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SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 8, No. 33, February 22, 2010

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

 

INDIA
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West Bengal: Sitting Ducks
Ajit Kumar Singh
Research Fellow, Institute for Conflict Management

Just six days after Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram held a meeting in the West Bengal capital, Kolkata, with the officials of the four eastern States of Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal – the States worst afflicted by the Maoist insurgency – to intensify inter-State operations against the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), the Maoists launched their most devastating attack in West Bengal, in terms of scale and casualties, since 1967, the year of the Naxalbari uprising in the State’s North.

According to reports, over 100 armed CPI-Maoist cadres attacked the paramilitary Eastern Frontier Rifles (EFR) camp at Sildha, just 30 kilometres from Midnapore town, in the West Midnapore District, on February 15, killing 24 EFR personnel. One civilian who was injured in the cross fire died later. Another seven troopers were also injured. About 25 personnel who went missing after the attack returned after spending the night hidden in the forest. At least 40 firearms were looted by the Maoists from the camp's armoury. At the time of the attack, there were 35 EFR and 16 State Armed Police (SAP) personnel in the camp.

Though initial reports suggested that there were no casualties among the Maoists, State Director General of Police (DGP) Bhupinder Singh claimed, on February 19, that Susen Mahato, a close confidant of CPI-Maoist politburo member Koteswar Rao alias Kishan, died from serious injuries sustained in the attack. "Three to five Maoist attackers, including Susen, were killed in the encounter as per information available with us," the DGP added. Reports indicate that, though Madan Mahato, who leads a squad in the Belpahari-Banspahari belt and Kundan Pahan who operates along the Bengal-Jharkhand border, were present during the Sildha attack, it was Jagari Baskey, who usually operates along the borders with Jharkhand and Orissa, who led the charge under Kishan’s supervision. Two Maoist squads – Dalma and Ayodhya – were deployed for the attack. According to intelligence sources, the two squads – part of the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) force – assembled at a training camp in Belpahari days prior to the attack. The squads had slipped into West Bengal two days prior to the attack.

The Sildha assault was a well-planned and well-coordinated attack by the rebels, who came in a fleet pickup trucks, white Ambassadors (the symbol of Indian officialdom), vans and motorcycles. As a large group of Maoists descended on the camp in the afternoon, they triggered several explosions and then started shooting, using AK-47s. While this first wave of attackers diverted the attention of the Security Force (SF) personnel towards the main entrance, a second wave was launched from all sides. Rebels breached and climbed over the boundary wall, and the camp was quickly overrun after a brief initial resistance by the EFR personnel collapsed. The Maoists tried to cover their tracks, burning a number of their vehicles, before escaping. The Maoists also planted landmines on the entire stretch of the approach roads to the camp, to prevent any reinforcements from reaching Sildha. There was, consequently, no help for the injured and traumatized survivors till 7.30pm (IST), hours after the attackers had left. Police reinforcements reaching the site discovered the bodies of their colleagues, some in civilian clothes, burnt cots, charred utensils and personal effects, besides some weapons destroyed in the fire. The Maoists had also planted landmines in the Narayanpurchak area close to Sildha, in a bid to check any pursuit by SFs. At around 8.30pm, some 40 armed Maoists launched another attack on a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp at Dharampur in the nearby Lalgarh area, engaging the CRPF personnel in an exchange of fire.

The Sildha incident suggests that the SFs in West Bengal have learnt little from past mistakes. There have been at least two large-scale Maoist strikes on EFR personnel in West Midnapore over the past years. In October 2004, six Policemen were blown up in an explosion in the Bankishole forest of Lalgarh. Four Policemen were killed in an attack at the market in Jamboni in November 2009. After the November strike, State Armed Police inspector-general Anil Kumar, who heads the Force, had accused his own men of not following the "basic rules of a combat zone", stating "They were too relaxed. Had they been alert, they could have… retaliated." Earlier, on October 20, 2009, the Maoists had raided Sankrail Police Station in West Midnapore District and shot dead two Police officers and kidnapped the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of the Police Station. A total of five attacks on Police post have taken place in the District over the past six months, and 32 SF personnel have been killed, several others injured, and a significant number of arms looted, during these attacks. On the flip side, there have been just three crackdowns on Maoist hideouts, and three suspected cadres killed. 190 alleged Maoists have, however, been arrested — though 23 of them were released on October 22, 2009 to secure the freedom of the abducted Sankrail Police Station Officer-in-Charge, Atindranath Dutta.

