| |
SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 15, No. 4, July 25, 2016
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
|
Bihar:
Residual Risks
Deepak
Kumar Nayak
Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management
On July
18, 2016, 10 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel
belonging to the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action
(CoBRA) were killed and five others were injured in a
Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist)
orchestrated Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast and
encounter in the Chakarbanda-Dumarinala forests of Aurangabad
District. Three Maoists were also killed in the encounter.
Arms and ammunition, including an AK-47 rifle, Indian
Small Arms System (INSAS) rifle and Under Barrel Grenade
Launcher (UBGL), were also recovered from the encounter
site. Commenting on the incident, Bihar Director General
of Police (DGP) P.K. Thakur disclosed that eight paramilitary
troopers were killed immediately and two of the five wounded
died in a hospital.
In the
preceding month, on June 19, 2016, a CRPF trooper, identified
as A. Deka, was killed and two of his colleagues, identified
as A.K. Yadav and K. Kakoti, were injured in an IED blast
carried out by the Maoists near Bandhu Bigaha village
in Aurangabad District. The Maoists triggered the blast
when three personnel of the 205th CoBRA unit
were riding on two motorcycles on their way to their camp
from Bali Pahari locality.
Significantly,
on January 11, 2016, while, commenting on the January
8, 2016, encounter in which four Maoists were killed in
Bandh Gorya village under Dhibra Police Station area in
Aurangabad District, the CPI-Maoist ‘central zonal spokesman,’
Paramjeet had threatened to avenge the killing. Later
on, Maoists pamphlets found from Deo and Dhibra localities
read:
"Char ka badla chalis se lenge, Operation Green
Hunt band karo, comrade Bihari Yadav, Ratan Yadav,
Devki Bhuiyan and Birendra Singh ko sat sat salaam."
English translation - [We will take revenge, forty
for four, stop Operation Green Hunt, salutations
to comrade Bihari Yadav, Ratan Yadav, Devki Bhuiyan
and Birendra Singh]
|
Preliminary
investigation of the Aurangabad Maoist attack suggested
that the ultras were well prepared for the incident. They
had lured the Security Forces (SFs) to the area by telephonically
passing on false information. They had also planted hundreds
of IEDs in advance, orchestrating a total of 352 land
mine blasts on the fateful day. Giving further details
about the incident, a senior Police official stated that,
initially, the operation was launched on July 17 to arrest
Sandeep Yadav, a dreaded Maoist, facing over 80 cases
in Bihar and Jharkhand. Later, the Superintendent of Police
(SP), Aurangabad District, joined the CoBRA team on July
18 with a team of the District Police and another CoBRA
unit. However, it has been learnt that the team was heavily
dependent on Global Positioning System (GPS) positioning
and feedback but did not take the help of local intelligence.
The Aurangabad
incident will go a long way in denting the morale of the
SF personnel not just in Bihar but across all theatres
of Left Wing Extremist (LWE) conflict in India. The manner
in which the Maoists planned and trapped the SFs speaks
volume of the hold the ultras enjoy in the region.
Aurangabad along with Gaya and Jamui has been the epicentre
of Maoist-violence in Bihar.
Aurangabad
also finds place among the 35 worst Naxal (LWE) affected
Districts in the country. The District’s geographical
proximity with other Maoist affected Districts of the
State and neighbouring Jharkhand
makes it one of the preferred shelters for the Maoists
in the region. Crucially, Jharkhand has 21 LWE affected
Districts out of its total of 24 Districts.
In addition
to these incidents of killing, the Maoists have also been
involved in other violent activities in 2016, including
abduction (one incident in which two persons were abducted),
arson (seven incidents), bomb blasts (two occasions),
attacks on railway property (one incident), among others,
till July 24, in Bihar. During the corresponding period
of 2015, the Maoists were involved in three incidents
of abduction in which three persons were abducted, and
two incidents of arson. No incident of bomb blast or attack
on railway property was recorded during 2015.
