| |
SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 13, No. 32, February 9, 2015
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
|
Divisions
over Drafts
Ajit
Kumar Singh
Research Fellow, Institute for Conflict Management
The environment
of peace that had been established in Nepal in 2013 survived,
despite challenges, through 2014, with not a single insurgency-related
fatality on record. Significantly, since March 2000, when
the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) database
commenced compiling data on insurgency-related fatalities
in Nepal, it was in 2013 that the Himalayan Nation did
not record a single insurgency-related fatality during
the course of a year, for the first time, and remained
completely free of insurgency-related violence. At its
peak in 2002, the insurgency saw 4,896 persons, including
3,992 Maoists, 666 Security Force (SF) personnel and 238
civilians, killed in a single year.
The successful
holding of elections for the second Constituent Assembly
(CA) on November 19, 2013, have, in some measure, transformed
the political environment of the country and diminished
violent inter-party clashes. As against 22 such clashes
resulting in four deaths and 167 injuries in 2013, no
such clashes were reported through 2014.
However,
intra-party conflict continues to haunt the country. The
fissures within the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist
(UCPN-M)
brought the party almost to the brink of a break-up.
Supporters of both Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka
Prachanda and former Prime Minister (PM) and former Vice-Chairman
Dr. Baburam Bhattarai clashed with each other on various
occasions. In one such incident, on April 28, 2014, two
UCPN-M cadres loyal to Dahal were seriously injured after
cadres loyal to Bhattarai exchanged blows at the opening
ceremony of the Rasuwa District Convention, following
a heated debate over the duration of the political event.
Cadres from remote areas had demanded that the convention
be concluded on the day itself, arguing that they did
not have enough money for overnight accommodation. Further,
the Mohan Baidya aka Kiran -led faction of the
Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist-Baidya), which
abandoned the UCPN-M on June 19, 2012, split
further on November 24, 2014, after
a splinter-group led by party secretary Netra Bikram Chand
submitted a letter to the CPN-Maoist-Baidya Central Committee,
announcing its intentions to separate. Subsequently, on
December 1, Netra Bikram Chand formed a new party, styling
itself as CPN-Maoist.
Meanwhile,
the people of Nepal returned a fractured mandate in the
second CA elections of November 2013, creating enormous
obstacles even to the smooth formation of a new Government,
given the history of acrimonious relations between the
major political parties. Nevertheless, a new Government
was formed on February 9, 2014, when Nepali Congress (NC)
President Sushil Koirala became Nepal's 37th Prime Minister,
securing more than two-thirds of the votes in Parliament.
Belying all fears of a rolling crisis, NC and Communist
Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) came
together, along with members of 14 other parties and one
independent, to constitute a new and stable Government.
NC and CPN-UML had emerged as the two leading parties
in the CA, with 196 and 175 seats, respectively, in the
601-member CA.
Regrettably,
however, the political class continues to fail to deliver
the new Constitution, even after over six years of the
drafting process. The first CA was constituted on May
28, 2008, with mandate to deliver the Constitution by
May 28, 2010. It was, however, dissolved on May 27, 2012,
after four extensions. The second CA was constituted on
January 21, 2014, and it fixed the deadline for delivery
of the Constitution as January 22, 2015. This deadline
has, again, been missed, with little concrete advance
in addressing the various contentious issues that had
stalled the drafting process in the past. These unresolved
issues principally include the form of government, federalism,
judiciary and the electoral system. Though some reports
claimed that the major parties had reached 'near consensus'
on issues relating to the system of governance, the electoral
and judicial systems, the parties remained at odds on
federalism during the last phases of discussions, before
the pandemonium broke out in Parliament. Bhattarai, in
an interview published on February 4, 2015, remarked,
There is vast difference
between the idea of democracy of Congress [NC]
and UML [CPN-UML] and the idea of democracy of
Maoists and other new forces. The ruling parties
are basically in favor of liberal democracy, with
its emphasis on majority rule, periodic elections
and multiparty competition. We are not opposed
to it. But we don’t think that is enough... What
we need is inclusive democracy... Thus the main
battle is between liberal democracy and new inclusive
democracy... We have been insisting there should
first be genuine federalism, which means the oppressed
nationalities must get federal states where their
rights and identities are secure. This is the
definition of federalism around the world. The
kind of administrative re-division Congress and
UML have been talking about is not federalism...
