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SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 10, No. 25, December 26, 2011
Data and
assessments from SAIR can be freely published in any form
with credit to the South Asia Intelligence Review of the
South Asia Terrorism Portal
|
Karachi:
Annus Horribilis
Ambreen Agha
Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management
On December
12, 2011, the Gadap Town Police in Karachi, the Provincial
capital of Sindh, rescued 53 children chained in an underground
dungeon at a seminary, the Jamia Masjid Zakaria Kandhelwi
Madrassa Arabia, situated in the Afghan Basti in the Sohrab
Goth area of Karachi. These children had been chained
for 30 days. Unearthing tales of torture, the Police revealed
that the chained captives received indoctrination from
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
instructors, preparing them to join the outfit’s ‘jihad’
(holy war) on the Afghan front. One of the rescued students
stated, "We are being made mujahedeen (holy
warriors) here. We are being made Taliban here. They say
you should get training... we will send you to fight."
An unnamed Police official told the Press, "The rescued
students included kids as young as seven years old and
21 teenagers,'' and further revealed that the chained
students were beaten and barely fed.
This gory
incident is only the tip of the iceberg. There are more
than 1,935 seminaries in Sindh, of which 1,800 are in
Karachi alone. Crucially, most of the seminaries in Karachi
are run by religious political parties that preach sectarianism
and extremist Islamism, destabilizing both internal order
in the country and regional security.
Karachi,
a city of migrants, is, today, a fragmented city. Karachi’s
violent landscape has long been scarred by ethnic and
sectarian conflicts, in addition to conflicts, and is
plagued by extortion and politically motivated crimes
as well. The Mohajirs (migrants from India, who
came to Karachi during Partition) are supported by the
militant Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), while Pashtuns
constitute the political elite of the Awami National Party
(ANP). A multiplicity of armed radical formations – prominently
including, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ),
Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP),
Sunni Tehreek (ST), and TTP dominate life in Sindh’s capital
city.
Significantly,
however, out of the 23 Districts in the Province, it is
only Karachi which is constantly rocked by acts of ethnic
and political violence, including an endless stream of
target
killings. In fact, all 1,048
terrorism-related fatalities in the Province, recorded
by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP, all data
till December 25) through 2011, have occurred in Karachi
alone. The fatalities included 923 civilians, 60 Security
Force (SF) personnel and 65 militants. Fatalities in 2010
stood at 172. The 2011 data includes ‘Targeted Killings’,
which many believe are carried out by the terrorists,
backed by warring political parties, while SATP data till
2010 excluded this category. The Human Rights Commission
of Pakistan (HRCP) had recorded 749 fatalities in ‘Targeted
Killings’ through 2010, and 490 in the first seven months
of 2011.
Some of
the major incidents of violence in Karachi through 2011
included:
December
9: Three Rangers were killed while four sustained serious
injuries in a blast that occurred near Safura Chowrangi
in the Gulistan-e-Jauhar area of Karachi.
September
19: At least eight people were killed in a suicide car
bomb attack targeting Senior Superintendent of Police,
Crime Investigation Department (CID), Chaudhry Aslam,
in the Darakhshan area of Karachi.
August
18: Politically motivated ethnic violence claimed at least
27 lives in Karachi.
August
1: 40 people, including activists of the MQM and the Pakistan
People's Party (PPP), were killed and several others were
injured in various parts of Karachi.
July 8:
At least 35 people were killed and several were wounded
when unidentified assailants attacked passenger buses
and went on shooting sprees in several neighbourhoods
in Karachi.
April 21:
At least 18 people were killed and 41 sustained injuries
in a powerful blast that ripped through Rami Club building
near Ghaas Mandi area of Lyari locality in Karachi.
Karachi
has, indeed, the unfortunate distinction of being the
worst affected District in all of terror-ridden Pakistan.
The fatalities in Karachi exceed the fatalities in the
entire province of Punjab (137) and Balochistan (672),
and almost equal those in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (1,191).