Despite
the alarm over the Aurangabad incident and the other violent
activities in the State, the Maoists are under significant
pressure. SF consolidation against the Maoists has been
significant over a period
of time, not just in Bihar but across
the country. To overcome this situation
they are striking wherever they can. Since October 2015,
the Maoists in Chhattisgarh, in particular, have come
under tremendous pressure, and the trend seems to be continuing
in 2016. Out of the 132 Maoists killed in SF operations
across LWE-affected States in India, 72 have been killed
in Chhattisgarh alone. Jharkhand, the second most violent
State after Chhattisgarh, also consolidated its position
against LWEs with 27 rebels eliminated in the first six
and half months of 2016. The situation in Odisha, Maharashtra
and Bihar, widely varying, saw little violence during
the corresponding period. On the other hand, the SF position
against the Maoists in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana consolidated
further. The Maoist endeavour to create new operational
spaces in the trijunction of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka,
received major jolts after the arrest of key leaders.
According
to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism
Portal (SATP), 28 persons, including seven civilians,
13 SF personnel and eight Maoists, have been killed in
Bihar in 2016 (till July 24), in comparison to seven persons,
including three civilians, two SF personnel and two Maoists,
killed in the corresponding period of 2015.
Half-Yearly
CPI-Maoist linked Fatality in Bihar: 2011-2016
Year
|
Civilian
|
SF
|
CPI-Maoist
|
Total
|
2011
|
20
|
3
|
16
|
39
|
2012
|
11
|
2
|
8
|
21
|
2013
|
10
|
13
|
0
|
23
|
2014
|
6
|
6
|
3
|
15
|
2015
|
3
|
2
|
2
|
7
|
2016
|
7
|
13
|
8
|
28
|
Total
|
57
|
39
|
37
|
133
|
*Data
updated till July 24, 2016
|
There is
thus an overall declining trend in the fatalities in the
State since 2011, with a spike in 2016. However, internal
trends are inconsistent. The Maoist fatalities in 2016
are half of the peak of 16 fatalities in 2011. SF fatalities
in 2016 are presently the same as the peak of 2013, while
they were at a low of two in 2015 and 2012. Civilian fatalities
were recorded at seven in 2016 in comparison to a peak
of 20 fatalities in 2011.
Other indicators
suggest continuing consolidation by SFs, despite the setback
of July 18. Till July 24, 2016, SFs had arrested 66 Maoists
in the State, including two CPI-Maoist ‘area commanders,’
two 'zonal commanders' and a 'supreme commander' of the
Revolutionary Communist Centre (RCC). Two Maoists had
also surrendered in the State during this period. It is
significant that, since 2013, only 12 Maoists have surrendered
in Bihar, in comparison to 1,278 in Chhattisgarh, another
LWE-affected State in the country. This suggests that
Bihar’s surrender policy is not bearing the desired result
and that there is a need to review it.
Under the
new surrender policy of 2013, the Bihar Government provides
financial aides including INR 250,000 to top leaders who
surrender; INR 10,000 as immediate assistance and INR
3,000 per month for rehabilitation, as well as rewards
for each weapon surrendered. The updated 2015 Chhattisgarh
Government surrender policy also provides compensation
for ammunition and weapons, as well as housing for surrendered
Naxals, and the possibility of all previous cases being
removed from the record. It has also been hold that, upon
surrender “the individual will be watched for six months
and if his behaviour is deemed to be good” he will be
liable for a government job. These additional features
seem to be attracting more Maoists in Chhattisgarh to
give up arms and join the mainstream.
SF personnel
also recovered significant caches of arms, ammunition
and explosives in Bihar. In one incident of recovery,
the Special Task Force (STF) constituted by the Saran
District Police recovered two rifles, a double barrel
gun, a country-made rifle, 205 cartridges of 7.62 bore
SLR with charge clip, two pressure cooker bombs with explosive
materials, six SLR rifle magazines, 22 chargers, two detonators,
handbills asking people not to participate in panchayat
(Village level local-self government institution) election
and INR 250,000 in cash from Baarhichak Dihee village
under Maker Police Station on May 2, 2016. According to
Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UHMA) data on comparative
parameters of LWE violence (upto June 30 2016), 436 arms
have been recovered in 2016 (till June 30) across all
States, while, 330 arms were recovered in the corresponding
period in 2015. No specific data on recovery of arms in
Bihar is available.
