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SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 13, No. 29, January 19, 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


ASSESSMENT

PAKISTAN
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Balochistan: Persistent Crisis
Tushar Ranjan Mohanty
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management

The Security Forces (SFs) recovered three bullet-riddled bodies from Mand area of Turbat District of Balochistan on December 30, 2014. The victims had been shot multiple times in the head, chest and face at close range.

Earlier, on December 21, 2014, at least eight bullet-riddled bodies were found dumped at three separate places across the Province. At Kalzai in Pishin District, three bodies of Afghan nationals were found. Two Baloch bodies were found at Khanozai in the same District. Another three bodies of Afghan nationals, were found dumped near a river in the Baghao area of Ziarat District. Ziarat Assistant Commissioner Abdul Salam Achakzai disclosed. “The bodies bore multiple torture marks which suggest they were tortured before being shot in the head.”

According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), based on open media sources, at least 153 bullet-riddled bodies were recovered in Balochistan through 2014, as against 39 such recoveries in 2013. 124 of the bodies found in 2014 where recovered from the Baloch separatist areas of South Balochistan, and 29 from Pashtun-dominated North Balochistan.

The staggering rise in recoveries of such bodies in 2014 was primarily accounted for by the discovery of three mass graves in the Totak area of Khuzdar District. Between January 25, 2014, and April 2, 2014, a total of 103 bodies were recovered from these graves. The bodies were too decomposed for identification. The local people claimed that 169 bodies were found in these graves.

The recovery of these mass graves in Khuzdar has now further confirmed what SAIR has been highlighting over years, that there is a relentless campaign by the state’s covert agencies to target Baloch nationalists and their sympathisers in campaigns of ‘disappearances’, and a ‘kill and dump’ policy, both directly and through sectarian/extremist proxies in Balochistan, particularly in the south regions of the Province.

According to SATP's partial database, the Province has recorded at least 3,295 civilian fatalities since 2004. Of these, 305 civilian killings (182 in the South and 123 in the North) have been claimed by Baloch separatist formations. Islamist and sectarian extremist groups, primarily Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Ahrar-ul-Hind (Liberators of India), claimed responsibility for another 512 civilian killings, 506 in the North (mostly in and around Quetta) and six in the South. The remaining 2,478 civilian fatalities - 1,498 in the South and 980 in the North - remain ‘unattributed’. A large proportion of the unattributed fatalities, particularly in the Southern region, are believed to be the result of enforced disappearances carried out by state agencies, or by their proxies, prominently including the Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Aman Balochistan (TNAB, Movement for the Restoration of Peace, Balochistan). In 2014, the Province recorded at least 301 civilian fatalities of which 26 civilian killings (All in North) were claimed by Baloch separatist formations. Islamist and sectarian extremist groups claimed responsibility for the killing of another 37 civilians (31 civilians in the North, mostly in and around Quetta; and six in south). The remaining 238 civilian killings remain 'unattributed'.

Significantly, prior to 2014, Islamist and sectarian extremist formations were not overtly operating in South Balochistan and none of these outfits had claimed responsibility for any civilian killing in the region. This, however, is now a thing of the past. On May 21, 2014, at least six people, including a Government school teacher identified as Master Hameed, were shot dead when terrorists entered his residence and opened fire, killing him and five of his relatives in the Dasht area of Turbat District. The attack came in the wake of threatening letters sent to private schools by a newly surfaced Islamist terrorist group, Tanzeem-ul-Islam-al-Furqan (TIF, Oragnisation of Islam and the Holy Standard) in Panjgur District, warning the people to completely shut down girls’ education or to prepare themselves for “the worst consequences as prescribed in the Quran”.

Earlier, on May 13, 2014, four armed TIF terrorists, wearing headbands with Allah-o-Akbar (Allah is Great) imprinted on them, set ablaze the vehicle of Major (Retired) Hussain Ali, owner of The Oasis School, in the same District, while he was driving girls to school. The masked terrorists asked him and the girls to de-board the vehicle, before setting it ablaze. These attacks in Panjgur and Turbat Districts indicate the penetration of the Taliban ideology of intolerance and religious bigotry into the Southern regions of Balochistan, which had, thus far, escaped the influence of TTP and its likes.

