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SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 15, No. 9, August 29, 2016
Data and
assessments from SAIR can be freely published in any form
with credit to the South Asia Intelligence Review of the
South Asia Terrorism Portal
|
Violent
Surge
Ajit
Kumar Singh
Research Fellow, Institute for Conflict Management
At least
13 persons– seven students, one professor, two security
guards of the University, and three Security Force (SF)
personnel – were killed and another 45 persons, including
36 students and staff members and nine SF personnel, were
injured when terrorists carried out an attack targeting
the well guarded American University of Afghanistan in
capital Kabul. The attack, which commenced at 18:30 AST
[Afghanistan Standard Time] on August 24, 2016, after
the attackers exploded a car bomb at a University entry
gate, stormed into the University complex and opened gunfire,
lasted for almost 10 hours. The SFs eliminated two terrorists,
bringing an end to the attack. There were about 750 students
in the University compound at the time of the attack.
According to reports, the attackers had made their way
past the University’s armed guards and watchtowers, lobbing
grenades and checking out their maps.
Significantly,
over a fortnight earlier, on August 7, 2016, two professors
of the same university – an American and an Australian
– were abducted at a gun point from near the University
campus. Their whereabouts are still unknown.
No terror
outfit has so far claimed responsibility for either incident.
On July
23, 2016, at least 80 people, mostly civilians, were killed
and another 231 were injured in a suicide attack that
targeted Hazara Shias sitting on a protest demonstration
in Kabul. The protestors were demanding that the Afghan
Government change its decision to reroute the 500-kilovolt
TUTAP (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan
and Pakistan) power line. The Government had reportedly
decided to re-route the power line, which was originally
set to pass through the Bamiyan Province, home to the
Hazara community, through Salang in Parwan Province, arguing
that it would speed up the project and save millions of
dollars. Worryingly, the Islamic State (IS) which was
hitherto largely confined to the eastern province of Nangarhar,
claimed responsibly for the attack, indicating possibilities
of a dangerous spread of its influence in a country which
is already amidst turmoil created by the Taliban and its
affiliates. The turf
war between IS and the Taliban, which
had been limited to the Nangarhar Province, is expected
to spread into other areas, resulting in more violence.
The midyear
report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict
in Afghanistan for 2016, prepared by the Human Rights
Unit of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan
(UNAMA), which covers the period from January 1 to June
30, published on July 25, 2016, indicates that at least
5,166 civilians suffered casualties – 1,601 deaths and
3,565 injuries – during this period. It is the highest
number of such casualties recorded during the first six
months of a year since 2009, when UNAMA began systematically
documenting civilian casualties. During the corresponding
period of 2015, at least 4,982 persons had suffered casualties
– 1615 deaths and 3,367 injured. More worryingly, out
of 5,166 casualties recorded in 2016, at least 1,509 were
children (388 dead and 1,121 injured) – a figure the UN
Human Rights Chief described as “alarming and shameful,”
particularly as it represents the highest numbers of children
killed or wounded in a six-month period since 2009.
Moreover,
reports indicate that fatalities among the Afghan National
Defense Security Force (ANDSF) personnel have also increased
sharply. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan
Reconstruction (SIGAR) in its Quarterly report (April
30, 2016) submitted to the United States Congress stated
that at least 6,637 personnel were killed and another
12,471 were injured through 2015. The report added that,
in the first two months of 2016, an additional 820 ANDSF
personnel were killed and 1,389 were wounded.
On July
28, 2016, Gen. John Nicholson, Commander Resolute Support
Mission in Afghanistan, without disclosing exact figures,
stated that the number of ANDSF personnel killed till
that time in 2016 was about 20 per cent higher than during
the same period of the preceding year. Significantly,
ANDSF assumed full security responsibility at the end
of 2014, when the International Security Assistance Force
(ISAF) mission was completed. ISAF has lost a total of
3,520 personnel, including 2,384 American soldiers, since
the beginning of the operation in 2001.