Unsurprisingly,
Khalid Tawab, Vice President of the Federation of Pakistan
Chambers of Commerce and Industry, notes, “There is law
in Karachi but there is no order.” HRCP Chairperson Asma
Jahangir on August 23, 2011, observed that armed men from
all political parties were involved in extortion and ‘Target
Killings’ on the roads of Karachi, making the city a living
hell. “The heads of all the parties would have to sit
together to find solution to the crisis of Karachi where
people of all parties were playing a game of death,” she
added.
At the
root of this sectarian, ethnic and political violence
is the bhatta (extortion) system that has been
prevalent in Karachi for the past two decades. The struggle
is for the control of the country’s economic hub. Karachi
accounts for over 50 per cent of the total revenue collected
by the Federal Bureau of Revenue, and accounts for about
20 per cent of Pakistan’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Media reports indicate that all the major political parties
participate in the collection of bhatta from their
areas of dominance. Turf wars over control of bhatta
among various parties have instigated target killings
and gang wars.
Prominent
among the various criminal gangs operating in Karachi
are the Rehman Dakait Group, Arshad Pappu Group, D Company
(Dawood Ibrahim Group), the Shoaib Group and the the Lyari
Gang. The Lyari Gang has been among the most active in
extortion, drug peddling and gambling related killings,
backed by the political groups like the Peoples Aman
(Peace) Committee (PAC), the Kachchi Raabita Committee
(KRC) and elements within the local administration. Gang
wars are the defining feature of the underdeveloped Lyari
neighbourhood, making it a virtual “no-go area” for common
people. Regrettably, as one unnamed Police officer told
the media, narcotics and gambling dens in Karachi were
run under the patronage of Police officers, often up to
the highest ranks.
Enormously
compounding the problem are the various sectarian-terrorist
groupings operating in the city. These include LeJ, SSP,
Jundullah, Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami-Arakan (HuJI-A),
Harkat-ul-Mujahedeen-al-Alami (HuMA), ST, Sipah-e-Muhammad
Pakistan (SMP), Jafaria Alliance (JA), and the more recent,
but increasingly visible TTP. Confirming the presence
of TTP in Karachi, Federal Minister of the Interior Rehman
Malik stated, on July 8, 2011, “Intelligence Agencies
have identified presence of the TTP in Karachi and the
Government is working on it.” On December 19, 2011, the
CID arrested six TTP suspects and recovered weapons from
their possession from different places, including the
Korangi Industrial Area, Sohrab Goth and Saddar areas
of Karachi. Officials said that the accused were associated
with the TTP and were providing logistic support to TTP
militants who arrived in the city from tribal areas.
Apart from
sectarian-terrorist groups, Karachi also provides space
to mainstream religious groups such as the Jama’at-e-Islami
(JeI), Jama’at Ulema-e-Pakistan (JuP), Jama’at Ulema-e-Islam
(JuI), Markazi Jama’at Ahl-e-Hadith, Jama’at Ghurba-e-Ahle
Hadith, Jama’at-ul-Muslimeen (JM), Dawat-e-Islami (DI)
and Tableeghi Jama’at (TJ). Many of these groups have
direct linkages with armed extremist formations, and all
of them have been instrumental in shaping the religious-sectarian-extremist
landscape in Karachi, and in fuelling ethno-political
conflicts.
Conspicuously,
the religious-political-criminal groups involved in terrorizing
Karachi have been aided and abated by the huge and unhindered
inflow of arms and ammunition into the city. During a
debate in the Senate on January 18, 2011, it was revealed
that there were no less than an estimated two million
weapons in Karachi alone. Abuse of a lax and deeply corrupted
licensing system has enormously facilitated illegal arms
possession. On August 1, 2010, Interior Minister Malik
had claimed that “some people in Karachi are keeping around
50 weapons on a single license”. On August 8, 2011, in
the middle of a wave of escalating violence, Malik had
claimed that Karachi would be 'deweaponised'
in phases, and that all arms licenses issued by the Ministry
of Interior would stand cancelled with effect from September
1, 2011. He added, further, that no arms licenses, except
those issued by the National Database and Registration
Authority (NADRA), a Federal Department of the Government
of Pakistan which has now been authorised to issue arms
license, would be valid. Malik also stressed that criminals
carrying illegal arms would be tried under the Anti-Terrorism
Act, 1997, and the Arms Ordinance, 1969. Possession of
illegal weapons would be a non-bailable offence, with
a minimum punishment of seven years, going up to life,
imprisonment. A reward scheme was also announced for informers,
with PKR 20,000 on offer for the recovery of automatic
weapons and PKR 50,000 for heavy weapons.
