A Gradual Healing | Nagaland:The Vanity of Hope | South Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR), Vol. No. 10.23
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SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 10, No. 23, December 12, 2011

Data and assessments from SAIR can be freely published in any form with credit to the South Asia Intelligence Review of the
South Asia Terrorism Portal


ASSESSMENT


BANGLADESH
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A Gradual Healing
Sanchita Bhattacharya
Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management

Bangladesh has experienced a dramatic stabilization over the past year, though contradictory impulses continue to create some confusion, particularly in view of the Government’s decision to retain Islamist elements within the Constitution, against the ruling Awami League’s (AL’s) secular commitments in the past. The ongoing War Crimes (WC) Trials and sustained action against extremist elements have, however, pulled the country back from what appeared, just years ago, to be the edge of the precipice, and transformed the profile of governance in the country.

According to partial data collected by the South Asian Terrorism Portal (SATP), there have been no fatalities related with Islamists in 2011, same as in 2010.

By November 6, 2011 the Government had arrested 576 militants belonging to various Islamist extremist groupings, including the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS), Jama'at-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT), and Hizb-ut-Towhid, as against 958 such arrests in 2010, and 23 in 2009. The pattern of arrests over the year suggests that the principal concentration has been directed against HuT and Hizb-ut-Towhid, because of their active penetration into the Bangladeshi society. A total of 165 cadres belonging to these two outfits have been arrested in 30 incidents throughout 2011, including Mahmudul Bari, adviser of HuT and Rajshahi District Ameer (Chief) of Hizb-ut-Towhid, Mohammad Mizanur Rahman. These two organisations have been involved in the aggressive propagation of extremist Islamist ideologies in the country.

Major Islamist extremist arrests included:

April 25, 2011: The acting ‘Chief’ of Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami – Bangladesh (HuJI-B), Abdul Hannan Sabbir was arrested, along with another extremist, from a hideout at Keraniganj in Dhaka District.

April 26, 2011: One of the most wanted leaders of HuJI-B, Rahmatullah alias Sheikh Farid alias Shawkat Osman was arrested at Tongi Railway Station area of Gazipur District.

May 26, 2011: Three JeI leaders, identified as Abu Jafar Mohammad Saleh (District Chief), Abdul Kader (sub-district chief) and Shamim Ahsan (secretary), were arrested from Charduani Dakhil Madrasa in Patharghata sub-district of Barguna District.

June 10, 2011: The General Secretary of JeI Alpana unit, Nazrul Islam alias Mamun, was arrested at West Deka of Chauddagram sub-district of Comilla District.

August 18, 2011: Moulana Yahiya, the newly appointed Chief of HuJI-B was arrested along with his two accomplices at Bhairab in Kishoreganj District.

September 3, 2011: A Majlis-e-Shura (central governing body) member of JMB, Sohag Talukdar, was arrested from his house in the Nalchhiti Sub-district of Jhalakathi District.

September 25, 2011: Police arrested a JeI 'chief', Mohammad Jane Alam, from his residence at Katgor in Patenga in Chittagong District.

A total of 22 Left Wing Extremists (LWEs) were killed in 2011 (data compiled till November 6, 2011), as against 46 militants, one civilian and three SF personnel in the preceding year. The District of Pabna has proved to be the epicenter of LWE violence, with the maximum number of incidents taking place there, followed by the Mirpur and Chaudanga Districts.

Significant incidents involving the LWE included:

February 2, 2011: The ‘military commander’ of Purba Banglar Communist Party – Janajudhha (PBCP-Janajudhha), identified as Hafizul Islam Reza, was killed in Santhia sub-district of Pabna District.

February 3, 2011: A ‘regional commander’ of PBCP-Red Flag, Abdul Hamid alias Thosha Hamid, was shot dead by Police in Ataikula Sub-district of Pabna District.

February 9, 2011: A ‘regional commander’ of PBCP-Red Flag, identified as Mohammad Azibor Rahman was killed at Chatmohor sub-district of Pabna District.

April 26, 2011: The Ataikula Unit ‘chief’ of PBCP-Red Flag, Tikka Khan, was killed in Pabna District.

