Attacks on trucks carrying NATO supplies are not likely to stop soon, but the US is not depending on the Pakistani government
The US and NATO depend on Pakistan for logistic support for their war in Afghanistan because most of their supplies goes through Karachi through what many in the port city call the 'Pashtun transport mafia'. The Pakistani security establishment understands that 'alternative routes' might be impossible for speedy supplies, and that is why Islamabad often blackmails the US using sabotage tactics.
It was on information revealed by Rahimullah, a terrorist in police custody for orchestrating the Nishtar Park Bombing, that the Intelligence Bureau, the CID and police conducted a raid on a house in Baldia. Terrorists inside the house fired at the police, and the police retaliated. According to the police, all the three men arrested - Sultan Omer, Siddique Mehsud and Zubair Bengali - were suicide bombers from the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. Sultan was the brother of Sultan Saifullah (suicide bomber of the Nishtar Park bombing), Siddique was a relative of Baitullah Mehsud, while Zubair was the relative of Abdul Karim Bengali, the suicide bomber who had killed Allama Hassan Turabi. In that house, Rahimullah was hiding Shukat Awan - one of the largest NATO oil contractors for whom the group had demanded $25 million as ransom. Shukat Awan was killed during the operation.
Rahimullah also disclosed that the group had all been trained in suicide bombing in Waziristan, and had been in Karachi for several months. They were being handled by Qari Zafar. The group had been funded by Abid Mehsud, a commander of the Baitullah Mehsud group, to buy arms, explosives and vehicles. One of the suicide bombers was linked with the assassinated Mufti Amin of Jamia Binoria, who according to a police source "had dodgy connections".
Shaukat Awan was not the NATO supplier to have died. Muhammad Farooq (38), Mushtaq Mesud (42) and three other NATO suppliers have also been targeted and killed in Karachi alone.
"Over the years Karachi has become one of the most important cities of the world not because of its ethnic tensions but because of its strategic location and the port which receives more than 80 percent of NATO supplies," a senior foreign diplomat said. NATO supplies arrive at Karachi's Port Qasim (Although Tehrik-e-Insaf leader Imran Khan staged a demonstration to block NATO supplies near the Native Jetty bridge instead).
Americans have built one of the largest consulates in the world in Karachi and have repeatedly used British diplomats to pressure MQM - one of the largest stakeholders in Karachi - to maintain peace in the city. According to one source, the ANP has huge stakes in NATO supplies and has strong influence among Karachi's transporters.
"Gawadar is an alternate port, but it is not operational yet for the NATO to use it," said Brigadier (r) Shaukat Qadir. He said Pakistan received payments for NATO supplies and it was therefore important for Pakistan to ensure the supplies are not disrupted. Asked who is behind attacks on trucks carrying NATO supplies, he said, "My guess would be TTP and its affiliates. The Punjabi Taliban."
In Karachi, there are many third-tier sub-contractors working for NATO, most of them of Pashtun and Mehsud origin. They get contracts from second-tier sub-contractors from Dubai, who the contracts have been outsourced to from contractors in Washington, DC.
One such sub-contractor, Abdul Hakim Mehsud said, "Its one of the toughest jobs in the world - recently over 13 of my trucks and three of my drivers had been vanished in interior Sindh. But the profit margins are high and that keeps me motivated."
In Karachi, there are many third-tier sub-contractors working for NATO, most of them of Pashtun and Mehsud origin. They get contracts from second-tier sub-contractors from Dubai, who the contracts have been outsourced to from contractors in Washington, DC.
One such sub-contractor, Abdul Hakim Mehsud said, "Its one of the toughest jobs in the world - recently over 13 of my trucks and three of my drivers had been vanished in interior Sindh. But the profit margins are high and that keeps me motivated."
While there are no statistics available on how many trucks had been torched by militants so far, according to one NATO contractor the number in Pakistan alone is in hundreds. Most of the attacks occur in Khyber Pakhtunkwa and interior Sindh.
"In December 2008, militants destroyed 400 containers carrying food, fuel, and military vehicles," a NATO source said. After that, NATO and ISAF began paying tribes to ensure supplies get across safe.
Karachi's ethnic riots, political instability, and sectarianism have earned it the reputation of being the world's most dangerous city. In the last four years, over 5,000 people have been killed in politically-motivated violence. Not very long ago, it hosted Al Qaeda's operational headquarters. It is still considered by many as a Taliban stronghold.
In Karachi's chemical markets, ammonium nitrate is produced by fertiliser companies. While the chemical is on the Pakistani customs control list, it is widely available in open market. This ammonium nitrate is used in improvised explosive devices that account for 66 percent of foreign casualties in Afghanistan since the war started in 2001. The makeshift bombs have claimed 368 troops in 2010. This year, the number has already reached 143.
"We can deliver you big quantities of the chemical at the right price," said Ahmed Jan, a local smuggler, one of the few willing to speak on the record. "For a higher price we can deliver you the items in Afghanistan."
The US Consulate and Pakistani customs intelligence have been working closely to stop the smuggling.
Earlier this year, the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Commerce was informed that more than 6,000 trucks of NATO/ISAF supplies had not reached in Chaman and Iman Garh borders. The disclosure sparked an internal auditing within NLC and FBR and corruption of Rs7 billion was found. The FBR and NLC had reportedly issued notices to 21 and 22 grade officers and had put 100 of its officers and clearing/forwarding agents in the Exit Control List.
It was also disclosed that trucks carrying containers of NATO goods for NATO did not pay any levy to the government. The Karachi Port Trust (KPT) charges Rs400 from each container, and the Qasim International Containers Terminal (QICT) charges another Rs400.
