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SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
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Chhattisgarh: Democracy vs. 'People's
War' The infant
State of Chhattisgarh (carved out of Madhya Pradesh in November
2000) is gradually emerging as another hub of left-wing
extremism - popularly termed the Naxalite movement (the
movement originated in Naxalbari [hence the term Naxal]
in the State of West Bengal in the late 1960s). Even as
the electorate exercises its franchise in Chhattisgarh today,
December 1, to elect a 90-member State Legislative Assembly,
in a major pre-poll attack on November 29, Naxalites
of the proscribed People's War Group (PWG)
attacked the Congress (I) candidate from Bijapur, Rajendra
Pambhoi, in the South Bastar district between Guddipal and
Modypal. While Pambhoi escaped the attack, seven security
force (SF) personnel, who were part of his security convoy,
were killed in the landmine blast. It was the third assassination
attempt on Pambhoi by the PWG, which had earlier attacked
his house and ambushed his vehicle near Raipur. This incident
is bound to have a negative impact on voters who will think
twice before casting their votes in an election which the
PWG has demanded they boycott.
After the
announcement of the election schedule in Chhattisgarh on
November 7, the left-wing extremists called for a boycott
of elections, warning of 'dire consequences' for those who
participated in the democratic process. Reportage from the
State has indicated that the poll boycott call affected
the election campaigning in the Bastar, Kanker, Dantewara
and Surguja Districts. Official sources indicate that, in
the run up to elections, as many as 17 encounters with Naxalites
occurred, in which eight SF personnel, a civilian and four
Naxalites were killed. Sources also disclosed that a day
after Pambhoi's convoy was attacked, Naxalites planted landmines
in Kanker and Dantewara districts to stop the movement of
polling parties and paramilitary forces. The State Election
Commission (SEC) said in the capital Raipur on Election
day that Naxalites forcibly took away Electronic Voting
Machines (EVMs) from five polling booths in the Bijapur
Assembly Constituency before polling could commence.
Tactical Adjustments in the Terrorist
Enterprise Sources
had earlier indicated repeated sightings of the Taliban's
'fugitive' leader, Mullah
Omar, in Quetta, and confirmation eventually
came from Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai, who indicated
that Omar had been seen praying at the Salim Plaza mosque
in the border city, and accused Pakistan of deliberately
'turning a blind eye' to terrorism in the border region
of Afghanistan. President Karzai added further that Quetta
had emerged as a 'stronghold of terrorists' and that 'recruitment
is being carried out in connivance with local authorities'.
This was not the first such accusation by the Afghan President
regarding Pakistan's role in the resurgence of violence
in Afghanistan.
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Weekly Fatalities: Major Conflicts
in South Asia
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Civilian
|
Security
Force Personnel
|
Terrorist
|
Total
|
|
|
INDIA |
||||
|
Assam |
13
|
2
|
4
|
19
|
|
Jammu
& |
8
|
11
|
21
|
40
|
|
Left-wing
|
1
|
7
|
6
|
14
|
|
Manipur |
0
|
0
|
5
|
5
|
|
Tripura |
1
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
|
Total (INDIA) |
23
|
20
|
37
|
80
|
|
NEPAL |
1
|
9
|
59
|
69
|
|
SRI LANKA |
3
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
|
* Provisional
data compiled from English language media sources.
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PCJSS
announces
agitation
programme
in
Chittagong
Hill
Tracts:
The
Parbatya
Chattagram
Jana
Sanghati
Samity
(PCJSS),
a
political
body
of
the
indigenous
people
in
the
Chittagong
Hill
Tracts
(CHT),
as
part
of
its
agitation
programme,
has
called
for
a
road
blockade
on
December
2,
2003,
and
a
dawn-to-dusk
strike
on
December
8.
The
sixth
year
of
the
CHT
peace
treaty
ends
on
December
2.
The
PCJSS
has
demanded
a
complete
implementation
of
the
peace
accord
signed
in
1997
and
resignation
of
Abdul
Wadud
Bhuiyan,
a
parliamentarian
from
the
ruling
Bangladesh
Nationalist
Party,
from
the
post
of
chairman
of
Chittagong
Hill
Tracts
Development
Board
(CHTDB).
