PLAGIARISM | Failed Coup | Meghalaya: Festering Wounds | South Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR), Vol. No. 10.29
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SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 10, No. 29, January 23, 2012

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


ASSESSMENT


PLAGIARISM

The Court of the District Judge, Delhi, has held that Professor Kristoffel Lieten, who holds the Child Labour Chair at the University of Amsterdam and at the Institute of Social History in Amsterdam, Monique Mekenkamp, Programme Coordinator, Africa and Asia, European Centre for Conflict Prevention (renamed Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict), and Paul van Tongeren, Founder and Executive Director, European Centre for Conflict Prevention, among others, had plagiarised a paper authored by Dr. Ajai Sahni, Executive Director, Institute for Conflict Management and South Asia Terrorism Portal, and Editor, South Asia Intelligence Review.

BANGLADESH
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Failed Coup
Ajit Kumar Singh
Research Fellow, Institute for Conflict Management

Bangladesh has taken firm steps to quell violent Islamist extremist groupings operating on and from its soil, but it is clear that these groups have not abandoned their ideology or their objectives, and that they retain significant capacities, though pressure by intelligence and enforcement agencies has pushed them underground. The introduction of the 15th Amendment Bill of the Constitution on June 30,2011, which gives Islam the status of the 'State Religion', may well expand the spaces for radical Islamist politics in the country, legitimizing extremist formations and radical political parties such as the JeI. These are the very forces that have repeatedly jeopardized stability and development in Bangladesh in the past, and the state will have to remain extraordinarily vigilant if they are not to return to prominence in the proximate future.
HuJI-B: Potent Threat, SAIR, August 1, 2011
HuT's radical ideology, the propagation of hatred against 'infidels' and 'deviants', and the flirtation with violence and terrorism hold significant potential dangers within the far from stable South Asian environment.
HuT: Extremist Spectre, SAIR, October 24, 2011

In nearly three years of almost consistently positive news from Bangladesh, the revelation that a coup plot had been foiled by Dhaka has sent shock waves through the region, and underlined the dangers of residual Islamist extremism within the country.

On January 19, 2012, it was disclosed that the Bangladesh Army had discovered and neutralized a plot by some serving and retired Army officers, at the instigation of some Bangladeshi civilians at home and abroad, capitalizing on the sentiments of the Islamist extremists. The conspiracy was intended to overthrow the Awami League (AL) led civilian Government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed.

Revealing the details of the plot, Brigadier General Muhammad Mashud Razzaq, Director of the Personnel Services Directorate, and Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Sazzad Siddique, acting Judge Advocate General of the Army, in a Press briefing on January 19, 2012, circulated a statement saying that “around 14 to 16 mid-level officers were believed to have been involved in the bid”, which came to notice when Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Ehsan Yusuf on December 13, 2011, instigated a serving Major (not named) to join him in executing his plan. The Major revealed the plot through the chain of command. Two retired officers, Ehsan Yusuf and Major Zakir, were arrested. Another plotter, a serving Major, Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haque alias Major Zia, is on the run. Meanwhile, a Court of Inquiry was constituted on December 28, 2011, to unearth further information about the plot.

Though it will take time to unravel all the facts, the revelation that at least two plotters have already admitted their links with the banned Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT, ‘Party of Liberation’) has once again brought focus on Islamist fundamentalist groups that continue to maintain their strong presence in the country’s military establishment. Indeed, on January 8, 2012, HuT had circulated provocative leaflets, based on the fugitive Major Zia's internet message, throughout the country. Zia had sent out two e-mails containing imaginary and highly controversial contents, styled “Mid-level Officers of Bangladesh Army are Bringing down Changes Soon (sic)”. The Bangladesh Security Forces (SFs) on January 20, 2012, arrested another five HuT cadres in connection with the failed coup attempt.

This is the second attempt military revolt by hardliners under the Hasina Government since it came to power after the elections of December 2008. On February 25 and 26, 2009, shortly after the Government took charge, members of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), since renamed the Bangladesh Border Guards, staged a mutiny against their commanding officers, killing more than 74 persons, including 52 officers, SF personnel and six civilians, including the Director General of the BDR and his wife. The mutineers, backed by the Islamists, wanted to create a rift between the Hasina Government and the military, in order to overthrow the civilian Government. They failed in the face of an effective and concerted response by the military top brass.