There have
been repeated earlier attempts by the Government to de-weaponise
Karachi, but each of these failed to accomplish their
objectives. Partial data compiled by SATP has recorded
57 incidents of arms and ammunition recovery in Karachi
in 2011, of which 33 incidents occurred after Malik’s
August Declaration on deweaponisation. The recoveries
included Kalashnikovs, hand grenades, suicide jackets,
TT pistol, and other sophisticated weaponry. The estimate
of over two million weapons in circulation in the city,
however, indicates clearly that these recoveries do not
even begin to scratch the surface of the problem.
Evidently
failing to deal effectively with the situation, Malik
has started making allegations about “foreign hands” in
the Karachi violence. On July 17, 2011, even before his
de-weaponisation drive was initiated, he had already declared,
“The use of Israeli-made weapons indicates ‘foreign hands'’
behind the Karachi unrest. Over 200 persons have been
arrested and Israeli-made weapons, including AK-45, have
been recovered from them. It proves that foreign hands
are behind the unrest in Karachi. Weapons are being brought
to Karachi from abroad. Not only weapons, even target
killers also were coming from outside.”
Though
the SFs have managed to arrest as many as 1,979 suspects
through 2011 [till December 25], the core issues of weaponisation,
ethnic violence, political patronage and sectarian strife
continue to haunt Karachi. The courts, in any event, operate
a turnstile system, quickly releasing a majority of those
arrested, even as enforcement agencies fail to build an
effective case against the accused.
It is evident
that peace cannot be restored to Karachi without the elimination
of millions of illegal weapons, the extortion racket that
is running the politics of Sindh, and the rampage of armed
criminal and Islamist extremist groupings. On January
19, 2011, civil society activists and business representatives
called for the complete de-weaponisation of Karachi in
order to control target killings. Zia Ahmad Awan, President
Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Aid, thus demanded,
“all the arms licenses should be cancelled and all the
illegal weapons should be recovered across the board;
the criminals should be treated as ‘criminals’ irrespective
of party affiliations and sympathies.”
The patronage
extended to armed and extremist political, ethnic, sectarian
and criminal groups has shattered the structures of society
in Karachi. Before the province sinks deep into a ‘civil
war’, the coalition Government of Sindh, comprising of
the PPP, MQM and the ANP, will have to abandon its old
policy of protecting terrorist and criminal elements,
dismantle the bhatta system, and work towards the
demilitarization of the population. Unfortunately, each
of these political formations has deep vested interests
in the perpetuation of these insidious systems and structures,
and there is little reason to believe, despite escalating
violence and fatalities, that effective action is now
imminent.
|
Bihar:
Elusive Coherence
Deepak Kumar Nayak
Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management
The Communist
Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist)
sent a hand-written letter each to the offices of Araria
District Magistrate Saravanan M. and Superintendent of
Police (SP) Shivdeep Lande, seeking the unconditional
release of the rebels lodged in Araria Jail. The letters
were signed by Krishna Yadav, who identified himself as
an ‘area commander’ of the CPI-Maoist. Sources indicated
that the letters, received on December 21, 2011, by Shivdeep
Lande, and on December 22, 2011 by Saravanan M., were
sent from Khagaria District. On December 22, the Araria
SP disclosed that about 600 prisoners were lodged in the
Araria Jail, but could not confirm the number of Maoists
among them.