Though
there are no systematic estimates of the number of insurgents
killed, partial data compiled by the Institute for
Conflict Management (ICM) demonstrates that the insurgents
have also been suffering significantly increased numbers
of fatalities. The number of terrorist fatalities, which
stood at 2,702 in 2013, increased to 6,030 in 2014, and
further to 10,628 in 2015. So far, in 2016, 9,840 terrorists
have been killed (data till August 25, 2016).
Nevertheless,
the influence of Taliban and its affiliates, and of IS,
is growing across Afghanistan. According to a report by
the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction
(SIGAR) published on July 30, 2016, approximately 65.6
per cent of the country’s Districts are under Afghan Government
control or influence as of May 28, 2016, a decrease from
the 70.5 per cent reported on January 29, 2016. Of the
407 Districts within 34 Provinces, 268 were under Government
control or influence; 36 (8.8 per cent) in 15 Provinces
were under insurgent control or influence; and 104 (25.6
per cent) were “at risk”. Of the 36 Districts under insurgent
control or influence, nine, with a population of 524,072,
were under insurgent control, and 27, with a population
of 1.98 million, were under insurgent influence.
Not surprisingly,
during the first six months of the current year, 157,987
Afghans were newly displaced – a 10 per cent increase
over the same period last year. This brings the estimated
total number of conflict-induced internally displaced
Afghans to 1.2 million.
Despite
the deployment of 319,595 (not including civilians) strong
ANDSF, guided and trained by ISAF, the spread of Taliban
and its affiliates is primarily because of the continued
support from across the border, from Pakistan. Interestingly,
after cosying up with Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif despite Islamabad's continued deceit, Afghanistan
President has rightly realized his error. Now, more often
than not, like his predecessor Hamid Karzai, he has been
highlighting Islamabad’s well documented and established
role in fomenting trouble in Afghanistan. In the latest
such assertion, referring to the August 24, 2016, attack
at the American University, a statement released by the
Office of the Afghan President observed,
Evaluation of evidence and findings from traces
of the attack by the National Directorate of Security
(NDS) show that it was organized and orchestrated
from the other side of the Durand Line... In the
meeting and presence of the National Security Council
members, President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani spoke by
phone with General Raheel Sharif, Pakistan's Chief
of Army Staff, and asked for serious and practical
measures against the terrorists, organizing the
attack...
|
Not surprisingly,
even the US has been forced to make decisive cuts in its
aid to Pakistan. According to a February 24, 2016, report
prepared by the Congressional Research Service for distribution
to multiple congressional offices, the total aid to Pakistan,
which stood at USD 3,581 million in financial year 2011,
dropped to just USD 1,604 million in financial year 2015.
It is significant to recall here that it was widely believed
that Islamabad has been diverting most of these funds
towards exporting terror to Afghanistan and India.
Further,
the US has also decided to continue with a larger troop
presence in Afghanistan. At a news conference on October
15, 2015, US President Barack Obama had said that the
US will maintain 9,800 troops in Afghanistan through most
of 2016 and will not go down to a normal Embassy presence
by the end of 2016, but would, instead, keep 5,500 troops
at a small number of bases. However, realizing the emerging
threat, Obama declared on July 6, 2016, "Instead
of going down to 5,500 troops by the end of this year,
the United States will maintain approximately 8,400 troops
in Afghanistan into next year, through the end of my administration."
On August 22, 2016, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook
stated that US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter did not
give Congressional certification to Pakistan for satisfactory
action against the Haqqani Network this year, and the
US had consequently blocked USD 300 million in military
aid to Islamabad.
In spite
of the overwhelming evidences and US's own realization
of Pakistan's continued perfidy in Afghanistan, the US
continues to rely on Islamabad, at least in with regard
to peace talks. Despite a disastrous record of manipulation
and failure, Pakistan has been given prominence in the
latest peace initiative in Afghanistan. The Quadrilateral
Coordination Group (QCG) mechanism, set up on the margins
of the Heart of Asia Conference on Afghanistan held in
Islamabad in December 2015, and which became operational
in January 2016, comprises of Afghanistan, China, Pakistan
and the US. The QCG has so far failed to make any positive
move and appears destined to futility.
