| |
SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 14, No. 23, December 7, 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
|
Punjab:
Creeping Shadow of Daesh
Ambreen
Agha
Research
Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management
On November
30, 2015, after a heavy exchange of fire, the Security
Forces (SFs) killed at least four al Qaeda terrorists
at Wador, within the limits of Gadani Police Station in
Dera Ghazi Khan District. However, an al Qaeda 'commander'
Shoaib Cheema and his accomplice Hanif Muhammad managed
to escape from the encounter site. According to Police
sources, the terrorists had entered Punjab via Balochistan
and had planned to launch major terrorist activities in
the Punjab Province.
On November
25, 2015, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ)
founder Haroon Bhatti and three of his accomplices were
killed in a midnight raid jointly conducted by the Counter-Terrorism
Department (CTD) and Police in the Badami Bagh area of
the provincial capital, Lahore. Bhatti’s slain accomplices
were identified as, Omair Nadeem, Omair Hassan and Noman
Yasin. Three Policemen were also injured in the gunfight.
On October 22, 2015, the Police had brought Bhatti and
four of his associates back to Pakistan, from Dubai, with
the help of Interpol. According to official sources, Bhatti
was accompanying the Police and CTD personnel to an abandoned
factory where LeJ terrorists were hiding. On reaching
the location, the terrorists hiding inside the factory
allegedly opened fire, killing Bhatti and the three others.
Later, an unnamed senior Police official admitted that
the killings were staged by the authorities. In an interview
to The Guardian a Lahore-based Police official,
on condition of anonymity, admitted,
This
had to be done to maintain peace in the Province.
No one would have given evidence against them because
witnesses would be brutally targeted. You can’t
allow terrorists to carry on their attacks just
because you don’t have any proof against them.
|
Bhatti,
one of the founding members of LeJ, was accused of involvement
in over two dozen terrorist attacks. Significantly, Bhatti
was a close aide of former LeJ chief Malik Ishaq, who
was killed
in a similar exchange of fire with the Police on July
29, 2015, along with his two sons Usman and Haq Nawaz,
and another 11 accomplices. The Police had then claimed
that Ishaq had attempted to escape from their custody.
On November
26, 2015, SFs arrested nine LeJ terrorists from the Farooq-e-Azam
Madrassa (seminary) in the Cantonment area of Lahore.
According to an unnamed senior CTD official a huge quantity
of hate material was recovered from the seminary which
was involved in various terrorist incidents and was the
last stronghold of the LeJ in Lahore. The CTD official
stated that the seminary was sealed under the National
Action Plan (NAP). Federal Minister of the Interior Chaudhry
Nisar Ali Khan had told the National Assembly on November
11, 2015, that a total of 102 seminaries had been sealed
in the country for fanning extremism since the implementation
of NAP on December 24, 2014. Of these, he disclosed, 87
madrassas were closed in Sindh; 13 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa;
and two in Punjab where a number of students were found
in contact with banned groups. The total number of seminaries
sealed in Punjab now stands at three.
According
to data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal
(SATP), 165 persons have been killed in terrorism related
incidents in the current year in Punjab (all data till
December 6, 2015). Of these 90 were civilians, 66 terrorists
and nine SF personnel. In the corresponding period in
2014, a total of 171 persons had been killed, including
129 civilians, 22 terrorists and 20 SF personnel. With
fatalities among civilians and SFs dropping considerably,
the Province has experienced some respite from terror,
even as a significant number of terrorists has been eliminated.
Data provided
by the Provincial Home Department on November 24, 2015,
stated that at least 48 terrorists, 17 of them ‘high profile’,
had been killed by the CTD under NAP. An official also
claimed that CTD had arrested 5,812 terrorists and their
collaborators from different cities of Punjab in intelligence-based
operations, averting major acts of terrorism. Of them,
1,265 were arrested in Bahawalpur District, 1,040 in Gujranwala
District, 1,008 in Rawalpindi District, 810 in Sargodha
District and 233 in Lahore District.