PCJSS
chief
Jyotirindra
Bodhipriya
Larma
alias
Shantu
Larma
has
also
threatened
to
intensify
the
agitation
if
the
security
camps
were
not
withdrawn
from
the
Hills
before
December
31.
Meanwhile,
Bhuiyan
has
threatened
to
resist
the
agitation
programmes.
Daily
Star,
December
1,
2003.
Arms
and
ammunition
seized
in
capital
Dhaka:
Police
in
the
Bangladeshi
capital
Dhaka
have
reportedly
seized
four
AK-47
assault
rifles,
two
revolvers,
20
hand
grenades,
four
time
bombs,
a
large
number
of
AK-47
bullets
and
explosives
after
an
encounter
with
a
criminal
gang
at
Kuril
Badda
on
November
30,
2003.
Three
persons,
including
two
policemen,
were
injured
in
the
incident.
Subsequently,
Prime
Minister
Khaleda
Zia
directed
the
Home
Ministry
to
conduct
an
enquiry
to
identify
the
network
and
arrest
the
masterminds.
An
unnamed
police
official
was
quoted
as
saying
that
the
arms
and
ammunition
might
have
been
smuggled
in
to
be
shipped
abroad
again.
Daily
Star,
December
1,
2003.
Seven
police
personnel
killed
in
Naxalite
attack
in
Chhattisgarh:
On
November
29,
2003,
seven
police
personnel
were
killed
in
a
landmine
attack
by
left-wing
extremists
-
Naxalites
-
of
the
People's
War
Group
(PWG)
between
Guddipal
and
Modypal
in
the
Bastar
district
of
Chhattisgarh.
The
incident
occurred
while
Rajendra
Pambhoi,
the
Congress
candidate
from
Bijapur
constituency,
was
en
route
to
Madded
from
Bijapur.
The
State
Legislative
Assembly
elections
are
being
held
on
December
1.
Pambhoi
escaped
unhurt
but
seven
police
personnel,
part
of
his
security
convoy,
were
killed
in
the
blast.
Indian
Express,
November
30,
2003.
Mafia
don
Abu
Salem
and
associate
Monica
Bedi
sentenced
to
jail
in
Portugal:
Mafia
don
and
prime
accused
in
the
March
1993
Bombay
serial
blasts
case,
Abu
Salem,
and
his
associate
Monica
Bedi
were
held
guilty
on
November
28,
2003,
by
a
Portugal
Court
on
charges
of
forgery
and
the
continued
use
of
forged
documents.
Salem
was
charged
on
three
counts
by
the
Sixth
Penal
Court
of
Lisbon,
which
sentenced
him
to
a
prison
term
of
four
and
a
half
years.
His
associate
and
film
actor
Monica
Bedi
was
found
guilty
on
charges
of
forgery
and
continued
use
of
forged
documents.
However,
the
court
sentenced
her
to
a
lesser
term
of
two
years,
as
Salem
reportedly
confessed
to
having
secured
a
passport
for
her
in
the
name
of
Sana
Malik
Kamal.
Both
were
arrested
in
Lisbon,
capital
of
Portugal,
on
September
18,
2002,
on
an
Interpol
'red
corner'
notice.
Meanwhile,
confirming
the
prison
terms,
Central
Bureau
of
Investigation
(CBI)
Director,
P.C.
Sharma,
said
that
the
Portuguese
Court
on
Extradition
was
also
expected
to
pronounce
its
order
on
India's
extradition
request
for
Abu
Salem.
The
Hindu,
November
29,
2003.
Cease-fire
with
Pakistan
comes
into
being:
The
formal
cease-fire
between
India
and
Pakistan
along
the
International
Border
(IB),
Line
of
Control
(LoC)
and
the
Actual
Ground
Position
Line
(AGPL)
in
Jammu
and
Kashmir
began
on
the
midnight
of
November
25,
2003.
There
was
no
firing
from
midnight
on
any
part
of
the
LoC,
S.M.
Sahai,
Deputy
Inspector
General
of
Police
on
the
Jammu
side
of
the
line,
said
on
November
25.
