On Sunday, 8 June 2014, gunmen disguised as police guards attacked a terminal for cargo and VIP flights at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan. The ensuing night-long battle with security forces has killed at least 27 people, including 10 militants. The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Sameer Patil, associate national security fellow at Gateway House, comments on this incident and analyses the prospects for peace talks between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the Taliban.
Statement:
“The attack on Jinnah International Airport in Karachi was audacious and well-planned. Many commentators have highlighted this, but they forget that in the past too the Pakistani Taliban, also known as the Tehreek-i-Taliban (TTP), have repeatedly demonstrated their capabilities through similar attacks. For example, in May 2011, the TTP attacked the PNS Mehran naval base in Karachi, and in October 2009 they attacked the Pakistan Army General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s initiative of opening a dialogue with the Pakistani Taliban last year was stalled by the inability of the political establishment to form a consensus, as well as the military establishment’s reluctance to talk to the Taliban, particularly when the militants appeared to be on the offensive.
The TTP too is deeply divided on pursuing talks with the Pakistan government. The powerful Mehsud tribe, which makes up a part of the Taliban, became disinclined to talk after an American drone strike killed TTP chief Hakeemullah Mehsud last year.
In May 2014, the TTP split into factions: of Mehsud tribespeople and others. The subsequent and ongoing battle for supremacy between the two factions will prove to be deadly for Pakistan’s security, and we can expect more attacks of this nature.
Sunday’s violence has complicated Sharif’s options—if his government decides to pursue talks, it will have to choose which Taliban faction to engage with and hope that the other faction does not sabotage the initiative by launching more attacks.”
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