Law enforcement
agencies have succeeded to some degree in minimizing the
threats from domestically oriented terror outfits such
as LeJ and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP),
but the emergence of Islamic State (IS, also known as
Daesh) has introduced new complexities in the profile
of terrorism in Punjab. Daesh is looking to expand its
jihad by seeking allegiance from domestically oriented
outfits like TTP, Jundullah, and others, who are currently
under pressure from the Pakistani security establishment,
and has launched a sustained and intensive campaign through
the Internet. The campaign is securing particular resonance
among increasingly disoriented domestic formations, which
have suffered mounting losses over the past year. Specifically,
since the launch of Operation Zarb-e-Azb in the
North Waziristan Agency of the Federally Administered
Tribal Areas (FATA) on June 15, 2014, Pakistani SFs have
killed at least 4,481 terrorists, almost all of them belonging
to domestically oriented terror formations.
Notably,
on July 6, 2014, a lesser known Punjab-based terror outfit,
Tehreek-e-Khilafat-o-Jihad (Movement for Caliphate
and Jihad), an offshoot of the TTP, had declared:
From
today, Sheikh Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi shall consider
Tehreek-e-Khilafat and Jihad mujahideen fighters
of Pakistan as one of the arrows among his arrows
which he has kept for his bow. We are praying from
the almighty Allah to give us chance in our lives
to see the expansion of Islamic State boundaries
toward the Subcontinent and Khurasan region in order
to hoist the flag of Islamic State here.
|
Three months
after threatening “worst attacks” in Islamabad and Lahore,
the then TTP 'spokesman' Shahidullah Shahid, in a 16-minute
online video released on October 4, 2014, had pledged
allegiance to IS, along with dozens of other terrorists.
On June 15, 2014, following the launch of Operation
Zarb-e-Azb, Shahidullah Shahid had threatened the
political elites of Punjab with “retaliatory activities
by Mujahideen”. Hardening in his resolve against the Punjab
establishment and subsequently “extending full support”
to the IS, Shahid, in his October 4, 2014 message to Daesh
had proclaimed,
Oh
our brothers we are proud of you in your victories.
We are with you in your happiness and your sorrow.
In these troubled days, we call for your patience
and stability, especially now that all your enemies
are united against you. Please put all your rivalries
behind you. All Muslims in the world have great
expectations from you…we are with you; we will provide
you with fighters and with every possible support.
|
Shahid
was sacked from TTP after pledging allegiance to IS and
was killed, along with five other terrorists, in a United
States (US) drone strike in the Achin District of Nangarhar
Province in Afghanistan on July 7, 2015. At the time of
his death he had assumed the title of ‘commander’ of Daesh
in Afghanistan. The drone strike was confirmed by Afghanistan‘s
National Directorate of Security.
Meanwhile,
the Punjab Home Department, citing Intelligence reports,
on November 27, 2015, alerted Police and other agencies
in the Province that Daesh had planned attacks on civil
and military targets. The Punjab Government’s alert mentioned
that Daesh-affiliated terrorists were out to strike Army
vehicles moving on the Jalalpur Jattan Road and Police
patrols on the Grand Trunk Road in Gujrat District. The
intelligence report also claimed that a group of five
terrorists had reached Lahore, and had planned to storm
private establishments. According to an unnamed intelligence
official, their likely targets included minorities and
foreigners. Earlier, on October 15, 2015, the Chief of
Army Staff (CoAS) General Raheel Sharif, during his visit
to the Royal United Services Institute in London, had
declared, "Daesh is a bigger threat than al Qaeda."
Further,
on August 18, 2015, posters signed by Daesh were seen
on the walls of schools in the Phugla, Fazla Kachh and
Barthi areas of Dera Ghazi Khan District. The posters
carried messages against co-education. Earlier, on July
4, 2015, Law Enforcement Agencies had arrested three suspected
terrorists affiliated with Daesh, from Lahore and had
recovered laptops confirming their links with Daesh leaders,
maps of sensitive buildings in Punjab and hate literature.
According to Police sources, two of the suspects, identified
as Asmatullah and Abdur Rehman, hailed from Afghanistan
while the third, Muhammad Ibrahim, was from Pakistan’s
Punjab Province.