Interestingly, Sajeeb Wazed, an Information Technology specialist, political analyst and advisor to Sheikh Hasina, along with Carl Ciovacco, in an article titled 'Stemming the rise of Islamic Extremism in Bangladesh' published in the Harvard International Review on November 19, 2008, had underlined the ‘astronomical growth’ of Islamists in the military, claiming that madrassas (religious seminaries) supplied nearly 35 per cent of Army recruits. Indeed, the seminaries in Bangladesh have emerged as the principal medium for fundamentalists to propagate radical ideologies.

The radicalization process has been rooted in Bangladeshi politics since the bloody coup of August 15, 1975, which killed the country’s founding father, Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Sheikh Hasina’s father). The coup leaders used Islam as an instrument to legitimize and secure their power. Succeeding regimes have collaborated with radical and fundamentalist Islamic political organizations. Indeed, the principal political parties, in their efforts to oust the military from power, maintained tactical relationships with fundamentalist political organizations, giving them unbridled power, which radicalised society and the polity to the core. The AL was guilty of such alliances in the past, though, in its current tenure, it has acted with determination and consistency against Islamist extremist elements in the country.   

On April 2009, the AL Government blacklisted 12 extremist organisations – Harkat-ul Jihad Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B), Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB), Shahadat-e-al-Hiqma (SAH), Hizbut Touhid, Islami Samaj, Ulema Anjuman al Baiyinaat, HuT, Islamic Democratic Party, Touhid Trust, Tamir-ud-Deen, Alla’r Dal. Four of these 12 groups, including HuJI, SAH, JMJB and JMB, had already been banned during the earlier Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh (JeI) coalition regime.

Later, on March 25, 2010, the AL Government set up a special tribunal for the trial of "war criminals" of Liberation War of 1971. Five of the Jamaat's top leaders, including its 'chief' Motiur Rahman Nizami and Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojahid, were jailed in this connection. Subsequently, on January 11, 2012, former JeI 'chief' Gholam Azam was sent to jail by the International Criminal Tribunal (ICT), which, on January 9, 2012, had accepted formal charges against Azam and present 'chief' Nizami for their alleged involvement in war crimes.

Further, on June 27, 2011, 666 members of the 24th Border Guards Battalion were tried before the BDR Tribunal, a military court. All but nine were found guilty and sentenced to terms ranging from four months to seven years in prison.

In June 2011, the Government passed the Constitution (15th Amendment) Bill, 2011, restoring secularism as a ‘fundamental pillar’ of the Bangladesh Constitution.

An extremist backlash was almost inevitable.

Meanwhile, on January 19, 2012, Prime Minister Hasina accused the "desperate" opposition of "plotting" against her Government. Criticizing the BNP, she declared, "They are desperate to spoil the democratic process. They are threatening the Government to protect the war criminals." It is widely reported that the BNP is vehemently opposing the trial of war criminals to support its ally, JeI, and some of its own leaders. Notably, a former BNP Minister Abdul Alim and a BNP lawmaker Salahuddin Qader Chowdhury, have been accused of war crimes.

Though there is no conclusive report of direct BNP involvement in the attempted coup, some developments raise a finger of suspicion.  Indeed, Abdul Hye Sikder (a former leader of the cultural wing of BNP) wrote a provocative article in Amar Desh, a vernacular daily, instigating the anti-Government sentiment of the Islamist forces within and outside the Bangladesh Armed forces. Apparently referring to BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia's remarks at a Chittagong rally on January 9, 2012, that 'even army personnel are being abducted', Brigadier Razzaq, while disclosing details of the coup plot, hinted at possible BNP involvement, stating, "Even a large political party sang along imaginary, misleading and propagandist news to bring allegations, which created unexpected and provocative debate among the Army and conscious citizens."