Indeed,
recognizing the pointlessness of the QCG mechanism, the
Afghanistan Government has, since in February 2016, sought
to push for a new regional consultative mechanism to address
the problem. The new body, a 6+1 group, will include India,
Pakistan, Iran, Russia, the US and China, in addition
to Afghanistan. There has, however, been no further information
about the mechanism.
The US’
overreliance on Pakistan in any future talks in Afghanistan
can only prove counterproductive, as Islamabad continues
to strengthen the hands of the Taliban in its endeavor
to establish a proxy power in Afghanistan. Pakistan insists
that the Taliban must have an important role in any Government
formation, in any post reconciliation setup.
It is quite
evident that the US declaration, way back in December
2009 of a phased withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan,
enormously worsened the conflict. The number of civilian
casualties, which had stood at 2,492 during the first
six months of 2009, increased to 3,271 in the corresponding
period of 2010, and has jumped to 5,166 in the first six
months of 2016. It is hoped that the new Government in
the US, after the elections of November 2016, will radically
reassess the ground situation before reaching any conclusions
regarding levels of deployment in Afghanistan.
|
Naga
Peace Accord: Persistent Ambiguity
Nijeesh
N.
Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management
Though
over a year has passed since the signing of the ‘historic
Naga peace accord’ or the ‘framework agreement’ (as it
was later termed) between the Government of India (GoI)
and the Isak-Muivah faction of National Socialist Council
of Nagaland (NSCN-IM),
the ‘framework’ has not been finalised yet, by either
party. The ‘framework
agreement’ was signed on August 3,
2015, by the GoI interlocutor for Naga talks R.N. Ravi
and ‘general secretary’ of the NSCN-IM Thuingaleng Muivah
in the presence of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and
others in New Delhi, after nearly 18 years and over 80
rounds of negotiations under ceasefire. Though most of
the actual contents of the ‘agreement’ was not made public,
GoI had affirmed that the ‘framework agreement’ was not
a final settlement, and details would be disclosed in
the succeeding six months. Regrettably, this remains a
distant dream.
Meanwhile,
the ailing Isak Chisi Swu, Chairman of NSCN-IM, died of
multiple organ failure at a hospital in Delhi, on June
28, 2016. Swu’s ill health was widely speculated to be
the prime motivator of the hastily drafted ‘historic peace
accord’ of August 2015.
After a
prolonged silence, on August 12, 2016, the Government
interlocutor R.N. Ravi and NSCN-IM 'general secretary'
Thuingaleng Muivah issued a joint statement, declaring,
"We assure the people that the talks have been progressing
in right direction with determination. We are closer than
ever before to the final settlement and hope to conclude
it sooner than later." Further, on August 16, 2016,
Nagaland Governor P.B. Acharya, in his Independence Day
(August 15) message stated, "The ongoing talks have
become more purposeful, less ritualistic, more forthright
and far more frequent. This will usher in a new, happy
era for all Nagas."
Taking
into account the complexity of the 'Naga problem', the
Narendra Modi Government has projected this accord as
the first concrete fruition of the peace process in the
insurgency-wracked northeastern region. According to reports,
NSCN-IM leaders led by Muivah have been holding meetings
with R.N. Ravi at least two to three times a week to push
for a final settlement. However, GoI remained tight lipped
on the content of Framework Agreement conceding only that,
"the framework agreement lays down broad principle
within which final agreement will be worked out and consultation
with all stakeholders including State Governments of Nagaland,
Assam, Meghalaya and Manipur will be held before reaching
a final agreement".