The other important constitutional issue is proportional
representation. If we go back on this, as the
ruling parties want to, it will be death of inclusive
agenda. We cannot compromise on these two issues...
|
NC Central
Working Committee member Dr. Shekhar Koirala, on January
19, 2015, similarly noted that the persisting disagreements
are related to the name, boundaries, and number of States.
Not surprisingly,
Nepal is currently threatened by political turmoil. In
a clear manifestation of growing political volatility
in the Republic, opposition members of the CA, led by
UCPN-M, vandalized Parliament and attacked ruling party
leaders and security staff, leaving four security staff
members injured, on January 20, 2015. Again, on January
22, 2015, opposition CA members threw microphones and
shoes at the members of the ruling alliance. On this day,
protests also erupted across Nepal, in which several persons
were injured and a substantial quantum of property was
damaged. In fact, as the deadline for the Constitutional
draft approached, protests and bandhs (general
strikes) became the order of the day. Significantly, during
one such bandh enforced by the UCPN-M-led
alliance, which turned violent in several parts of the
country, a protester, identified as Rajaram Jha (25),
died at Bhramarpurachok in Dhanusha District on
January 12, 2015.
The violence
inside Parliament as well as on the streets was allegedly
a response to the ruling alliance’s attempt to pass the
charter of the new Constitution through majority vote,
as no consensus could be reached. The 10-party ruling
alliance has the two-thirds majority in Parliament that
is needed to approve the Constitution, without the support
of the UCPN-M led opposition.
Violent
protests continue even now. The opposition alliance has
also decided to launch ‘phase-wise protests’ starting
from February 11, 2015, even as daily threats of "revolution"
are issued. Bhattarai, for instance, declared, "We
believe the CA has of late been hijacked by regressive
forces. This hijacked CA functions more like a Parliament.
We believe there is a need for a new revolution to convert
this Parliament into Constituent Assembly. But if this
state of hijack does not end, history will take a new
turn. The oppressed and marginalized communities will
once again revolt."
Political
parties in Nepal have shown little sagacity over the past
years, keeping Nepal teetering on the brink of enveloping
disorders. There will now be political pressure on Prime
Minister Koirala to resign on moral grounds, since the
Constitution drafting deadline has again been missed,
a point conceded by NC Central Working Committee member
Dr. Shekhar Koirala. But this will do nothing to resolve
the enduring crisis in Nepal, as the electoral mandate
would continue to lie with the ruling alliance, and there
would be no movement forward to resolving the contentious
issues of the elusive new Constitution.
On February
3, 2015, Prime Minister Koirala asserted that the Constitution
drafting process would not stop because of threats, bragging
and blackmail by UCPN-M, and observed, "The UCPN
(Maoist) will not get public support if they quit CA and
decide to go for protest. People want development and
political stability. They will not support Maoists’ agenda.”
Indeed,
the massive turnout of 78.34 per cent in the CA elections
of 2013 – far above the record turnout of 68.15 per cent
in the General Elections of 1991 – demonstrate the overwhelming
public aspiration for peace, order and democratic governance,
and any political formation betraying popular will is
unlikely to secure significant support. Nevertheless,
the persistent deadlock over the Constitutional draft
can undermine the surge
of optimism that followed the 2013
Election, and will push the country towards increasing
uncertainty.
|
Mizoram:
Unsettled Peace
M. A. Athul
Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management
The 20-year
long insurgency in Mizoram (1966-86), led by the Mizo
National Front (MNF) was resolved as far back as in 1986,
and the State has, since, been at peace in terms of that
stream of insurgency. Nevertheless, the ethnic polarization
and tensions provoked by the MNF insurgency continue to
trigger occasional violence linked to a range of other
armed groups, some of them located in and operating from
neighbouring States.
On February
2, 2015, suspected armed militants of National Liberation
Front of Tripura (NLFT)
and Bru Democratic Front of Mizoram (BDFM) abducted 22
people from an area close to the Indo-Bangladesh border
in Mamit District of Mizoram. Sources disclosed that around
10 militants armed with sophisticated weapons later released
20 of them, while holding back two hostages - Hokum Singh
and Mohammad Buizul Islam. The hostages are employees
of the Border Roads Task Force (BRTF).