Kishan, who is heading Maoist operations in the area, remains at large. An unnamed senior Police official has stated that, on at least two occasions, raiding parties with specific information on Kishan’s whereabouts have been called off at the last minute, and there is a general perception that the political resolve to counter the Maoists in West Bengal is still missing. Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s preoccupations may, moreover, not allow sufficient attention to be focused on details of law and order management. The CM also holds the Home (internal security) portfolio.

The lack of preparedness was equally in evidence at Sildha. As the armed Maoists barged into the camp, over 50 jawans were either "whiling away their time in the camp or busy in the kitchen, cooking". This may have part of the established routine in the camp, but their weapons were not in reach, and there was, reports suggest, only one trooper on sentry duty. Neglect of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), poor training and absence of commanding officers in dangerous areas, were all amply in evidence at Sildha. The incident report indicates that arms were neither secured nor immediately accessible to the troopers. As the Maoists attacked, the camp commander, a sub-inspector, was absent.

This happened despite sufficient intelligence on such an attack, including a threat by the Maoist-backed Peoples Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) leader Asit Mahato. On February 14, Mahato had warned, "there will be an assault within 24 hours as the Police made a terrible mistake by raiding my house at Bhulageria and attacking my ailing mother''. Earlier, on January 30, State Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen had demonstrated extraordinary complacence, declaring, "Only Lalgarh is of concern at the moment. Other than Lalgarh, nothing is of concern." This was certainly bizarre under the circumstances, since his own Police, by this time, was conceding that all but one of 18 Districts in the State was infected with some Maoist activity.

There were, moreover, specific intelligence inputs preceding the Sildha attack. Since November 16, 2009, Home Secretary Sen and the DGP had received at least six intelligence reports about the possibility of a "major attack" on the Sildha camp and nearby areas. The last of these was sent on February 13, warning against a "possible attack in the areas around Sildha, Belpahari and Binpur." Another report explicitly mentioned Maoist leader Jagari Baskey’s visit to Sildha College, to mobilize support among students. The other four reports were sent on November 23, December 27, December 29 and January 14, 2010. Unfortunately, all these inputs were ignored, and the DGP stated, "It was not expected that such an attack would take place in a built-up area like Sildha." According to new intelligence flows, a 300-400 strong Maoist attack force, fleeing a crackdown in Chhattisgarh, has sneaked into West Bengal and is preparing to launch more brutal attacks than the one in Sildha.

The lapses preceding Sildha are even more surprising, not just because the State Police failed to anticipate the incident despite continuous intelligence warning, but also because it occurred in West Midnapore, a District generally conceded to be a Maoist stronghold, where at least 266 persons have been killed in Naxalite violence since 2002. More alarmingly, 155 persons have been killed in the District just since June 24, 2009. In a daring attack on February 10, Maoist cadres opened fire on a helicopter carrying the DGP while he was conducting an aerial survey of Lalgarh and other Maoist-controlled areas.

Admitting that there was "some lack of alertness", Chief Minister Bhattacharjee admitted that SF personnel had become "sitting ducks". Union Home Secretary G. K. Pillai reinforced this perception, declaring, "I think the Maoists have basically selected what I would call a soft target. Because the West Bengal Police are possibly the least prepared for tackling such menace as the Maoists… I think they do need far more training. I think the preliminary indications are that there have been quite some considerable security lapses and negligence on the part of those who are manning the camp. That is why they have lost this much manpower, as also weapons."

Meanwhile, there are clear indications of a Maoist determination to further escalate the conflict. Koteswar Rao has, for instance, threatened that an armed movement would be launched in capital Kolkata before the 2011 Legislative Assembly elections. Claiming responsibility for the Sildha attack, he warned, "If the State Governments and the Centre do not stop this killing spree (a reference to centrally coordinated Operations in the four worst affected States), we are going to carry on like this. Steer clear of the jungles of Bengal, Orissa, Bihar and Jharkhand.'' He described the Sildha attack as a part of the Maoists’ "Operation Peace Hunt", an answer to Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s "Operation Green Hunt" ("Green Hunt" is, in fact, an operation launched by the Chhattisgarh Police, and not a central initiative). He reiterated that the Maoists were open to dialogue with the Centre and the State Governments, but only if the Joint Forces suspended operations, following which, "we will also stop violence within 24 hours."