While,
ambiguity surrounding the ‘hidden contents’ of the ‘framework
agreement’ persists, some developments give an indication
of the course of the talks. As a positive gesture GoI
ensured the release of the NSCN-IM’s ‘major general’ Ningkhan
Shimray aka Anthony from the jail. On August 2,
2016, Ningkhan Shimray was granted bail by a special court
in New Delhi, after the National Investigation Agency
(NIA) did not oppose his bail application, stating that
that his bail was “important in the interest of peace
negotiations between NSCN-IM and the Government of India”.
A Press Note from NSCN-IM’s ‘Ministry of Information &
Publicity’ noted that the "maturity and sincerity
displayed by GoI at this crucial stage of talk with this
change of attitude will definitely go a long way in forging
better relationship and mutual trust between the two entities."
NSCN-IM strongly urged the GoI to drop all charges against
Shimray and to release him unconditionally, so that future
legal entanglements do not come in the way of a political
solution.
In another
move, former Director General of the Border Security Force
(BSF) D.K. Pathak was, on August 3, 2016, appointed as
the new Chairman of the Ceasefire Monitoring Group (CMG),
created in 2001 to oversee the Ceasefire with the Naga
militants. This is the first time that a Police officer
has been appointed to the post, which has invariably been
held by an Army officer in the past. The main task of
the CMG Chairman is to help in the creation of a ‘conducive
atmosphere’, by talking to the stakeholders on the ground
to pave way for a successful political negotiation and
bring a final solution to the decades-old insurgency problem.
According to sources, Pathak was chosen for the job given
his experience, not only as a BSF officer – the Force
tackles insurgency in the North East as part of its mandate
to guard the Indo-Bangla border – but also owing to his
knowledge of the region, gained over his early years in
service as an IPS officer in the Assam cadre, when insurgency
there was at its peak.
Although
NSCN-IM is still considered as the major Naga militant
group in the region, violent incidents in which the outfit
is involved have come down drastically as result of the
ongoing peace talks. Since the August 3, 2015 Agreement,
not a single insurgency-related fatalities has been registered
in the name of NSCN-IM in Nagaland. However, according
to South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) data, two
civilians were killed in two different incidents by NSCN-IM
militants in Manipur during this period (all data updated
till August 28, 2016).
Nevertheless,
according to sources, as with any other northeast militant
formation, NSCN-IM remains involved in other violent activities,
including abduction, extortion and ‘tax collection’ to
sustain their activities, though reported cases are few.
In a recent incident, on August 12, 2016, Police arrested
two NSCN-IM cadres, identified as Renchamo Khuvung and
Ngachanpam Kasar, who were reportedly collecting money
from commercial vehicles proceeding to Kohima, from the
Wokha District of Nagaland. After reports of the arrests
spread, the office of the NSCN-IM 'Wokha Town Command'
was ransacked by an irate crowd at Wokha town, demanding
the arrest of the ‘town commander’.
Earlier,
on July 30, 2016, Assam Rifles (AR) identified and neutralized
an illegal detention centre run by NSCN-IM in Sitiki Basa
village in Dimapur District and rescued two abducted civilians,
Raju Choudhary and Nayan Bora. During the operation, six
NSCN-IM cadres who were running the illegal detention
centre were arrested and many incriminating documents
related to kidnapping/extortion were also recovered. Choudhary,
State President of an NGO -- ACCIF (Anti Corruption and
Crime Investigation Front) – was abducted on May 2, 2016
and his family was asked to pay INR two million for his
release. Bora was abducted on June 18, 2016, and a demand
of INR 500,000 as ransom was made to his family. The rescued
duo stated that they saw around 40 people being beaten
up and tortured, who were subsequently released after
payment of ransom.
SATP
data indicates that at least 29 NSCN-IM militants have
been arrested in Nagaland since August 3, 2015, while
eight NSCN-IM militants were arrested from Assam and five
each from Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur (data till August
28, 2016).