HuT has been gradually gaining grounds in Bangladesh, and is currently regarded as the strongest anti-state organisation in Bangladesh. Another such group, Hizbut Touhid, established in 1994 at Korotia village in the Tangail District, and led by Bayezid Khan Panni alias Selim Panni, who claims himself to be the Imam-uz-Zaman [Leader of the Age], has also extended its base. The Hizbut Touhid, which aspires to establish the ‘world leadership’ of the Imam-uz-Zaman, declares itself against democracy and democratic institutions, which it regards as ‘rules of evil’.

According to SATP data, the SFs have arrested 213 HuT cadres since March 10, 2000, (till January 22, 2012), out of which 96 have been arrested since the Hasina Government came to power in January 2009. 107 Hizbut Touhid cadres have also been arrested by the current Hasina regime. Nevertheless, these groups, in alliance with the JeI, continue to constitute a major threat for the Hasina Government, though the dangers have, in some measure, been minimised by sustained SF action.

These dangers have not, however, seized to exist, and even a group like the JMB, which was decimated in the aftermath of the serial bombings of August 2005, is reported to be exerting visible efforts to engineer a revival. Quoting Abu Talha Mohammad Fahim aka Bashar, a son of detained JMB chief Saidur Rahman, officials of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) disclosed that the reorganisation attempts under the directives of JMB’s acting 'chief' Sohel Mahfuz, were being intensified.

The failed coup is a reminder that Islamist Forces in the country, while they have weakened, have not been entirely contained. Despite the tremendous gains of the past three years, the threat of an Islamist resurgence, of coup attempts, of terrorism and of engineered political violence, will persist as long as these groupings continue to have a base in the country.

INDIA
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Meghalaya: Festering Wounds
Veronica Khangchian
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management

On January 19, 2012, a group of seven Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) cadres armed with AK-47 rifles and SLR rifles shot dead two civilians at Songsak village in West Khasi Hills District. Earlier, on January 16, 2012, two Garo youth, identified as Pak Momin and Engti Marak, were shot dead by GNLA militants, who suspected them to be Police informers. According to the Police, the two youth hailed from Konchikol village, and were killed near their homes under Resubelpara Sub-Division in East Garo Hills District.

Despite a measure of stabilization, violence continues to haunt the State. Meghalaya was fast returning to peace, before the emergence of GNLA in 2009. According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) database, insurgency related fatalities increased to 29 in 2011 (in 13 incidents of killing) as compared to 20 in 2010 (in 11 incidents of killing). More worryingly, civilian fatalities nearly quadrupled, from three in 2010 to 11 in 2011. This is the first time since 2003 that fatalities among the civilians have reached double digits. Similarly, the State recorded double digit fatalities among the Security Forces (SFs) for the first time since 2002, with 10 fatalities among SFs personnel in 2011, as against none in 2010. In fact, it was on December 7, 2008, that a trooper had last been killed in the State. On the contrary, militant fatalities declined, with eight killed in 2011, as compared to 17 in 2010. 2009 had recorded four insurgent fatalities.

Annual Fatalities in Terrorist Violence in Meghalaya, 2001-2012

Years
Civilians
Security Force Personnel
Terrorists
Total
2001
24
8
8
40
2002
29
18
17
64
2003
26
5
27
58
2004
7
5
23
35
2005
2
1
26
29
2006
7
0
17
24
2007
4
1
13
18
2008
0
1
12
13
2009
1
0
4
5
2010
3
0
17
20
2011
11
10
8
29
2012*
4
0
0
4
Total
118
49
172
339
Source: SATP, *Data till January 22, 2012

The State recorded five major incidents (each involving three or more killings) in 2011, as compared to just one in 2010. Prominent among the major incidents were:  

October 31, 2011: About 12 to 15 heavily armed GNLA militants ambushed a Police patrol at Nengpatchi village in East Garo Hills District, killing four Policemen and a civilian driver before decamping with five automatic rifles.

June 4, 2011: Three Policemen were killed and two others injured in an ambush by suspected GNLA militants at Thapadarenchi village in East Garo Hills District.