Earlier,
on December 9, 2011, the Maoists abducted seven labourers
from two different construction sites at Pakari village
in Jamui District. The Maoists took the labourers into
the Garhi Forest area, as the construction firm for which
they were working had failed to meet their demands for
money. Prior to this incident, Vinay Singh alias
Manan Singh, the husband of the Dharfari sarpanch
(head of village level local self-Government institution)
Kamini Singh, was shot dead by a group of about 30 Maoists,
who attacked the village under the Paroo block in Muzaffarpur
District, to enforce the Bharat Bandh (All India
shutdown) called by the CPI-Maoist on December
4, 2011. On the same day, heavily armed Maoists
attacked a Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA)
battalion camp under Dumaria Police Station in Gaya District,
though no casualties were reported from either side. Elsewhere
in the State, a large number of Maoists stormed Suhi village
under the Kutumba Police Station in Aurangabad District
and set fire to the mobile tower of private mobile operator
Airtel. A day earlier, on December 3, about 30 to 40 armed
Maoists had raided Chain village in Jamui District and
demolished another mobile tower using explosives.
These recent
incidents are part of a sustained campaign. According
to partial data collected by the South Asian Terrorism
Portal (SATP), a total of 216 Maoist-related incidents
have been recorded across 24 of 38 Districts in the State
in 2011 (all data till December 25, 2011). In 2010, 26
Districts witnessed as many as 200 such incidents.
While the
number of incidents has increased, the number of fatalities
as well as incidents involving death, decreased, as did
the number of Districts from where fatalities have been
reported. SATP data recorded as many as 53 fatalities,
comprising of 32 civilians, 19 militants and three Security
Force (SF) personnel in 36 incidents of killing in nine
Districts, as against 98 fatalities, including 54 civilians,
24 SF personnel and 20 militants, in 2010, in 40 incidents
of killing reported from 12 Districts.
Fatalities in Left Wing Extremism
in Bihar: 2005-2011
Year
|
Civilians
|
SFs
|
LWEs
|
Total
|
2005
|
25
|
29
|
52
|
106
|
2006
|
16
|
5
|
19
|
40
|
2007
|
23
|
21
|
5
|
49
|
2008
|
35
|
21
|
15
|
71
|
2009
|
37
|
25
|
16
|
78
|
2010
|
54
|
24
|
20
|
98
|
2011*
|
32
|
3
|
19
|
54
|
Total
|
222
|
128
|
146
|
496
|
Source:
SATP, *Data till December 25, 2011
District
wise fatalities in Left Wing Extremism in Bihar:
2011*
District
|
Civilians
|
SFs
|
LWE
|
Total
|
Aurangabad
|
2
|
0
|
2
|
4
|
Banka
|
3
|
0
|
6
|
9
|
East
Champaran
|
6
|
0
|
6
|
12
|
Gaya
|
3
|
2
|
2
|
7
|
Jamui
|
7
|
1
|
0
|
8
|
Munger
|
6
|
0
|
0
|
6
|
Muzaffarpur
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Patna
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
Rohtas
|
4
|
0
|
2
|
6
|
Total
|
32
|
3
|
19
|
54
|
Source:
SATP, *Data till December 25, 2011
District wise fatalities
in Left Wing Extremism in Bihar: 2010*
District
|
Civilians
|
SFs
|
LWE
|
Total
|
Aurangabad
|
9
|
4
|
1
|
14
|
Banka
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
Begusarai
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
East
Champaran
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
Gaya
|
6
|
5
|
3
|
14
|
Jamui
|
15
|
0
|
2
|
17
|
Kaimur
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
Lakhisarai
|
0
|
8
|
0
|
8
|
Munger
|
4
|
1
|
13
|
18
|
Patna
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
Rohtas
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
5
|
Sheohar
|
6
|
5
|
0
|
11
|
Total
|
54
|
24
|
20
|
98
|
Source:
SATP, *Data till December 31, 2011
**LWEs:
Left Wing Extremists
Significantly,
the State recorded just four major incidents (involving
three or more fatalities) of Maoist-related violence through
2011, as against five in 2010. The major incidents in
2011 included:
July 30,
2011: CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead three villagers belonging
to the Kharwar tribe at Banda village under the Nauhatta
Police Station in Rohtas District. The bodies of the victims
were recovered on July 31.