Again,
on January 21, 2015, intelligence sources had confirmed
the arrest of a local Daesh 'commander', identified as
Yousuf al-Salafi, and two accomplices, Qari Tayyab and
Dr. Fahad, involved in recruiting and sending fighters
to Syria from Lahore. According an unnamed intelligence
source, “al-Salafi is a Pakistani Syrian who reached Pakistan
through Turkey five months ago. He crossed into Turkey
from Syria and was caught there. Somehow he managed to
escape and reached Pakistan to establish IS.” Al-Salafi
had further revealed that one of his accomplices, Tayyab,
was a prayer leader in Lahore and was involved in recruiting
Pakistanis and sending them to fight alongside Daesh in
Syria on a charge of about USD 600 per recruit.
However,
despite the acknowledgment of the Daesh presence by the
CoAS, backed by various intelligence reports, Punjab Law
Minister Rana Sanaullah, demonstrating the political elite's
persistent state of denial, brushed off the threat alert
as being "a routine matter", arguing: “There
is no existence of Daesh in Pakistan, especially in Punjab…
There are some troublemakers belonging to banned outfits
and the Government is making efforts to eliminate these
criminals”. A year earlier, the Federal Minister of Interior
Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, in a similar note, had ruled
out the existence of Daesh in the country on November
10, 2014, asserting, “No organisation of this name exists
in Pakistan.”
The war
against terrorism, domestic and international, is contingent
upon political consensus, political will, and consistency
of action. Unless there is a military and political consensus
on the continuum of Islamist terrorist formations operating
in Pakistan, including both domestically and outward oriented
groupings, and the existence of, and creeping threat posed
by, Daesh, gains against a limited group of terrorist
outfits will easily be frittered away. Crucially, if elements
within the leadership continue to ignore the warning signs,
Daesh is more likely to gain a foothold and wreak havoc
in the Punjab Province, and in Pakistan at large.
|
Manipur:
Endless Turf Wars
Deepak
Kumar Nayak
Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management
Sehkholen,
a leader of a breakaway faction of the Kuki National Front-Presidential
(KNF-P) and one of his associates are reported to have
been killed in an inter-factional gunfight at a secluded
location between Leikot and Phaijang villages under Saparmeina
Police Station in the Senapati District of Manipur on
November 21, 2015.
On November
19, 2015, two militants were killed in a reported clash
between the United Tribal Liberation Army led by Kam Robert
Singson (UTLA-Robert) and the UTLA faction led by S.K.
Thadou in the interior areas of Laikot, a Kuki village,
under the Nungba Police Station limits in Manipur’s Tamenglong
District. On November 20, the Thadou faction of UTLA clarified
that the reported gun fight was between UTLA (Robert)
and Kuki National Organisation (KNO) cadres and UTLA (Thadou)
was not involved. Thadou asserted that his outfit had
not engaged in any violence since it entered into a tripartite
agreement with the Government in 2013. UTLA, a Kuki militant,
was formed in 2002 and underwent a split in 2011. While
the Thadou faction entered into a tripartite agreement
in 2013, the Robert faction ‘surrendered’ on March 27,
2012.
With multiple
factions operating, factional clashes among the militant
formations in Manipur have always been a significant aspect
of violence in the State. In fact, Manipur Deputy Chief
Minister Gaikhangam, speaking at the 124th Raising Day
of the Manipur Police in Imphal on October 19, 2015, observed
that there were more than 40 insurgent groups operating
in the State. Praising the Police, he added that Manipur
Police had earned a "great reputation" in dealing
with the difficult situation, including both the containment
of the insurgency as well as complex day-to-day law and
order problems. Referring to the militant groups and factions,
Gaikhangam noted that, apart from the violence of underground
outfits and their numerous frontal organizations, small
groups of armed mercenaries were also resorting to abduction
for ransom, extortion and other unlawful activities.
According
to partial data collated by the South Asia Terrorism
Portal (SATP), Manipur has recorded at least 20 incidents
of factional clashes in 2015 (as of December 6), resulting
in 30 fatalities; as against 14 incidents involving 15
fatalities in 2014; 16 incidents with 16 fatalities in
2013; 13 incidents with 27 fatalities in 2012; and six
incidents with 12 fatalities in 2011.