On February
1, 2015, the Mizoram Police and Assam Rifles, in a joint
operation, arrested two arms dealers from Vanzau village
in Champhai District near the Indo-Myanmar border. One
M2 carbine along with two magazines and a 9mm pistol along
with a magazine were seized.
These incidents
reflect the continuance existence of forces, though miniscule,
inimical to enduring peace achieved in the State. Mizoram
boasts of being the most peaceful state in the entire
North-eastern region, barring Sikkim which has never witnessed
any insurgency in its history.
According
to the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) database,
Mizoram has recorded at least 46 insurgency-related fatalities
since 1997, including 15 civilians, 22 Security Force
(SF) personnel and nine militants. The trend
of low to zero fatalities recorded after 2007 continues,
with no fatalities in 2013, and two in 2014. On October
15, bodies of two non-tribals, suspected to be those of
a truck driver and his helper, both believed to be from
the Kamrup District in Assam, were recovered from Tuikhurhlu
in Aizawl District. No further detail is available in
this regard.
The State
had last registered an insurgency-related fatality in
2011, that too of a civilian, when a member of the Bru
community was shot dead by suspected United Democratic
Liberation Army (UDLA) militants at Thinglian village
of Kolasib District on July 17, 2011.
Other parameters
of violence like explosions, arsons, abductions-for-extortion,
also registered a marginal increase through 2014, as against
the preceding year.
Three explosions
were recorded in 2014, as against none in 2013. In one
such incident, on January 30, 2014, an explosion took
place near the State Assembly Secretariat in Aizawl, the
State Capital. On February 20, 2014, an explosion took
place at Borabazar area in Aizawl city. Again, on August
1, 2014, an explosion took place near the residence of
Mizoram Parliamentary Secretary for Home in Mission Veng
locality in Aizawl. No casualties were reported in any
of the three explosions, though damage to property did
occur.
Meanwhile,
two instances of abduction were reported through 2014.
On June 14, 2014, three traders and their driver were
abducted by NLFT militants from Phaileng village in Mamit
District. Subsequently, on October 10, 2014, suspected
NLFT militants abducted 15 persons from Amchurmukh, near
Rajivnagar, in Mamit District. Four of them were released
on the same day. The remaining 11 persons were released
on November 7, 2014. Initially a ransom amount of INR
3 million was demanded by abductors, which was later reduced
to INR 1.1 million. It is not clear if the ransom was
paid or not.
In 2013,
two incidents of abduction had been reported.
Apart from
the Tripura-based NLFT, the Hmar People's Convention-Democracy
(HPC-D),
a group demanding self-government in the north and northeast
of Mizoram, remains active in the State. Significantly,
on February 21, 2014, Mizoram Police confirmed the arrest
of five suspected HPC-D militants from Parvachawm area
in Churachandpur District of Manipur for their involvement
in the explosion near the State Assembly Secretariat on
January 30, 2014. On November 10, 2014, the Border Security
Force (BSF) stated, "At least 55 camps of northeast
India militants are still functional in different parts
of Bangladesh and opposite to Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram
and Assam's borders with Bangladesh." Mizoram faces
a residual threat from such groups.
The unresolved
challenges of the State were compounded by the continuing
activity of arms smugglers who use Mizoram as a transit
point. According to SATP data, at least four incidents
of recovery of arms and seven arrests of persons engaged
in such traffic, occurred through 2014, as against two
such incidents and four arrests in 2013. In one such incident
on November 6, 2014, Mizoram Police recovered 19,300 detonators
from two suspects, from the border village of Zokhawthar
in Champai District. On further investigation another
suspect was arrested from an unspecified location on November
6, 2014.
Fake Indian
Currency Notes (FICN) racketeers have also been using
the State as a transit point. In 2014, at least two incidents
of recovery of FICN were reported as against none in 2013.
In one such incident on October 4, 2014, BSF and Police
recovered FICN worth INR 184,000 in the denomination of
INR 1,000 at Tlabung Market in the Demagiri area of Lunglei
District and arrested two suspects, Chandalay Chakma and
Taranga Mohan Chakma. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of
BSF [Mizoram and Cachar Frontier], Satish Budakoti, stated
that FICN was brought from Bangladesh to Demagiri in order
to take them to the interior areas. On December 1, 2014,
Dinesh Kumar Upadhyaya, Inspector General, BSF, stated
that BSF's Mizoram and Cachar Frontier units recovered
FICN worth of INR 513,000 in 2014.