April 29, 2011: The ‘operational commander’ of PBCP-Janajudhha, Ziarul Rahman, was killed in Pabna District.

The total number of LWEs arrested through 2011 was 62.

Bangladesh had, for years under the preceding Bangladesh National Party (BNP)-led regime, been in focus for harbouring various Islamist extremist and terrorist elements, and using these to disrupt the political equilibrium of the region (South Asia), with repercussions echoing across the world. Traces of this troubled past continue to surface from time to time, despite the Sheikh Hasina Wajed Government’s efforts to suppress Islamist extremism in the country.

On July 20, 2011, for instance, the US demanded the extradition of Bangladesh born militants who were recruited and trained by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Senior officials at the Pentagon submitted a list of Bangladeshi militants and demanded their extradition. Earlier, on February 28, 2011, a Bangladeshi Islamist extremist working for British Airways had been found guilty of plotting to blow up a plane after conspiring with US-Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaki. Since November 8, 2011 Bangladeshi law enforcement officials have been on high alert after the Government received information that the Pakistan based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) was planning attacks in Dhaka and Chittagong.

The ‘Islam Pasand’ (Islamist) Political parties in Bangladesh are also getting increasingly involved in such conspiracies. On January 6, 2011, a Chittagong Court placed Mufti Izharul Chowdhury, President of a faction of the Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ, Islamic Unity Front), on a four-day remand in two cases under the Anti-Terrorism Act and Explosive Substance Act, for alleged involvement in a HuJI-B plot. It was also reported, on June 26, 2011, that there was a possibility that Hizb-ut-Towhid was a brainchild of the Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), as its founder Bayezid Khan Panni aka Selim Panni frequently reiterated his support to separatist groups as well as ISI-backed Islamist terrorists in India. Links between LeT leader Abdul Majed Bhat and HuJI-B, in the context of the August 21, 2004 Dhaka Grenade Attack, in which at least 23 people were killed, have been established by a Crime Investigation Department (CID) chargesheet filed in July 2011. It has also been alleged that Abdullah Khan of the Indian Mujahideen (IM), involved in the Mumbai blast of July 13, 2011, has been hiding in Bangladesh. Further, India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) has revealed that the interrogation of Wasim Akram Malik, a resident of Jammu and Kashmir and key conspirator in the Delhi High Court Blast of September 7, 2011, has mentioned the name of ‘Major Yassir’ a Bangladesh Army deserter, as a co-conspirator. On August 17, the High Court Bench of Justice A.H.M. Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik and Justice Gobinda Chandra Tagore, directed the Bangladesh Government to form a committee to investigate the nexus between IOJ Chairman Fazlul Haque Amini and JMB, al Qaeda and Taliban.

Linkage between Bangladeshi Islamist elements and the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), the separatist group operating in the north east Indian State of Assam have also been disclosed by intelligence sources. Worse, such linkages went up to the highest levels of the establishment under the previous Government. On July 5, 2011, security sources in Dhaka disclosed that former President Khaleda Zia’s son Tarique Rahman was a business associate of ULFA chief Paresh Baruah. On September 26, 2011, Bangladesh’s National Security Intelligence (NSI) agency launched a probe to investigate Baruah’s financial affairs and investments in the country. Baruah was also involved in the in-famous Chittagong arms smuggling case of April 1, 2004. Apart from ULFA, a number of other Indian extremist groups had their bases in Bangladesh, but these have been dismantled by the Sheikh Hasina Government, and a large number of militants and leaders have been handed over to Indian authorities, while some others remain in Bangladeshi custody. Baruah and the leadership of several other groups have escaped into the only surviving safe haven for north-east Indian rebel groupings along the Myanmar-China border.

In an unfortunate shift impacting on the innate character of the country, the Bangladesh Parliament, on June 30, retained Islam's status as the 'State Religion' with the passage of the 15th Constitutional Amendment Bill. Thousands of protesters marched in capital Dhaka against the adoption of an Islamic Constitution by Parliament, which they believe steered the country away from the secular political culture enshrined in the 1972 Constitution. Protestors were enraged by Sheikh Hasina’s turnaround from the AL’s commitments to a secular ideology from the moment of the country’s birth in 1971. The retention of an Islamic character in the Constitution appears to be motivated by an effort to contain an Islamist backlash against the Government’s widespread arrests of the extremist leadership and the WC trials.