Bihar has
recorded three major incidents (each involving three or
more fatalities) in 2016 (till July 24) in which three
civilians, 10 SF personnel and seven Maoists were killed,
in comparison to no major incident registered in 2015.
The major incidents of 2016 in the State were:
July 18:
Ten CRPF personnel belonging to the 225th CoBRA
battalion were killed and five were injured in a Maoist
orchestrated IED blast in the forests of Aurangabad District.
Three Maoists were also killed in the encounter.
May 21:
CPI-Maoist cadres killed three villagers at Gadi village
in Chakai area of Jamui District, branding all of them
‘Police informers’.
January
8: Four CPI-Maoist cadres were killed while one CoBRA
trooper received bullet injuries in an exchange of fire
between SFs and Maoists at Bandh Gorya village under Dhibra
Police Station area in Aurangabad District.
Bihar Police
continues to lag in terms of capacities to deal with evolving
challenges created by the Maoists. According to the National
Crimes Record Bureau (NCRB) data, Bihar had 77 Police
personnel per 100,000 populations, as on December 31,
2013, the worst ratio in the country, and far below the
national average of 141. On July 27, 2016, in the 22nd
meeting of Eastern Zonal Council at Ranchi in Jharkhand,
various development schemes carried out in LWE-affected
areas were assessed, and Bihar was found to be lagging
in construction of fortified Police Stations. Out of the
45 sanctioned fortified Police Stations in Bihar, 40 are
yet to be constructed. By comparison, in neighbouring
Jharkhand, out of 73 sanctioned fortified Police Stations,
only two were yet to be completed; in Odisha, out of 52
sanctioned fortified Police Stations, 18 remained to be
constructed; and in West Bengal, out of 17 fortified Police
Stations, just one was yet to be completed.
Bihar reels
under the combined impact of backwardness, poverty and
poor governance, which continue to create pools of potential
violence in the region, and the Maoists have been quick
to tap into these reserves. As demonstrated in the Aurangabad
incident, the Maoists retain significant residual capacities
to strike, and it would be a mistake to believe that SFs
have made gains that will automatically be held. Indeed,
in the present situation, it is only a redoubling of effort,
with massive administrative initiatives to address welfare
and developmental deficits in the afflicted areas, that
can ensure a steady consolidation of the State, and the
progressive marginalization LWE elements.
|
Estranged
Partners
S.
Binodkumar Singh
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
On July
24, 2016, Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli resigned from
his post after spending 287 days in Singha Durbar
(Lion's Palace), the seat of Nepal's Government minutes
before Parliament was to vote on a no confidence motion
he was likely to lose. Addressing the Parliament on the
no-confidence motion, Oli rued, “The game for a change
in the Government at this time is mysterious.”
Significantly,
on July 22, 2016, Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist-Centre
(CPN-Maoist-Centre), a major coalition partner with 82
seats in 598-member Constituent Assembly (CA) in the Communist
Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML)-led
coalition Government, tabled a no-confidence motion in
Parliament against Prime Minister Oli. Bimalendra Nidhi,
a central-level leader of the Nepali Congress (NC), the
largest opposition party with 206 seats, seconded the
no-confidence motion tabled by Pushpa Kamal Dahal, chairman
of the CPN-Maoist-Centre. CPN-UML has 182-members in the
598-member CA.
Earlier,
on July 12, 2016, CPN-Maoist-Centre had withdrawn its
support from the incumbent Government, declaring that
CPN-UML was reluctant to implement the “gentlemen’s agreement”
and the nine-point
agreement made with it on May 5, 2016.
In a letter addressed to PM Oli, Dahal had declared:
Our party saw the need for national consensus to
implement the new statute, complete the remaining
tasks of peace process along with the transitional
justice, resolve the issues raised by Madhesis,
Janajatis and Tharus, and provide relief to the
people and carry out reconstruction of the country
in the wake of the last year's devastating earthquake.
And the spirit of nine-point agreement that the
Maoist party and CPN-UML forged in May was also
national consensus. But as the leadership of the
existing government was not ready to implement the
nine-point agreement and the three-point gentlemen's
agreement, it would be politically inappropriate
for our party to remain in this government. Thus,
we withdraw our support from this government now.
|
According
to the “gentleman’s agreement”, Oli was to let Dahal take
over the reins of Government after the tabling of the
fiscal budget. Further, the nine-point agreement provided
blanket amnesty for human rights abusers over the decade-long
Maoist insurgency in order to save Maoist leaders from
being implicated in war crimes. However, when Oli refused
to step down even after the passage of the Appropriation
Bill on July 9, 2016, the Maoists decided to withdraw
support.
