Country Advice

Pakistan Pakistan – PAK38799 – Lashkar e Jhangvi – LeJ/Taliban in Haripur 27 July 2011

1. Please provide information about the village of Gheeba in Haripur. Are there any mountain ranges close to the village?

Gheeba village

No detailed information was found in relation to Gheeba village in Haripur. The following Google map, however, shows the location of Gheeba and Haripur1:

Google Maps also provides the following satellitle image of Gheeba village2:

1 „Gheeba & Haripur‟ (undated), Google Maps website http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s q&hl=en&geocode=&abauth=2e7edeb6:vSwqpWPl7rQ5jv sJxaxSdXmpFH8&q=Gheeba,+Khyber+Pakhtunkhwa,+Pakistan&aq=0&vps=1&ei=hFMNTvXIEKaJm QXWv6X9Dg&jsv=353b&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=50.51141,135.087891&num=10 - Accessed 1 July 2011 - Attachment 1.

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The following Google Maps satellite image indicates that there are mountains within close proximity to Gheeba village3:

2 „Gheeba‟ (undated), Google Maps website http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s q&hl=en&geocode=&abauth=2e7edeb6:vSwqpWPl7rQ5jv sJxaxSdXmpFH8&q=Gheeba,+Khyber+Pakhtunkhwa,+Pakistan&aq=0&vps=1&ei=hFMNTvXIEKaJm QXWv6X9Dg&jsv=353b&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=50.51141,135.087891&num=10 - Accessed 1 July 2011 - Attachment 2 3 „Gheeba Map‟ (undated), Google Maps http://maps.google.com/ - Accessed 1 July 2011 - Attachment 3

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Haripur District

Country Advice PAK37286, dated 15 September 2010, provides information on Haripur district. Information contained in the Country Advice report indiates that Haripur is a town and district in Khyber Pakhtunkhw Province, formerly known as the North West Frontier. It is located about 65 kilometres from Islamabad.4

2. Please provide information on when Lashkar e Jhangvi was formed, its aims and how it is organised.

Lashkar e Jhangvi (LeJ) is a Sunni terrorist group which was formed in 1996 by members of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), an extremist Sunni sectarian organisation. The LeJ was banned in Pakistan in August 2001.5 The LeJ is responsible for numerous major attacks and bombings across Pakistan which have particularly targeted Shia religious practitioners as well as Christians, Iranian Nationals, Westerners and Pakistani government officials.6 The LeJ has also been involved in

4 RRT Country Advice Service 2010, Country Advice PAK37286, 15 September - Attachment 4 5 US Department of State 2010, Country Reports on Terrorism 2009, August, p.264 - Attachment 5; „Lashkar-e-Jhangvi‟ (undated), South Asian Terrorism Portal http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/pakistan/terroristoutfits/lej.htm – Accessed 23 May 2011 – Attachment 6 6 „Lashkar-e Jhangvi (LeJ)‟ 2009, Australian Government; Australian National Security website, 20 March http://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/agd/WWW/nationalsecurity nsf/Page/What Governments are doing Listing of Terrorism Organisations Lashkar I Jhangvi - Accessed 21 July 2011 - Attachment 7; US Department of State 2010, Country Reports on Terrorism 2009, August, p.264 - Attachment 5; „Lashkar-

Page 3 of 13 criminal activities such as extortion and bank robberies.7 The LeJ is primarily in Pakistan‟s Punjab region and Karachi.8

The primary aim of the LeJ is to create a Sunni Islamic state in Pakistan and to eradicate other religious groups.9 A 2009 report published on the Australian Government, Australian National Security website states that:

LeJ‟s goals are to establish an Islamic Sunni state in Pakistan based on Sharia law, through the use of violence if necessary; to have all Shias declared non-believers; and to eliminate followers of other faiths, especially Jews, Christians, and Hindus.10

Reports indicate that the LeJ has a decentralised structure which is largely composed of small independent cells.11 According to the abovementioned Australian National Security website the LeJ “maintains a multi-cellular structure, made up of loosely co-ordinated regional sub-units, further divided into several small cells of five to eight members each that operate independently of one another.12 The South Asian Terrorism Portal provides the following overview of the LeJ structure:

The success of most of its terrorist operations is attributed to its multi-cellular structure, whereby the outfit is divided into small groups that are not in constant contact with each other.