Similar
cases of abduction and extortion have been reported in
Manipur as well. On the intervening night of July 21-22,
2016, three civilians, identified as S. Lao, A. Adhani
and C. Kholi were rescued by a joint team of the Maram
Battalion under the Senapati Brigade of the Red Shield
Division of the Indian Army and Senapati Police from Shepoumaramth
office of NSCN-IM. They had been detained by NSCN-IM in
their regional office for almost two months for “non-payment
of taxes”. Through documents recovered from the office,
it has come to light that the outfit was involved in rampant
illegal taxation from locals, and anyone who refused to
contribute has been beaten, tortured and illegally detained,
a Police release claimed. The Security Forces (SFs) also
arrested two NSCN-IM members, ‘lance corporal’ Alen and
‘private’ John, along with arms. Subsequently, on August
17, 2016, Manipur Naga People’s Front (MNPF) alleged that
“For the last 20 years 90 per cent of the development
works of the Hill areas particularly in the Naga areas
(in Manipur) have been spoiled by NSCN-IM,”
Moreover,
Phoren Ramwaone, an arrested NSCN-IM militant in Police
custody in Assam, disclosed, on August 22, 2016, that
Tinsukia town in Assam was being used as a transit route
and corridor by NSCN-IM militants from the Hebron headquarters
in Dimapur (Nagaland) to the Lohit District of Arunachal
Pradesh, for the past several years. He further revealed
that it was common practice for the outfit to recruit
children from Naga dominated areas of Arunachal Pradesh
and to transport them to the Hebron camp for training.
These children, at a later stage, were inducted either
into the civil or military wing of NSCN-IM. An average
of five to six children was picked up from the Lohit and
Longding Districts of Arunachal, annually.
One of
the major challenges for finalizing a settlement is the
drafting of an “inclusive solution” to the 'Naga problem'
through a peace accord with a single Naga group. There
are several Naga militant factions, as well as political
and tribal groups fighting for ‘Nagalim'
(Greater Nagaland). Moreover, the
issue of 'Naga integration' of all Naga dominated areas
in neighbouring States has also been a principal demand
of NSCN-IM, and faces stiff opposition from these States
(Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh). After violent
reactions to the ‘extension of the
ceasefire without territorial limits’ in the region in
2001, GoI had placed this entire issue on the back burner.
Besides,
some of the Naga militant factions who are not part of
the ‘peace accord’, especially the Khaplang faction of
the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K),
are trying to occupy the ‘space’ purportedly vacated by
the NSCN-IM. NSCN-K, unilaterally exited its ceasefire
agreement with the GoI on March 27, 2015, and escalated
its violent activities in the region.
Further,
the spreading speculations about the contents of the agreement
have also complicated issues on the ground. Reports asserted
that Muivah had claimed that "NSCN-IM had not given
up the demand for sovereignty and a separate flag and
passport for Nagas was not just a ‘demand’ but a ‘right’
as the Nagas were never under Indian rule.” This provoked
furious criticism from different corners, and allegations
that the Centre was “compromising India’s sovereignty
and integrity” for the accord. However, the Central Government
categorically denied the allegation, stating that that
the 'issue of sovereignty' for each State is taken care
of by India’s federal structure. It was also reported
that Interlocutor R.N. Ravi, during the talks, had offered
that about 5,000 cadres of NSCN-IM would be inducted into
BSF as part of their rehabilitation process. The Union
Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) later dismissed this as
false.
Given the
current
scenario in India’s northeast, any
persistence of uncertainty can only feed the forces of
destabilization. Even if a final settlement is not imminent,
greater clarity on the status of the peace process, and
on the terms of negotiations currently prevailing, can
help contribute to a greater sense of political calm in
Nagaland and its neighbouring States. Crucially, whether
the present accord eventually works out as a 'Naga accord'
or simply as an 'NSCN-IM accord' – as a pattern of piece-meal
appeasements that the Nagas have repeatedly rejected over
the past several decades – remains to be seen. The outcome
will test the political sagacity of both GoI and of the
NSCN-IM leadership.
