| |
SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 12, No. 25, December 23, 2013
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
|
NATO
Supplies: Endgame
Anurag Tripathi
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
As the
US drawdown in Afghanistan approaches its culmination,
Pakistan continues to extract all it can from its reluctant
alliance in the War against Terror, leveraging its 'strategic
location' to a maximum. Nevertheless, this strategy appears
to be approaching its natural limits and, on December
9, 2013, the United State (US) Defence Secretary Chuck
Hagel, during his meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif, reportedly warned Pakistan that, if it failed
to secure the supply routes to and from Afghanistan, the
US Congress may withhold military aid to Pakistan. An
unnamed US defense official stated, “The Secretary made
the point that we need to demonstrate the continued flow
of goods in order to be able to continue fulfilling their
reimbursements.”
Significantly,
on October 19, 2013, the US had decided to give USD 1.6
billion in assistance to Pakistan. The sum had earlier
been blocked because of tensions between the two countries
over events inside Pakistan, including the Navy SEAL raid
that killed Osama bin Laden at Abottabad, on May 2, 2011.
On December
12, 2013, however, the Pakistan Government denied having
received any US warning. An official spokesperson of the
Foreign Office declared, “I am not aware from where those
reports appeared in the media. These were misleading reports.”
It is,
nevertheless, the case that, on December 4, 2013, the
US announced the suspension of NATO shipments to and from
Afghanistan via the Torkham Gate route of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
(KP). The action was taken following violent protests
across the Province by the Imran Khan led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
(PTI) and its partners - Jama’at-e-Islami (JeI) and Awami
Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan (AJIP) - in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Government. The alliance of three parties formed the Government
in KP in June 2013. Thousands of party supporters have
been protesting against US drone strikes. The protests
escalated following the killing of the Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP)
chief Hakimullah Mehsud on November 1, 2013, in a US drone
strike in the Dandy Darpakhel area of North Waziristan
Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
On November
24, 2013, PTI and JeI set up a 'protest camp' at Hayatabad
Toll Plaza in Peshawar to prevent NATO containers from
entering Peshawar. They stopped trucks passing through
the route for verification and turned back those carrying
goods for NATO Forces in Afghanistan. Many have been accused
of damaging goods and manhandling truck drivers, with
Police registering cases against 40 PTI workers. On November
29, 2013, three PTI activists were arrested for their
alleged involvement in manhandling truck drivers carrying
NATO supplies to Afghanistan. Again, on December 2, 2013,
cases were registered against PTI and JeI workers for
breaking the seal of a NATO container bound for Afghanistan,
during the sit-in at Hayatabad Toll Plaza. JeI leader,
Kashif Azam and PTI camp in charge Malik Raees, were named
in the FIR. Fayaz Ahmed Khalid, a political organizer
with the PTI, declared, on December 18, 2013, “We will
continue this sit-in until there is a good decision on
the drones. It’s for ourselves, for our country.”
Amidst
the existing chaos at the Torkham Gate, Imran Khan asserted,
on December 3, 2013, that his party was considering blocking
NATO supply routes in other Provinces as well. “PTI may
block NATO supply routes in Punjab and Balochistan, as
supply is being carried out via Chaman border in Qilla
Abdullah District of Balochistan.”
There are
two supply routes from Pakistan into Afghanistan.
Both routes start in Karachi, Pakistan's principal
port in its southern Sindh Province, on the Arabian
Sea. From there, one route crosses the Khyber Pass,
enters Afghanistan at Torkham, and terminates at Kabul,
supplying northern Afghanistan. The other passes
through Balochistan Province, crosses the border
at Chaman in the Qilla Abdullah District of Balochistan,
and ends at Kandahar, in the south of Afghanistan.
NATO convoys
coming through Pakistan were originally the principal
source of logistical support for the
allied Forces in Afghanistan, at one time accounting for
80 to 90 per cent of all supplies for NATO Forces.
The latest
episode of protests against NATO shipments to and from
Afghanistan is not a new development. In most past cases,
protests have followed US drone attacks against top militant
leaders inside Pakistan. For instance, following the killing
of Osama Bin Laden, Pakistani Parliamentarians on May
14, 2013, voted to review all aspects of their relationship
with the US amid the worsening political fallout from
the Navy Seals raid. The unanimous motion was passed at
the conclusion of an extraordinary 10-hour parliamentary
session, when the military's top brass offered apologies
and an admission of failure.