…Individual LeJ cadres are reportedly unaware of the number of cells in existence similar to their own or the structure of operations. After carrying out an attack LeJ

e-Jhangvi‟ (undated), South Asian Terrorism Portal http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/pakistan/terroristoutfits/lej htm – Accessed 23 May 2011 – Attachment 6; „PAKISTAN: A guide to main militant groups‟ 2010, IRIN News, 13 October http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=90760 – Accessed 14 October 2010 - Attachment 8 7„Lashkar-e Jhangvi (LeJ)‟ 2009, Australian Government; Australian National Security website, 20 March http://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/agd/WWW/nationalsecurity nsf/Page/What Governments are doing Listing of Terrorism Organisations Lashkar I Jhangvi - Accessed 21 July 2011 - Attachment 7; „Lashkar-e-Jhangvi‟ (undated), South Asian Terrorism Portal http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/pakistan/terroristoutfits/lej.htm – Accessed 23 May 2011 – Attachment 6 8US Department of State 2010, Country Reports on Terrorism 2009, August, p.264 - Attachment 5 ; Human Rights Commission of Pakistan 2011, Annual Report 2010, April, p.173 – Attachment 9 9„Lashkar-e-Jhangvi‟ (undated), South Asian Terrorism Portal http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/pakistan/terroristoutfits/lej htm – Accessed 23 May 2011 – Attachment 6; „Lashkar-e Jhangvi (LeJ)‟ 2009, Australian Government; Australian National Security website, 20 March http://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/agd/WWW/nationalsecurity nsf/Page/What Governments are doing Listing of Terrorism Organisations Lashkar I Jhangvi - Accessed 21 July 2011 - Attachment 7 10 „Lashkar-e Jhangvi (LeJ)‟ 2009, Australian Government; Australian National Security website, 20 March http://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/agd/WWW/nationalsecurity.nsf/Page/What Governments are doing Listing of Terrorism Organisations Lashkar I Jhangvi - Accessed 21 July 2011 - Attachment 7 11 „Lashkar-e-Jhangvi‟ (undated), South Asian Terrorism Portal http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/pakistan/terroristoutfits/lej htm – Accessed 23 May 2011 – Attachment 6 12„Lashkar-e Jhangvi (LeJ)‟ 2009, Australian Government; Australian National Security website, 20 March http://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/agd/WWW/nationalsecurity nsf/Page/What Governments are doing Listing of Terrorism Organisations Lashkar I Jhangvi - Accessed 21 July 2011 - Attachment 7

Page 4 of 13 cadres often disperse and then reassemble at the various training camps to plan future operations.13

The 2010 Annual Report of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan states that “Interior Minister Rehman Malik was quoted as saying that the LJ and the SSP were united under the banner of the Punjabi Taliban, with the southern districts of Punjab as their hub.”14 In March 2009 International Crisis Group (ICG) also reported that the SSP and LeJ are providing weapons, recruits, finances and other resources to Pakistani Taliban groups. The ICG report further states that “the SSP and LJ are also al-Qaeda‟s principal allies in the region”.15 A 2010 report by the US Congressional Research Service similarly states that the LeJ is “closely associated with Al Qaeda.”16

Contrasting information was found in relation the size of the LeJ. According to the 2010 Annual Report of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Rehman Malik, the Pakistan Interior Minister stated that 726 “workers” of the LeJ and SSP were present in southern Punjab.17 However, the US Department of State Country Reports on Terrorism 2009 states that the LeJ has “probably fewer than 100” members.18 The South Asia Terrorism Portal has provided further differing information stating that “Pakistani reports indicate that the active cadre strength of the LeJ is approximately 300.” According to the report “most of these cadres are either under arrest in Pakistan or were based in the various training camps in Afghanistan, from where they regularly came to Pakistan to carry out terrorist activities.”

The Australian Government, Australian National Security website reports that funding for the LeJ is derived from supporters in Karachi, sources in Saudi Arabia and from its engagement in criminal activities such as protection rackets and extortion. The report also states that the LeJ can rely on the assistance from other Pakistan terrorist groups and the Afghan Taliban.19

Recent reports indicate LeJ‟s continued involvement in terrorist attacks in Pakistan.

