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SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
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Assam: Death by Administrative
Failure Some of
India's worst cases of ethnic and communal violence have
taken place in its Northeast. Many of these went unreported.
Others did not get the attention they deserved. But the
recent attack on passengers from the Northeast, in Munger
in Bihar, drew national attention, even edging out news
of imminent Legislative Assembly elections in four Indian
States.
J&K: Breaking the Stalemate
FOR years,
efforts to bring about a negotiated end to carnage in Jammu
and Kashmir (J&K) have resembled what soldiers call the
Kadam Taal: the parade-ground art of marching briskly
on one spot without actually moving forward.
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Weekly Fatalities: Major Conflicts
in South Asia
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|
Civilian
|
Security
Force Personnel
|
Terrorist
|
Total
|
|
|
BANGLADESH |
8
|
0
|
1
|
9
|
|
INDIA |
||||
|
Assam |
31*
|
0
|
3
|
34
|
|
Jammu
& |
6
|
6
|
20
|
32
|
|
Left-wing
|
8
|
0
|
12
|
20
|
|
Manipur |
0
|
0
|
12
|
12
|
|
Meghalaya |
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
Tripura |
1
|
0
|
5
|
6
|
|
Total (INDIA) |
46
|
6
|
53
|
105
|
|
NEPAL |
10
|
5
|
32
|
47
|
|
PAKISTAN |
3
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
|
* Provisional
data compiled from English language media sources.
|
Government holds talks with ULFA on removal of terrorist camps: The Bhutanese Government has reportedly held discussions with leaders of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), a terrorist group active in the Indian State of Assam, and is scheduled to hold another round of talks in the near future. However, the venue and dates of both rounds of talks have not been disclosed. Bhutanese Premier Lyonpo Jigmi Thinley was quoted as saying that the Government had asked the ULFA leadership to close down their camps and remove their cadres from Bhutanese soil. "I sincerely hope that their top leadership will come for the next round of talks as assured by their representatives," said Thinley. He added that leaders of the Bodo terrorist group, the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), were also expected to meet with the Government. Kuensel Online, November 22, 2003.
At
least
50
persons
killed
in
violence
against
Hindi-speaking
people
in
Assam:
At
least
50
civilians
were
reportedly
killed
in
separate
incidents
of
violence
against
the
Hindi-speaking
people
in
the
State
of
Assam.
The
United
Liberation
Front
of
Asom
(ULFA)
has
reportedly
killed
31
civilians
in
different
incidents
primarily
in
the
Tinsukia
and
Dibrugarh
districts
of
Upper
Assam.
The
rest
of
the
killings
are
attributed
to
mob
violence.
Hindustan
Times,
November
24,
2003.
Hurriyat
accepts
offer
to
talk
with
Union
Government
on
Kashmir
issue:
Addressing
a
religious
gathering
at
the
Jama
Masjid
in
capital
Srinagar
on
the
last
Friday
of
the
holy
month
of
Ramzan
on
November
21,
2003,
Mirwaiz
Umer
Farooq,
leader
of
the
secessionist
front,
All
Parties
Hurriyat
Conference
(APHC),
said,
"we
have
accepted
the
offer
to
talk
with
the
Central
[Union]
Government
unconditionally
as
the
conglomerate
always
stood
for
dialogue
and
a
peaceful
resolution
of
the
Kashmir
issue.
Let
the
invitation
come
from
the
Indian
Government
and
we
are
prepared
to
talk."
Meanwhile,
Syed
Ali
Shah
Geelani,
leader
of
the
breakaway
Hurriyat
faction,
said,
"The
people
who
are
accepting
the
offer
to
hold
talks
cannot
be
described
as
the
representatives
of
the
people
of
Jammu
and
Kashmir.
They
are
betraying
the
trust
of
the
people
as
by
holding
talks
they
have
in
a
way
transformed
an
international
problem
to
a
domestic
Indian
problem.
The
issue
can
only
be
settled
through
tripartite
talks."
Daily
Excelsior;
The
Hindu,
November
22,
2003.