South Balochistan has long been affected by the Baloch nationalist insurgency, while the North came under the influence of Islamist terrorist formations, including TTP and LeJ. While ethnic Baloch people were targeted by the state machinery, persons from minority communities were persecuted by state-sponsored extremist groups. Zohra Yusuf, chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) claimed, on October 12, 2014, that Balochistan had been made a fertile place for armed religious extremists under a plan and, as a result, about 300,000 Shias, Zikris, and Hindus had been forced to migrate to other areas of the country. She expressed concern over this distress migration of minorities due to lack of security in Balochistan.

The 'disappearances' issue has come to dominate the political discourse in Balochistan. However, while the search for missing persons continues, their cases have been complicated by gross discrepancies in the record. For instance, according to a July 23, 2014, report the Home Department stated that only 71 people were missing in the Province, while human rights organisations estimate that the figure is closer to 8,000. The Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VFBMP), an advocacy group, insists that more than 19,000 Baloch political activists and sympathisers have been subjected to enforced disappearances over the last 13 years. VFBMP vice-president Mama Qadir told The Express Tribune on July 23, 2014, “There are more than 19,000 people who were subjected to enforced disappearance in Balochistan and none of them have been recovered yet. The Government has done nothing, except to release those who were detained for a brief period.”  He added that his organisation had submitted a detailed report to the United Nations with evidence regarding missing persons. Significantly, on January 12, 2015, the Pakistan Supreme Court directed the Federal Government through Attorney General Salman Aslam Butt to submit comprehensive data within 10 days, regarding the number of missing persons in the country.

Terrorism related incidents and fatalities have, however, registered a decline through 2014 as compared to the preceding year. According to SATP data, the province recorded 607 fatalities, including 301 civilians, 223 militants and 83 SF personnel in 2014, in comparison to 960 such fatalities, including 718 civilians, 137 SF personnel and 105 militants in 2013. Similarly, the number and lethality of suicide attacks in the Province has also decreased considerably, with four such incidents resulting in 12 fatalities and 64 injuries in 2014; as against nine such attacks resulting in 233 deaths and 407 injuries in 2013. The Province also witnessed a decrease in bomb blasts and resultant fatality, from 138 incidents and 440 deaths in 2013, to 84 incidents and 132 deaths in 2014. Further, as against 63 major incidents of killing (each involving three or more fatalities) resulting in 433 fatalities in 2013, year 2014 recorded 56 such incidents resulting 415 fatalities. The provincial capital Quetta recorded a considerable decrease in terrorism related incidents, from 190 in 2013 to 100 in 2014. There were nine attacks on North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) convoys through 2014, with three killed and six injured, as against 18 such attacks in 2013, with six killed and seven injured. Attacks on gas pipelines, however, increased from 10 in 2013 to 17 in 2014.

Disappearances and the state's ‘kill and dump policy’ continue to cause great distress in Balochistan, feeding the crisis of mistrust between the Baloch people and Islamabad and prolonging the insurgency. Islamabad's strategy of creating and supporting Islamist extremist groups to manage domestic political challenges has enormously aggravated the problem in both North and South Balochistan, though these groups are most active in the North. The limited gains in terms of a marginal reduction in most indices of violence, consequently, offer little hope of a sustainable improvement in the Province.

INDIA
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Nagaland: Evasive Reconciliation
Giriraj Bhattacharjee
Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management

The relative peace achieved in Nagaland was further consolidated through 2014, as insurgency-related fatalities continued to decline. According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) the State recorded a total of 15 fatalities, including 11 civilians and four militants in 2014; as compared to 32 fatalities in 2013, including 11 civilians and 21 militants; a decline of 53.12 per cent.

As in 2013, there was no fatality among Security Forces (SFs) in 2014. In fact the last fatality in this category was recorded in 2008, when the Police on May 11, 2008, recovered the body of an Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) trooper between the Keyive and Heningkunglwa areas under Peren District. Earlier, Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) cadres had killed an IRB trooper at Diphupar village in Dimapur town on April 25, 2008.

Fatalities were reported from five Districts in 2014 – Mon, Phek, Dimapur, Kiphire and Mokokchung - as against seven Districts in 2013. In 2013, these included Mon, Dimapur, Kiphire, in common with 2014, as well as Kohima, Tuensung, Zunheboto and Wokha.