 In June 2011, Abrar Hussain, a former Olympian and Deputy Director of the Pakistan Sports Board was murdered in Quetta. LeJ claimed responsibility

13 „Lashkar-e-Jhangvi‟ (undated), South Asian Terrorism Portal http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/pakistan/terroristoutfits/lej.htm – Accessed 23 May 2011 – Attachment 6 14 Human Rights Commission of Pakistan 2011, Annual Report 2010, April, p.173 – Attachment 9 15International Crisis Group 2009, Pakistan: The Militant Jihadi Challenge, 13 March, pi & 27 - Attachment 10 16 Kronstadt, K.A. 2010, Pakistan: Key Current Issues and Developments, Congressional Research Service Report for Congress, 1 June, p.13 - Attachment 11 17 Human Rights Commission of Pakistan 2011, Annual Report 2010, April, p.173 – Attachment 9 18 US Department of State 2010, Country Reports on Terrorism 2009, August, p.264 - Attachment 5; 19 „Lashkar-e Jhangvi (LeJ)‟ 2009, Australian Government; Australian National Security website, 20 March http://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/agd/WWW/nationalsecurity nsf/Page/What Governments are doing Listing of Terrorism Organisations Lashkar I Jhangvi - Accessed 21 July 2011 - Attachment 7

Page 5 of 13 for the murder. Reports indicate that Hussain was murdered for being a prominent figure from the Hazara community.20

 Pakistani media reports indicate that LeJ claimed responsibility for two attacks in Quetta during May 2011 which resulted in the death of 13 Hazara Shias. The gun attacks took place in Quetta on 6 and 17 May 2011.21

 On 16 February 2011, Business Recorder, reported that eight LeJ and Taliban members were arrested in Southern Punjab for planning attacks on the Mid-Country Oil refinery and army offices.22

 On 30 January 2011, Pakistan Today reported that LeJ claimed responsibility for a car bomb in Quetta which injured seven people including four policeman. The Superintendent of Police Investigation is reported to have been the primary target of the attack.23

The South Asia Terrorism Portal provides a list of reports of LeJ activity in Pakistan during 2010. The following are some of the major activities and attacks listed in the report: 2010  November 11: At least 20 persons, including FC officials and Policemen, were killed and over 100 injured when an explosive-laden truck blew up inside the head office of the CID, which is located inside the main red zone of Karachi in Sindh, on the night. The attack is suspected to be in reaction to the arrest of the militants affiliated with LeJ that the CID made on November 10. …  September 1: 43 persons were killed and another 230 injured in two suicide attacks and one grenade attack on a Shia procession marking Hazrat Ali's martyrdom in Lahore. LeJ Al-alami claimed responsibility for the three attacks that occurred minutes apart in Bhaati Gate locality of Lahore. …  August 18: City Police arrested two alleged members of the LeJ accused of being involved in over 10 targeted killings in the city, including the assassination of MQM legislator Raza Haider in the Jama Masjid in Nazimabad on August 2. …  July 5: The CID of Karachi Police arrested a LeJ militant, Zahid Khan alias Shakeel, from the Sohrab Goth area of Karachi. CID Operations SSP Fayyaz Khan said a CID team arrested Zahid Khan alias Shakeel with a TT pistol and four

20 „Lawlessness in Balochistan‟ 2011, The Express Tribune, 18 June - Attachment 12; „Former Boxing Champion laid to rest‟ 2011, Plus News Pakistan - 18 June - Attachment 13 21 Yusuf, Z. 2011, „Trigger-happy in Balochistan‟, The Express Tribune, 9 June - Attachment 14; „Forced out of town by ethnic violence, IRIN report‟ 2011, Pakistan Press International Information Services, 27 May -Attachment 15; „Attacking Shias in Quetta‟ 2011, Daily Times, 20 May - Attachment 16 22 „Eight terrorists of banned outfit arrested‟ 2011, Business Recorder, 16 February - Attachment 17 23 Zulfiqar, S. 2011, „7 injured in Quetta car bombing‟, Pakistan Today, 30 January - Attachment 18