The State
witnessed three major incidents (each involving three
or more killings) of factional clash in 2015, as against
one such incident in 2014; one in 2013; three in 2012;
and two in 2011. Some of the significant incidents include:
August
10, 2015: Three decomposed bodies of suspected militants
of the Khaplang faction of the National Socialist Council
of Nagaland (NSCN-K)
were found in a jungle between Purul and Sirong village
in Senapati District. The bodies were identified to be
those of Francis, Veihriizii and John. Police suspected
that they may have been shot dead three to four days earlier,
by a rival faction.
May 22,
2015: Five suspected militants of NSCN-K were killed in
a factional clash with suspected cadres of the Isak-Muivah
faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland
(NSCN-IM),
at Lungsaimai village in Tamenglong District. The clash
occurred when NSCN-K militants launched an attack on NSCN-IM
cadres.
February
10, 2015: Three persons, identified as Jongkholun, Manglensei
and Sotinpai, were killed in Churachandpur District by
suspected militants. The bodies were recovered near Vaison
Cemetery in the District. Sontinpai was a militant of
the Kuki Independent Organisation /Kuki Independent Army
(KIO/ KIA) and five ‘demand letters’ (extortion notices)
to be delivered by him were recovered from his body.
July 25,
2014: Bodies of three suspected Kuki National Liberation
Army (KNLA) militants were recovered from two locations
in Churachandpur District. The body of Seikholun Haokip
was recovered from a location near Silemat village, those
of Paothansang Vaiphei and Paolal-muon were recovered
from a location between Saikul and Thingchom village,
along the Khuga Canal in the same District. According
to Police, the militants were killed by a rival faction.
November
12, 2013: Three militants were reportedly killed and one
injured in a five hour gun-battle between NSCN-IM and
Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF) cadres near Bhalok village
in Tamenglong District. Police sources disclosed that
the three deceased belonged to ZUF and added that one
NSCN-IM cadre was injured. NSCN-IM also confirmed that
the three deceased hailed from ZUF. According to NSCN-IM
leaders, ZUF cadres launched attacks on NSCN-IM cadres
from two sides at a hillock near Bhalok village.
A cursory
review of available data
[2011-2015] indicates that Naga outfits,
viz. ZUF, NSCN-K and NSCN-IM, have contributed
overwhelmingly to the factional clashes in the State.
Some of the other factions involved include the United
National Liberation Front (UNLF);
Nehlun faction of the Kuki National Front (KNF-N);
KNF-P; Kuki National Front-Zougam (KNF-Z); Hmar People's
Convention – Democracy (HPC-D);
Kuki Revolutionary Army-Unification (KRA-U); United Kuki
Liberation Front (UKLF);
UTLA-S.K Thadou, UTLA-Robert and KNO.
Interestingly,
while there has been just one clash between a Naga and
a Kuki outfit, several incidents are either among Naga
outfits or among Kuki outfits, suggesting that these are
principally turf-wars. Clashes among Naga outfits have
been the most violent: out of a total of 69 incidents,
Nagas have been involved in 37, resulting in 47 fatalities.
Kuki outfits have been identified in 23 incidents resulting
in 22 fatalities. Nine incidents of factional clashes
have seen the involvement of either other groups or unspecified
groups. In terms of number of incidents, the involvement
of Kuki outfits has increased since 2013 [one in 2011;
zero in 2012; 8 in 2013; 4 in 2014; 10 in 2015].
Manipur
also recorded an increase in the number of extortion and
abduction incidents registered during the current year.
45 extortion cases were reported during 2015 (data till
December 6, 2015), as compared to 29 for the corresponding
period in 2014 [actual incidence is likely to be much
higher as a significant number of cases go unreported].
An October 29, 2015, media report indicated that NSCN-IM
was allegedly charging INR 2,000 every month from each
Government employee working in the Chandel District Headquarters.
There were
at least 28 incidents of abduction registered in 2015
(data till December 6, 2015), with 50 persons abducted;
in 2014, 31 incidents resulting in 47 abductions are on
record.