Ranvir
Sena
warns
ULFA
and
Assam
Government
regarding
protection
of
Biharis:
On
November
17,
2003,
the
Ranvir
Sena,
an
outlawed
'army'
of
upper
caste
landlords
in
the
State
of
Bihar,
threatened
the
United
Liberation
Front
of
Asom
(ULFA)
with
dire
consequences
if
it
instigates
violence
against
Biharis
in
Assam.
In
its
statement,
the
Sena
also
warned
that
if
the
Assam
Government
fails
to
protect
the
lives
and
property
of
Biharis,
it
would
send
its
cadres
to
Assam
to
'take
on'
the
ULFA.
New
Indian
Express,
November
18,
2003.
11
PREPAK
terrorists
killed
in
Manipur:
Eleven
terrorists
of
the
proscribed
People's
Revolutionary
Party
of
Kangleipak
(PREPAK)
were
reportedly
killed
during
a
clash
with
cadres
of
an
unnamed
terrorist
outfit
in
the
Setpur
hills
area
of
Bishenpur
district
in
Manipur
on
November
17,
2003.
Official
sources
said
that
the
PREPAK
cadres
were
traveling
in
two
vehicles
when
they
were
attacked
by
members
of
another
group.
Several
weapons
of
the
PREPAK
terrorists,
including
six
AK-47
rifles,
a
rocket
launcher
and
a
self-loading
rifle,
were
also
reportedly
taken
away
by
the
rival
group.
Rediff,
November
18,
2003.
Prime
Minister
Jamali
announces
cease-fire
on
the
Line
of
Control:
Prime
Minister
Mir
Zafarullah
Khan
Jamali
on
November
23,
2003,
announced
a
complete
cease-fire
on
the
Line
of
Control
(LoC)
to
be
effective
from
the
last
day
of
the
holy
month
of
Ramzan
(expected
to
be
on
November
26).
"Our
armed
forces
deployed
on
the
Line
of
Control
have
been
ordered
to
observe
a
complete
ceasefire
with
effect
from
Eid
day,"
said
Jamali
during
a
televised
address
to
the
nation
to
mark
the
completion
of
one
year
of
his
Government.
He
also
said
that
India
should
give
a
positive
response
to
Pakistan's
announcement.
Jamali
also
enlisted
a
10-point
set
of
confidence-building
measures
to
improve
relations
with
India.
Among
others,
it
stated
that
Pakistan
is
ready
for
talks
on
reopening
the
Khokhrapar-Munabao
route
and
that
it
is
ready
to
start
a
bus
service
between
Muzaffarabad
and
Srinagar.
However,
the
proposals
also
pointed
out
that
Pakistan
considers
Jammu
and
Kashmir
as
a
disputed
territory
in
accordance
with
the
resolutions
of
the
United
Nations
and
also
that
the
LoC
in
Kashmir
is
a
temporary
line.
Jang,
November
24,
2003.
Three
more
terrorist
groups
proscribed:
The
Federal
Government
proscribed
three
more
terrorist
groups
under
the
Anti-Terrorism
Act
1997
on
November
20,
2003.
"Three
more
extremist
organisations
have
been
banned
by
the
Ministry
of
Interior
namely
Jamiat-ul-Ansar,
Hizb-ut-Tehreer
and
Jamaat-ul-Furqan,"
said
an
Interior
Ministry
statement.
Interior
Minister
Faisal
Saleh
Hayat
said
these
groups
face
the
same
charges
on
which
three
other
organisations
were
banned
previously.
On
November
15,
the
Government
had
proscribed
Islami
Tehreek-e-Pakistan
(formerly
known
as
Tehreek-e-Jaferia
Pakistan
[TJP]),
Millat-e-Islamia
Pakistan
(formerly
known
as
Sipah-e-Sahaba
Pakistan
[SSP])
and
Khuddam-ul-Islam
(formerly
known
as
Jaish-e-Mohammed
[JeM]).
These
six
groups
had
reportedly
flouted
the
law
by
changing
their
names,
as
under
the
Act
an
organization
banned
once
for
extremism
cannot
function
under
another
name.
Jamaat-ul-Furqan
is
a
breakaway
faction
of
the
JeM,
which
is
led
by
Maulana
Masood
Azhar.