Page 6 of 13 bullets. The arrestee was involved in the killing of a Shia community member Shehzad Hussain among others, the SSP added. …  June 3: One LeJ militant was shot dead and three others arrested during a bid to escape after robbing a private bank in Orangi Town Police Station area of Karachi in Sindh.  June 2: The LeJ allegedly threatened to kill the MS of the Sindh Government Hospital of Saudabad in Khokhrapar area of Karachi in a suicide attack.  May 28: Unidentified militants killed four Policemen in Satellite Town area of Quetta in Balochistan. According to official sources, a Police vehicle carrying the officials was on routine patrol in the Satellite Town Police precincts when three unidentified militants ambushed the vehicle on Langov Street and opened indiscriminate fire. A constable died on the spot and three officials, including Satellite Town SHO Abdul Khaliq, were severely injured. They succumbed to their injuries on their way to Sandman Hospital. LeJ claimed responsibility for the attack. …  April 26: The Police arrested three LJ militants who had robbed at least PNR 4.3 million from a private bank under the Memon Goth Police Station area in Karachi. As per details, at least five armed persons entered the bank located in a market of Murad Memon Goth near Superhighway around 10 am (PST), held the staff, security guards and customers hostage at gunpoint, and were trying to escape with the looted amount within five to seven minutes. Following information about bank robbery, Police moving towards the crime scene intercepted the robbers' car. However, two of the five robbers managed to escape. A Police officer said the arrested persons were identified as Asif, Abdul Basit and Talha, who used to collect money for funding militant outfits fighting with the SFs in tribal areas.  April 17: Two burqa-clad suicide bombers targeted a crowd of IDP waiting to get them registered and receive relief goods at the Kacha Pakka IDP camp on the outskirts of Kohat in NWFP, killing at least 44 and injuring more than 70. The Lashkar-e-Jhangvi's Al-Aalmi faction claimed responsibility for the bombings, and cited the presence of Shias at the IDP camp as the reason for the attack.  April 16: A suicide bomber blew himself up in an attack inside civil hospital in Quetta, killing 11 persons and injuring 35 others. Among the killed was a private television cameraman, Malik Arif, and Senior Police Officials while out of 35 injured, least four reporters and a local parliamentarian were injured. The LeJ claimed responsibility of the suicide attack. The LeJ claimed that it had carried out the suicide bombing that also injured MNA Nasir Ali Shah of the PPP.  March 29: Three high-profile militants, including an operational 'commander' of the banned outfit LeJ, were arrested by the Anti-Extremist Cell of the Sindh Police's CID during a raid in Rehri Goth area of Bin Qasim Town in Karachi. Officials recovered 50 to 60 kilogrammes of potassium nitrate, 30-metre detonating code, three detonators and three pistols from the possession of the arrestees identified as Rizwan Muqaddam, Munir Chandio and Ziauddin Mehsud alias Khan Mohammad alias Siddique. AEC Chief Senior Superintendent of Police Omer Shahid said the militants were arrested while plotting for an attack on the Karachi

Page 7 of 13 Central Jail to help their imprisoned associates escape and they had also prepared an explosives-laden car for that purpose.24

3. Is Lashkar e Jhangvi active in Haripur? Are there any known training camps in Haripur?

No information was found in relation to LeJ activity in Haripur. However, a 2011 published by The New York Times, reports on the arrest of Sipah-e-Sahaba (SSP) militants in Haripur.25 The LeJ was created by and is linked to the SSP.26

On 7 May 2011, The New York Times reported that Haripur town and the wider Haripur district “has harbored its share of militants”. According to the report police have stated that since the September 11 attacks approximately 20 militants have been arrested in the district. According to the report most of these arrested militants “were members of Pakistani groups, like Sipah-e-Sahaba, but at least one was a foreigner suspected of ties to Al Qaeda”. The report states that the deputy police chief of Haripur, Najib Bhagvi, conceded “that there were people with extremist sympathies in the district who could help such fugitives.”27

No information was found in the sources consulted regarding LeJ training camps in Haripur. A 2009 report published on the Australian Government; Australian National Security website states, however, that eight LeJ traning camps have been established in the Darra Adam Khel area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The report also states that the LeJ is the most active group in the Darra Adam Khel area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.28

4. Is there any information suggesting that the LeJ forcibly recruits members?

No information was found in relation to forced recruitment by the LeJ. However, a 2009 report published on the Australian National Security website states that “the large increase in the number of Deobandi madrassas (religious schools) in Pakistan provides a pool of manpower from which LeJ can recruit”29