According
to
Sahai,
the
last
shots
fired
between
the
two
armies
in
that
area
were
at
7:30
AM
on
November
25.
Earlier,
the
External
Affairs
Ministry
spokesperson
said
in
Delhi
that
the
Directors-General
of
Military
Operations
(DGMO)
of
India
and
Pakistan,
in
their
weekly
telephonic
conversation,
agreed
to
the
cease-fire
accord.
Separately,
a
statement
of
the
Army
Headquarters
said,
"Pursuant
to
the
understanding
between
the
Governments
of
India
and
Pakistan,
the
two
DGMOs
discussed
the
modalities
of
implementation
of
the
proposal.
It
was
mutually
agreed
that
the
ceasefire
will
be
enforced
between
the
two
sides,
along
all
the
sectors
of
the
IB,
LoC
and
AGPL..."
Daily
Excelsior,
November
26,
2003.
Interpol notice against 11 Maoist leaders: The Interpol has reportedly issued Red Corner notices against 11 Maoist leaders, including the chief Pushpakamal Dahal alias Prachanda, chief negotiator in the peace talks Baburam Bhattarai and spokesperson Krishna Bahadur Mahara. According to Interpol's Nepal office, a similar notice has been issued against Chandraprakash Gajurel, who is currently under detention in India for traveling with fake travel documents. The Hindu, November 28, 2003.
Taliban
chief
Mullah
Omar
seen
in
Quetta,
claims
Afghan
President
Karzai:
Afghan
President
Hamid
Karzai
has
claimed
that
Taliban
chief
Mullah
Mohammed
Omar
was
seen
at
Quetta
in
Pakistan
last
week.
Karzai
told
London-based
The
Times
that
he
had
received
information
that
Mullah
Omar
was
spotted
praying
in
a
mosque
in
Quetta.
Karzai
also
said
that
Quetta
was
a
stronghold
for
Islamist
extremists
opposing
the
coalition
forces
in
Afghanistan.
Meanwhile,
Pakistani
Information
Minister
Sheikh
Rashid
Ahmed
rejected
Karzai's
claim
and
said
that
he
hoped
the
Afghan
leadership
would
"desist
from
issuing
statements
which
could
impede
relations
between
the
two
countries".
Daily
Times,
November
30,
2003.
Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
rejects
India-Pakistan
cease-fire:
Speaking
to
the
Agence
France-Presse
from
Muzaffarabad
in
Pakistan
occupied
Kashmir
(PoK),
a
spokesperson
for
the
Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM)
said
that
the
outfit
would
continue
its
attacks
in
Jammu
and
Kashmir
despite
the
ongoing
cease-fire
between
India
and
Pakistan
on
the
Line
of
Control
(LoC).
"The
ceasefire
is
by
the
two
armies
and
not
by
the
Mujahedin,"
said
Salim
Hashmi.
While
terming
the
cease-fire
as
posturing,
he
added,
"In
the
absence
of
a
permanent
solution
to
the
festering
issue,
all
such
steps
will
prove
to
be
cosmetic
and
transitory."
Nation,
November
29,
2003.
Ten
Pakistanis
detained
in
Latvia
for
terrorist
plot:
Police
in
Latvia
are
reported
to
have
detained
10
Pakistani
citizens
on
November
21,
2003,
in
connection
with
a
suspected
terrorist
attack
targeting
the
visiting
Israeli
basketball
team.
"Bearing
in
mind
the
likelihood
of
a
terror
attack
and
illegal
immigration,
the
Security
Police
informed
the
state
border
guard
and
the
10
Pakistanis
were
detained
on
November
21,"
said
Kristine
Apse-Krumina,
an
aide
to
the
chief
of
the
Security
Police.
She
said
security
officials
became
suspicious
after
the
10
entered
Latvia
on
November
18
to
participate
in
an
international
martial
arts
tournament
and
only
one
of
them
participated.
Kristine
said
the
scrutiny
of
the
Pakistanis'
return
airline
tickets
indicated
that
they
were
planning
to
leave
Latvia
aboard
the
same
plane
as
the
Israeli
basketball
players
from
Tel
Aviv
club
Hapoel,
due
to
play
against
Riga
club
Skonto.
Nation,
November
26,
2003.