According
to SATP data, Manipur has recorded a total of 92
fatalities, including 16 civilians, 24 Security Force
(SF) personnel and 52 militants in 2015 (data till December
6) which is the highest among States in the Northeast
this year.
An October
6, 2015, report claimed that a series of developments
in the Northeast, especially in Manipur, since the August
Peace Accord between the Centre and the Naga rebel group
NSCN-IM, had raised serious concerns that the security
situation in the region could dramatically worsen in the
coming months. According to sources in the security agencies,
the NSCN-IM has probably set up a training camp in Manipur,
has already recruited a few hundred new cadres, and is
contributing to possible new flare-ups in inter-tribe
tensions in this fragile State. Media reports further
suggest that, since the August 3, 2015, Naga Peace Accord,
reports of extortion, arms and drugs smuggling have registered
a rising trend in Manipur. An unnamed official was quoted
as stating, “Most of it is being done by I-M (NSCN-IM)
cadres.” Other sources have confirmed that the outfit
may already have set up new camps in the Manipur Hills
to accommodate fresh cadres recruited since the Peace
Accord. One official claimed that about 400 Nagas may
have been recruited by the NSCN-IM in this period. There
were also reports of the group recruiting new cadres from
parts of eastern Nagaland. NSCN-IM is believed to have
had about 2,500 cadres before the Peace Accord, and is
believed to be targeting recruitment of another 1000 cadres,
mostly from Manipur.
Manipur
has a long history of multiple insurgencies and competing
factions, as well as one of the worst insurgency-afflicted
States in the Northeast. The rising trend in the proliferation
of groups and factions, and the turf-wars between them,
creates the spectre of increasing violence and a security
situation that grows even more complex by the day.
|
Weekly Fatalities: Major
Conflicts in South Asia
November 30-December
6, 2015
|
Civilians
|
Security
Force Personnel
|
Terrorists/Insurgents
|
Total
|
BANGLADESH
|
|
Islamist Terrorism
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
Left Wing
Extremism
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
Total (BANGLADESH)
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
INDIA
|
|
Jammu and
Kashmir
|
0
|
1
|
5
|
6
|
Meghalaya
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
Total (INDIA)
|
0
|
1
|
6
|
7
|
PAKISTAN
|
|
Balochistan
|
6
|
0
|
8
|
14
|
KP
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Punjab
|
0
|
0
|
4
|
4
|
Sindh
|
0
|
2
|
5
|
7
|
PAKISTAN
(Total)
|
|
|
|
|
Provisional
data compiled from English language media sources.
|
BANGLADESH
Bangladesh's
soil
will
not
be
allowed
to
be
used
by
any
insurgent
group,
says
Prime
Minister
Sheikh
Hasina
Wajed:
Prime
Minister
Sheikh
Hasina
Wajed
said
"We
won't
allow
any
sort
of
insurgency
in
Bangladesh.
We
want
a
peaceful
atmosphere
in
this
region.
We'll
work
for
people
and
we
need
more
cooperation
and
support
from
our
neighbors."
She
was
speaking
to
outgoing
Indian
High
Commissioner
to
Bangladesh
Pankaj
Saran
at
her
office
in
Dhaka
city
on
December
2.
New
Age,
December
3,
2015.
Ansar
al-Islam
issues
death
threats
against
State
Minister
of
Foreign
Affairs
and
seven
other
eminent
personalities:
Ansar
al-Islam
on
November
30
released
a
fresh
list
of
targets
issuing
death
threats
against
State
Minister
of
Foreign
Affairs
Mohamad
Shahriar
Alam
and
seven
other
eminent
personalities
of
Rajshahi
city
in
Rajshahi
District.
A
letter
carrying
the
letterhead
of
Ansar
al-Islam,
containing
the
names
of
the
targets,
was
sent
to
the
office
of
the
Daily
Sunshine,
a
local
daily
in
Rajshahi
city.
Dhaka
Tribune,
December
1,
2015.
INDIA
Army
not
responsible
for
Manipur
encounters,
says
Union
Government:
The
Union
Government
on
December
3,
told
the
Supreme
Court
that
the
army
cannot
be
held
responsible
for
alleged
encounters
in
Manipur
as
it
was
discharging
its
sovereign
function
to
defend
the
nation
from
external
aggression.