24„Lashkar-e-Jhangvi‟ (undated), South Asian Terrorism Portal http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/pakistan/terroristoutfits/lej htm – Accessed 23 May 2011 – Attachment 6 25 Gall, C. 2011, „Secret Held if Bin Laden Lived Here, Village Says‟, New York Times, 7 May http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/08/world/asia/08village html? r=1 – Accessed 26 July 2011 - Attachment 19 26 US Department of State 2010, Country Reports on Terrorism 2009, August, p.264 - Attachment 5; „Lashkar-e-Jhangvi‟ (undated), South Asian Terrorism Portal http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/pakistan/terroristoutfits/lej htm – Accessed 23 May 2011 – Attachment 6 27 Gall, C. 2011, „Secret Held if Bin Laden Lived Here, Village Says‟, New York Times, 7 May http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/08/world/asia/08village html? r=1 – Accessed 26 July 2011 - Attachment 19 28 „Lashkar-e Jhangvi (LeJ)‟ 2009, Australian Government; Australian National Security website, 20 March http://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/agd/WWW/nationalsecurity nsf/Page/What Governments are doing Listing of Terrorism Organisations Lashkar I Jhangvi - Accessed 21 July 2011 - Attachment 7 29 „Lashkar-e Jhangvi (LeJ)‟ 2009, Australian Government; Australian National Security website, 20 March

Page 8 of 13 5. Are there any other reports of Taliban activity in Haripur in 2009/2010?

The following reports indicate Taliban activity in Haripur district, including during the period of 2009 to 2010.

 Reports indicate that Osama Bin Laden lived in Chak Shah Muhammad village in Haripur district for two and half years, prior to moving to nearby Abbottabad in 2005.30

 On 3 June 2009, The News International, a Pakistani news source, reported that 15 to 20 Taliban „hideouts‟ were uncovered by police in Haripur district. The report states that a large number of militants had moved to Haripur from the Swat district. The report provides the following information on the Taliban in Haripur:

People in the Haripur district of Hazara are actively helping the police and intelligence agencies to tackle the Taliban, pinpointing their hideouts, 15 to 20 of which have already been busted. A large number of militants running away from Swat have come to the Hazara Division, especially the Haripur district, but they are not finding sympathisers among the local population .Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Haripur, Muhammad Hussain, confirmed the presence of the militants in his district but said the police had already dismantled about 20 hideouts. A senior intelligence officer lauded the performance of the Haripur Police, saying it had also been acknowledged in a report prepared by an intelligence agency. A large number of militants are present in the camps of Afghan refugees in Haripur and the adjoining areas in the guise of displaced Swatis or Afghan refugees the senior intelligence official told The News. From Haripur, they move to Abbottabad for onward journey to Swat via Mansehra, he said. He pointed out that sleuths of an intelligence outfit had seized an ambulance a few days ago that was to be used for terrorism. He said that the hideouts or safe houses unearthed by the police were being used for brainwashing of youths to carry out suicide bombings as well as for planning of terrorism acts. He said some recent terrorism acts in Islamabad and the Punjab were also planned in the same hideouts. SSP Muhammad Hussain said they had devised a special security plan for the Tarbela and Ghazi Barotha power houses and the Rangers personnel had been deployed to protect the two extremely important installations. 31

http://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/agd/WWW/nationalsecurity nsf/Page/What Governments are doing Listing of Terrorism Organisations Lashkar I Jhangvi - Accessed 21 July 2011 - Attachment 7 30 Gall, C. 2011, „Secret Held if Bin Laden Lived Here, Village Says‟, New York Times, 7 May http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/08/world/asia/08village html? r=1 – Accessed 26 July 2011 - Attachment 19; „Bin Laden lived in Haripur before moving to Abbottabad, Osama‟s Widow‟ 2011, Columnspk website, 7 May http://www.columnspk.com/bin-laden-lived-in-haripur-before-moving-to- abbottabad-osamas-widow/ - Accessed 26 July 2011 - Attachment 20; „Osama lived in Haripur before moving to Abbottabad‟ 2011, The Times of Pakistan, 8 May http://thetimesofpakistan.com/2011/05/08/osama-lived-in-haripur-before-moving-to-abbottabad/ - Accessed 26 July 2011 - Attachment 21. 31 Tufail, M. 2009 „20 Taliban hideouts busted in Haripur‟, The News International, 3 June http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=22509&Cat=13&dt=6/3/2009 - Accessed 26 July 2011 - Attachment 22

Page 9 of 13  On 23 September 2009, The Nation, reported on an increase in criminal activity in Haripur and other districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which locals were attributing to splinter groups or remnants of the Taliban. The report states that:

“Mysterious increase in incidents of kidnapping for ransom especially in Mardan, Charsadda, Peshawar, Nowshera, Swabi, Chitral and Haripur districts on varying scales suggests that remnants of Taliban in Swat and Malakand have adopted this to make easy money”, local people told The Nation.