July 1,
2011: Nearly 50 armed CPI-Maoist cadres stormed Bangalwa
Kareli village in Munger District, killed six people and
abducted seven others. The abducted persons were released
a day later.
March 13,
2011: Six CPI-Maoist cadres were killed and one Special
Auxiliary Police (SAP) trooper was injured in an encounter
between the SFs and the Maoists in Dharmaha village under
the Kalyanpur Police Station in East Champaran District.
February
26, 2011: Six CPI-Maoist cadres were reportedly killed
by the SFs during an encounter that lasted over five hours
in Majidih village in Banka District.
The State
also recorded at least 28 incidents of explosion in 2011,
as against 23 in 2010. 18 incidents of abduction were
reported in 2011 as against 14 in 2010. Similarly, reported
incidents of extortion increased from three to five [significant
under-reportage of abduction and extortion incidents is
likely]. 24 incidents of Maoists targeting economic assets
were reported in 2010, increasing to 32 in 2011 according
to SATP data. According to a Ministry of Home Affairs
(MHA) release, Details of Incidents of Damage to Economic
Infrastructure, however, 38 incidents of Maoists targeting
economic assets were reported in 2011, as against 41 in
2010, 59 in 2009 and 25 in 2008.
An index
of the pervasive fear inflicted by the Maoists was provided
by a shocking incident on April 13, 2011, when all 682
candidates for various posts in the panchayat polls,
which were to be conducted on April 20 in nine panchayats
(village level local self-Government institution) under
the Dumaria Block in Gaya District, withdrew their nominations,
apparently giving in to the Maoists call for a poll boycott.
Further, the Maoists organised Kangaroo courts (“people’s
court”) on at least three instances, brutally assaulting
people alleged to be Police informers or for other ‘crimes’.
SFs operations
have continued fitfully in the State. According to Bihar
Police data, by December 18, 2011, the Government had
arrested 202 LWE as against 199 such arrests in 2010 and
161 in 2009. In the most successful of these operations,
on June 12, 2011, the SFs arrested Jagdish Yadav alias
Jagdish Master alias Akhileshji alias Prabhatji,
a top CPI-Maoist politburo member, in Gaya District. Earlier,
on April 29, 2011, three Central Committee members, identified
as Varanasi Subramanyam alias Shrikant alias
Sukant alias Vimal (58), Secretary of the North
Regional Bureau; Pulendu Shekhar Mukherjee alias
Jhantu Mukherjee alias Saheb Da alias Joyda
(69), Secretary of the Eastern Regional Bureau; and Vijay
Kumar Arya alias Jaspalji alias Amar (50),
all-India in-charge of the Sub-Committee of Mass Organisation
(SUCOMO); were arrested along with Abhimanyu alias
Umesh Yadav alias Rajendra (47), ‘secretary’ of
the Uttar Bihar-Uttar Pradesh-Uttarakhand Regional Bureau
(also known as “3-Us Regional Bureau”); Nokhe Lal Chowdhary
alias Suraj alias Bakraf (30), a North Bihar
Eastern Zonal Committee (NBEZC) member; Shyamji Rishi,
another member of NBEZC. Other prominent arrestees through
2011 include, Yogi Singh, ‘secretary’, North Bihar Central
Zone, from Khagarai District on March 8; Baidyanath Tiwari
alias Tula Nand Tiwari alias Binod Mahto
alias Sameerji alias Bhagwan Dada, ‘secretary’
of the Bihar Jharkhand Special Area Committee (BJSAC),
from Banka District on April 14; and Avinash, spokesperson
for the east Bihar and north Jharkhand Zonal Committee,
also from Banka District on July 1.