Attorney
General
(AG)
Mukul
Rohatgi
said
that
Justice
Santosh
Hegde
committee
report
on
alleged
1,500
extra
judicial
killings
should
be
"rejected".
The
committee
had
found
in
its
report
that
the
encounters
were
not
genuine
and
the
victims
did
not
have
any
criminal
record.
Rohatgi
told
a
bench
of
Justices
Madan
B
Lokur
and
UU
Lalit
that
the
army
was
only
discharging
its
function
of
defending
the
country
from
external
aggression,
so
the
force
cannot
be
blamed.
"Our
(Army)
instructions
are
not
to
fire
at
the
first
instance.
We
do
it
in
retaliation
to
the
other
side...,"
he
said,
adding
that
Justice
Hegde
committee
report
should
be
rejected.
Assam
Tribune,
December
5,
2015.
'Terrorists
pay
just
INR
5000
to
cross
over
to
India
from
Pakistan
via
Nepal',
says
report:
It
costs
only
INR
5000
to
the
terrorists
and
criminals
to
cross
over
to
India
or
Pakistan
through
Nepal
route,
a
report
has
revealed
how
convenient
it
is
for
the
intruders
to
either
slip
in
or
out
of
both
the
countries.
According
to
the
report,
terrorists
and
criminals
just
pay
INR
5000
to
move
into
or
escape
from
India.
From
Pakistan,
they
would
normally
first
fly
between
Lahore
and
Doha
(Qatar).
The
terrorists
then
take
flight
to
Kathmandu
(Nepal)
and
with
the
help
of
touts
-
whom
they
pay
a
nominal
amount
of
INR
5000
-
they
get
transported
into
India
on
a
motorbike,
the
report
further
stated.
Zee
News,
December
4,
2015.
Islamic
State
manifesto
vows
to
expand
war
to
India:
The
Islamic
State
(IS)
has
vowed
to
expand
it's
against
India,
citing
apocalyptic
religious
prophecies
which
talks
of
a
global
war
that
will
precede
the
return
of
the
Mahdi,
or
redeemer,
who
will
rid
the
world
of
evil
and
pave
the
way
for
the
day
of
judgment.
The
threat
is
made
in
a
new,
Black
Flags
from
the
Islamic
State,
a
manifesto
released
online
on
jihadist
platforms
on
December
1.
Indian
Express,
December
3,
2015.
No
decision
to
repeal
AFSPA,
says
Centre:
No
decision
has
been
taken
by
the
Government
to
repeal
the
controversial
Armed
Forces
(Special
Powers)
Acts
(AFSPA)
as
recommended
by
the
Jeevan
Reddy
Committee
Report,
Union
Minister
Kiren
Rijiju
said
on
December
2.
Daily
Excelsior,
December
3,
2015.
Insurgent
hideouts
reduced
in
Bangladesh
soil,
says
BSF
IG
MF
Farooque:
Number
of
insurgent
hideouts
has
been
reduced
in
Bangladesh
although
some
groups
are
still
functioning
there,
said
Inspector
General
(IG),
Border
Security
Force
(BSF)
Tripura
Frontier
MF
Farooque
on
December
1.
Tripura
Info,
December
3,
2015.
India
shares
terror
intelligence
with
24
countries,
states
Minister
of
State
for
Home,
Haribhai
Parthibhai
Chaudhary:
India
is
sharing
intelligence
on
terrorism
with
24
countries,
including
China,
via
the
mechanism
of
Joint
Working
Groups
on
Counter-Terrorism,
Lok
Sabha
(Lower
House
of
Indian
Parliament)
was
told
on
December
1.
Zee
News,
December
2,
2015.
No
Islamic
State
(IS)
threat
along
borders
of
North
East,
says
BSF
official:
There
is
no
threat
from
the
Islamic
State
(IS/ISIS)
terror
group
along
India's
borders
in
the
northeastern
states,
a
Border
Security
Force
(BSF)
official
said
in
Agartala
on
December
1.
Morung
Express,
December
2,
2015.