They say these gangs have become active after Taliban in Swat and Malakand had suffered huge losses as a result of military operation Rah-e-Rast and their remnants consisting of several splinter groups have indulged in criminal activities that could help them make easy money.

“The kind of tactics being employed by these criminal gangs are akin to those introduced by the notorious Taliban group headed by the assassinated commander Baitullah Mehsud,” Arif Khan, a resident of Mardan district, said.

…In Haripur district, that is otherwise more distant from Swat and Malakand than Mardan and Peshawar, outside criminal gangs have been spotted operating in parts of Khanpur, Kotnajibullah and Hattar police stations.

Also comprising the same size of the gangs operating in Mardan and its adjacent districts, they have not yet indulged in any kidnapping for ransom incident but are engaged in targeted incidents of dacoities. Despite increased road patrolling by the local police, these gangs were active on the peripheral areas of Hattar Industrial Estate, Haripur.32

 Compass Direct News reported that on 28 September 2010, Edwin Paul, a Christian evangelist and lawyer, was killed in Haripur, along with his wife and his five children. Edwin Paul had mounted a legal challenge against an influential Muslim lender who was reportedly charging a Christian an exorbitant interest rate on a loan. The report states that Islamic extremist groups in the area had been trying to drive Christians out of the area. The report states that “the groups most active in the area are the banned Jamat ul Dawa, the Sunni Tahreek, and some groups linked with the Pakistani Taliban.”33

The following recent reports were also found in relation to Al Qaeda activity in Haripur:

 On 8 May 2011, The Times of Pakistan, reported on the presence of some Al Qaeda „elements‟ in Haripur:

32 Malik, M. 2009 „From Talibanisation to common crimes‟, The Nation, 23 September - Attachment 23 33 „Islamic extremists kill seven members of Christian family‟ 2010, Church in Chains website, source: Compass Direct News, 1 October http://www.ccfc.ie/node/364 - Accessed 26 July 2011 - Attachment 24

Page 10 of 13 It appears now that some of the diehard Al Qaeda elements had chosen to live in the relatively secure environs of Haripur and Abbottabad away from the prying eyes of intelligence agencies.34

 A report published by The New York Times dated 7 May 2011 states that at least one militant arrested in Haripur since 2001 was a foreigner suspected of ties to Al Qaeda.35

Country Advice PAK37286, dated 15 September 2010 indicates that by early 2009 the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had lost control of much of the region to Taliban militants. During this period there were concerns that Taliban forces would overtake Haripur district. However, in April 2009 the Pakistan army launched a major operation against the Taliban forces in the Northern regions. As a result the government gained control of most of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Reports contained in the response indicate that in 2010 the Taliban began re-grouping in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas and Swat. The response contains information which indicates that during 2010 Taliban militant activity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was reportedly concentrated around the provincial capital, Peshawar. 36

Country Advice PAK38384, dated 4 March 2011, provides reports stating that militant groups have been present in the Haripur area including Kashmiri groups and Jaish e Mohammed. Information provided in the response also indicates that the Taliban and affiliated groups have had a large presence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during 2010 and 2011.37

6. Deleted.

34 „Osama lived in Haripur before moving to Abbottabad‟ 2011, The Times of Pakistan, 8 May http://thetimesofpakistan.com/2011/05/08/osama-lived-in-haripur-before-moving-to-abbottabad/ - Accessed 26 July 2011 - Attachment 25. 35 Gall, C. 2011, „Secret Held if Bin Laden Lived Here, Village Says‟, New York Times, 7 May http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/08/world/asia/08village html? r=1 – Accessed 26 July 2011 - Attachment 19. 36 RRT Country Advice Service 2010, Country Advice PAK38286, 15 September - Attachment 4 37 RRT Country Advice Service 2011, Country Advice PAK38384, 4 March - Attachment 26