|
Weekly Fatalities: Major
Conflicts in South Asia
August
22-28, 2016
|
Civilians
|
Security
Force Personnel
|
Terrorists/Insurgents
|
Total
|
BANGLADESH
|
|
Islamist Terrorism
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
3
|
INDIA
|
|
Assam
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
3
|
Jammu and
Kashmir
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
Meghalaya
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
Left-Wing
Extremism
|
|
Chhattisgarh
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
4
|
Total (INDIA)
|
2
|
2
|
5
|
9
|
PAKISTAN
|
|
Balochistan
|
5
|
7
|
6
|
18
|
FATA
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Punjab
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
5
|
Sindh
|
44
|
0
|
2
|
6
|
Total (PAKISTAN)
|
|
|
|
|
Provisional
data compiled from English language media sources.
|
BANGLADESH
Dhaka’s
Gulshan
café
attack
mastermind
Tamim
Ahmed
Chowdhury
among
three
militants
killed
during
‘Operation
Hit
Strong
27’:
Three
militants,
including
Tamim
Ahmed
Chowdhury,
a
mastermind
of
Dhaka’s
Gulshan
café
attack,
were
killed
during
a
joint
forces’
raid
at
a
house
in
Narayanganj
Sadar
upazila
in
Narayanganj
District
in
the
morning
of
August
27.
Identities
of
the
two
other
militants
are
yet
to
be
ascertained.
The
Daily
Star,
August
27,
2016.
Cabinet
approves
life
imprisonment
for
spreading
negative
propaganda
through
digital
devices
against
Liberation
War
and
Father
of
Nation:
The
Cabinet
on
August
22
approved
the
draft
of
‘Digital
Security
Law,
2016’
proposing
life
imprisonment
for
spreading
negative
propaganda
through
digital
devices
against
the
Liberation
War
and
the
Father
of
the
Nation
Bangabandhu
Sheikh
Mujibur
Rahman.
The
approval
was
given
at
the
regular
Cabinet
meeting
held
at
Bangladesh
Secretariat
with
Prime
Minister
Sheikh
Hasina
in
the
chair.
The Independent,
August
23,
2016.
INDIA
US
gives
new
information
on
Pakistan’s
hand
in
Pathankot
attack,
says
report:
The
US
has
handed
over
proof
confirming
that
the
January
2
strike
at
Pathankot
Airbase
in
Punjab
emanated
from
Pakistan.
The
US
has
informed
the
National
Investigation
Agency
(NIA)
that
the
IP
addresses
of
Facebook
accounts
of
Jaish-e-Mohammed
(JeM)
handlers
who
masterminded
the
attack
and
IP
address
of
the
website
of
the
outfit's
financial
arm,
Al
Rahmat
Trust,
are
located
in
Pakistan.
The
probe
revealed
that
Facebook
groups
accessed
by
friends
of
JeM
handler
Kashif
Jaan
were
related
to
jihad
and
JeM
and
contained
photos
of
the
four
killed
terrorists
-
Nasir
Hussain,
Hafiz
Abu
Bakar,
Umar
Farooq
and
Abdul
Qayum.
Times
of
India,
August
29,
2016.
India
tells
Pakistan
to
extradite
Dawood
Ibrahim,
says
report:
India
on
August
26
asked
Pakistan
to
extradite
designated
global
terrorist
Dawood
Ibrahim,
whose
presence
in
Pakistan
has
been
confirmed
after
the
United
Nations
(UN)
approved
six
of
his
addresses
provided
by
India
to
the
UN.
Indian
Ministry
of
External
Affairs
spokesperson
Vikas
Swarup
said
that
in
the
latest
update
of
the
list
on
Dawood,
who
is
wanted
in
India
for
orchestrating
the
1993
serial
bomb
blasts,
the
UN
has
validated
six
of
the
nine
addresses
in
Pakistan
frequented
by
him.
New Indian
Express,
August
27,
2016.