Islamabad
has also, on several occasions, attempted to evade responsibility
for the security of the NATO supply lines. On June 9,
2010, then Federal Minister of the Interior Rehman Malik
declared that NATO was responsible for the security of
its supply lines, and that the Federal and Provincial
Governments of Pakistan could not provide security to
the 4,000 trucks which travelled daily across Pakistan.
He added, further, "Various terminals, including
the one attacked by TTP in Islamabad, have been established
without Government knowledge and permission, and are involved
in smuggling of different commodities." Ignoring
the fact that NATO has no authority to engage in security
operations on Pakistani soil, and the billions of dollars
Pakistan receives in military aid for its ‘cooperation’
in the campaigns against terrorism, Malik argued that
NATO’s ‘security budget’ was not provided to the Pakistan
Government, but rather to private contractors directly
hired by NATO: "This is not ours, but NATO’s responsibility
— to arrange security for its convoys." He conceded,
nevertheless, "As per [an] agreement between the
two sides, Pakistan is supposed to allow the transportation
to Pak-Afghan border."
On December
5, 2013, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson claimed
in a press briefing, “We have seen reports that the United
States has suspended the NATO supplies through Torkham
for security of transporters. The Government has continued
the arrangement for passage of NATO supplies in order
to facilitate draw down of NATO forces from Afghanistan.”
Emboldened
by the Governments ambivalent approach on the issue, various
terrorist formations have engineered repeated attacks
targeting NATO convoys. According to partial data compiled
by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), the
militants have carried out at least 291 such attacks since
2008, in which at least 163 persons have been killed.
In the current year alone, 31 such attacks have taken
place, resulting in 19 deaths.
US worries
over the supply lines are naturally escalating. These
lines are not only important for the safe and secure withdrawal
of troops and materials, but are crucial to the Forces
that will remain in Afghanistan after the 2014 drawdown.
Reports currently suggest that up to 15,000 US troops
may remain in Afghanistan until 2024. Given the situation
in Pakistan, and Islamabad's demonstrable unreliability
as a partner, the US is exploring other viable supply
routes. As far back as January 20, 2009, then US Central
Command (CENTCOM) commander General David Petraeus had
stressed, "It is very important as we increase the
effort in Afghanistan that we have multiple routes that
go into the country… There have been agreements reached,
and there are transit lines now and transit agreements
for commercial goods and services in particular that include
several countries in the Central Asian states and also
Russia." A major component of this strategy was the
Northern Distribution Network (NDN), a series of rail,
water and road links to deliver cargo to Afghanistan through
the former Soviet republics of Central Asia. The route
was created as an alternate way to move supplies into
Afghanistan, instead of the exclusive dependence on Pakistan.
The first shipment along the NDN commenced on February
20, 2009. By 2011, the NDN had started carrying 40 per
cent of the supplies to US forces in Afghanistan (while
the Pakistani routes accounted for 30 per cent, according
to the US Department of Defense). According to data from
the US Military's Transportation Command, only 40 containers
of new cargo have moved across Pakistani ground routes
between July 2012 and February 2013. During the same period,
about 28,000 containers came through NDN into Afghanistan.
Pakistan
has already lost its logistical criticality for the International
Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, and its
utility as an ally in America's War on Terror has long
been suspect. As the 2014 withdrawal deadline approaches,
moreover, Pakistan will be tempted into escalating adventurism
in its efforts to restore dominance in Kabul, even as
it seeks to harness a strategy relying on destabilization
and terrorism to contain the Pashtun challenge in its
own territories.
The Americans
have failed to display much strategic sagacity through
their long engagement in Afghanistan, and particularly
in the terminal stages running up to their flight from
the country. Pakistan has directed a pattern of convoluted
mischief towards Afghanistan for over three decades now,
in the process, enormously compromising its own security.
This game, however, is now being played out at increasingly
high risks, as US vulnerabilities to Pakistani blackmail
diminish, and patience running dangerously low in Washington.
|
Andhra
Pradesh: Desperate Struggle
Fakir Mohan Pradhan
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
After
steadily losing ground since 2006, the presence of the
Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist)
in Andhra Pradesh had been reduced to a mere shadow of
its past. Nevertheless, it had managed to maintain the
shadow. In 2013, however, there were signs that Maoists
are desperate to come back into the light.
In the
night of December 5, 2013, members of the CPI-Maoist's
Galikonda area committee descended on the Panasalabanda
village in G.K.Veedhi mandal (administrative unit)
in Visakhapatnam District at around 10:30 pm, woke up
a former president of the Vana Samrakshana Samiti (Forest
Conservation Committee), Gemmeli Chinna Rao, took him
to the nearby Sapparla village, where he was brought before
a Praja Court (People’s Court, euphemism for a Kangaroo
court). He was awarded the ‘death penalty’ and executed
immediately. His family was told to leave the village.