Ethnic
strife between Bru tribals and Mizos continues to simmer,
occasionally manifesting in violence. In one such instance,
on January 14, 2014, at least 2,423 Bru tribals from at
least three villages in Mamit District fled to Tripura,
after the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP, Mizo Students' Association),
a powerful student body, started a mass ‘voluntary search
operation’. After the exodus, the Mizoram administration
agreed to provide security to Bru families in the western
part of Mizoram to prevent more Brus from leaving.
Further,
the repatriation of Bru refugees, who had been sheltered
in Tripura since 1997, resumed in 2014. On January 30,
2015, Mizoram Home Minister R. Lalzirliana stated that
the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had agreed to
organise a final six-month repatriation process for internally-displaced
Bru tribals, after which all those who do not return home
from Tripura would be removed from Mizoram’s electoral
rolls and further relief to them would also be stopped.
Official records show that almost 4,000 Bru families,
who have voting rights in Mizoram, continue to live in
the relief camps in Tripura. It has also been decided
that, in the interim, Tripura, where many of displaced
Brus live in six relief camps, would improve living conditions
there and double the current financial aid allotted to
each displaced Bru tribal.
Meanwhile,
the law and order situation in the State gives serious
cause for concern. Significantly, the rate of crimes registered
under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in 2013 stood at 165.6
per 100,000 population, much higher, for instance, than
in the insurgency-afflicted states of Manipur (126.3),
Meghalaya (121.1) and Nagaland (52.6), according to National
Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) Data. NCRB data also showed
that Mizoram, with a tiny population of 1.016 million,
recorded 27 murder cases, 19 cases of attempt to murder
and 89 cases of rape during 2013. Though NCRB data for
2014 is yet to be published, the Crime Branch of the State
Criminal Investigation Department disclosed that Police
Stations and outposts across Mizoram registered 45 murder
cases, 23 cases of attempt to murder and 125 cases of
rape through 2014.
A crisis
of drug use also afflicts the State. Mizoram has one of
the highest reported incidence of Acquired Immuno Deficiency
Syndrome (AIDS) in India, with at least 4,169 Human Immuno
Deficiency Virus/ (HIV)/AIDS infected people. Recent studies
have shown that almost one third (31.8 per cent) of HIV
infections in Mizoram are among injecting drug users.
According to Mizoram’s Excise & Narcotics Department
(END), as against 36 drug related deaths in 2013, year
2014 recorded 38 deaths. In fact, an August 20, 2013,
report noted that, in a span of two decades, from 1984
till August 7, 2013, Mizoram recorded 1,241 drug-related
deaths. The drug which caused the maximum damage was Proxyvon/Parvon
Spas. In 2014, END officials seized 10,289 capsules of
Proxyvon and 18,874 capsules of Parvon Spas, adding to
the seizure of 2,440 Proxyvon capsules and 2,87,923 capsules
of Parvon Spas in 2013. It is useful to note that insurgents
in the Northeast have long used drug money to arm and
fund their operations.
Mizoram
with its literacy rate of 91.91 per cent, well above the
national average of 74.04 per cent, has the potential
to be the powerhouse of development in the region. It
has a vast potential for energy production, including
a hydroelectric power potential of 4,500 MW, of which
just 0.7 per cent has yet been harnessed. Governance and
administration remains abysmal, and a virtual 'dole economy',
overwhelmingly financed by the Centre, continues to exist.
More than 28 years after the end of a virulent insurgency
in the State, there is still little evidence of the promised
‘peace dividend' in terms of any dramatic development
in the State.
|
Weekly Fatalities: Major
Conflicts in South Asia
February 2-8,
2015
|
Civilians
|
Security
Force Personnel
|
Terrorists/Insurgents
|
Total
|
BANGLADESH
|
|
Islamist
|
0
|
0
|
6
|
6
|
Total (BANGLADESH)
|
0
|
0
|
6
|
6
|
INDIA
|
|
Arunachal
Pradesh
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
3
|
Manipur
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
3
|
Meghalaya
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
3
|
Left-wing
Extremism
|
|
Chhattisgarh
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
2
|
Maharashtra
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
Odisha
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Total (INDIA)
|
8
|
3
|
3
|
14
|
PAKISTAN
|
|
Balochistan
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
3
|
FATA
|
11
|
4
|
40
|
55
|
KP
|
1
|
7
|
4
|
12
|
Sindh
|
5
|
0
|
3
|
8
|
PAKISTAN
(Total)
|
|
|
|
|
Provisional
data compiled from English language media sources.