Kashmir
unrest
was
'pre-planned'
and
only
handful
involved,
says
CM
Mehbooba
Mufti:
Contending
that
the
unrest
in
Kashmir
was
"pre-planned",
Jammu
and
Kashmir
Chief
Minister
(CM)
Mehbooba
Mufti
on
August
22,
said
that
a
"handful
of
people"
were
deliberately
keeping
the
Valley
on
the
boil
while
95
per
cent
people
were
peace-loving
and
should
not
be
punished
for
the
fault
of
5
per
cent.
CM
Mehbooba
expressed
pain
that
children
are
being
used
as
a
shield
by
"vested
interests"
while
attacking
camps
and
posts
of
Security
Forces
(SFs)
to
incite
them,
as
a
result
of
which
innocent
kids
become
a
casualty.
She
also
sent
out
a
message
to
those
raising
"pro-azadi"
slogans,
asking
them
to
see
the
condition
of
Muslims
in
Islamic
countries
like
Pakistan,
Syria,
Turkey
and
Afghanistan
even
though
these
nations
have
"freedom".
Times
of
India,
August
23,
2016.
22
bank
accounts
in
South
Kashmir
under
NIA
lens
for
terror
funding:
The
National
Investigation
Agency
(NIA),
which
is
examining
around
22
bank
accounts
in
south
Kashmir
that
received
unaccounted
money
and
saw
withdrawals
coinciding
with
the
current
unrest
in
the
valley,
will
probe
possible
links
of
the
account
holders
with
Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM)
or
its
cadres,
Kashmiri
separatists
and
terror
financiers
based
in
Pakistan.
NIA
sources
indicated
that
in
the
event
of
the
preliminary
enquiry
unearthing
a
direct
link
between
the
payments/disbursals
and
the
ongoing
protests,
related
offences
may
be
added
to
the
existing
NIA
case
relating
to
JKART
(Jammu
Kashmir
Affectees
Relief
Trust),
a
Pakistan-based
frontal
outfit
of
HM
charged
with
funding
terror
activities
in
India.
Times
of
India,
August
26,
2016.
Government
to
crack
down
on
400
Jammu
and
Kashmir
'troublemakers':
In
a
bid
to
break
the
cycle
of
violence
in
Jammu
and
Kashmir,
central
agencies
have
identified
400
local
leaders
fuelling
protests
and
shared
their
names
with
the
State
Police
for
an
immediate
crackdown,
including
detention
under
the
Public
Safety
Act.
Intelligence
officials
said
the
list
included
overground
workers
of
Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM)
and
other
terrorist
outfits,
besides
local-level
functionaries
of
Tehreek-e-Hurriyat
(TeH),
the
All
Party
Hurriyat
Conference-Geelani
(APHC-G)
of
Syed
Ali
Shah
Geelani,
and
Jamaat-e-Islami
(JeI).
Times
of
India,
August
27,
2016.
Myanmar
assures
that
it
will
not
allow
any
insurgent
group
to
use
its
territory
against
India,
says
report:
Myanmar
on
August
22
gave
an
assurance
that
it
will
not
allow
any
insurgent
group
to
use
its
territory
against
India.
"Myanmar
leadership
assured
that
they
will
not
allow
any
insurgent
groups
to
use
any
territory
for
action
against
India,
(that)
they
all
recognised
is
a
friendly
country
which
has
stood
by
people
of
Myanmar
and
they
look
forward
to
a
very
productive
partnership
with
India
as
Myanmar
continues
on
its
journey
of
peace,
progress
and
development,"
Indian
Ministry
of
External
Affairs
(MEA)
spokesperson
Vikas
Swarup
said.
Times
of
India,
August
23,
2016.
NEPAL
It
is
meaningless
to
amend
Constitution
without
implementing
effectively,
says
CPN-UML
Chairman
KP
Sharma
Oli:
Communist
Party
of
Nepal-Unified
Marxist
Leninist
(CPN-UML)
Chairman
KP
Sharma
Oli
on
August
25
said
that
it
is
meaningless
to
amend
Constitution
without
implementing
effectively.