While some of the Maoist-affected States are beginning to get their act together, West Bengal seems to lack both the necessary political will and a professional Police Force to face as determined a foe as the reorganised Maoists. Despite months of intense combing operations by more than 4,000 troops in Lalgarh and its adjacent areas, for instance, it is now evident that these operations are nowhere near their objectives.

The State Government has, however, now announced the raising of a Special Battalion of 939 Police personnel to tackle Maoists in the three western districts – West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia. A Special Combat Force of 3,500 personnel would also be raised by the Government. An amount of INR 250 million has been sanctioned for the Force. The State Government has urged for the Centre to deploy an additional six companies of Central Para Military Forces (CPMFs) to beef up the present strength of 17 CPMF companies, mostly of the Border Security Force and the Central Reserve Police Force, already deployed in the area.

It remains to be seen whether these projected enhancements will help contain the Maoist menace in the State. There is little doubt that Maoist activities have been directly facilitated by the attitude of the State Government in the past. Despite the resurgence of the Maoists since 2004, for instance, the Left Front Government in West Bengal has refused to proscribe the CPI-Maoist party.

Continuing failures, at this point of time, can only lead the State into dire consequences. Chief Minister Bhattacharjee has long maintained that his Government was inclined to wage an "administrative and political" campaign against the Maoists, and that merely banning them would not "isolate them from the masses". There has been persistent reluctance to use force despite a rising tide of Maoist violence. Sildha may, however, see the beginnings of a change of attitude, with the Chief Minister asserting that the operation of Joint Forces would continue and that the Maoists would be dealt with "sternly". Given the conditions of the West Bengal Police establishment, however, it remains to be seen how effectively this determination can translate into action on the ground.

NEPAL
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Constitutional Deadlock
Anshuman Behera
Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management

Nepal is, once again, being pushed to the brink, as a political gridlock stalls the drafting of her new Constitution. With just three months to go before the May 28, 2010, deadline which had been imposed on the Constituent Assembly (CA), in May 2008, for the writing of the Constitution, there appears to have been little substantive development on a draft. As time runs out, and political polarizations harden, there seems little hope that the Constitution will be drafted in time. With the Unified Communist Party of Nepal – Maoist (UCPN-M) threatening to take to the streets if the deadline is not met, the ongoing impasse has the potential to undermine the fragile peace in this infant republic.

After the fall of the Monarchy, the Seven Party Alliances (SPA) had hammered out an agreement with the Maoists on the drafting of the Constitution. The first meeting of the CA was held on May 28, 2008, and 11 ‘thematic committees’ were allocated responsibilities to work on different components of the proposed Constitution. It is important note that the CA had been a standing demand of Nepal’s various political parties since 1950. It was, however, during the second (June 5, 2008) and third (June 11, 2008) meetings of the CA that the political parties started defining their own divergent stands on various issues, and a boycott drama commenced. Political parties, particularly the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), the UCPN-M and the Nepali Congress (NC), amplified their disagreements on even the smallest possible issues.

In a unique process, Nepal’s CA did not engage constitutional experts to frame a preliminary draft of the provisions of the Constitution, with a view to subject this to focused discussions in the CA. The result has been a free floating process, largely of political posturing outside the formal constitution drafting process, which has allowed little headway to be made in over 18 months. Significantly, while violent disputes have dominated the political discourse on various elements of the projected constitutional structure, there has been no significant discussion on anything important relating to the draft Constitution since the third meeting of the CA on June 11, 2008, and till its 28th meeting on May 24, 2009. Indeed, between June 2008 and May 2009, the CA appeared to focus almost exclusively on discussions relating to the inclusion and resignation of CA members from different parties. It was only in its 28th meeting that the CA’s National Interest Preservation Committee (NIPC) presented its Concept Paper, outlining the basic contours of the proposed Constitution, to the Assembly. This development was, however, immediately undermined when one of the members of the NIPC articulated his opposition to the Concept Paper. As a result, the 29th meeting of the CA, held on May 27, 2009, was wrapped up with the formation of a 15-member ‘Concept Paper Discussion Committee’.