|
BANGLADESH
We
vow
to
continue
ongoing
'peaceful'
democratic
movement
until
Government
quits,
says
BNP
joint
Secretary
General
Salahuddin
Ahmed:
Bangladesh
Nationalist
Party
(BNP)
joint
Secretary
General
Salahuddin
Ahmed
on
February
3
said
that
the
BNP
will
continue
with
its
protest.
"We
vow
to
continue
the
ongoing
peaceful
democratic
movement
until
the
Government
quits
and
announces
to
arrange
a
free,
friar
and
participatory
election
accepting
the
mass
demand
of
caretaker
government".
Claiming
that
the
victory
in
their
ongoing
movement
is
very
close,
Ahmed
called
upon
people
to
continue
the
agitation
against
the
Government
until
it
announces
to
hold
an
inclusive
election
under
a
non-party
administration.
The
Independent,
February
4,
2015.
Pakistani
diplomat
withdrawn
from
Bangladesh
for
involvement
in
terror
financing
and
currency
forgery
racket:A
Pakistani
diplomat
was
withdrawn
from
Bangladesh
on
January
31
after
intelligence
dug
out
his
involvement
in
terror
financing
and
currency
forgery
racket.
Foreign
Ministry
officials
said
that
Mohammad
Mazhar
Khan,
attaché
at
the
consular
section
of
Pakistan
High
Commission
in
Dhaka
city
was
also
an
agent
of
his
country's
secret
service
Inter-Services
Intelligence
(ISI).
According
to
official
sources,
intelligence
agencies
learnt
that
the
earnings
through
the
fake
currency
scam
were
given
to
militant
outfits
like
Hizb-ut-Tahrir,
Ansarullah
Bangla
Team,
Jamaat-e-Islami
(JeI)-Islami
Chhatra
Shibir
(ICS)
axis
for
various
sabotage
acts.
Daily
Star,
February
3,
2015.
INDIA
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi,
his
residence
and
Parliament
on
terror
radar,
says
report:
Prime
Minister
(PM)
Narendra
Modi,
his
7
Race
Course
Road
(RCR)
residence
and
the
Indian
Parliament
are
under
terror
threat
from
Pakistan
based
terror
groups.
Intelligence
agencies
have
warned
Delhi
Police
that
terror
groups
operating
in
Pakistan
have
planned
for
a
major
terror
attack
on
Narendra
Modi,
7
RCR
and
on
the
Indian
Parliament.
Apart
from
terror
groups
like
Lashkar
e
Toiba
(LeT)
and
Jama'at-ud-Da'wah
(JuD),
Islamic
State
(IS)
has
also
started
spreading
its
wings
in
Pakistan.
Samay
Live,
February
3,
2015.
China
and
Russia
back
India
on
UN
terror
charter
against
Pakistan:
China
and
Russia
on
February
2
decided
to
back
India
for
moving
a
proposal
at
the
United
Nations
(UN)
that
essentially
goes
against
Pakistan
on
the
issue
of
terrorism.
In
order
to
corner
Pakistan
for
sheltering
and
facilitating
terrorists
involved
the
November
26,
2008
(26/11)
carnage
and
other
attacks
in
the
country,
India
seeks
to
move
a
resolution
in
the
UN
to
punish
those
who
shelter
and
finance
terrorism.
And
.
Times
of
India,
February
3,
2015.
ISI
trained
Khalistani
terrorists
from
UK
in
Thailand,
says
report:
Prime
Minister
(PM)
Narendra
Modi,
his
7
Race
Course
Road
(RCR)
residence
and
the
Indian
Parliament
are
under
terror
threat
from
Pakistan
based
terror
groups.
Intelligence
agencies
have
warned
Delhi
Police
that
terror
groups
operating
in
Pakistan
have
planned
for
a
major
terror
attack
on
Narendra
Modi,
7
RCR
and
on
the
Indian
Parliament.