Of the 11 civilians killed in 2014, nine died in a single incident. On January 3, 2014, the highly decomposed bodies of nine Karbi tribesmen, who were blindfolded with their hands tied and shot from close range, were found in a gorge in Dimapur District. The Rengma Naga Hills Protection Force (RNHPF), a group supported by the NSCN-IM, claimed responsibility for the killings. The incident was linked to Karbi People's Liberation Tiger (KPLT) militants' killing of a Rengma Naga tribesman in the Karbi Anglong District of Assam on December 27, 2013.

Two other civilians were killed in two separate incidents - at Mukalimi village in Zunheboto District on January 23 and at Phek Town in Phek District on June 3.

By comparison, the 11 civilian fatalities in 2013 were recorded in nine separate incidents

Fatalities among militants witnessed a steep decline, with just four killed in 2014. Of these, two were killed in two separate fratricidal clashes among Naga militant formations – a cadre each of NSCN-Khole-Kitovi (NSCN-KK) and Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN). On November 5, 2014, SFs killed a United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) cadre, identified as Ananta Dutta alias Prakash Baruah, in an encounter at Charing Basti in Mokokchung District. Another ULFA-I cadre, identified as ‘assistant finance secretary and operational commander’ Partha Asom alias Partha Pratim Gogoi, was reportedly killed on January 15, 2014, by cadres of his own group under the order of ULFA-I chief Paresh Baruah, who feared that Gogoi was about to surrender to the SFs on January 26, 2014.

The number of militants killed in 2013 stood at 21. More importantly, 12 of these militants were killed and another 11 were injured in 18 fratricidal clashes. The worst of these took place on December 2, 2014, when three NSCN-Khaplang (NSCN-K) cadres were killed while one was injured in a factional clash with NSCN-KK cadres at Sikiu under Shamator sub-division in Tuensang District. Another two were killed by SFs in two separate incidents – one each of NSCN-IM and NSCN-K.

Clearly, a marked improvement has been witnessed through 2014 in terms of fratricidal clashes as well, which had undermined the State’s security environment for several years. According to SATP data, a total of 426 militants have been killed in such clashes since 2001, the highest number in 2008, when a total of 101 militants were killed in internecine fighting. The worst of recorded incident took place on June 4, 2008, when at least 15 cadres of the NSCN-IM and the Unification faction of NSCN (NSCN-U) were killed in separate factional clashes in and around Dimapur.

Fratricidal clashes among Naga groups outside Nagaland, and resultant casualties, also registered a decline in 2014 as compared to the preceding year. Five such incidents, resulting in three deaths and two injuries, were reported in 2014; as against seven such incidents in 2013, resulting in nine deaths and two injuries.

The improvement is primarily due to the signing of the 'Lenten Agreement' on March 28, 2014, during a two-day reconciliation meeting of three Naga militant groups - NSCN-IM, NSCN-KK and Naga National Council/ Federal Government of Nagaland (NNC/FGN) - at Dimapur, under the banner of the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR). The agreement, signed by six top leaders of the three groups, stated that, in accordance with the Naga Concordant signed on August 26, 2011, they agreed "in principle to form the NNG [Naga National Government]". This development led to a sharp decline in fratricidal clashes. The joint statement, following the agreement, stated, “While this task is being carried out, we call for maintenance of the status quo, by vigilantly refraining from any unwarranted activities by the Nagas”.

Since an overwhelming proportion of violence in the State had been the result of turf wars between the Naga factions, various other parameters of violence, including explosions and abductions also declined. However, six incidents of explosion, resulting in injuries to five persons, were reported in 2014; as against eight such incidents, resulting in two civilian deaths, recorded in 2013.

The SATP database recorded six incidents of abduction [in which eight people were abducted] in 2014, whereas 12 persons were abducted in 10 such incidents in 2013. 10 incidents of extortion were also recorded in 2014, as against nine incidents reported in 2013. The numbers relating to both abduction and extortion are gross underestimates as most such incidents go unreported, as victims comply without reporting to the Police.