Some pamphlets were left beside his body claiming he had
been harassing local villagers and denying them benefits
of various Government schemes.
According
to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism
Portal (SATP), the Maoists have killed at least 10
civilians in 2013, as against six in 2012. Two Maoists
have been killed in the year, as against three in 2012.
As a whole, the State has witnessed 13 Maoist-related
fatalities in 2013 – 10 civilians, one Security Force
(SF) trooper and two Maoists – till December 15. There
were 10 fatalities in 2012 – six civilians, one Security
Force (SF) trooper and two Maoists.
Fatalities
in LWE/CPI-Maoist Violence in Andhra Pradesh: 2005-2013
Years
|
Civilians
|
SFs
|
LWEs
|
Total
|
2005
|
132
|
21
|
167
|
320
|
2006
|
18
|
7
|
122
|
147
|
2007
|
24
|
4
|
45
|
73
|
2008
|
28
|
1
|
37
|
66
|
2009
|
10
|
0
|
18
|
28
|
2010
|
17
|
0
|
16
|
33
|
2011
|
6
|
0
|
4
|
10
|
2012
|
6
|
1
|
3
|
10
|
2013
|
10
|
1
|
2
|
13
|
Total*
|
251
|
35
|
414
|
700
|
*Data
till December 22, 2013; Source: SATP
|
In terms
of spatial distribution, fatalities in 2013 have been
reported from four Districts – Vishakhapatnam (six civilians
and one Maoist), Khammam (three civilian and one Policeman)
Karimnagar (one civilian) and Nellor (one Maoist). In
2012, fatalities were reported from three districts -
Vishakhapatnam (one civilian, one policeman and two Maoists),
Khammam (four civilians and one Maoist) and Karimnagar
(one civilian).
The Maoists
engineered one major (three or more fatalities) incident
in 2013, killing three tribals in the Lakkavaram forest
area in G.K. Veedhi mandal of Visakhapatnam District
on February 19. There were no major incidents in 2012
and 2011.
More significantly,
Maoists organised at least four Praja courts in 2013,
all in Visakhapatnam District, as against just one in
2012. Similarly, Maoists conducted one swarming attack
(involving 50 or more cadres/militia members) in 2013
while there was none in 2012.
Maoists
also gave boycott call to the Panchayat (local
bodies) elections that were held in three phases in July
and tried to disrupt the process. They prevented candidates
from filling nominations in 11 panchayats and forced
candidates to withdraw nominations in three panchayats.
They also snatched nomination papers in six panchayats.
However,
other categories of Maoist violence have witnessed a marginal
decline. The Maoists were involved in at least three exchange
of fire, one blast, one incident of arson, four cases
of assault and gave call for bandh (general shutdown
strikes) on three occasions in 2013, while in 2012 they
were involved in five exchange of fire, one abduction,
three blasts, five incidents of arson, one case of assault
and six bandh calls. Decline in these kind of violence
and increase in other kinds indicate that with a depleted
strength the Maoists are using their resources selectively
to punch higher than their current strength.
In terms
of overall activities, the Maoist activities appear to
have been substantially confined to Visakhapatnam and
Khammam Districts, while Karimnagar, Warangal Srikakulam,
Nalgonda, Mahabubnagar, East and West Godavari Districts
remained marginally affected.
The number
of arrests and surrenders witnessed a decline. According
to SATP data, while a total of 65 Maoists were
arrested in Andhra Pradesh in 2013, the number was 99
in 2012. Likewise, the number of surrenders fell to 67
in 2013, against 244 in 2012. The Andhra Police's biggest
success in the year was the arrest of Central Committee
member Anukul Chandra Naskar alias Goer Chandra
Naskar alias Pareshji, in southern Assam’s Cachar
District, in a joint operation with Assam Police, on May
8, 2013. Another significant catch was Sudarshan alias
Srinivas, a member of the Andhra Orissa Border Special
Zonal Committee (AOBSZC), who was wanted in connection
with several cases, including the killing of the State's
former Home Minister A. Madhava Reddy. Sudarshan carried
a reward of INR 2 million on his head. He was arrested
on March 23, 2013, from an undisclosed location near Wyra
town in Khammam District. Other significant arrests include
Marpu Venkataramana alias Jagadish, a State Committee
member of the AOBSZC carrying reward money of INR 2 million
and Pusa Sivanarayana, in-charge of the Central Committee
protection platoon carrying reward money of INR 300,000.