Apart
from
terror
groups
like
Lashkar
e
Toiba
(LeT)
and
Jama'at-ud-Da'wah
(JuD),
Islamic
State
(IS)
has
also
started
spreading
its
wings
in
Pakistan.
Hindustan
Times,
February
6,
2015.
Ceasefire
violations
by
Pakistan
increased
after
news
of
India
bolstering
border
defence
with
state
of
the
art
technology,
says
BSF:
An
internal
assessment
by
Border
Security
Force
(BSF)
of
the
recent
ceasefire
violations
by
Pakistan
has
concluded
that
much
of
the
firing
towards
the
close
of
2014
and
beginning
of
2015
started
after
news
of
India
bolstering
its
border
defence
with
state
of
the
art
technology
appeared
in
the
media.
The
BSF
assessment
is
that
the
news
of
laser
walls,
ground
sensors
to
detect
tunnels
and
thermal
imaging
cameras
being
installed
to
stop
infiltration
frustrated
Pakistan
Rangers
who
launched
an
attack
to
disrupt
the
process.
Times
of
India,
February
3,
2015.
Maoist
bastion
shrinking
in
Bihar
and
Jharkhand,
says
CRPF
DG
Prakash
Mishra:
Central
Reserve
Police
Force
(CRPF)
Director
General
(DG)
Prakash
Mishra
on
February
2
said
the
'red
zone'
[Communist
Party
of
India-Maoist
(CPI-Maoist)-infested
region]
is
steadily
shrinking
in
Bihar
and
Jharkhand.
It
has
been
possible
because
the
CRPF
personnel
are
not
only
carrying
out
operations
against
Maoists
but
also
helping
the
common
man
in
many
other
ways,
like
distributing
essentials
such
as
woolen
clothes,
utensils
etc
and
enabling
them
to
get
their
Aadhaar
cards.
These
efforts
have
helped
CRPF
win
the
confidence
of
poor
people,
who
were
earlier
providing
shelter
to
the
Left-Wing
Extremists
(LWEs).
Times
of
India,
February
3,
2015.
North
East
militants
flee
from
Myanmar
camps
as
Myanmar
Army
moves
towards
Taga
area,
says
report:
Movement
of
Myanmar
Army
towards
the
Taga
area
created
panic
among
the
militant
groups
of
the
North
East,
who
are
taking
shelter
in
Myanmar.
Sources
state
that
Myanmar
Army
personnel
started
moving
towards
the
Taga
area
on
January
18.
As
most
of
the
camps
of
the
militant
groups
such
as
Independent
faction
of
United
Liberation
Front
of
Asom
(ULFA-I)
and
IK
Songbijit
faction
of
National
Democratic
Front
of
Bodoland
(NDFB-IKS)
are
based
in
the
Taga
area,
the
movement
caused
panic
among
them.
Assam
Tribune,
February
2,
2015.
Government
decides
to
investigate
188
NGOs
for
terror
connection,
says
report:
The
Indian
government
has
decided
to
carry
on
investigation
against
the
Non-Governmental
Organisations
(NGOs)
which
have
been
funding
extremism,
stage
managing
protests
or
indulging
in
conversions.
The
list
of
188
NGOs
is
with
the
Union
Ministry
of
Home
Affairs
(UMHA).
This
list
has
been
drawn
up
by
the
Intelligence
Bureau
(IB)
after
conducting
years
of
investigation
which
started
in
the
year
2006.
One
India,
February
4,
2015.
PAKISTAN
40
militants
and
11
civilians
among
55
persons
killed
during
the
week
in
FATA:
Three
members
of
the
pro-government
peace
committee,
Tauheedul
Islam
(TI),
were
killed
and
five
others
sustained
injuries
in
an
explosion
in
Nari
Baba
area
of
Tirah
Valley
in
Khyber
Agency
of
Federally
Administered
Tribal
Areas
(FATA)
on
February
8.
At
least
seven
militants
were
killed
in
a
clash
with
Security
Forces
(SFs)
in
Mohmand
Agency
on
February
7.
Six
unidentified
bodies
of
suspected
militants
were
recovered
from
Yaka
Ghund
area
in
Mohmand
Agency.