The WC trials, initiated on March 25, 2010, moved forward through 2011. On September 16, 2011, an International Criminal Tribunal (ICT) confirmed the involvement of JeI 'assistant secretary-general' Muhammed Kamaruzzaman in ‘crimes against humanity’ during the 1971 liberation war. Earlier, on August 10, 2011, the ICT opened its first case against JeI leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee, charged with atrocities during the 1971 War of Independence, including genocide and rape. JeI Chief Matiur Rahman Nizami and secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed have also been formally charged for crimes against humanity. On June 15, 2011, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told Parliament that, "Permanent and qualitative change will come by in the country's law and order if the War Crimes trial ends." She said her Government wanted to hold the trial of 1971 Liberation War criminals "as a unique symbol of establishing rule of law and we are trying our level best to complete the process".

The Government has also initiated a series of trails connected with the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) (formerly Bangladesh Rifles, BDR) mutiny of February 25-26, 2009. The cases include the mutinies at Jessore, Chittagong, Dinajpur, Shatkhira and Dhaka, with trails going on in the Special Courts. In an important development, on September 12, 2011, the Special Court-8 sentenced 182 troopers of the Signal Sector of the erstwhile BDR to rigorous imprisonment ranging from four months to seven years, and fined each of the convicts BNR 100 in the Pilkhana Mutiny case.

2011 also proved productive in terms of the bilateral relations with India, with an official visit by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Dhaka in the month of September, and the signing of significant agreements, including long-pending accords relating to border disputes and the Adversely Possessed Lands (APLs). The Singh’s visit was also preceded by that of Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna. Earlier, in July 2011, it was reported that India and Bangladesh had launched a joint census to count populations in 162 enclaves on both sides of the border. On July 15, 2011, the Indo-Bangladesh Joint Survey of APLs along the Meghalaya-Sylhet frontier resumed amid tight security at the Sonarhat Border point in Gowainghat sub-district of Sylhet District.

The signing of the ‘Bangladesh and India Coordinated Border Management Plan’, on July 30, 2011, dealing with cross-border smuggling and human trafficking, was also considered a major step towards achieving the goal of establishing a ‘safe-zone’ across the Indo-Bangladesh border. On August 14, 2011, Bangladesh Home Ministry officials disclosed that India and Bangladesh had, for the first time, prepared strip maps of their 4,156 kilometer International Border (IB), towards settling outstanding border disputes. This was followed by the signing, on September 6, 2011, of the agreement on the demarcation of the entire land boundary between the two countries, resolving the status of 162 APLs. During the bi-annual conference of the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) and BGB, held at Dhaka from September 25 to 30, 2011, the BSF handed over a fresh list of Indian insurgents hiding in Bangladesh to the BGB, requesting action.

A sea change, both in the state’s relations with Islamist extremists and Indian separatist groupings, and in Bangladesh’s troubled relations with India, has done much to heal the self-inflicted wounds that Dhaka has suffered over the past decades. The shift has been far-reaching in its immediate impact, bringing an unprecedented stability, both to the regime and to the broader social and political milieu in the country. Nevertheless, troubling undercurrents persist, and a mishandling of the complex forces within Bangladesh could, once again, revive threats to the tenuous stability that has been secured over the past years.

Error rectified on January 31, 2012: Earlier, it was mentioned that 48 Islamist militants, four civilians and three SF personnel were killed in 2010.

INDIA
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Nagaland: The Vanity of Hope
Veronica Khangchian
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management

On November 27, 2011, a deserter from the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Unification (NSCN-U), identified as Herato Sumi, was killed by cadres of the organization in a four-hour gun fight at Sailhem in the Peren District near the Assam border. Another deserter, Vihuto, escaped with bullet injuries. The duo was allegedly involved in the killing of one Daniel Yeptho at a place between Tokiye Town and Viyilho village under the Zunheboto District on November 19. They were also alleged to have been involved in the shooting and injuring of a Sanskrit teacher of the Sainik School at Punglwa in Peren District on November 26.