As expected,
a day after the CPN-Maoist Center withdrew its support
to the CPN-UML-led Government, the main opposition NC,
during its Central Working Committee meeting held at the
Nuptse Hall in the Parliament building on July 13, 2016,
decided to lend support to Dahal as the new Prime Minister.
The meeting also endorsed a seven-point
agreement that the party President,
Sher Bahadur Deuba, forged with Dahal to build a new coalition
Government. As per the understanding between the two leaders,
Dahal would first lead the coalition Government and Deuba
would succeed him after 10 months.
Subsequently,
on the same day, seeking support for passing the no-confidence
motion against Oli and taking part in the new Government,
both NC and CPN-Maoist-Center leaders had approached the
agitating
parties of the United Democratic Madhesi
Front (UDMF) comprising the Upendra Yadav-led Federal
Socialist Forum-Nepal (FSF-N), the Mahantha Thakur-led
Tarai Madhes Democratic Party (TMDP), the Rajendra Mahato-led
Sadbhawana Party (SP) and the Mahendra Raya Yadav-led
Tarai Madhes Sadbhawana Party (TMSP). Following a joint
request from NC and CPN-Maoist Center, 19 MPs from UDMF
signed on the no-confidence motion. Again, on the same
day, the Federal Alliance, an alliance of 30 ethnic and
Madhesi parties formed on July 31, 2015, declared that
it would also help NC and CPN-Maoist-Centre to unseat
the CPN-UML-led coalition Government. There are about
four dozen lawmakers in the Federal Alliance.
Further,
on July 15, 2016, Dahal showed up at Khulamanch in Kathmandu,
where the Federal Alliance was officially concluding its
39-day relay hunger strike. Addressing the function, Dahal
declared, “The first point of seven-point agreement between
Nepali Congress and Maoist Centre has considered the Alliance’s
demands. Political solution will be sought [to address
them] through positive dialogue.” Dahal was accompanied
at the function by NC leader Purna Bahadur Khadka. The
Federal Alliance had been demanding identity based autonomous
states in Nepal and greater proportional representation
in Parliament. Under the new Constitution, a smaller percentage
of lawmakers are elected by proportional representation
– 45 per cent, as compared to 58 per cent under the Interim
Constitution. The Federal Alliance wants the provisions
of the Interim Constitution restored in this regard.
Subsequent
to Oli’s resignation, President Bidya Devi Bhandari on
July 24, 2016, asked the present Government to continue
in a caretaker capacity until a new Government is formed.
As the incumbent Cabinet on July 23 had recommended the
President to invoke Article 305 for removing the difficulties
because there was no provision to elect a new Prime Minister
after the Prime Minister's resignation in the transitional
cabinet, President Bhandari issued an order on July 25
to elect a new Prime Minister in accordance with Article
298 (2) and (3) of the Constitution.
Though
it is expected that the Maoists and the NC along with
other parties, including the Madhesis, will come together
to form a Government soon, innumerable challenges remain.
Foremost among them are three pending Bills. Out of four
bills — Appropriation Bill, Financial Bill, Bill to Raise
Public Debt, and Loan, and Guarantee Bill – presented
in Parliament on May 28, 2016, the Appropriation Bill,
which allows the Government to implement budgetary programmes
and utilize funds as per allocations made through the
budget document, was approved by Parliament. However,
the Financial Bill, Bill to Raise Public Debt, and Loan,
and Guarantee Bill are yet to be approved and these are
important for the Government to administer to the country’s
economic needs and more urgent at a time when Nepal is
still to recover from the losses of the April 2015 earthquakes.