Page 11 of 13 Attachments 1. Gheeba & Haripur‟ (undated), Google Maps website http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s q&hl=en&geocode=&abauth=2e7ede b6:vSwqpWPl7rQ5jvsJxaxSdXmpFH8&q=Gheeba,+Khyber+Pakhtunkhwa,+Pakist an&aq=0&vps=1&ei=hFMNTvXIEKaJmQXWv6X9Dg&jsv=353b&sll=37.0625,- 95.677068&sspn=50.51141,135.087891&num=10 - Accessed 1 July 2011. 2. „Gheeba‟ (undated), Google Maps website http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s q&hl=en&geocode=&abauth=2e7ede b6:vSwqpWPl7rQ5jvsJxaxSdXmpFH8&q=Gheeba,+Khyber+Pakhtunkhwa,+Pakist an&aq=0&vps=1&ei=hFMNTvXIEKaJmQXWv6X9Dg&jsv=353b&sll=37.0625,- 95.677068&sspn=50.51141,135.087891&num=10 - Accessed 1 July 2011. 3. „Gheeba Map‟ (undated), Google Maps http://maps.google.com/ - Accessed 1 July 2011. 4. RRT Country Advice Service 2010, Country Advice PAK37286, 15 September. 5. US Department of State 2010, Country Reports on Terrorism 2009, August. 6. „Lashkar-e-Jhangvi‟ (undated), South Asian Terrorism Portal http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/pakistan/terroristoutfits/lej.htm – Accessed 23 May 2011. 7. „Lashkar-e Jhangvi (LeJ)‟ 2009, Australian Government; Australian National Security website, 20 March http://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/agd/WWW/nationalsecurity.nsf/Page/What_Go vernments_are_doing_Listing_of_Terrorism_Organisations_Lashkar_I_Jhangvi - Accessed 21 July 2011. 8. „PAKISTAN: A guide to main militant groups‟ 2010, IRIN News, 13 October http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=90760 – Accessed 14 October 2010. 9. Human Rights Commission of Pakistan 2011, Annual Report 2010, April, p.173. 10. International Crisis Group 2009, Pakistan: The Militant Jihadi Challenge, 13 March. 11. Kronstadt, K.A. 2010, Pakistan: Key Current Issues and Developments, Congressional Research Service Report for Congress, 1 June. 12. „Lawlessness in Balochistan‟ 2011, The Express Tribune, 18 June. (FACTIVA) 13. „Former Boxing Champion laid to rest‟ 2011, Plus News Pakistan - 18 June. (FACTIVA) 14. Yusuf, Z. 2011, „Trigger-happy in Balochistan‟, The Express Tribune, 9 June. (FACTIVA) 15. „Forced out of town by ethnic violence, IRIN report‟ 2011, Pakistan Press International Information Services, 27 May. (FACTIVA) 16. „Attacking Shias in Quetta‟ 2011, Daily Times, 20 May. (FACTIVA) 17. „Eight terrorists of banned outfit arrested‟ 2011, Business Recorder, 16 February. (FACTIVA) 18. Zulfiqar, S. 2011, „7 injured in Quetta car bombing‟, Pakistan Today, 30 January. (FACTIVA)

Page 12 of 13 19. Gall, C. 2011, „Secret Held if Bin Laden Lived Here, Village Says‟, New York Times, 7 May http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/08/world/asia/08village.html?_r=1 – Accessed 26 July 2011. 20. „Bin Laden lived in Haripur before moving to Abbottabad, Osama‟s Widow‟ 2011, Columnspk website, 7 May http://www.columnspk.com/bin-laden-lived- in-haripur- before-moving-to-abbottabad-osamas-widow/ - Accessed 26 July 2011. 21. „Osama lived in Haripur before moving to Abbottabad‟ 2011, The Times of Pakistan, 8 May http://thetimesofpakistan.com/2011/05/08/osama-lived-in-haripur- before-moving-to-abbottabad/ - Accessed 26 July 2011. 22. Tufail, M. 2009 „20 Taliban hideouts busted in Haripur‟, The News International, 3 June http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=22509&Cat=13&dt=6/3/2 009 - Accessed 26 July 2011. 23. Malik, M. 2009 „From Talibanisation to common crimes‟, The Nation, 23 September. (FACTIVA) 24. „Islamic extremists kill seven members of Christian family‟ 2010, Church in Chains website, source: Compass Direct News, 1 October http://www.ccfc.ie/node/364 - Accessed 26 July 2011. 25. „Osama lived in Haripur before moving to Abbottabad‟ 2011, The Times of Pakistan, 8 May http://thetimesofpakistan.com/2011/05/08/osama-lived-in-haripur- before-moving-to-abbottabad/ - Accessed 26 July 2011. 26. RRT Country Advice Service 2011, Country Advice PAK38384, 4 March.

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