Reports indicate that Sumi and Vihuto had been ‘on the run’ since an incident on November 18 at Tokiye town under Aghunato sub-division during an hour-long gun battle among NSCN-U cadres, when a 38-member NSCN-U team went on a touring patrol in the Tokiye area under the command of “Captain” Hokugha. Sumi and Vihuto deserted with their weapons after the gun battle.

The infamous fratricidal war amongst the Nagas has escalated through 2011, both within and beyond the State’s frontiers.

According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) database, at least 45 persons were killed and three injured in 10 fratricidal clashes in 2011 (all data till December 11). The number of persons killed and injured in two such incidents stood at two each, respectively, in 2010.

There were three fratricidal incidents among Naga groups within the State, through 2011. On June 4, one NSCN-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) militant, identified as Nechizo of the 'Naga Army' (NSCN-IM's armed wing) was killed by Naga National Council (NNC) cadres in the Phek District. Another NSCN-IM cadre was killed when a group of NSCN-IM cadres attacked a camp belonging to the NSCN-Khaplang (NSCN-K) near Old Thewati village in Phek District on March 15. Two days later, on March 17, ‘Brigadier’ Chipu Menon, the NSCN-K ‘head’ in Tirap, was killed by another NSCN-K cadre in the Mon District. Sources indicated that Menon was summoned from Tirap in Arunachal Pradesh to Mon in Nagaland by higher-ups, to sort out issues related to ‘organizational management’, which included disciplinary and financial matters. Menon had earlier been warned to "abide by the organizational discipline" but "did not pay any heed."

In the worst such incident outside Nagaland, intelligence sources disclosed that over 35 cadres of NSCN-K and NSCN-IM were killed in the night of February 24-25, 2011, on the Tirap-Myanmar border. The IM faction lost 30 of its cadres when their 100-strong armed group, trying to enter Tirap from Myanmar’s Sagiang Division, was ambushed by the rival Khaplang faction. The Khaplang faction lost about five of its cadres. Again, on July 13, a fierce shootout was reported between NSCN-IM and NSCN-K cadres at Kothin, 35 kilometres off Khonsa, the District headquarters of Tirap District. Security Forces (SFs), however, could not recover any dead bodies, though they found blood splattered everywhere. Earlier, two NSCN-K cadres were injured during a factional clash on February 28 in Myanmar.

Fratricidal clashes between NSCN-IM and Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF) cadres, a new Manipur based Naga militant outfit, were also reported. In fact, since its formation on February 25, 2011, ZUF has been involved in four violent incidents with the NSCN-IM. As many as six NSCN-IM and one ZUF cadres have been killed, while six NSCN-IM cadres were injured.

In another significant development, a group of top leaders of the NSCN-K, led by Khole Konyak, broke away to form a new group on June 7, 2011,  by announcing the expulsion of NSCN-K ‘chairman’, S.S. Khaplang. Since the split, the two factions – NSCN-K and NSCN-Khole-Kitovi – have been at ‘war’ with each other. Though no violent clashes have been reported, a war of words has broken out, with NSCN-K on September 2, accusing ‘chairman’ Khole and ‘secretary’ N. Kitovi Zhimomi of the new faction of having become ‘prisoners of the NSCN-IM’. On July 10, the new faction had described Khaplang as a ‘Burmese national’ and asked him not to interfere in Naga affairs.

Meanwhile, insurgency related fatalities within Nagaland have risen from just three in 2010 to 10 in 2011. More worryingly, seven civilians were killed in six incidents in 2011. There were no such killings in 2010. The last civilian killing before the spike this year was reported on July 23, 2009. While the number of militants killed remained the same (three) in both 2010 and 2011, there has been no SF casualty since May 11, 2008.