165 militants were arrested in 95 incidents during 2014. These included 56 militants of NSCN-IM, 35 NSCN-K, 33 of NSCN-KK, 24 belonging to different Naga National Council (NNC) factions, nine belonging to the Assam-based United People’s Liberation Army (UPLA), and five belonging to the Assam-based IK Songbijit faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB-IKS). 146 militants were arrested in 69 incidents in 2013.

Despite these positive developments, areas of concern persist. Border clashes along State boundaries remain a challenge. Indeed, in one of the worst clashes along the Nagaland-Assam border, which erupted on August 12, 2014, at least 20 people were killed in the Golaghat District of Assam. Clashes along the interstate borders of these two States, over the years, have claimed many lives. The worst of such clashes took place in 1979 when at least 54 people were killed. Signficantly, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court (SC) headed by Justice T.S. Thakur, on January 14, 2015, observed that the boundary dispute between Assam and Nagaland could be resolved either by deciding the 1988 law suit filed by Assam or by referring the matter for arbitration. On the issue as to which State will have control over the disputed area for maintaining law and order and administrative purposes, the bench observed, "it is for the political executive to decide and it cannot be managed by the judiciary."

It is the prevailing and frequent diktats of the Naga militant formations that remain the primary public and security concern. For instance, the 'civilian arm' of NSCN-IM, the ‘Government of the People’s Republic of Nagalim’ (GPRN), through its ‘ministry of mines and minerals’ on July 9, 2014, wrote to Metropolitan Oil and Gas Pvt. Ltd. (MOGPL), rejecting the firm’s prospecting licence, leading to cessation of work. MOGPL, however, launched the pre-production phase of its operation at Old Jalukie village in Peren District in September. Kireshwar Bora, Chief Operating Officer stated, on September 23, 2014, that drilling operations had started in Changpang field (Wokha District). The permit was issued by the State Government of Nagaland in February 2014 to develop the Wokha and Peren oil zones.

In another development highlighting this crisis, the Angami Youth Organization (AYO) and Chakhesang Youth Front (CYF), on April 29, 2014, banned NSCN-K cadres from entering Angami tribal areas, and cautioned all Government establishments, institutions, contractors, corporate, public and private individual business owners against contributing any form of “tax and percentages” to the group. This came after a member of the Action Committee against Unabated Taxation (ACAUT), Abe Mero, was attacked by a suspected NSCN-K militant on April 9, 2014 in Kohima.

Significantly, according to a May 27, 2014, report, Joel Nillo Kath, the ‘co-chairman ‘ of ACAUT, noted that multiple 'taxation' and illegal collection started right from the entry gates to the State, where different militants and ‘government agencies’ charge exorbitant rates in the form of yearly tax on vehicle, transport, and goods entry on every item, including essential commodities. He added that militant groups started the system of 'dealership' for almost all commodities, as a result of which only a small coterie of businessmen were allowed to deal in those commodities.

ACAUT was formed by several organizations under the aegis of the Naga Council in May 2013, in an effort to check the rampant imposition of ‘illegal tax‘ on the people, especially the business community, by various organizations, particularly including Naga militant outfits.

It is, consequently, useful to assess the losses and gains as a result of the cease-fire agreements signed between the Naga groups and the Central Government, and the several rounds of talks that have followed. R. N. Ravi, the current chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC), who was appointed by Central Government as the interlocutor for talks with Naga groups on August 9, 2014, in a news article published on January 23, 2014, observed:
The reckless ‘ceasefire’ between the Government of India and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM)… for the last 17 years is pushing the Nagas into a state of civil war. While the protagonists of the ‘ceasefire,’ New Delhi and the NSCN (I-M), are in mutual comfort capering about the mulberry bush without a stopwatch, the process has landed the Nagas in an orbit of self-destruction. They are far more fragmented and fractious than before... Over 1,800 Nagas have been killed in some 3,000 fratricidal clashes since the beginning of the ‘ceasefire’ (1997-2013). Contrast it with the violence during the 17 years preceding the ‘ceasefire’ (1980-96) that took a toll of some 940 Naga lives in 1,125 clashes mostly with the security forces… The crucial stakeholders — the popularly elected State government, the traditional Naga bodies that wield wide and deep influence on their respective tribes and other active militias in the fray — were excluded from the process. … NSCN (I-M), notwithstanding its pan-Naga pretensions, is essentially a militia of the Tangkhul tribe of Manipur with little resonance with the broad Naga family. A deal cut with it would not be acceptable to the Naga society… The ‘ceasefire’ with the NSCN-IM has resulted in the retreat of the state from the crucial areas of governance and subversion of democratic politics. The absence of a credible state has created a power vacuum that is being filled in by chaotic sub-nationalist forces often at war with one another.

