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SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 8, No. 47, May 31, 2010
 
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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
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Journey
Interrupted
Ajit Kumar Singh
Research Fellow, Institute for Conflict Management
At
least 148 persons were killed and more than 145 injured,
when the Howrah-Kurla Gyaneshwari Express, a passenger
train, was derailed and subsequently rammed by a goods
train coming from the opposite direction, in the Sardiya
area of the Jhargram region in the West Midnapore District
of West Bengal in the early hours of May 28. West Midnapore
District Magistrate N. S Nigam disclosed that a search
was continuing for 25 missing passengers. The train
was running between Khemasoli and Sardiya stations,
and had 24 coaches. 13 of these, including 10 sleeper
coaches, went off the tracks at around 1:30 am (IST).
Five of the derailed sleeper coaches were hit by the
freight train. An unreserved coach, the pantry car and
luggage van also derailed.
The incident
occurred during the "black week" [May 28-June
2] declared by the Maoists,
suggesting that the Security Forces (SFs) should have
been at a high alert. West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb
Bhattacharya, however, dismissed any allegations of
neglect, arguing, "The Maoists observe such black
and white days every alternate week. We had no idea
that they would trigger such an accident." Significantly,
different central agencies, including the Union Home
and Union Railway Ministry, are now at loggerheads over
the cause of derailment and the identity of the group
involved – though both agree that the incident is "an
act of terror".
Soon
after reaching the incident site, Union Railway Minister
Mamta Banerjee declared, "TNT and gelatine sticks
were used and the strike was calculated. This area particularly
is hit (sic). Earlier the Rajdhani Express was
also hijacked there… A single light engine was run on
the track a few hours before the accident, and about
five trains had run on it thereafter, at intervals of
15 to 20 minutes. The Maoists are very particular about
the timing. They are adjusting it according to patrol
time." Quickly realising her ‘mistake’ in missing
a grand opportunity to nail her rival, the ruling Communist
Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), on the eve of municipal
elections in the State, she later muddied the political
waters further by calling the incident a "political
conspiracy". Sticking to her earlier claim that
an explosion caused the derailment, she introduced a
degree of ambiguity about who might have engineered
it, hinting that the CPI-M might well have had a hand
in the mischief, and demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation
(CBI) probe to reveal the ‘truth’.
Union
Home Secretary G. K. Pillai, however, suggested that,
while there was still room for inquiry, "It's likely
to be them (the Maoists). There is no one else in the
area. But we are still checking." To the further embarrassment
of the Railway Minister, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram
indicated that there may, in fact, have been no explosion:
"It appears to be a case of sabotage where a portion
of the railway track was removed. Whether explosives
were used is not yet clear."
Further,
West Bengal Director General of Police (DGP) Bhupinder
Singh asserted the Maoists and some cadres of the Maoist-backed
People’s Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA)
were behind the incident. "We have identified a
number of persons all of whom are Maoist squad members
and supporters of the Maoist-backed Police Santrash
Birodhi Janasadharaner Committee (also known as the
PCPA). Raids are being conducted to nab them. We are
also suspecting the role of a railway linesman but are
still verifying whether he had connived with the Maoists
or was forced into the job." [Earlier Police claimed
that posters from the PCPA had been found at the scene,
claiming responsibility for the attack. The posters
said that the rebels had demanded withdrawal of joint
SFs from Lalgarh and adjacent areas and an end to CPI-M
‘atrocities’.] Significantly, the DGP claimed that investigations
by the Crime Investigation Department’s (CID) forensic
team did not find any sign of explosives or an explosion
on the track. The CID has claimed to have "definite
evidence" that Maoists were involved in derailing
the Express, based on intercepts of conversations on
several rebel leaders' mobile phones.
Meanwhile,
a high-level intelligence report submitted to Chief
Minister late in the night of May 28, blamed the Manikpara
Lodhasuli militia unit of PCPA, led by 40-year-old Umakanta
Mahato and Bapi Mahato (aged 20), for the sabotage.