The significant surrenders include: Dasaram Srinivas alias
JNM Vishwanath ‘deputy commander’ of Malkangiri Division
Committee of AOBSZC, (reward money INR 800,000), Sripathi
Laxmi, Kalimela ‘area committee member’ in Malkangiri
District of Odisha (reward money INR 500,000), Shanigarapu
Uma alias Anitha, wife of Gajerla Ashok alias
Janardhan, who is the in-charge of ‘military wing’ in
Gadchiroli Division (reward money INR 500,000), Korra
Sattibabu alias Sathish, an area committee member
(reward money INR 400,000) and Arun, who worked for past
nine years with Special Guerilla Squad of Maoists, which
is also considered to the rank of Area Committee Member
(reward money INR 400,000).
The most
important development which could have a bearing on the
future course of the Maoist insurrection in Andhra Pradesh
is, however, the Centre's declaration of the decision
to bifurcate the State and create a new State of Telangana.
The issue has created tremendous tension with many Andhra
Pradesh leaders opposing the move. Significantly, the
Maoists have long seen the agitation for a separate Telangana
as an opportunity
to engineer their own revival in what were once their
heartland areas in the Telangana region. Chief Minister
Kiran Kumar Reddy has argued that the majority of the
top Maoist leadership hails from Andhra Pradesh, and particularly
Telangana. Giving details of the Maoist leadership during
a press conference held at Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in New
Delhi on November 18 he said, ‘Of the 11 Central Committee
leaders, nine are from Telangana, while two are from Andhra
region; at the next rung [of leadership] of 18 members,15
are from Andhra Pradesh of which 14 are Telanganites and
one is from Andhra [region]. The entire Andhra-Orissa
border is controlled by nine Maoist leaders, of which
three are from Telangana, four from Coastal Andhra and
two from Rayalaseema Rayalaseema – and hence the Maoists
are likely to make a comeback if separate Telangana is
created’. However, according to SATP data, out
of the 39 Central Committee members (which include Politbureau
members) of the CPI-Maoist, 14 have been arrested, three
killed, one died of malaria and one surrendered while
nothing much is known about the status of the rest 20
members. Any administrative infirmity or political disorders
in the existing or bifurcated States would certainly allow
the Maoists to recover some ground – even if the gains
are transient.
Earlier,
the Srikrishna
Commission had argued strongly that
the Maoists were likely to piggy-back on the Telangana
movement to attempt a revival in Andhra Pradesh. The Andhra
Pradesh Police, however, rejects this possibility. An
internal report presented at the annual Chief Ministers'
Conference on Left Wing Extremism (LWE) in Delhi in July
2012 claimed, "In all, there are 340 (Maoist) underground
workers from Andhra Pradesh, of them 140 are active on
the border," while intense combing operations had
pushed the remaining 200 into Chhattisgarh. Police officers
assert that the cadre numbers in the State have not changed
since. A senior AP Police officer stated, "We have
a well-entrenched intelligence network and we reached
the 140-figure after doing a headcount. All these people
have been identified, we have their names and details."
There are eight Districts in undivided Andhra Pradesh
affected by the LWE problem. While four of these — Adilabad,
Karimnagar, Warangal and Khammam — fall in the Telangana
region, Srikakulam, Vijaynagram, Visakhapatnam Rural and
East Godavari are in the Andhra region.
While the
division of the State, per se, may not have much
of a bearing on the trajectory of the Maoist movement,
the distribution of assets could result in some difficulties.
If the fine coordination between the SIB and Greyhounds
is disturbed, things can go wrong. Given the weakness
of the CPI-Maoist at this juncture - on their own assessment,
the movement is in a "critical
condition" - it is unlikely that
the Maoists would be able to exploit the opportunity that
the creation of a separate Telangana may offer. Nevertheless,
the Maoists have displayed tremendous resilience over
the decades, recovering repeatedly from what have appeared
to be terminal reverses. While the capabilities and confidence
of the Andhra Pradesh Police are reassuring, the potential
for political mischief has often been demonstrated in
the past.