The importance of these bills are underlined by the fact
that a meeting of the ruling parties’, including CPN-UML,
Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal (RPP-N), Madhesi People's
Right Forum-Democratic (MPRF-D), Rastriya Prajatantra
Party (RPP) and some other smaller parties held in Kathmandu
on July 17, 2016, had decided not to allow a discussion
on the no-confidence motion on July 21 without allowing
a debate on three budget related bills first. Further,
on July 19, 2016, Prime Minister Oli had urged the Speaker
Onsari Gharti Magar to allow a debate on the three budget
related bills before the discussion over the no-confidence
motion. However, Parliament rejected the bills tabled
by the incumbent Government, right before Dahal tabled
the no-confidence motion against the incumbent Prime Minister.
The prominent challenges which the new Government will
have to address further include demands for transitional
justice measures in the country, as
Dahal is now expected to lead the Government. The new
Government will also have to address the issues
of accommodating the aspirations of the Madhesis and other
minority communities in the constitutional scheme. Both
these have been fractious issues that past Governments
have failed to secure consensus on.
Since the
restoration of parliamentary democracy in 1990, unstable
politics, frequent ruptures of political parties and all-too-frequent
changes of Government have plagued Nepal. The country
has seen 23 Government changes in 26 years. Although,
a Government has the mandate to rule for five years and
thus pursue long-term plans and policies, the frequent
turnover has resulted in half baked plans, ill executed
policies, and way too many changes in working styles.
Caught in the struggle between power hungry politicians
and a highly unstable democratic system, many Nepalis
feel trapped and helpless. Nepal has been in a state of
political crisis for many years, and people’s hopes that
the country would eventually sort itself out, establishing
a measure of political stability and economic growth,
continue to be belied.
|
Weekly Fatalities: Major
Conflicts in South Asia
July
18-24, 2016
|
Civilians
|
Security
Force Personnel
|
Terrorists/Insurgents
|
Total
|
BANGLADESH
|
|
Islamist Terrorism
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
INDIA
|
|
Jammu and
Kashmir
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
Meghalaya
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Left-Wing
Extremism
|
|
Bihar
|
0
|
10
|
3
|
13
|
Chhattisgarh
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
Total (INDIA)
|
1
|
11
|
5
|
17
|
PAKISTAN
|
|
Balochistan
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
|
9
|
1
|
2
|
12
|
Sindh
|
2
|
0
|
6
|
8
|
Total (PAKISTAN)
|
|
|
|
|
Provisional
data compiled from English language media sources.
|
BANGLADESH
Extent
of
militancy
has
decreased
in
the
country
due
to
law
enforcers'
efforts,
says
IGP
AKM
Shahidul
Hoque:
Inspector
General
of
Police
(IGP)
AKM
Shahidul
Hoque
on
July
22
said
that
the
extent
of
militancy
has
decreased
in
the
country
due
to
law
enforcers'
efforts.
He
said
there
are
militants
in
the
country,
but
many
of
them
have
been
arrested
in
Police
drives
while
some
have
been
killed
in
crossfire
incidents.
He
called
upon
people
of
all
caste
and
religions
to
come
forward
to
root
out
militancy
stating
that
elimination
of
militancy
would
be
possible
if
a
social
movement
could
be
waged
through
uniting
the
efforts
of
common
people
and
law
enforcement
agencies.
The
Daily
Star,
July
23,
2016.
INDIA
Ten
CoBRA
commandos
and
three
Maoists
killed
in
Bihar:
At
least
10
Central
Reserve
Police
Force
(CRPF)
Commandos
-
belonging
to
the
Commando
Battalion
for
Resolute
Action
(CoBRA)
battalion
-
were
killed
and
five
others
were
injured
in
a
Communist
Party
of
India-Maoist
(CPI-Maoist)-triggered
Improvised
Explosive
Device
(IED)
blast
in
the
Chakarbanda-Dumarinala
forests
area
of
Aurangabad
District
on
July
18.
Subsequently,
an
encounter
started
between
the
two
sides
resulting
in
the
killing
of
three
Maoists.
Some
arms
and
ammunition,
including
an
AK-47
rifle,
INSAS
rifle
and
under
barrel
grenade
launcher
were
also
recovered
from
the
encounter
site.
Later
on
July
20,
'spokesperson'
of
the
'central
zonal
committee'
CPI-Maoist,
Paramjeet,
in
a
press
statement
said,
"Our
brave
cadres
killed
10
CoBRA
jawans
of
the
CRPF.