Dawood
Ibrahim
shifting
location
within
Pakistan,
according
to
UMHA:
The
Union
Ministry
of
Home
Affairs
(UMHA)
on
December
1
informed
Parliament
that
inputs
available
from
different
agencies
suggest
that
Dawood
Ibrahim,
has
bases
in
Pakistan
and
keeps
changing
his
location
from
time
to
time.
Minister
of
State
for
Home
Affairs
Haribhai
Parthibhai
Chaudhary
told
the
Lok
Sabha
(Lower
House
of
Indian
Parliament)
in
a
written
reply
that
India
has
from
time
to
time
been
apprising
Pakistani
authorities
of
details
concerning
Dawood,
including
passports
and
his
reported
addresses
in
the
neighbouring
country,
with
the
request
that
he
be
handed
over
for
facing
trial
here
for
terrorist
activities
and
other
offences.
Asian
Age,
December
2,
2015.
Mumbai
Police
scanning
25
websites
promoting
IS
propaganda,
says
report:
The
Mumbai
Police
is
keeping
close
tabs
on
25
websites
that
propagate
incendiary
Jihadi
propaganda
at
the
behest
of
terror
group
Islamic
State
(IS),
classifying
one
as
'extremely
dangerous'.
Hindustan
Times,
December
2,
2015.
Government
remains
open
to
dialogue
with
those
who
eschew
the
path
of
violence
and
are
willing
to
work
within
the
framework
of
the
Constitution
of
India,
says
Government:
The
Government
will
hold
talks
with
all
those
who
eschew
the
path
of
violence
in
Jammu
and
Kashmir
(J&K),
the
Lok
Sabha
(Lower
House
of
Parliament)
was
informed
on
December
1.
Daily
Excelsior,
December
2,
2015.
As
BSF
and
Pakistan
Rangers
talk,
cross-border
firing
comes
down
from
589
to
3,
says
report:
There
were
only
three
occasions
in
the
past
two
months
when
the
ceasefire
was
violated
along
the
International
Border
(IB)
by
Pakistan.
The
incidents
of
cross-border
firing
have
shown
a
sharp
decline
after
the
border
guarding
forces
of
the
two
countries
decided
to
"pick
up
the
phone
before
picking
up
the
gun",
when
the
Director
General
(DG)-level
talks
with
Pakistan
Rangers
concluded
in
September,
2015.
The
ceasefire
violations
till
August
stood
at
589.
The
Hindu,
December
1,
2015.
Islamic
State
(IS)
presence
in
Bangladesh
will
pose
threat
to
North
East
India,
says
report:
Efforts
by
Islamic
State
(IS/ISIS)
to
establish
bases
in
Bangladesh
may
pose
a
serious
security
threat
to
the
North
East
region
of
India
in
the
days
to
come.
According
to
reports,
security
agencies
are
of
the
view
that
the
possibility
of
the
dreaded
terrorist
outfit
making
attempts
to
spread
towards
Assam
cannot
be
ruled
out.
The
IS
recently
made
public
its
intention
of
spreading
towards
Bangladesh
and
security
sources
are
of
the
view
that
if
the
outfit
manages
to
achieve
its
goal,
the
security
scenario
in
the
North
East
will
face
a
serious
threat.
Assam
Tribune,
November
30,
2015.
NEPAL
Major
parties
draft
three-point
proposal
for
talks
with
agitating
Madheshi
parties:
Three
major
parties
the
Nepali
Congress
(NC),
the
Communist
Party
of
Nepal-Unified
Marxist
Leninist
(CPN-UML)
and
the
Unified
Communist
Party
of
Nepal-Maoist
(UCPN-M)
on
December
4
drafted
a
three-point
proposal
to
be
tabled
during
the
major
parties'
talks
with
the
agitating
Madheshi
parties.
The
three
major
parties
decided
to
begin
the
process
of
amending
the
new
constitution
through
the
Constitution
Amendment
Bill
registered
by
the
erstwhile
NC-led
Government
regarding
proportional
inclusion
and
delineation
of
election
constituencies
on
the
basis
of
population.
The Himalayan
Times,
December
5,
2015.