Oli
said,
"It
is
meaningless
to
amend
constitution
without
setting
the
purpose.
My
party
has
not
been
approached
formally
on
amendment
of
constitution.
But
I've
heard
that
some
parties
agreed
to
amend
it."
Republica,
August
26,
2016.
PAKISTAN
Pakistan
Army
committing
'tsunami
of
rights
violations'
in
Balochistan,
says
BRP
President
Brahamdagh
Bugti:
Pakistani
forces
are
engaged
in
a
"tsunami
of
human
rights
violations"
in
Balochistan,
said
Switzerland-based
Baloch
Republican
Party
(BRP)
President
Brahamdagh
Bugti
on
August
26
while
seeking
help
from
the
international
community,
including
India.
Brahumdagh
Bugti,
president
of
the
Baloch
Republican
Party
and
the
grandson
of
Baloch
nationalist
leader
Nawab
Akbar
Khan
Bugti
who
was
killed
in
an
encounter
with
the
Pakistani
army
10
years
ago,
said,
"Pak
forces
are
engaged
in
tsunami
of
human
rights
violations.
We
do
not
want
to
live
with
Pakistan
anymore."
Times
of
India,
August
27,
2016.
Government
proposes
to
replace
FCR
with
tribal
areas
Rewaj
Act
in
FATA:
During
a
detailed
news
briefing
at
the
Foreign
Office
on
August
25,
Prime
Minister’s
Adviser
on
Foreign
Affairs
Sartaj
Aziz
said
that
the
Government
has
proposed
a
plan
to
replace
the
Frontier
Crimes
Regulation
(FCR)
in
the
Federally
Administered
Tribal
Areas
with
a
new
Tribal
Areas
Rewaj
Act.
“Today
I
met
Senate
chairperson
and
speaker
of
the
National
Assembly,
and
now
the
reforms
will
be
debated
in
Parliament,”
he
said.
Aziz
heads
a
committee,
constituted
by
Prime
Minister
Nawaz
Sharif
in
November
2015,
to
work
out
a
viable
reform
package
to
integrate
FATA
into
the
mainstream.
Tribune,
August
26,
2016.
Terrorists
and
their
facilitators
are
being
eliminated
in
combing
operations,
says
CoAS
General
Raheel
Sharif:
Chief
of
the
Army
Staff
(CoAS)
General
Raheel
Sharif
while
addressing
the
troops
engaged
in
combing
operations
in
Kurram
Agency
on
August
23
said
that
terrorists
and
their
facilitators
are
being
eliminated
due
to
combing
operations
of
Security
Forces.
“As
we
consolidate
gains
of
emphasis
is
on
rooting
out
all
their
sleeper
cells
and
a
network
of
facilitators
from
Fata
and
across
rest
of
the
country,”
General
Raheel
said.
The News,
August
24,
2016.
SRI
LANKA
Government
has
fast-tracked
the
process
of
drafting
the
new
Constitution,
say
sources:
Sources
on
August
26
said
that
the
Government
has
fast-tracked
the
process
of
drafting
the
new
Constitution.
With
this
in
view,
the
Steering
Committee
which
is
drafting
the
constitutional
proposals
has
decided
to
hold
meeting
on
consecutive
days
so
as
to
complete
its
task
as
early
as
possible.
Four
out
of
six
sub-committees
appointed
to
work
on
different
aspects
of
the
Constitution
have
submitted
their
reports
to
the
Steering
Committee
headed
by
Prime
Minister
Ranil
Wickremesinghe.
The
remaining
two
subcommittees
have
been
requested
to
submit
their
reports
by
September
3.
Daily
Mirror,
August
27,
2016.
The South
Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR) is a weekly service that
brings you regular data, assessments and news briefs on
terrorism, insurgencies and sub-conventional warfare, on
counter-terrorism responses and policies, as well as on
related economic, political, and social issues, in the South
Asian region.
SAIR is a project
of the Institute
for Conflict Management
and the
South
Asia Terrorism Portal.
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