We
laid
the
trap
by
giving
them
misleading
information
over
the
telephone
which
was
under
their
surveillance.
The
three
[Maoist]
cadres
who
died
in
the
encounter
are
Prince
alias
Jitender,
Harinder
alias
Uday
and
Bipin
alias
Kisan.
The
fourth
body
is
of
a
villager,
not
of
our
cadre."
He
claimed
that
the
operation
was
carried
out
to
shake
the
confidence
of
the
Security
Forces.
Times
of
India,
July
19-21,
2016.
IS
operatives
in
India
were
in
touch
with
Naxalites
for
terror
training,
according
to
NIA:
Islamic
State
(IS)
operatives
in
India
had
approached
Naxalite
[Left
Wing
Extremist
(LWE)]
groups
to
understand
their
modus
operandi
for
perpetrating
terror
and
were
also
planning
to
buy
firearms
from
them,
according
to
a
supplementary
charge
sheet
filed
by
the
National
Investigation
Agency
(NIA)
in
a
Special
Court
in
New
Delhi
against
16
people,
including
the
absconding
main
recruiter
of
IS
in
India
Shafi
Armar,
for
allegedly
indulging
in
terror-related
activities
in
the
country.
"The
accused
persons
contacted
Naxalites
to
understand
their
modus
operandi
in
committing
terror
acts
and
they
also
had
plans
to
buy
weapons
from
the
Naxalites,"
NIA
stated.
NDTV,
July
19,
2016.
"Solution
as
per
the
Framework
Agreement
was
nearing
its
final
stage",
says
NSCN-IM:
Muivah
faction
of
National
Socialist
Council
of
Nagaland
(NSCN-IM)
'Kilo
Kilonser
(home
minister)',
Rh.
Raising
on
July
19
said
that
"solution
as
per
the
Framework
Agreement"
was
nearing
its
final
stage,
"focused
on
shared
sovereignty,
common
identify
of
the
Nagas
(encompassing
all
Naga
inhabited
areas)
Pan-Naga
body,
with
the
uniqueness
of
the
Naga
history
being
duly
acknowledged
among
others".
Addressing
the
NSCN-IM
co-ordination
meeting
with
the
Ao
community
at
Sungratsu
village,
Raising
further
said
"it
is
mutually
agreed
that
the
two
people
will
share
sovereign
power
in
some
areas.
It
is
also
agreed
that
the
two
people
will
co-exist
as
two
entities/equals".
"We
believe
in
the
principle
of
interdependent
relationship
among
people
and
nations,
in
the
fields
of
political,
economic,
social
and
military,
with
mutual
recognition
of
identities",
he
added.
Nagaland Post,
July
20,
2016.
NEPAL
Prime
Minister
K.
P.
Oli
resigns:
Prime
Minister
K.
P.
Oli
resigned
on
July
24,
nine
months
after
coming
to
power
and
minutes
before
parliament
was
to
vote
on
a
no
confidence
motion
he
was
likely
to
lose.
"I
have
already
submitted
my
resignation
to
the
president
when
I
met
her
before
coming
to
the
house,"
said
Oli,
in
a
speech
in
parliament
ahead
of
the
scheduled
no
confidence
vote.
This
is
the
country's
23rd
government
to
fall
since
a
multi-party
democracy
began
in
1990
after
bloody
protests."
The Wire,
July
25,
2016.
PAKISTAN
Around
1,000
bullet-ridden
bodies
recovered
from
Balochistan
in
past
six
years,
reveal
official
documents:
More
than
940
bullet-ridden
dead
bodies
were
recovered
from
various
districts
of
Balochistan
whereas
Quetta
remained
the
worst-hit
district
with
346
dead
bodies
were
recovered
since
2010,
revealed
figures
prepared
by
senior
officials
assigned
to
swiftly
execute
the
National
Action
Plan
(NAP).
More
than
51
percent
mutilated
bodies
were
identified
as
ethnic
Baloch.
Official
figures
continued
to
reveal
shocking
figures
further
as
stating
that
22
percent
dead
bodies
belonged
to
Pashtuns
while
rest
of
the
bullet-ridden
corpses
either
remained
unidentified
or
belong
to
Punjabis,
Afghan
refugees
or
non-Muslims.