Apart from the killings, the State recorded 46 incidents of violence in 2011, including explosions, firing, encounters, abductions, and reported cases of extortion, as compared to 32 incidents registered in 2010.

Recorded incidents of extortion and abduction, which has been rampant in the entire Northeastern region, escalated significantly in 2011 [data relating to these give evident underestimates, as an overwhelming proportion of incidents, particularly in the more remote areas of the State, go unreported].  The year witnessed 10 abductions in seven reported incidents, as compared to five in as many incidents in 2010. The most prominent among these was the abduction by GNLA militants, of the Block Development Officer (BDO) of Dadenggre Civil Subdivision, Prafulla Kumar Boro, in West Garo Hills District on November 21, 2011. Later, releasing Boro on December 21, 2011, GNLA ‘commander’ Jack Marak declared that, though the Government had failed to fulfill the outfit’s demand to withdraw SFs from the Garo Hills, they had released Boro, as he was an honest official.

In an incident related to extortion, the GNLA abducted two Assam-based traders from Kalchengpara village near Selsella in West Garo Hills District on November 21, 2011. The traders were released on November 30, 2011. Though they denied paying a ransom to the outfit, Police sources indicate that money to the tune of INR 300,000 may have been paid by their families for their safe release. Similarly, on October 17, 2011, GNLA militants abducted a Hindi school teacher from the border belt in South Garo Hills. The teacher was freed on October 26, 2011, after an amount of INR 200,000 was paid to the GNLA.

SATP recorded nine incidents of extortion in 2011, as against three in 2010. On December 23, 2011, SFs arrested three GNLA militants, identified as Rakim G. Momon alias Bong, Sengrang G. Momin and Namseng B. Marak, while they were extorting money from the Jangjal Market in West Garo Hills District. In a daring incident, on April 18, 2011, GNLA militants shot at several trucks and placed a demand of INR 20,000 from every trucker plying through Wahthre village, around eight kilometers from Shahlang in the East Khasi Hills District.

Formed in 2009 and led by its ‘chairman’, a former Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Pakchara R. Sangma alias Champion R. Sangma, the GNLA rose to prominence in 2010 and further strengthened its position in 2011. GNLA was involved in all the civilian and SF killings in 2011, and also accounted for all the militant fatalities in the year. The GNLA was also involved in 33 of the total of 46 reported incidents of violence in 2011.

The Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), another prominent group in the State, was involved in five reported incidents through 2011. On August 11, 2011, heavy exchange of fire between the Jaintia Hills Police and suspected HNLC militants was reported in a jungle near Iongnoh and Chyrmang villages, a few kilometers from Jowai town in the Jaintia Hills District. Jaintia Hills Additional Superintendent of Police noted, "They (HNLC cadres) might have come from Bangladesh through the Umkiang border and were headed for Jowai to create trouble." The outfit later enforced a shutdown on Independence Day, August 15, 2011. Meanwhile, on September 15, 2011, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma admitted that an email had been received by the media from the HNLC, expressing the desire to hold talks. However, on September 20, 2011, the HNLC alleged that the Meghalaya Government was not sincere about talks and warned that it would continue its armed struggle.

On the other hand, groups like the Liberation A'chik Elite Force (LAEF) and Achik National Volunteer Council (ANVC) remained dormant. LAEF ‘chief’ Nikseng G. Momin had been killed on December 2, 2010, while the ANVC had entered into a cease-fire with the Government on July 23, 2004. Indeed, on October 11, 2011, the tripartite cease-fire agreement between the Centre, State Government and the ANVC was extended by another year, effective from October 1, 2011. The ceasefire was earlier extended for nine months, from January 1, 2011, till September 30, 2011. However, the GNLA on September 1, 2011, accused ANVC of ‘secret killings’ of several Garo youth. Significantly, on December 4, 2011, the ANVC issued a statement declaring, "If needed, ANVC will work with the Government to wipe out GNLA." Former ANVC leader, Sohan D. Shira, is the ‘commander-in chief’ of GNLA, and there is a bitter rivalry between the groups.