Jamiat-ul-Ansar
is
the
renamed
outfit
of
the
outlawed
Harkat-ul-Mujahideen
(HuM),
which
is
led
by
Fazlur
Rehman
Khaleel.
Hizb-ut-Tehreer
is
a
London-based
Islamist
outfit,
which
advocates
the
establishment
of
Islamic
law
worldwide.
Daily
Times,
November
21,
2003.
MQM-A
terms
Jamaat-e-Islami's
Jihad
Fund
collection
as
extortion:
While
terming
the
Jihad
Fund
collection
campaign
of
the
Jamaat-e-Islami
(JeI)
as
extortion,
Members
of
the
National
Assembly
belonging
to
the
Muttahida
Qaumi
Movement-Altaf
Hussain
(MQM-A)
have
appealed
to
President
Pervez
Musharraf
and
Premier
Jamali
to
stop
the
practice.
The
legislators
have
alleged
that
JeI
activists
had
established
camps
in
Karachi
and
other
parts
of
the
country
and
were
forcibly
collecting
money
from
traders
and
other
citizens.
They
also
stated
that
JeI
cadres
were
forcibly
stopping
vehicles
and
threatening
the
occupants
to
contribute
to
the
Jihad
Fund.
Jang,
November
20,
2003.
Government
seeks
cash
bonds
from
cadres
of
proscribed
terrorist
groups:
The
Federal
Government
has
reportedly
sought
cash
pledges
from
over
1,000
activists
of
three
terrorist
groups
proscribed
on
November
15
in
an
attempt
to
prevent
banned
groups
emerging
under
new
names.
"The
government
has
asked
around
1,000
activists
of
the
proscribed
organizations
to
submit
bonds
worth
Rs.
100,000
each
that
they
will
not
indulge
in
terrorist
activities,"
Brigadier
Javed
Iqbal
Cheema,
Director
General
of
the
National
Crisis
Management
Cell
at
the
Interior
Ministry,
told
Daily
Times
on
November
19.
Cheema
said
that
the
demand
for
the
bonds
was
made
in
the
context
of
Schedule
IV
of
the
Anti-Terrorist
Act.
Meanwhile,
Interior
Minister
Faisal
Saleh
Hayat
said
that
the
Government
had
decided
to
seek
"guarantees"
from
the
terrorists
instead
of
arresting
them
as
"a
new
strategy".
"We
are
not
going
for
the
arrest
of
members
of
these
banned
groups…
We
are
closing
down
their
offices
to
deny
them
a
forum.
We
are
seeking
guarantees
from
them
that
they
do
not
indulge
in
such
activities
in
the
future.
This
is
providing
them
an
avenue
to
correct
their
behaviour.
If
they
disobey
the
government
ban
again
they
will
be
punished,"
said
Hayat.
Daily
Times,
November
20,
2003.
November
15-Turkish
suicide
bombers
had
trained
in
Pakistan:
According
to
The
Turkish
Daily
News,
Turkish
police
have
indicated
that
three
of
the
four
suicide
bombers
who
carried
out
the
November
15,
2003,
blasts
at
two
synagogues
had
received
training
in
Pakistan
during
the
nineteen
nineties.
The
report
said
that
the
police
found
pieces
of
a
Pakistani
passport
suspected
to
belong
to
one
of
the
attackers.
At
least
23
persons
were
killed
in
the
attacks.
Rediff,
November
20,
2003.
President Kumaratunga sets December 15 deadline to resolve political crisis: President Chandrika Kumaratunga has set a December 15, 2003, deadline to resolve the ongoing political standoff with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and for the two sides to decide on a Government of reconstruction and reconciliation. People's Alliance spokesperson Sarath Amunugama announced on November 21 at a press briefing in Colombo that the committee set up by the President and the Premier should conclude deliberations by December 15. Daily News, November 22, 2003.
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The South Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR) is a weekly service that brings you regular data, assessments and news briefs on terrorism, insurgencies and sub-conventional warfare, on counter-terrorism responses and policies, as well as on related economic, political, and social issues, in the South Asian region. SAIR is a project of the Institute for Conflict Management and the South Asia Terrorism Portal. |
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