The
'confidential
data',
also
exclusively
available
with
Geo
News
(ASKKS
Programme)/The
News,
further
revealed
that
over
112
persons
were
still
missing
in
the
province.
The News,
July
25,
2016.
Crime
on
the
rise
despite
LEAs'
operation
in
Karachi,
says
CPLC:
According
to
Citizen
Police
Liaison
Committee
(CPLC)
official
report
the
criminal
activities
and
street
crimes
in
Karachi
are
on
the
rise
despite
operation
against
the
criminal
elements
by
the
law
enforcement
agencies
(LEAs)
in
the
metropolis
in
past
six
months.
According
to
the
report,
the
city
witnessed
around
233
murders
during
this
period
that
makes
7/8
killings
a
day
in
the
metropolis.
It
is
believed
that
parts
of
Sindh
province
including
suburbs
of
Karachi
remained
the
safe
heavens
for
criminals
hailing
and
coming
from
Punjab
province.
"They
were
involved
in
kidnappings,
killings
and
robberies
in
the
province
especially
in
Karachi.
The
militants
from
Punjab
also
remained
involved
in
criminal
activities
as
Karachi
is
considered
as
a
sanctuary
for
them,"
the
CPLC
report
said.
Daily Times,
July
25,
2016.
Rangers
have
mandate
to
operate
in
Karachi
and
not
in
whole
province,
says
Sindh
CM
Syed
Qaim
Ali
Shah:
Chief
Minister
(CM)
Syed
Qaim
Ali
Shah
on
July
19
insisted
that
the
paramilitary
force,
Pakistan
Rangers,
was
given
powers
only
to
establish
peace
in
Karachi
and
not
to
operate
in
the
whole
province.
"The
Rangers
were
given
powers
for
four
heinous
crimes
-
terrorism,
targeted
killing,
extortion
and
kidnapping
for
ransom…
They
were
given
powers
to
operate
only
in
Karachi
and
not
in
the
entire
province,"
he
stated.
Earlier,
Pakistan
Rangers
Sindh,
Director
General
Major
General
Bilal
Akbar
had
reportedly
asserted
that
Rangers
could
move
in
any
part
of
the
province
to
chase
criminals
using
their
special
powers
given
under
the
defined
laws.
Dawn,
July
20,
2016.
SRI
LANKA
All
educational
institutions
should
act
as
reconciliation
centers
and
reconciliation
should
be
included
as
a
subject
in
curriculum,
says
President
Maithripala
Sirisena:
President
Maithripala
Sirisena
on
July
20
said
that
all
educational
institutions,
including
universities
and
vocational
training
centers,
should
act
as
reconciliation
centers
and
reconciliation
should
be
included
as
a
subject
in
the
school
curriculum.
Commenting
on
the
July
16,
2016,
clash
between
two
factions
of
students
that
occurred
at
the
University
of
Jaffna,
President
Sirisena
expressed
his
deep
concerns
and
said
"The
Sinhala
Buddhists
will
be
able
to
live
happily
only
after
the
concerns
of
other
communities
are
resolved
and
the
first
step
is
to
acknowledge
that
the
people
in
the
North
also
have
grievances.
With
the
introduction
of
a
new
constitution,
we
hope
to
unite
the
divided
communities
without
in
any
way
dividing
the
country."
Daily Mirror,
July
21,
2016.
Cabinet
approves
SLR
971
million
to
immediately
resettle
IDP
families:
Cabinet
approved
SLR
971
million
to
immediately
resettle
the
families
of
the
Internally
Displaced
People
(IDP).
At
present,
971
families
reside
in
31
welfare
centers,
out
of
which
641
families
are
individuals
without
land.
It
is
necessary
to
implement
a
priority
housing
project
to
resettle
all
the
displaced
families.
Accordingly,
the
proposal
made
by
the
Minister
of
Prison
Reforms,
Rehabilitation,
Resettlement
and
Hindu
Religious
Affairs,
to
implement
an
expedited
housing
project
in
this
regard
at
a
cost
of
SLR
971
million,
has
been
approved
by
the
Cabinet
of
Ministers.
Colombo Page,
July
21,
2016.
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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