Annual Fatalities in Terrorist Violence in Nagaland: 2000-2011

Years
Civilians
Security Force Personnel
Terrorists
Total
2000
13
4
84
101
2001
25
2
76
103
2002
5
2
29
36
2003
3
3
31
37
2004
35
1
22
58
2005
9
0
31
40
2006
10
1
81
92
2007
20
0
88
108
2008
42
2
101
145
2009
7
0
11
18
2010
0
0
3
3
2011*
7
0
3
10
Source: SATP, *Till December 11, 2011

Notably, fatalities in the State have declined sharply since 2008, following the signing of the Covenant of Reconciliation (CoR) by top leaders of the NSCN-IM, NSCN-K, and ‘Federal Government of Nagaland’–Naga National Council (FGN/NNC) on June 13, 2009, after a Naga Reconciliation meet held in Chiang Mai in Thailand from June 1 to June 8, 2009. The Covenant was reaffirmed on September 18, 2010. The ‘highest level meeting’ of the Naga Reconciliation Committee, which was to be held during the visit of NSCN-IM leaders to Dimapur in March 2011, however, could not take place due to the sudden review of the decision by the NSCN-K. Unlike in the preceding two years, following the signing of the CoR under the aegis of Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR), FNR efforts were marginalized by intense factional fights during the year. Nevertheless, on December 5, 2011, members of the High Level Commission (HLC) of the ‘Naga Concordant’ represented by leaders from the three groups NSCN-IM, NNC and NSCN-Khole-Kitovi, reaffirmed their commitment to the Naga Reconciliation and to remain firm in their pledge to work towards “building a shared Naga future.”  The ‘Naga Concordant’ is a joint declaration signed by all the six leaders – Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah of NSCN-IM, 'General' Khole Konyak and N. Kitovi Zhimomi of NSCN-Khole-Kitovi and 'Brigadier' S. Singnya and Zhopra Vero of NNC, after they resolved "in principle", on August 26, 2011, to work towards the formation of one "Naga National Government". 

Nagaland also witnessed an increased number of abductions, incidents of extortion, and other violent acts. Six incidents of abductions were recorded in 2011, as against two in 2010. SATP data registers 12 incidents of extortion in 2011, as against nine in 2010. [Recorded incidents are likely to be a fraction of actual incidents in cases of abduction and extortion].

In an incident of abduction for extortion, on May 10, a business man was abducted by suspected NSCN-IM militants from the Walford area in Dimapur District. His bullet-riddled body was later found in the 7th Mile area of the District on May 12. According to sources, the abductors had sought an INR 30 million ransom from the trader`s family. In another incident, on September 15, unidentified militants abducted Tushar Mehra, a student, from Dimapur and demanded INR five million for his safe release. He was released on September 17. Police claimed no money was paid.

In a daring act, Naga militant factions demanded that all Nagaland Government Departments, except the Police and District administration, pay an 'annual salary tax' for the year 2011, at 24 percent of one month’s pay for a year. This was revealed to the Police on May 12 by a ‘reliable source’. Unsurprisingly, a December 8, 2011, media report stated that various Naga militant factions impose ‘taxes’ on all State Government employees, private businesses and the general population – with the total pegged at an estimated INR 13 billion each year. When asked how such ‘tax collection’ from Government employees continued unhindered, State Home Minister Imkong L. Imchen stated, “Unfortunately, some Government employees are collaborating with the underground groups. We have been taking certain steps, but I don’t think it would be appropriate to discuss my strategy with the media.” Earlier, on September 15, he had informed the State Assembly that a total of 528 persons had been arrested in and around Dimapur and Kohima from 2008 to June 2011, in connection with extortion.

The State recorded a total of 56 militant arrests in 2011, as against 76 in 2010. In an important development, on December 7, 2011, SFs arrested ‘major’ S. Johnson, stated to be the second-in-command of the Oklong camp of the NSCN-IM in Senapati District. On April 15, two NSCN-K militants, identified as Tatar (core member) Vihele, and ‘sectional officer’ Peter, were reportedly arrested by the Assam Rifles in Forest Colony in Kohima District.

Evidently, the SFs continued to avoid engaging the militants. No encounter between the SFs and the militants has been recorded since April 25, 2008. While the militants continue to breach the terms of the cease-fire agreements and to strengthen their armed capacities as well enrich their coffers through extortion and other crimes, the political masters of the State have forced the SFs to abide by the “sanctity of the cease-fire.”