With violence rising, the SFs recorded some successes. On August 9, 2011, four GNLA militants, including the 'deputy commander-in-chief' of the outfit, Roster Marak, a Police deserter, were killed in an encounter with the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team of the State Police at Bolkengre, a village located just four kilometers from Williamnagar town of East Khasi Hills District.  Also, on October 18, 2011, Police killed a senior GNLA 'deputy area commander', Dilseng alias Bashish, on the outskirts of Nengmaldalgre village in East Garo Hills District.

The SFs also arrested 61 militants in 30 incidents in 2011, as compared to 71 militants arrested in the State through 2010. These included 33 GNLA cadre, 10 United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) cadre, six National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) cadre, four each of the Rabha Security Force and HNLC, as well as four ‘unspecified’ militants. Significantly, on November 23, 2011, the State Police arrested a top GNLA militant, Jackiush A. Sangma, and five others, including three arms dealers, from different parts of the State capital, Shillong.

Feeling the heat, 34 militants surrendered in 2011, as against 17 in 2010. 27 of those who surrendered in 2011, belonged to GNLA, five to LAEF, and once each to HNLC and Anti-Talks Faction of NDFB (NDFB-ATF). In most recent surrenders, four senior cadres of the GNLA laid down arms in East Garo Hills District on September 5, 2011. Among them was Salvision R. Sangma alias Kodalok, a cousin of Champion R. Sangma, ‘chairman’ of the outfit. The most significant surrender, however, occurred when 20 GNLA militants, led by the 'chief training instructor' of the outfit, Mingran T. Sangma alias Lodrin T. Sangma, surrendered on April 27, 2011.

Meanwhile, two Combat Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) units of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and five companies of the Border Security Force (BSF) were deployed in the State on July 12, 2011, to tackle the GNLA in response to their increasing activities. This Force has been trifurcated, and a group each is based in the three District Headquarters in the Garo Hills – Tura, Williamnagar and Baghmara, with their areas of operation extending up to the West Khasi Hills District. Earlier, 500 CRPF troopers were assisting the Meghalaya Police and its SWAT commandos, to tackle the GNLA. The Meghalaya Police has a total strength of 10,064 personnel, yielding a strong Police-population ratio of 391 per 100,000. 

Despite dramatic counter-insurgency gains over the years in Meghalaya, new entrants like the GNLA have been able to strengthen their position over the past two years. Wide spaces left behind by older groups, which have been neutralized by sustained SF action, are being occupied by new entrants, and continue to provide significant opportunities for militant mobilisation. While the overall environment for militancy across the Northeast has certainly weakened over the last decade, insurgent groups do retain capacities to regroup and cause significant disruption and damage to the State.


NEWS BRIEFS

Weekly Fatalities: Major Conflicts in South Asia
January 16-22, 2012

 

Civilians

Security Force Personnel

Terrorists/Insurgents

Total

INDIA

 

Assam

0
0
1
1

Jammu and Kashmir

0
0
1
1

Manipur

1
2
3
6

Meghalaya

4
0
0
4

Nagaland

0
0
3
3

Left-wing Extremism

 

Chhattisgarh

0
4
0
4

Jharkhand

1
13
1
15

Odisha

1
0
1
2

Total (INDIA)

7
19
10
36

PAKISTAN

 

Balochistan

4
1
10
15

FATA

2
3
9
14

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

2
0
1
3

Punjab

3
0
0
3

Sindh

7
2
0
9

Total (PAKISTAN)

18
6
20
44
Provisional data compiled from English language media sources.


BANGLADESH

Islamist link to foiled anti-India coup plot in Bangladesh: The Bangladesh Army on January 19 claimed to have foiled an attempt by some of its officers, apparently driven by religious considerations, to overthrow Sheikh Hasina's Government. Government sources here confirmed that those held for the attempted coup were "anti-India'' and wanted to undo the changes effected by the Hasina Government in 2011 in the Constitution to make it more secular. Indian agencies have had inputs about a possible coup in Bangladesh for the past few days. Times of India, January 20, 2012.