More than 70 rounds of talks have taken place between NSCN-IM and the Central Government since 1997, without any concrete gains, other than the fact that the outfit has reportedly given up its demand for ‘sovereignty’. Likewise, the cease-fire agreements signed with other prominent Naga insurgent groups - NSCN-K [signed in 2001] and NSCN-KK [signed in 2012] – have also failed to construct any substantive solution to the lingering conflict.

For long, a policy of drift appeared to dominate the approach to militancy in Nagaland and its overflow into neighbouring States. The new dispensation in New Delhi has, however, articulated a time bound strategy of negotiations with Naga groups. On October 18, 2014, while commenting on peace talks with NSCN-IM, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval noted, “There should never be any feeling that it (talks) is protracted… The (peace) process is the means to an end and if there is an end, which is a desired end, it must be found in real time. There should be rule of law in the Naga insurgency-affected areas for which peace process must be completed as early as possible." It remains to be seen how these declarations are translated into policy and process.


NEWS BRIEFS

Weekly Fatalities: Major Conflicts in South Asia
January 12-18, 2015

 

Civilians

Security Force Personnel

Terrorists/Insurgents

Total

BANGLADESH

 

Islamist

0
0
1
1

Total (BANGLADESH)

0
0
1
1

INDIA

 

Jammu and Kashmir

0
1
8
9

Left-wing Extremism

 

Chhattisgarh

0
1
0
1

Jharkhand

0
0
4
4

Total (INDIA)

0
2
14
16

PAKISTAN

 

Balochistan

0
7
0
7

FATA

0
2
7
9

KP

3
1
0
4

Sindh

8
2
5
15

PAKISTAN (Total)

11
12
12
35
Provisional data compiled from English language media sources.


INDIA

Pakistan supporting proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir, asserts Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag: On January 13, the Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag said that Pakistan is continuing to support "proxy war" in Jammu and Kashmir. "Pakistan is supporting proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir despite suffering casualties within their country. Threats and challenges have been growing, both in intensity as well as commitment, because of active borders that we have." Talking about the recent attacks against the Army in Jammu and Kashmir, he said, "The recent strikes by the terrorists not only reflect their desperation but are also a grim reminder that the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan is intact." Daily Excelsior, January 14, 2015.

'200 heavily-armed militants waiting in 36 launching pads across the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir', says Army official: General Officer Commanding (GOC), 16 Corps, Lieutenant General Konsam Himalay Singh on January 15 said that 200 heavily-armed militants were waiting in 36 launching pads across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir on the other side of Pir Panjal range. He said that Pakistan-based militants will try to sneak into India and attack soft targets like schools, religious places and civilian areas ahead of US President Barack Obama's three-day visit to the country. Daily Excelsior, January 16, 2015.

70 per cent of Maharashtra's coastline still vulnerable to infiltrators, says report: According to sources in the State Home Ministry, 70 per cent of Maharashtra's coastline is still vulnerable and can be used as landing points by infiltrators at any time. Sources said it is the state's 1,020 km-long creek line that poses more of a threat to coastal security than the 720km-long coastline. Hindustan Times, January 13, 2015.

Centre to construct 7,294 kilometres road with an estimated cost of INR 107 billion in eight LWE-hit States: The Central Government is to construct 7,294 kilometres roads with an estimated cost of INR 107 billion in eight Left-Wing Extremism (LWE)-hit states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. It will be done under phase-II of Centre's Road Requirement Plan (RRP), an ambitious strategy to combat LWE by linking remote areas that serves as LWE hideouts. Telegraph India, January 13, 2015.