In what would appear to be a positive development, all 11 Thematic Committees had tabled their Reports by January 27, 2010, for discussion in the CA, preliminary to the final drafting process. However, according to CA Schedule 149, the Thematic Committees were supposed to table their preliminary reports by April 23, 2009, and party-wise discussions and the revision of the Reports were to be completed by January 21, 2010. On the original schedule, the Constitutional Drafting Committee was scheduled for ‘theoretical discussions’ on the Constitution Bill by February 23, 2010. There is now no possible hope that these schedules will be met.

It is the lack of consensus among the principal political parties that has brought things to the present pass. Each political party has sought to dominate the others, with the UCPN-M leading the race. The CA’s processes have been stalled or disrupted on numberless issues, some of grave significance, others no more than trivial. There were strong disagreements among the parties on the change of the National Flag. The CPN-UML and NC supported the continuance of the existing flag, while the UCPN-M and various regional parties sought a change. The process of the finalizing the National Flag took more than three months, between September 16, 2009, and December 2009. There have been persistent disagreements among the political parties over issues such as the National Bird, National Animal and National Flower. More intractable postures have undermined discussions on the weightier issues of governance, and particularly the proposed nature of the country’s Federal structure and the distribution of State power. Small but influential regional parties such as the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) are demanding ‘one Madhes one Pradesh’, a single ‘Madhesi’ state with a ‘pan-Madhesi’ identity. The Tharu minority in the Madhes region is, however, against any structure that would block the entire Madhes region together.

The CPN-UML, the leader of the ruling coalition, has also repeatedly blocked the possibilities of consensual resolution, particularly with a belligerent rhetoric towards the Maoists. Thus, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal declared, recently, that "the Maoists would face the same fate of the Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka if they continued to engage on violence and intimidation", rhetoric that will not push discussions forward the next time his party sits across the party with the UCPN-M for discussions on the niceties of the Constitution. Worse, there is little evidence of political consensus within the CPN-UML itself, with party President, Jhala Nath Khanal, demanding Nepal’s resignation on February 19, 2010, for the Prime Minister’s failure to secure a consensus among the political parties for the smooth drafting of the Constitution.

Tensions over the absence of consensus on provisions of the Draft Constitution have been infinitely compounded by disruptive behavior outside the CA. While the debate on the proposed federal structure was going on in the CA, for instance, the Maoists, on November 25, 2009, unveiled their plan to declare 13 ‘Autonomous States’ based on ethnicity and region. Soon thereafter, on December 2, 2009, Prime Minister Nepal stated that the UCPN-M’s plan to declare autonomous federal states was against the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and the Interim Constitution, and accused the Maoists of trying to undermine the CA at a time when political parties were holding discussions on State restructuring. Nevertheless, ignoring widespread national and international concerns on the issue, the UCPN-M announced the ‘formation’ of autonomous Kochila and Laimbuwan States on December 11. On December 13, the Prime Minister said the Maoist decision to declare federal States would invite political confrontation and urged the Maoists to withdraw their decision, if they wanted timely drafting of constitution. The Maoists, however, stood by their plan and declared another 11 Autonomous States – Kirat, Sherpa, Bher-Karnali, Tharuwan, Seti-Mahakali, Tamsaling, Newa, Bhote, Magarat, Tamuwan and Madhesh.

The Maoists also disrupted Parliamentary proceedings from May 6, 2009, through December 2009, including the proceedings of the CA, even as they continued with widespread intimidation and sporadic violence. There have been numberless instances of the UCPN-M and its youth wing, the Young Communist League (YCL), being involved in land grabs, extortion, disruption of development projects, and unruly political demonstrations. In one such incident, on December 29, 2009, UCPN-M cadres assaulted Federal, CA Affairs and Culture Minister Minendra Rijal with lathis (bamboo canes) in Udaypur District, as he was coming out of the NC District Party office. Maoist belligerence has variously encouraged and provoked other political groupings to adopt violent and intimidatory tactics to pursue their own political goals.

In a rare positive development, however, a High Level Political Mechanism (HLPM) was constituted, after a prolonged disruption by the Maoists of the CA, on January 8, 2010, to end the deadlock and to address various constitutional issues. Within hours, however, UCPN-M Chairman, Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda, declared that his party would re-launch the ‘people’s war’ if the Constitution was not drafted on time – an eventuality that has receded from the realms of the possible. Worse, the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Loktantrik (MJF-L) has declared itself against the HLPM, claiming that the Mechanism has been instituted with the objective of furthering the interests of the larger political parties.