PAKISTAN
Terrorist
organisations
will
not
be
allowed
to
regroup
in
Karachi,
says
Director
General
Rangers:
Director
General
(DG)
Rangers
Bilal
Akbar
said
on
December
3
that
terrorists
were
on
the
run
due
to
effective
operations
in
Sindh
and
will
not
be
allowed
to
regroup
in
Karachi.
Major
General
Bilal
Akbar
said
the
Karachi
operation
against
criminals
would
continue
till
the
elimination
of
the
last
target
killers.
He
said
that
10,000
Rangers
personnel
had
been
deployed
in
Karachi
while
11,000
more
personnel
were
performing
their
duties
in
rural
Sindh
during
Chehlum
(40th
day
of
Imam
Hussein's
martyrdom)
procession.
The News,
December
4,
2015.
Islamabad
will
not
compromise
on
its
dignity
and
honour,
says
Nawaz
Sharif
on
the
sidelines
of
climate
summit
in
Paris:
Prime
Minister
Nawaz
Sharif
on
the
sidelines
of
the
climate
summit
in
Paris
on
November
30
said
that
he
wants
better
bilateral
relations
with
India,
but
his
country
will
not
compromise
on
its
dignity
and
honour.
"We
want
peace
without
any
compromise
on
the
dignity
and
honour
of
Pakistan,"
said
Sharif,
adding,
"Pakistan
desires
better
bilateral
relations
with
India."Times
of
India,
December
1,
2015.
Dossiers
on
Indian
activities
in
Pakistan
devoid
of
material
evidence,
says
Advisor
on
Foreign
Affairs
Sartaj
Aziz:
Pakistan's
Advisor
on
Foreign
Affairs
Sartaj
Aziz
while
addressing
the
Senate
Standing
Committee
on
Foreign
Affairs
in
Islamabad
on
November
19
said
that
the
dossiers
on
India's
alleged
involvement
in
Pakistan's
unrest
have
no
"material
evidence"
but
only
narrative
to
protect
witnesses.
He
said
the
dossiers
contained
the
"pattern
and
narrative"
of
Indian
involvement.
"The
dossiers
have
been
meticulously
prepared,
but
material
evidence
cannot
be
shared
for
the
sake
of
protecting
the
sources,"
Aziz
said.
Business
Standard,
December
1,
2015.
SRI
LANKA
Committed
to
strengthen
national
reconciliation
process
so
that
there
will
be
no
room
for
any
future
conflict,
says
President
Maithripala
Sirisena:
'President
Maithripala
Sirisena
in
his
speech
to
Parliament
on
the
budget
2016
on
December
3
said
he
is
committed
to
strengthen
the
national
reconciliation
process
so
that
there
will
be
no
room
for
any
future
conflict
and
build
an
independent
country
utilizing
its
enormous
potential
through
economic,
political
and
social
reform.
Colombo Page,
December
4,
2015.
Government
will
set
up
special
war
crimes
court
soon
to
probe
alleged
war
crimes
committed
during
last
stage
war,
says
former
President
Chandrika
Kumaratunga:
'Former
President
Chandrika
Kumaratunga
while
addressing
a
media
briefing
on
December
1
at
the
head
of
the
Office
for
National
Unity
and
Reconciliation
which
has
been
established
to
lead,
facilitate,
support
and
coordinate
matters
related
to
national
unity
and
reconciliation
in
Sri
Lanka
said
that
the
Government
will
set
up
a
special
war
crimes
court
soon
to
probe
the
alleged
war
crimes
committed
during
the
last
stage
of
the
three-decade
long
ethnic
war.
She
said,
"Enormous
amount
of
work
has
been
done
and
the
special
court
should
start
its
work
by
the
end
of
this
month
or
by
early
January."
Colombo Page,
December
2,
2015.
The South
Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR) is a weekly service that
brings you regular data, assessments and news briefs on
terrorism, insurgencies and sub-conventional warfare, on
counter-terrorism responses and policies, as well as on
related economic, political, and social issues, in the South
Asian region.
SAIR is a project
of the Institute
for Conflict Management
and the
South
Asia Terrorism Portal.
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