Experts believe the attacks on NATO containers are carried out by Hakimullah Mehsud, who had been given the task by Baitullah Mehsud. But recently, especially after 2009, "There have been instances especially in Interior Sindh in which the security establishment has used or orchestrated attacks on NATO trucks to pressure the US," according to Mathew Irvin, a security consultant for NATO/ISAF in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Some sub-contractors also report fake attacks to carry out insurance fraud. At least on one occasion, a sub-contractor was caught and fined.
The attacks are not likely to stop any time soon, according to a foreign diplomat, "But we have made pacts with warlords, tribes and various stakeholders in Pakistan who ensure safe transit of the goods. They include political parties both in Pakistan and Afghanistan."
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Rahimullah also disclosed that the group had all been trained in suicide bombing in Waziristan, and had been in Karachi for several months. They were being handled by Qari Zafar. The group had been funded by Abid Mehsud, a commander of the Baitullah Mehsud group, to buy arms, explosives and vehicles. One of the suicide bombers was linked with the assassinated Mufti Amin of Jamia Binoria, who according to a police source "had dodgy connections".
Shaukat Awan was not the NATO supplier to have died. Muhammad Farooq (38), Mushtaq Mesud (42) and three other NATO suppliers have also been targeted and killed in Karachi alone.
"Over the years Karachi has become one of the most important cities of the world not because of its ethnic tensions but because of its strategic location and the port which receives more than 80 percent of NATO supplies," a senior foreign diplomat said. NATO supplies arrive at Karachi's Port Qasim (Although Tehrik-e-Insaf leader Imran Khan staged a demonstration to block NATO supplies near the Native Jetty bridge instead).
Americans have built one of the largest consulates in the world in Karachi and have repeatedly used British diplomats to pressure MQM - one of the largest stakeholders in Karachi - to maintain peace in the city. According to one source, the ANP has huge stakes in NATO supplies and has strong influence among Karachi's transporters.
"Gawadar is an alternate port, but it is not operational yet for the NATO to use it," said Brigadier (r) Shaukat Qadir. He said Pakistan received payments for NATO supplies and it was therefore important for Pakistan to ensure the supplies are not disrupted. Asked who is behind attacks on trucks carrying NATO supplies, he said, "My guess would be TTP and its affiliates. The Punjabi Taliban."
In Karachi, there are many third-tier sub-contractors working for NATO, most of them of Pashtun and Mehsud origin. They get contracts from second-tier sub-contractors from Dubai, who the contracts have been outsourced to from contractors in Washington, DC.
One such sub-contractor, Abdul Hakim Mehsud said, "Its one of the toughest jobs in the world - recently over 13 of my trucks and three of my drivers had been vanished in interior Sindh. But the profit margins are high and that keeps me motivated."
In Karachi, there are many third-tier sub-contractors working for NATO, most of them of Pashtun and Mehsud origin. They get contracts from second-tier sub-contractors from Dubai, who the contracts have been outsourced to from contractors in Washington, DC.
One such sub-contractor, Abdul Hakim Mehsud said, "Its one of the toughest jobs in the world - recently over 13 of my trucks and three of my drivers had been vanished in interior Sindh. But the profit margins are high and that keeps me motivated."
While there are no statistics available on how many trucks had been torched by militants so far, according to one NATO contractor the number in Pakistan alone is in hundreds. Most of the attacks occur in Khyber Pakhtunkwa and interior Sindh.
"In December 2008, militants destroyed 400 containers carrying food, fuel, and military vehicles," a NATO source said. After that, NATO and ISAF began paying tribes to ensure supplies get across safe.
Karachi's ethnic riots, political instability, and sectarianism have earned it the reputation of being the world's most dangerous city. In the last four years, over 5,000 people have been killed in politically-motivated violence. Not very long ago, it hosted Al Qaeda's operational headquarters. It is still considered by many as a Taliban stronghold.
In Karachi's chemical markets, ammonium nitrate is produced by fertiliser companies. While the chemical is on the Pakistani customs control list, it is widely available in open market. This ammonium nitrate is used in improvised explosive devices that account for 66 percent of foreign casualties in Afghanistan since the war started in 2001. The makeshift bombs have claimed 368 troops in 2010. This year, the number has already reached 143.
"We can deliver you big quantities of the chemical at the right price," said Ahmed Jan, a local smuggler, one of the few willing to speak on the record. "For a higher price we can deliver you the items in Afghanistan."
The US Consulate and Pakistani customs intelligence have been working closely to stop the smuggling.
Earlier this year, the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Commerce was informed that more than 6,000 trucks of NATO/ISAF supplies had not reached in Chaman and Iman Garh borders. The disclosure sparked an internal auditing within NLC and FBR and corruption of Rs7 billion was found. The FBR and NLC had reportedly issued notices to 21 and 22 grade officers and had put 100 of its officers and clearing/forwarding agents in the Exit Control List.
It was also disclosed that trucks carrying containers of NATO goods for NATO did not pay any levy to the government. The Karachi Port Trust (KPT) charges Rs400 from each container, and the Qasim International Containers Terminal (QICT) charges another Rs400.
Experts believe the attacks on NATO containers are carried out by Hakimullah Mehsud, who had been given the task by Baitullah Mehsud. But recently, especially after 2009, "There have been instances especially in Interior Sindh in which the security establishment has used or orchestrated attacks on NATO trucks to pressure the US," according to Mathew Irvin, a security consultant for NATO/ISAF in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Some sub-contractors also report fake attacks to carry out insurance fraud. At least on one occasion, a sub-contractor was caught and fined.
The attacks are not likely to stop any time soon, according to a foreign diplomat, "But we have made pacts with warlords, tribes and various stakeholders in Pakistan who ensure safe transit of the goods. They include political parties both in Pakistan and Afghanistan." 
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