INDIA

Babbar Khalsa threat looms over Punjab polls: One group of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) may have sneaked into the country from across the border to target political and religious leaders in the poll bound state of Punjab as per top intelligence sources. The prime targets in the hit list of these terrorists are said to be Punjab CM Prakash Singh Badal, Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal and religious Dera leaders like Ashutosh, according to sources. Zee News, January 20, 2012.

Dawood seeks Maoists' help to enter mining business, says report: Underworld Don Dawood Ibrahim is making a bid to get into the country's illegal mining and coal business, especially in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Bihar where the illicit trade is estimated to be worth over INR 10 billion. According to the Indian intelligence agencies, Dawood's associates are trying to influence top Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-Maoist) leaders in Nepal to pressure their compatriots in India to help him establish a presence. Asian Age, January 20, 2012.

ISI pumping FICNs through new routes: The Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) now appeared to have changed the route for the proliferation of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICNs) in India. ISI handlers now prefer the Thailand route that is not so policed. Sources said the FICNs are being routed to Bangladesh from Thailand and then to India from many points of the Indo-Bangla border. Daily Pioneer, January 19, 2012.

Nepal has confiscated FICNs worth INR 80 million, says Nepal's Deputy Prime Minister Bijay Gachchhadar: Nepal's Deputy Prime Minister Bijay Gachchhadar disclosed that Nepal has confiscated Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICNs) worth INR 80 million in recent times and conveyed to India that it would not allow any anti-India activity on its soil. Gachchhadar, who met Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram in New Delhi, told reporters that his country was taking strong action against those involved in circulation of FICNs. IBN live , January 20, 2012.

Bihar IM module was active before 2008: Investigators probing the Indian Mujahideen (IM) Bihar module, part of which was busted by the special team of Delhi Police in 2011, has found that the chief of IM operations in India, Yasin, had been making frequent trips to several areas of Bihar towards the beginning of this decade for recruitment to the terror cause. Yasin, popularly known as Doctor Imran across the three Bihar districts of Samastipur, Darbhanga and Madhubani, had a lot of acquaintances whom he invited over to Delhi. Times of India, January 20, 2012.

Hawala money from Dubai funded July 13 triple blasts in Mumbai: Counter-terrorism agencies have narrowed down on the terror-financing module that is operating out of New Delhi, and is believed to have aided Indian Mujahideen (IM) operatives in executing the July 13 triple blasts in Mumbai and the Delhi blast. Sources in counter-terrorism agencies said that they had identified the recipient of the money illegally channeled from Dubai to a hawala operator in Delhi. Hindustan Times, January 20, 2012.

Kishenji's death a "great blow", admits CPI-Maoist: The Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) admitted that the death of its politburo member Mallojula Koteswara Rao alias Kishanji has dealt a heavy blow to the outfit and called upon the youth to join the outfit. Kishanji was killed in an armed encounter with the Joint Forces in Jungle Mahal in West Bengal on November 24, 2011. In a release circulated among some TV channels, the CPI-Maoist central committee said that Kishanji's killing in Jungle Mahal had come as ''a great blow'' to the organisation and appealed to the youth to join the outfit ''to fulfil Kishenji's cherished dream''. DNA, January 19, 2012.

Government accords formal sanction for CRPF's own intelligence network for Maoist-affected areas: The Union Government has accorded formal sanction for the creation of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Integrated Intelligence Wing. Among others, it will include an intelligence school that will train the officers and men of paramilitary force in collecting intelligence in the Naxal [Left-Wing Extremist (LWE)]-affected areas. Pioneer, January 17, 2012.


NEPAL

PM advisor rules out consensus Government at present: The political advisor of Prime Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, Devendra Poudel, said that the national consensus Government is not likely to be formed in the present scenario. Since the parties are yet to agree on the leadership of the national consensus government, the national consensus government is impossible now," said Poudel speaking in Nawalparasi District on January 20. Himalayan, January 13, 2012.

Maoists set to legalize 5‚000 war time transactions: The "People's Government" formed by Maoists during the decade-long insurgency had certified some 5,000 land transactions in the Salyan District alone, and the incumbent United Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) led Government is all set to implement it legally. The Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) Chairman, Jhalanath Khanal on January 18 warned the (UCPN-M) of dire consequences if the Government's decision of legalizing the transactions of properties during the conflict period is not revoked. Himalayan; Republica, January 19, 2012.