The SFs
also seized arms and ammunition on at least 34 occasions
in 2011, as against 29 in 2010. In the most recent of
such incidents, the Police neutralised an illegal arms
and ammunition factory on December 17, 2011, which was
operating from a rented house in the Kanholi area under
Mithanpura Police Station in Muzaffarpur District. The
Police team recovered a stock of 900 cartridges and equipment
that the Maoists used to make pistols and other firearms.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP, Muzaffarpur) Rajesh
Kumar said the cartridges made at the arms factory were
being supplied to CPI-Maoist cadres operating in north
Bihar Districts.
Clearly,
not much has changed in the State in terms of Maoist violence
in comparison to the preceding year, and fighting capabilities
and political will to fight the menace remains elusive.
The State still records the lowest number of Policemen
(64) per 100,000 population among all States in the Country,
less than half the national average of 133 (which itself
is far from satisfactory according to international standard).
Meanwhile, Chief Minister (CM) Nitish Kumar on February
1, 2011, promised to recruit 45,000 constables and 9,500
sub-inspectors over next five years. He disclosed that
12,000 constables had been recruited recently and that
the State had also been provided with 23 companies of
Central Paramilitary Forces (CPMFs). The lack of political
will is also quite evident for all, with the Chief Minister
repeatedly emphasising ‘talk'
with the Maoists over an operational response. While the
Nitish Kumar Government’s performance has been hailed
on a wide range of other administrative parameters, coherence
in its response to the Maoists remains beyond its reach.
|
Weekly Fatalities: Major
Conflicts in South Asia
December 19-25,
2011
|
Civilians
|
Security
Force Personnel
|
Terrorists/Insurgents
|
Total
|
INDIA
|
|
Assam
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
Jammu and
Kashmir
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Manipur
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
Nagaland
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
Left-wing
Extremism
|
|
Andhra Pradesh
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Bihar
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
Jharkhand
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
3
|
Total (INDIA)
|
6
|
1
|
4
|
11
|
PAKISTAN
|
|
Balochistan
|
10
|
0
|
2
|
12
|
FATA
|
1
|
3
|
65
|
69
|
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
|
0
|
7
|
1
|
8
|
Sindh
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
4
|
Total (PAKISTAN)
|
15
|
10
|
68
|
93
|
Provisional
data compiled from English language media sources.
|
BANGLADESH
Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina alerts Awami League men to 'subversive activities':
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directed her party men to remain
alert to any subversive activities in the country aimed at foiling
the war crimes trial on December 22. The people of Bangladesh
now want the trial of war criminals and the Government will
do it, she told Bandarban District Awami League (AL) leaders
at a meeting at her Gono Bhaban residence. Daily
Star, December 23, 2011.
INDIA
Maoists in
Odisha recruit 5,000 youths during 'PLGA Week': During the
'Peoples Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Week [December 2-8]',
about 5,000 youths and adolescent girls were recruited by the
Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) particularly from
Malkangiri District, sources said. Challenging the joint combing
operation of Police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Special
Operation Group (SOG) and paramilitary forces, they were able
to hold open meetings for membership drive in the cut-off and
remote pockets of the District. The
Poiner , December 22, 2011.
NIA charge
sheets two serving ISI officers, David Coleman Headley and Hafiz
Saeed in 26/11 case: The National Investigation Agency (NIA)
on December 24 filed charge sheets against nine persons, including
two serving Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officers- Major
Iqbal and Major Samir Ali - as well as Pakistani-American of
Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operative David Coleman Headley and Hafiz
Saeed, founder of LeT for the 26/11 attacks in India. This is
the first time India has framed terror charges against serving
officers of Pakistan's Army for terror attacks in India.
Times of India,
December 25, 2011.
Militants
have triggered 11970 blasts in Jammu and Kashmir since 1990,
says Jammu and Kashmir Home Department report: According
to the official data of Jammu and Kashmir Home Department, militants
have triggered as many as 11,970 blasts to target security personnel
and civilians in the State since 1990. A total of 1,766 people
were killed and 15,685 others injured in these blasts, it mentioned.