With unabated factional fights between various Naga outfits, rampant violations of the CoR, never-ending ‘peace talks’ between the NSCN-IM and the Government of India with no solution in sight, rampant extortion, abduction and violation of ceasefire ground rules, and a reported nexus between rebels and Government employees, Nagaland remains entangled in a web of crises, and all hopes of an abiding peace among the Nagas go in vain.



NEWS BRIEFS

Weekly Fatalities: Major Conflicts in South Asia
December 5-11, 2011

 

Civilians

Security Force Personnel

Terrorists/Insurgents

Total

BANGLADESH

  

Left-wing Extremism

0
0
1
1

INDIA

  

Assam

2
1
0
3

Jammu and Kashmir

1
1
0
2

Meghalaya

1
0
0
1

Left-wing Extremism

  

Chhattisgarh

1
0
0
1

Jharkhand

2
1
2
5

Total (INDIA)

7
3
2
12

PAKISTAN

  

Balochistan

4
1
0
5

FATA

4
0
15
19

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

0
3
0
3

Sindh

5
3
3
11

Total (PAKISTAN)

13
7
18
38
Provisional data compiled from English language media sources.


BANGLADESH

International Crimes Tribunal fixes December 11 as the date of submission of charges against JeI leaders: The International Crimes Tribunal on December 6 deferred the date of submission of formal charges against four top Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) leaders for their alleged involvement in crimes against humanity during the Liberation War till December 11. Daily Star, December 7, 2011.


INDIA

'Over 500 killed in Naxal violence this year', says Ministry of Home Affairs: Over 500 people including 124 Security Force (SF) personnel were killed in 1,476 attacks carried out by Naxals [Left-Wing Extremists] in various States affected by Left Wing Extremism till November this year. According to latest Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) data, out of the total of 513 deaths, the highest of 182 were in Chhattisgarh, followed by 137 in Jharkhand, 50 in Maharashtra, 49 each in Bihar and Odisha, and 40 in West Bengal among others. It said that Naxals carried out 1,476 attacks targeting various government and private installations, killing 389 civilians and 124 SF personnel. Outlook, December 7, 2011.

Naxal violence destroys nearly 260 schools in 5 years, says MHA report: Nearly 260 schools have been destroyed in Naxal [Left Wing Extremism (LWE)] violence in Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist)-affected States in the last five years, a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) report said. IBN Live, December 7, 2011.

Ministry of Home Affairs identifies 23 active Naxal outfits:The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on December 7, identified 23 active Naxal [Left Wing Extremism (LWE)] outfits - other than the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) - and disclosed their names for the first time that have been operating in different States. Times of India, December 8, 2011.

Details of tax imposition by Naga militants revealed by Tehelka: Various Naga militant factions impose taxes on all and sundry-State Government, private business and people- which has been pegged at around a whopping INR 1300 crore each year. The known yet untold story was reported in depth by Tehelka Magazine based on a 'research' conducted by its reporter Jimi Dey Gabriel titled 'WAGES OF WAR' posted on the Tehelka.com website. Nagaland Post, December 8, 2011.

Northeast militants procuring arms from China and other South East Asian countries, says Government: Insurgent groups in the Northeast are procuring arms in China and some other South East Asian countries before smuggling them into India through Myanmar and Bangladesh, Government said on December 7. "There are reports that insurgent outfits operating in the Northeastern States of India have been procuring arms through arms smugglers based in Yunnan province of China, Myanmar and South East Asian countries," Minister of State for Home Mullappally Ramachandran said in Rajya Sabha (upper house of the Parliament of India). Weapons in small consignments are then transported either via Myanmar or Bangladesh to India, he said. Sangai Express, December 8, 2011.

Integrated Action Plan extended to 18 more Districts: The Union Cabinet on December 7 approved the proposal to extend the Integrated Action Plan (IAP), a scheme meant for carrying out development works in Naxal [Left-Wing Extremism]-affected Districts through local administration - to 18 more Districts with Andhra Pradesh getting one-third of it as "peace dividend". The scheme will now be implemented in 78 districts across nine Naxal-affected States from the next fiscal (2012-13). Times of India, December 9, 2011.