With just three months to go before the deadline for the Draft Constitution expires, the political deadlock seems to be worsening. None of the political parties in Nepal has demonstrated the sagacity to lead the country out of its protracted political and constitutional logjam. As the May 28, 2010 deadline approaches, Maoist belligerence appears to be escalating, and the country is once again at acute risk of a spiral into disorder and violence.


NEWS BRIEFS

Weekly Fatalities: Major Conflicts in South Asia
February 15-21, 2010

 

Civilian

Security Force Personnel

Terrorist/Insurgent

Total

INDIA

 

Assam

0
0
1
1

Jammu and Kashmir

0
0
9
9

Manipur

1
0
8
9

Maharashtra

6
0
0
6

Left-wing Extremism

 

Bihar

12
0
0
12

Chhattisgarh

2
0
0
2

Jharkhand

1
0
1
2

Orissa

2
0
0
2

West Bengal

1
24
5
30

Total (INDIA)

25
24
24
73

PAKISTAN

 

Balochistan

1
0
0
1

FATA

3
0
97
100

NWFP

1
2
13
16

Punjab

0
0
2
2

Sindh

1
0
0
1

Total (PAKISTAN)

6
2
112
120
Provisional data compiled from English language media sources.


INDIA

Maoists kill 24 Security Force personnel in West Bengal: At least 24 Security Force (SF) personnel, belonging to the Eastern Frontier Rifles (EFR), were killed and several others injured when the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres attacked an EFR camp at Sildha in West Midnapore District on February 15. Director-General of Police Bhupinder Singh said that the Maoists triggered several blasts before opening fire on the SF personnel. The Maoists looted firearms and set ablaze the camp after spraying bullets on the SF personnel. Before leaving the spot, the Maoists planted several landmines on the entire stretch of road leading to the camp. Maoist politburo member Koteshwar Rao alias Kishan claimed the attack. West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on February 18 conceded the Police forces’ lack of alertness. The Hindu; Times of India, February 16-19, 2010.

Maoists kill 12 villagers in Bihar: More than 150 armed cadres of Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) attacked Phulwaria village in Jamui District late on February 17 and killed 12 villagers. The incident was reported as revenge killing by Maoists, because the villagers were not supporting the Maoists. Police also suspect the incident was related to the alleged killing of eight Maoists on February 1. The Hindu; Times of India, February 18-19, 2010.

New terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba al-Almi claims responsibility for Pune bomb blast: An unknown Pakistan-based terrorist outfit has claimed responsibility for the Pune (Maharashtra) bomb blast that has so far claimed 15 lives. Identifying himself as a spokesperson of a group calling itself the Lashkar-e-Toiba al-Almi (LeT-al-Almi, meaning international) an individual using the code-name ‘Abu Jindal’ said the bombing was carried out because of India’s "refusal" to discuss the Kashmir issue in the coming talks with Pakistan. One so-called Indian Mujahideen Kashmir outfit also claimed responsibility of the attack through a text message sent to some media houses. Earlier, al-Qaeda affiliated Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) 'commander' Muhammad Ilyas Kashmiri was reported to have sent an e-mail to a Pakistani journalist, claiming responsibility for the attack. Meanwhile, Indian intelligence sources said that the claims appeared intended to deflect attention from the LeT, which is emerging as the principal suspect. The Hindu; Times of India, February 17, 2010.

Intellectual support stands in the way of tackling Maoists, says Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram: Intellectual support to the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) has made the task of tackling Maoists very difficult as it confused people, said Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram in New Delhi on February 19.  Chidambaram added, "But don’t forget the bottom line — the CPI (Maoists) believe in armed liberation struggle. Accept it or reject it. There can be no half-way approach. Most people still think there could be a compromise or some kind of median approach. This is immature and foolish." He added, "The Naxal menace was far worse than we (the government) expected". The Hindu, February 17, 2010.


PAKISTAN

97 militants and three civilians among 100 persons killed during the week in FATA: The Security Forces (SFs) killed at least 36 Taliban militants during operations in the various regions of Federally Administer Tribal Areas (FATA) on February 20. The SFs killed at least 30 Taliban militants during operation Rah-e-Nijat (path to salvation) in various areas of Shawal Mountains in South Waziristan Agency. Six Taliban militants, including a ‘commander’, were killed in clashes with the SFs at Chapri Ferozkhel, the border area between Khyber and Orakzai Agencies.