NEPAL

413 CA members submit signatures to Chairman Subas Nembang demanding promulgation of new constitution by January 22: A group of Constituent Assembly (CA) members led by the ruling Nepali Congress (NC) and Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) on January 16 submitted a list of signatures of at least 413 CA members from the ruling and various other parties to CA Chairman Subas Nembang. They demanded promulgation of new constitution by January 22. My Republica, January 17, 2015.


PAKISTAN

There will be no peace if UN doesn't make international law against blasphemy, threatens LeT founder and JuD chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed: Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, the Chief of Jama'at-ud-Dawa (JuD) and the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), during a rally in Lahore on January 18 while urging Muslims across the world to boycott French commodities in protest against the publication of sacrilegious caricatures by French magazine Charlie Hebdo said that the United Nations (UN) should declare blasphemy as terrorism and pass an international law against it. "… There will be no peace if international laws are not made against blasphemy," threatened Saeed. Tribune, January 19, 2015.

IS recruiting members in Pakistan and Afghanistan, says commander of The Resolute Support Mission General John Campbell: The commander of The Resolute Support Mission, the new mission of United States (US) and NATO forces in Afghanistan, General John Campbell on January 18 warned that the Islamic State (IS) is making recruitment in Afghanistan and Pakistan. "We are seeing reports of some recruiting," said General Campbell, adding, "There have been some night letter drops, there have been reports of people trying to recruit both in Afghanistan and Pakistan, quite frankly."Dawn, January 19, 2015.

Pakistan now has a native IS Ameer: A former 'commander' of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Hafiz Saeed Khan, has replaced an Afghan national, Abdul Rahim Muslim Dost, as the Ameer (chief) of the Khorasan Chapter of Islamic State (IS), led by Abu Bakar Al Baghdadi. The previous IS Ameer for the Khorasan chapter, Abdul Rahim Muslim Dost, was a former Guantanamo prisoner, who had earlier spent several years in a Pakistani prison after being freed by the Americans. He had been appointed for an interim period to organise the Khorasan chapter of the IS which includes Pakistani, India, Afghanistan, Iran and some Central Asian territories. The News, January 13, 2015.

2,000 militants killed in North Waziristan Agency so far, claims ISPR: Director General (DG) Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa on January 16 calimed that Security Forces have killed 2,000 militants in North Waziristan Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in the ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azb. He also said that 200 soldiers had been killed during the operation, and 800 others had sustained injuries. He reiterated the army's resolve to ensure writ of the state in Bajaur and North Waziristan Agencies at all costs by wiping out militants. Tribune, January 17, 2015.

Target all militant groups including LeT, US Secretary of State John Kerry tells to Pakistan: Telling Pakistan to target all militant groups, US Secretary of State John Kerry on January 13 said terror outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Taliban and the Haqqani Network pose a threat to regional countries like India and the world. Addressing a joint press conference with Pakistan Prime Minister's adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Kerry said the terror groups like the "Pakistani and Afghan Taliban, the Haqqani network, Lashkar-e-Toiba and other groups continue to pose a threat to Pakistan, to its neighbours and to the US." "We all have a responsibility to ensure that these extremists are no longer able to secure a foothold in this country or elsewhere. Make no mistake. The task is a difficult one and it is not done."Daily Excelsior, January 14, 2015.

There is no reason to ban Jama'at-ud-Dawa, clarifies Minister for Defence Production Rana Tanveer Hussain: Pakistan cannot ban the Jama'at-ud-Dawa (JuD) led by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed because it is a charitable and not terrorist organisation, said Pakistan's Minister for Defence Production Rana Tanveer Hussain on January 16. "We are looking to ban terror organisations but the JuD is a charitable organisation and the government of Pakistan has no evidence against Hafiz Saeed or the JuD," Hussain told HT over the phone from Islamabad. Hindustan Times, January 17, 2015.

New terror watch list catalogues 5,400 militants: The Government has put more than 5,400 suspected militants on a new terror watch list in a fresh move to swiftly execute a crackdown against sympathisers, financiers and facilitators of banned outfits across the country. As part of implementation on the National Action Plan (NAP) against terrorism, these suspected terrorists were included in the list under the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997, a legal tool that allows the Government to catalogue all those involved in terrorism. Tribune, January 17, 2015.

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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.

South Asia Intelligence Review [SAIR]

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K. P. S. Gill

Editor
Dr. Ajai Sahni


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