|
Weekly Fatalities: Major
Conflicts in South Asia
December 16-22,
2013
|
Civilians
|
Security
Force Personnel
|
Terrorists/Insurgents
|
Total
|
BANGLADESH
|
|
Islamist Terrorism
|
5
|
0
|
2
|
7
|
Left-wing
Extremism
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
Total (BANGLADESH)
|
5
|
0
|
3
|
8
|
INDIA
|
|
Assam
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Jammu and
Kashmir
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
Meghalaya
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
Total (INDIA)
|
3
|
0
|
1
|
4
|
PAKISTAN
|
|
Balochistan
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
FATA
|
9
|
5
|
34
|
48
|
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
|
1
|
4
|
0
|
5
|
Punjab
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
5
|
Sindh
|
11
|
1
|
3
|
15
|
Total (PAKISTAN)
|
|
|
|
|
Provisional
data compiled from English language media sources.
|
INDIA
Tourists
in
Delhi,
Rajasthan,
Maharashtra
and
Goa
are
on
IM's
radar,
reveals
arrested
IM
leader
Yasin
Bhatkal:
Arrested
Indian
Mujahideen
(IM)
leader
Yasin
Bhatkal
during
interrogation
has
revealed
that
IM
operatives,
especially
Tehsin
Akhtar
alias
Monu,
would
target
foreign
tourists
in
Rajasthan,
Delhi,
Maharashtra,
Goa
and
other
states.
The
IM
members
would
also
attack
Jews,
especially
tourists
from
Israel,
Yasin
claimed.
Yasin
also
claimed
the
IM
was
closely
associated
with
al
Qaeda
and
was
working
to
distance
itself
from
Inter
Services
Intelligence
(ISI).
In
the
night
of
August
28,
2013,
Indian
security
agencies
arrested
Yasin
Bhatkal
from
Nahar
Chowk
at
Raxaul
in
the
East
Champaran
District
of
Bihar,
along
with
an
accomplice,
identified
as
Asadullah
Akhtar.
Times
of
India,
December
23,
2013.
Six
new
militant
groups
emerge
in
Assam,
says
State
Forest
and
Environment
Minister
Rockybul
Hussain:
The
State
Forest
and
Environment
Minister
Rockybul
Hussain
on
December
16
informed
the
house
that
six
new
militant
outfits
have
emerged
in
the
state
in
the
last
two
years.
Five
of
the
six
new
outfits
are
from
the
two
autonomous
hill
districts
of
Karbi
Anglong
and
Dima
Hasao
while
the
sixth
is
a
Bengali
outfit
based
in
the
Bodo
Territorial
Council
area.
The
minister
informed
that
the
new
outfits
are
in
addition
to
six
existing
active
outfits.
On
the
flip
side,
13
outfits
are
engaged
in
peace
talks.
Times
of
India,
December
17,
2013.
NE
militants
to
from
common
platform,
says
ULFA-I
leader
Paresh
Baruah:
'Commander
in
chief'
of
the
Independent
faction
of
United
Liberation
Front
of
Asom
(ULFA-I)
Paresh
Baruah
have
disclosed
that
militant
groups
of
the
North
East
region
have
decided
to
form
a
common
platform
to
fight
jointly
against
the
"common
enemy"
and
the
same
is
likely
to
be
declared
soon.
He
said
that
the
move
in
this
regard
started
three
to
four
years
back
and
the
final
shape
has
been
given
recently.
"More
than
90
percent
of
the
work
of
forming
the
common
platform
has
been
completed
and
only
the
name
of
the
platform
has
to
be
declared.
We
are
hopeful
of
announcing
the
common
platform
shortly.
Though
the
name
of
the
platform
is
yet
to
be
announced,
the
words
'west-south
east
Asia'
would
be
included
in
the
name,"
he
added.
Nagaland
Post,
December
17,
2013.
196
ceasefire
violations
along
LoC
by
Pakistan
this
year,
says
Defence
Minister
A.K.
Antony:
'Defence
Minister
A.
K.
Antony
told
the
Rajya
Sabha
(Upper
House
of
Parliament)
on
December
18
that
there
have
been
196
ceasefire
violations
along
the
Line
of
Control
(LoC)
in
Jammu
and
Kashmir
this
year
till
December
15
and
all
were
taken
up
with
Pakistan.
He
said
that
there
were
93
ceasefire
violations
along
the
LoC
by
Pakistan
in
2012.
Zee
news,
December
19,
2013.
PAKISTAN
34
militants
and
nine
civilians
among
48
persons
killed
during
the
week
in
FATA:
Troops
on
December
19
mounted
helicopter
and
mortar
attacks
on
militants
in
North
Waziristan
Agency
of
Federally
Administered
Tribal
Areas
(FATA),
where
officials
said
that
at
least
33
militants
and
three
civilians
have
been
killed.