Of the total number of blasts, 5,722 were triggered using (Improvised
Explosive Device) IEDs while the remaining 6,248 by hurling
grenades, the data said.
Greater Kashmir,
December 24, 2011.
Arms smugglers
based in China are supplying weapons to Northeast militants:
Defence Minister A K Antony informed the Lok Sabha on December
19 that Arms smugglers based in China are supplying weapons
to insurgent outfits in the northeastern states through Myanmar
or Bangladesh. Antony said, "There are reports that insurgent
outfits operating in the northeastern states have been procuring
arms through arms smugglers based in Yunnan province of China,
Myanmar and Southeast Asian countries," he said in reply to
a written query.
The Sangi Express,
December 20, 2011.
Recently busted
terror module in New Delhi had links with Lashkar-e-Toiba, says
Government: The Centre on December 20 said a terror module
busted in Delhi recently had links with the Lashkar-e-Toiba
(LeT). Union Minister of State for Home Jitendra Singh said
a special team of Delhi Police with the help of central intelligence
agencies and Police from West Bengal, Bihar and Tamil Nadu arrested
seven members, including a Pakistani national, of an Indian
Mujahideen module in November.
Daily Bhasker,
December 22, 2011.
NIA prepares
template to gather information on terror funding: National
Investigation Agency (NIA) has prepared a 'Terror Funding Template'
(TFT), which will help its officials and investigators of states'
anti-terror agencies to extract information on terror funding.
The TFT has been circulated to all states and Union Territories
for getting relevant information from terrorists and terror
suspects during their interrogation and probe.
Times of India,
December 21, 2011.
NEPAL
New recruitment
in NA will be done on competition, says Defence Ministry:
The Defence Ministry clarified that the new recruitment in the
Nepal Army (NA) will be done on competition, denying that there
will be "group entry" of Madheshis. Deputy Prime Minister and
Home Minister Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar, who also oversees the
Defence Ministry, unveiled the policy paper on making the NA
inclusive. Nepal
News, December 24, 2011.
Parties agree
to incorporate 'Armed Struggle' phrase in preamble of new constitution:
The Unified communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) bid to
incorporate "People's War" phrase into the preamble of new constitution
that is being drafted has failed as political parties instead
agreed to replace it with "Armed Struggle" phrase. A meeting
of the Dispute Resolution Sub Committee formed to settle contentious
issues seen in constitution drafting and peace process on December
20 ended the disagreement among the parties over the issue of
whether to incorporate "People's War" or "Armed Struggle" into
the preamble. Nepal
News, December 21, 2011.
PAKISTAN
65 militants
among 69 persons killed during the week in FATA: At least
22 militants and three Security Force (SF) personnel were killed
and unspecified number of others injured as clashes erupted
between the two sides in Jogi area in Kurram Agency of Federally
Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on December 25.
Twelve militants
were killed and seven others injured when jet fighters pounded
militant hideouts in Toor Semat, Jandri and Jabba Killi localities
in Muhammadzai, a Taliban stronghold, of Orakzai Agency.
At least 30 Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP) militants were killed and 18 SF personnel were
injured in the ongoing operation in Upper Orakzai Agency on
December 21. Daily
Times; Dawn;
The
News; Tribune,
December 20-26, 2011.
Top al Qaeda
leaders moving from Pakistan to North Africa, reports The
Guardian: British officials believed that senior leaders
of al Qaeda in Pakistan had been killed in an intense campaign
of drone strikes and others are moving to North Africa. According
to a report published in The Guardian, the officials
are confident that a "last push" in 2012 is likely to destroy
the group's remaining senior leadership in the country. The
report claimed that the militants are now moving to North Africa,
including Libya, to open new fronts, raising fears that the
region could become a new battle field. Dawn,
December 26, 2011.