Five Taliban militants were killed in Banda and Ghundo areas of Nawagai tehsil (revenue unit) in the Bajaur Agency when fighter jets and helicopter gunships bombarded Taliban hideouts on February 19.

At least 30 persons, including a Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) ‘commander’, were killed and 110 others injured in a suicide attack near a mosque in Akakhel area of Tirah valley in the Khyber Agency on February 18. Sources in Tirah valley confirmed that the LI ‘deputy chief’ for the area, identified as Azam Khan, was among the dead. The sources said that around 40 kilogram’s of explosives were used in the attack. In addition, four Taliban militants, including a Taliban ‘commander’ Jalaluddin Haqqani’s son Muhammad Haqqani, were killed when US drones fired two missiles in Danday Darpakhel village near Jalaluddin Haqqani’s madrassa (seminary), four kilometres north of Miranshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan. The attack was the fourth US bombing since February 14 in North Waziristan, and struck a stronghold of the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network.

Unidentified assailants killed six militants allegedly to be associates of Taliban ‘commander’ Noor Jamal alias Maulana Toofan by ambushing their vehicle in central Kurram Agency on February 17. Also, a US drone strike killed at least three suspected Taliban militants at a compound close to the Afghanistan border in North Waziristan.

SFs backed by jet fighters and gunship helicopters pounded Taliban hideouts and killed 10 Taliban militants in the Bajaur Agency on February 16.

Further, a US drone attack killed at least three Taliban militants in the North Waziristan Agency of FATA on February 15. Dawn; Daily Times; The News, February 16-22, 2010.

HuJI vows attacks across India: The Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) 'commander' Muhammad Ilyas Kashmiri , whose ‘313 Brigade’ is an operational arm of the al Qaeda, has vowed to continue attacks across India until the Indian Army leaves Indian-held Kashmir and gives the Kashmiris their right to self-determination. In the message sent to Asia Times Online, early on February 15 Kashmiri said, "We warn the international community to play its role in getting the Kashmiris their right to self-determination and preventing India from committing brutalities in IHK [Indian Held Kashmir], especially in Badipuar, raping the women and behaving inhumanly with Muslim prisoners." "We warn the international community not to send their people to the 2010 Hockey World Cup, the Indian Premier League and Commonwealth Games – to be held in New Delhi later this year. Nor should their people visit India – if they do, they will be responsible for the consequences," he threatened. He further said, "We assure the Muslims of the subcontinent that we will never forget the massacre of the Muslims in Gujarat and the demolition of the Babri Masjid. The entire Muslim community is one body and we will take revenge for all injustices and tyranny. We again warn the Indian government to compensate for all its injustices, otherwise it will see our next action." Daily Times, February 17, 2010.

Pakistan will not hand over Taliban suspects to US, says Interior Minister Rehman Malik: Pakistan will not turn over the Afghanistan Taliban’s ‘second-in-command’ and two other terrorists captured in the month of February to the US, but may deport them to Afghanistan, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said on February 19. Malik said Pakistani authorities were still questioning Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and two other terrorists, arrested with US assistance in separate operations in February. "First we will see whether they have violated any law," Malik added. "If they have done it, then the law will take its own course against them, but at the most if they have not done anything, then they will go back to the country of origin, not to the US," he added further. Daily Times, February 20, 2010.

Pakistan lost USD 35 billion in three years in war on terror, Minister of State for Economic Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar says: Pakistan’s direct and indirect cost in the war on terror has been around USD 35 billion over the last three years, Minister of State for Economic Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar said on February 19. Hina Rabbani Khar expressed these views during a meeting with Giuseppe Vegas, Italian Deputy Minister for Economy and Finance, who called on her in Islamabad. She said the public sector development programme allocation for the next financial year might have to be curtailed due to this rising cost of war on terror. She said Pakistan had lost the most in the war, as Pakistani casualties were more than the total number of casualties of all the NATO forces combined. Vegas said his Government would encourage Italian businessmen and entrepreneurs to invest in Pakistan to take benefit from its growing market. Vegas also showed interest in initiating various development projects in Gilgit-Baltistan, particularly in the tourism sector. Daily Times, February 20, 2010.


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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