At
least
five
soldiers
were
killed
and
34
others
were
wounded
when
a
suicide
bomber
rammed
his
explosive-laden
car
into
a
military
checkpoint
in
the
Mir
Ali
tehsil
(revenue
unit)
of
Miranshah
in
North
Waziristan
Agency.
Daily
Times;
Dawn;
The
News;
Tribune,
December
17-23,
2013.
Federal
Government
seeks
death
penalty
or
life
imprisonment
for
former
President
General
(retired)
Pervez
Musharraf
in
high
treason
case:
The
Federal
Government
leveling
five
charges
against
former
President
General
(retired)
Pervez
Musharraf
prayed
to
the
Special
Court
to
award
the
military
ruler
death
penalty
or
life
imprisonment
in
high
treason
case.
Meanwhile,
lawyers
for
Pervez
Musharraf
said
on
December
20
that
a
treason
charge
leveled
against
him
was
politically
motivated
and
that
he
would
face
a
"show
trial",
urging
the
United
Nations
(UN)
to
intervene.
The
News;
Tribune,
December
20,
2013.
TTP
dismisses
the
concept
of
peace
talks
and
vows
retaliation
against
planned
military
operation:
Dismissing
the
concept
of
peace
talks
immediately
after
Pakistan
Government's
announcement
of
using
force
as
a
last
resort,
the
Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan
(TTP)
on
December
17
said
they
have
information
that
plans
are
already
under
way
for
a
military
operation,
adding
that
they
were
ready
for
battle.
"Like
previous
Governments
this
one
is
a
puppet
of
the
United
States
(US).
It's
powerless
and
dollar-hungry,"
said
TTP
'spokesman'
Shahidullah
Shahid.
"They
should
happily
launch
a
military
operation
against
us.
We
have
seen
their
military
operations
in
the
past
and
would
like
them
to
start
this
long-awaited
operation,"
he
said
defiantly.
Dawn,
December
18,
2013.
US
Defense
Authorisation
Bill
links
Pakistan
aid
to
NATO
supply
routes:
The
USD
552
billion
Defense
Authorisation
Bill
for
2014
passed
by
the
Congress
on
December
20
links
Pakistan
aid
to
NATO
supply
routes
to
Afghanistan.
The
bill
which
provides
USD
1.5
billion
for
reimbursements
to
Pakistan
in
2014
calls
for
stopping
reimbursements
to
Pakistan
if
ground
supply
routes
to
Afghanistan
are
interrupted.
The
bill
includes
a
one-year
extension
for
reimbursing
Pakistan
for
supporting
the
US-led
war
against
terrorists
but
it
reduces
the
amount
available
for
reimbursing
Pakistan
from
USD
1.65
billion
in
2013
to
USD
1.5
billion
in
2014.
The
bill
seeks
a
certification
from
the
US
defense
secretary
that
Pakistan
is
taking
demonstrable
actions
against
al
Qaeda
and
other
militant
groups
active
along
the
Pakistan-Afghanistan
border.
The
bill
also
requires
Pakistan
to
disrupt
the
conduct
of
cross-border
attacks
against
US,
coalition
and
Afghan
Security
Forces
in
Afghanistan,
counter
the
threat
of
IEDs
and
not
to
persecute
religious
and
ethnic
minorities.
The
bill
is
now
at
the
White
House
for
President
Barack
Obama
to
sign
it
into
law.
The
White
House
has
already
indicated
that
the
President
will
sign
the
bill.
Dawn,
December
21,
2013.
SRI
LANKA
President
Mahinda
Rajapaksa
requests
Tamil
leaders
to
come
together
with
the
Government
to
find
a
national
solution
and
achieve
reconciliation:
President
Mahinda
Rajapaksa
delivering
a
speech
at
the
final
budget
debate
in
Parliament
on
December
20
made
a
request
to
the
Tamil
leaders
of
the
opposition
to
come
together
with
the
Government
to
find
a
national
solution
and
achieve
reconciliation.
The
President
requested
the
leader
of
the
Tamil
National
Alliance
(TNA)
R.
Sampanthan
and
Chief
Minister
of
Northern
Province
C.V.
Vigneswaran
to
join
hands
with
the
Government
to
create
national
harmony.
He
asked
the
opposition
to
correct
the
Government's
path
by
presenting
constructive
criticism.
However,
the
President
asserted
that
there
will
be
no
room
for
terrorism
to
resurface.
Colombo
Page,
December
21,
2013.
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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