CIA suspends
drone missile strikes in Pakistan, says The Los Angeles Times
report: The United States (US) Central Intelligence Agency
(CIA) has suspended drone missile strikes on gatherings of low-ranking
militants in Pakistan due to tensions with that country. Citing
unnamed current and former US officials, The Los Angeles
Times said on December 23 the undeclared halt in CIA attacks
is aimed at reversing a sharp erosion of trust between the two
countries. Daily
Times, December 25, 2011.
Pakistan deadliest
country for journalists in 2011: Pakistan remained the deadliest
country for journalists for the second year in a row, while
coverage of political unrest around the world was "unusually
dangerous," a New York press advocacy group The Committee
to Protect Journalists said on December 20. The Committee
to Protect Journalists said in its year-end report that 43 journalists
died around the world in 2011. Seven journalists were killed
in Pakistan, where 29 journalists have been killed in the past
five years. Dawn,
December 21, 2011.
Unregistered
Madaris to be illegal after January 1, 2012, says Federal
Minister for Interior Rehman Malik: Federal Minister for
Interior Rehman Malik, on December 19, said that the Madaris
(religious seminaries) which are not registered with Wafaq-ul/Tanzeem-ul
Madaris would be considered illegal after January 1, 2012. The
minister said, "We all condemn December 12, 2011 Sohrab Goth
incident in Karachi when Police rescued around 50 students of
a madrassa who were found chained in the basement during a raid".
Daily
Times, December 20, 2011.
Mistrust and
miscommunication led to NATO attack, says US investigation report:
The United States (US) Air Force Special Operations Command's
Brigadier General and investigating officer into the NATO air
strike Stephen Clark said on December 22 that the lack of trust
and series of miscommunications contributed to the NATO attack
on November 26. Clark said that NATO failed to give precise
information to Pakistan about its positions during the operation
because of general mistrust as it is believed that earlier ISAF
operations were compromised when Pakistan was told the exact
locations of the US forces. Tribune,
December 23, 2011.
Only 29 percent
of non-military US supplies go through Pakistan, reveals a new
SFRC Report: A new Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC)
report on December 19 said that only 29 percent of non-military
US supplies go through Pakistan. It said American strategy is
focused on Central Asia in part as a response to the challenges
of transiting supplies through Pakistan for the Afghan war.
According to report, the United States (US) has increasingly
relied on the Northern Distribution Network to send non-military
supplies to Afghanistan since 2009. Tribune,
December 20, 2011.
Balochistan
will not remain with Pakistan, says senior Baloch leader Sardar
Ataullah Mengal: A senior Baloch nationalist leader on December
19 warned that Balochistan would not "remain with" Pakistan
if extra-judicial killings and excesses by Security Forces (SFs)
in were not stopped immediately in Balochistan." If steps were
not taken immediately to halt the extra-judicial killing of
Baloch nationalists and to engage them in a dialogue, then "Balochistan
will not remain with you", said Sardar Ataullah Mengal, a senior
leader of the Balochistan National Party (BNP). Times
of India, December 20, 2011.
No plan for
'takeover', says Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq
Parvez Kayani: Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq
Parvez Kayani on December 23 brushed aside all the speculations
of any military takeover. "The Pakistan Army has and will continue
to support democratic process in the country," General Kayani
declared. Daily
Times, December 24, 2011.
SRI LANKA
Over 88,600
Northern families resettled, informs Government: The Government
has completed the resettlement of 88,666 displaced families
in the North to-date. This was revealed by Industry and Commerce
Minister Rishard Bathiutheen and Northern Province Governor
Major General G. A. Chandrasiri on December 19. Minister Bathiutheen
said the number of families resettled district wise in the North
is Mannar - 18,273, Mullaitivu - 4,373, Vavuniya - 11,291, Killinochchi
- 4,859 and Jaffna 49,870.
Daily News,
December 21, 2011.
Army camps
to stay, stresses President Mahinda Rajapakse: President
Mahinda Rajapakse said that the Army camps set up at District
level are of national importance, and these camps which have
been established with the intention of promoting national security
will not be removed. He noted that this was a policy maintained
by every Government after achieving independence. Daily
News, December 22, 2011.
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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