PoK-based trust funding terror in Jammu and Kashmir, says NIA: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has said that Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) backed and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) based Jammu and Kashmir Affectees Relief Fund Trust (JKART) is funding terror in Jammu and Kashmir. The agency, which registered an FIR under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), named two Pakistani nationals who are heading the JKART. Indian Express, December 9, 2011.


NEPAL

PAC members want Maoists to return allowance claimed by proxy combatants: The members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament on December 5 asked Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai to return the allowance issued in the name of proxy People's Liberation Army (PLA) combatants. At the meeting of the parliamentary committee held at Singh Durbar, the lawmakers expressed their serious concern over an estimated NPR 1 billion that was released from the state coffers in salaries and rations for proxy combatants who are believed to have deserted the cantonments and did not show up for the regrouping process. Nepal News, December 6, 2011.


PAKISTAN

Pakistan wants to rebuild ties with US, says Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani: Pakistan wants to rebuild its ties with the United States (US) despite ongoing retaliation over deadly NATO air strikes on its troops in Mohammad Agency, the Prime Minister (PM) Yousuf Raza Gilani said on December 5, stressing that he believes "it won't take long" to achieve a new relationship with its uneasy ally. Dawn, December 6, 2011.

LeJ claims responsibility for suicide attack on Shia shrine in Afghanistan: The spokesman of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) claimed responsibility for the suicide attack on Shia shrine in Afghanistan, India Express reported quoting reports broadcast by Radio Free Europe in Pakistan and by the BBC's Pakistan service. Indian Express, December 7, 2011.

US State Department defends Pakistan aid: The United States (US) State Department on December 6 defended aid to Pakistan amid calls from senators for a full review of whether economic and military assistance there serves the US national interest, reports Dawn. Dawn, December 7, 2011.

Pakistan has an important role to play in any talks with Taliban, says Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai: Pakistan has an important role to play in the Afghanistan peace process, including in any negotiations with the Taliban, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai said on December 6, reports Dawn. Speaking in Berlin a day after Pakistan boycotted a conference devoted to helping Afghanistan, Karzai said the two countries needed to work closely together. Dawn, December 7, 2011.

Deaths from all attacks by militants fell nearly 20 percent, claims Pak Institute for Peace Studies: Pak Institute for Peace Studies has claimed that deaths from all attacks by militants fell nearly 20 percent. Nearly 1,700 people were killed in "terrorist" or "insurgent" attacks through November, according to the institute, excluding those in Balochistan that were mostly carried out by nationalists, not militants. The number of persons killed during the same period in 2010 were around 2,100. Daily Times, December 8, 2011.

Bin Laden was not at Qaeda helm before raid, says US source: Documents found in the Pakistan home in garrison town of Abbottabad, where slain al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was killed on May 1-2, show that the al Qaeda leader was no longer had any role in operations, an unnamed US expert who reviewed the evidence said on December 7. The News, December 8, 2011.

US needs to tackle Pakistan's clout in Afghanistan, says US Army Chief General Martin Dempsey: The United States (US) Army Chief General Martin Dempsey on December 9 said there still are sanctuaries for militants in Pakistan and that the country's influence in Afghanistan needs to be tackled, reports Dawn. Dawn, December 10, 2011.


SRI LANKA

TNA to name members for PSC after reaching an agreement with Government: The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) says it would name representatives to the proposed parliamentary select committee (PSC) to find a political solution to the ethnic issue only after reaching an agreement with the Government. TNA parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran told Colombo Page that the TNA would put forward names of party members to the PSC after reaching a consensus on a solution, which in turn would be presented to the PSC for further discussion. Colombo Page, December 6, 2011.


The South Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR) is a weekly service that brings you regular data, assessments and news briefs on terrorism, insurgencies and sub-conventional warfare, on counter-terrorism responses and policies, as well as on related economic, political, and social issues, in the South Asian region.

SAIR is a project of the Institute for Conflict Management and the South Asia Terrorism Portal.

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Institute For Conflict Management



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