At
least
25
militants
were
killed
in
air
strikes
in
the
Sanzila
area
of
South
Waziristan
Agency
on
February
4
as
part
of
a
major
offensive
against
the
Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan
(TTP)
and
other
insurgents.
At
least
four
soldiers
were
killed
in
an
explosion
targeting
a
convoy
of
SFs
in
the
Warmagai
area
of
Kurram
Agency
on
February
3.
Following
the
blast,
SFs
and
militants
also
clashed
in
Warmagai
area,
in
which
two
TTP
militants,
including
one
key
'commander',
Gul,
and
his
accomplice,
were
killed.
Five
TI
activists
were
killed
in
an
Improvised
Explosive
Device
(IED)
in
the
Naray
Baba
area
of
Tirah
Valley
in
Khyber
Agency
on
February
3.
At
least
three
peace
volunteers
were
killed
while
two
others
were
injured
on
February
2
in
a
bomb
blast
in
Nari
Baba
area
of
Tirah
Valley.
Daily
Times;
Dawn;
The
News;
Tribune;
Central
Asia
Online;
The
Nation;
The
Frontier
Post;
Pakistan
Today;
Pakistan
Observer,
February
3-9,
2015.
1,999
suspects
arrested
under
National
Action
Plan
in
Punjab,
reveal
official
statistics:
While
the
National
Action
Plan
(NAP)
is
being
implemented
across
the
country
since
December
17,
2014,
Islamabad
Police,
in
association
with
Law
Enforcement
agencies,
have
so
far
arrested
1,999
people
and
booked
them
in
1,610
cases
in
connection
with
four
recently
promulgated
ordinances
in
provincial
capital
Lahore.
However,
1,163
cases
in
four
categories
are
pending
with
the
courts.
Dawn,
February
4,
2015.
Dialogue
with
India
minus
Kashmir
issue
not
acceptable,
says
Advisor
to
the
Prime
Minister
on
National
Security
and
Foreign
Affairs
Sartaj
Aziz:
Advisor
to
the
Prime
Minister
on
National
Security
and
Foreign
Affairs
Sartaj
Aziz
on
February
4
informed
the
National
Assembly
that
Pakistan
desired
a
meaningful
and
resulted
oriented
dialogue
with
India,
however,
the
dialogue
process
minus
the
Kashmir
issue
would
not
be
acceptable.
The
Advisor
said
that
as
per
reports,
United
States
(US)
President
Barack
Obama
during
his
recent
visit
to
India
stressed
the
need
to
resume
the
stalled
dialogue
process
with
Pakistan.
He
said
that
Pakistan,
however,
had
not
yet
received
any
positive
indication
in
this
regard.
The
News,
February
5,
2015.
SRI
LANKA
Regulation
banning
al
Qaeda
presented
in
Parliament:
Sri
Lankan
Government
on
February
5
presented
the
regulation
under
the
United
Nations
(UN)
Act
to
locally
ratify
the
ban
on
al
Qaeda
as
a
global
terrorist
outfit.
The
Gazette
notification
had
been
signed
by
former
External
Affairs
Minister
G.L.
Peiris
on
December
14,
2014.
According
to
the
regulation,
this
organisation
is
continued
to
be
designated
as
a
terrorist
outfit.
It
is
prohibited
for
any
individual
to
aid
and
abet
the
al
Qaeda.
The
financial
intelligence
authorities
of
Sri
Lanka
are
authorised
to
seize
funds
and
assets
of
this
terrorist
outfit.
Daily
Mirror,
February
6,
2015.
International
probe
is
the
only
way
justice
will
prevail
for
Tamils,
says
TNA
MP
Suresh
Premachandran:
The
Tamil
National
Alliance
(TNA)
said
it
will
not
support
a
domestic
investigation
launched
by
the
new
Government
over
the
war
between
the
Liberation
Tigers
of
Tamil
Eelam
(LTTE)
and
State
Security
Forces
(SFs)
that
ended
in
May
2009.
TNA
parliamentarian
Suresh
Premachandran,
during
discussions
with
United
States
(US)
Assistant
Secretary
of
State
for
South
and
Central
Asian
Affairs,
Nisha
Biswal
on
February
3,
stressed
that
an
international
probe
is
the
only
way
justice
will
prevail
for
the
Tamils
who
have
suffered
the
war.
Colombo
Page,
February
4,
2015.
.
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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