000392  002 OF 002 
 
 
57 people were killed in a bombing of a gathering of Sunni 
(Barelvi) religious leaders in Nishtar Park, Karachi. 
Although media reports blamed intra-Sunni sectarian rivalry, 
the results of the Government's investigation have not been 
made public. 
 
President Musharraf has remained a forceful advocate for his 
vision of "enlightened moderation," calling on Pakistanis to 
reject extremism and terrorist violence.  The Government's 
crackdown on banned organizations, hate material and 
incitement by religious leaders continued in fits and starts. 
 Madrassa registration, foreign student enrollment in 
madrassas and financial disclosure requirements remain 
matters under negotiation between Government and religious 
leaders. 
 
Although Pakistan continues to work with the UN 1267 
Committee to freeze the assets of individuals and groups 
identified as terrorist entities linked to al Qaida and the 
Taliban, several UN-sanctioned entities continued to operate 
openly in 2006, engaging in public fundraising through 
television and newspaper solicitations.  An anti-money 
laundering bill introduced into the National Assembly in 
September 2005 remains under consideration.  Adoption of 
anti-money laundering legislation consistent with 
international standards will significantly broaden Pakistan's 
ability to cooperate internationally on counterterrorism 
finance issues.  With respect to preventing unregulated 
cross-border cash flows -- a potential source of terrorism 
funding -- Pakistani customs officials continue to enhance 
controls to interdict bulk cash couriers at key ports of 
entry. 
 
Pakistan's courts, including the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) , 
presided over several high-profile terror-related cases. 
Prosecuting terrorism case presents considerable challenges 
for the government, which obtained convictions in some cases 
but suffered reversals in others.  On May 22, the Rawalpindi 
ATC sentenced four men to death and ordered life imprisonment 
for three others for their part in a July 2004 plan to 
assassinate Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.  On May 30, a Multan 
ATC judge sentenced Lashkar-e-Jhangvi activist Qari Omar 
Hayat to death on sixteen counts of murder for a 1999 attack 
on a Shia prayer gathering.  On November 23, the Sindh High 
Court reversed the convictions of nine Harkat-ul Mujahideen 
members for killing three during the May 2004 bombing of the 
honorary Macedonian Consulate in Karachi. 
 
The U.S. and Pakistan engage in a broad spectrum of 
counterterrorism cooperative efforts in border security and 
criminal investigations, as well as several long-term 
training projects.  A Joint Working Group on Counterterrorism 
and Law Enforcement, established in 2002, convened in 
Washington, DC in April 2006 to assess ongoing joint efforts 
and discuss enhanced cooperation. 
 
¶2.  Post's POC for this report is PolCouns Theresa Grencik; 
Office - 92 51 208 2294; Cell -- 92 300 856 4708; Email -- 
grencikta@state.gov or grencikta@state.sgov.gov. 
 
 
CROCKER