PAKISTAN

PKR 101 million bounties on Pervez Musharraf's head: Shahzain Bugti, a grandson of slain Akbar clan chieftain and former Chief Minister of Balochistan, Nawab Akbar Bugti, on January 16 announced head money for former Army dictator and President Pervez Musharraf. "We will give PKR 1 million in cash and a bungalow worth 100 million rupees to anybody who kills Musharraf. And we'll also provide him full security," Shahzain Bugti said. "The gallows are ready for Musharraf. There will be serious consequences, if the government does not arrest him upon his arrival," he warned. Indian Express, January 17, 2012.

Pakistan to re-open NATO supply routes: Pakistan expects to reopen supply routes to NATO forces in Afghanistan, halted after a NATO cross-border air attack killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November 26, 2011, but will impose tariffs, a senior security official under the condition of anonymity told Reuters on January 19. The official said the fees were designed to both express continued anger over the November 26 attack and raise funds for the state to fight homegrown Taliban. Reuters, January 20, 2012.

Government responsible for poor law and order in Balochistan, says Governor Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi: Balochistan Governor Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi, expressing concern over the worsening law and order situation in the province, on January 21 said that it was the responsibility of the provincial Government to improve security to the satisfaction of the people. Talking to reporters after the 10th Convocation of the Balochistan University, the Governor said, "I have been saying this from the very first day that law and order is very poor in the province. It makes no difference whether I am satisfied or not, but this question should be asked from the people."

As many as 14,362 people, including 150 women, have "disappeared" in Balochistan since 2001 and 370 mutilated bodies have been found in different parts of the province so far, said Qadeer Baloch, Vice President of Voice for Baloch Missing Persons on January 16. Daily Times; The New, January 17-22, 2012.

Chief Justice of Pakistan will monitor Sindh Government on Karachi violence: Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on January 21 warned that he would not tolerate any violation of the orders of the apex court. "Any violation of the orders of Supreme Court would be taken seriously and would entail strict action." Taking notice of the killings of lawyers and other citizens in Sindh, CJ Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry assured the people of Karachi and Sindh that the judiciary would not leave them alone and would monitor the actions of the State apparatus. Tribune, January 22, 2012.

De-radicalisation centres being set up in FATA: The Government is establishing two de-radicalisation centres to ensure psychological and economic rehabilitation of those people of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) who renounce militancy. These centres are being set up in Sikandaro area of Bajaur Agency in FATA and Government Degree College in Tank town of Tank District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is adjacent to the militancy-infested South Waziristan Agency. Dawn, January 21, 2012.

Peace talks between Islamabad and TTP faltering, says a Senior Security Officer: Peace talks between Government and al Qaeda-linked Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants have made little progress, a Senior Security Official told Reuters on January 19. The official said the group, seen as the biggest security threat to the strategic United States (US) ally, had flatly rejected a demand that it works through tribal elders to reach a deal whereby fighters approach authorities and lay down their arms. "They felt it would be humiliating," the official said. Daily Times, January 20, 2012.


SRI LANKA

Government to establish a Senate under 13th plus amendment to devolve power: Addressing a media briefing on January 19 the Government spokesman and Minister of Media & Information Keheliya Rambukwella said the Government expects to establish a Senate representing minority groups and academics as a "viable link between the Central Government and the provinces". Explaining the government's initiative, the Minister said the 13th Amendment to the Constitution is already a part of the Constitution since 1987, and the establishment of the Senate, which will act as an advisory body to the legislature, is what meant by the 13 plus or 13 and beyond. Colombo Page, January 20, 2012.

Government can overcome political extremism: Mass Media and Information Minister Keheliya Rambukwella on January 18 said that Government can overcome political extremism. "Although a handful of bankrupt political extremists are trying to create a crisis in the country, the government has the strength to thwart such attempts and bring them under control within the next few days," he stated. Daily Excelsior, January 19, 2012.


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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Dr. Ajai Sahni


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Institute For Conflict Management



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