Lodhasuli is on the Bengal-Orissa-Jharkhand tri-junction.
Police said the Umakanta-Bapi gang could have forced
railway gang men and linesmen to help saw the track
and remove 120 feet of Pandrol Rail Clips. Over the
last fortnight, the SFs had stepped up pressure in the
area, and there had been several encounters. Even on
the day of the accident, railway employees at Sardiya
Station claim they heard gunfire at a location about
eight kilometres from the incident site. Six persons
had been picked up from nearby villages after the shootout.
The PCPA,
however, denied that it was behind the incident. PCPA
spokesman Asit Mahato, stated, "We were in no way
involved. This is not our act. What can we do if somebody
claims responsibility on our behalf?"
The Maoists,
meanwhile, have gone into damage-control mode, trying
to distance themselves from what is being projected
as a ‘rogue unit’ of the PCPA militia. Maoist State
committee member Akash issued a press statement saying
that they "never target the common people", and further,
"The Government can resume train services on the section
at night. No harm will be done from our side." Significantly,
on May 29, the Railways decided to suspend movement
of passenger trains for seven hours at night-time in
Maoist stronghold areas during the "black week" declared
by the extremists. A Railway's statement said that passenger
trains would not run from 10pm to 5am on the Kharagpur-Tatanagar
and Kharagpur-Adra sections of South Eastern Railways.
The suspension of trains would remain in force till
5am on June 3.
Attacks
by the Maoists on the Rail network are not new. On March
22, 2010, the Maoists had blown up railway tracks and
derailed the Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express
in Bihar’s Gaya District, leaving pamphlets at the blast
site claiming responsibility and threatening more such
attacks. The Railways then asked train drivers to slow
down in Maoist-affected areas. According to the advisory,
Rajdhanis have to move at 75 kilometres per hour instead
of their normal speed of 110 kilometres to 130 kilometres
per hour. According to Railway Ministry figures, there
were 58 Maoist attacks targeting trains and railways
property in 2009. The South Eastern Railways alone registered
30 incidents under its jurisdiction. East Central Railways,
with its headquarters in Hajipur (Bihar), experienced
18 attacks; while the East Coast Railway registered
eight such incidents in 2009, mostly in the Koraput-Rayagada
belt where the Red ultras have a strong presence. Maoists
have also taken over trains in a show of strength, holding
them for hours, on several occasions over the past years.
According to partial data compiled by the South Asia
Terrorism Portal, there have already been 26 attacks
on the Railways in 2010, though none of these had resulted
in a fatality this year, before the Sardiya incident.
On April
23, 2010, Mamata Banerjee informed the Rajya Sabha
(Upper House of Parliament): "Railways has become a
target of Naxals. We have lost Rs. 500 crore because
of Naxal bandhs [shut downs] and obstructions.
We have lost about 40 per cent of our business due to
Maoist violence and agitations like bandhs. These
have hit our operations to a great extent. Incidents
of attacks by Naxals nearly doubled to 58 in 2009 from
30 in the previous year. 56 incidents were reported
in 2007." Earlier, on March 24, an unnamed Railways
official had said, "Though we do not have a definite
data about the exact length of rail route directly affected
by Maoist violence, about 11,000-km rail route in Maoist-affected
states have become vulnerable to such attacks."
Home Ministry sources now say that Maoists have the
resources to actually bring the entire rail network
to a standstill by simply blowing up major sections
of the track. Another report indicates that almost 202
Railway Stations face a direct Maoist threat.
The responsibility
for safeguarding the Railways lies with the Railway
Protection Force (RPF), the Government Railway Police
(GRP) and State Police. Over 2,200 important trains
are escorted by the GRP and about 1,275 trains by the
RPF on daily basis. A total of just 36,600 GRP personnel
are responsible for the prevention and detection of
crime on the rail network and stations. The protection
of goods-sheds, goods-wagons at stations and parcel
offices is the duty of the RPF, which has a total total
strength of around 69,000 personnel. The Government
has approved the recruitment of some 5,000 personnel
to the RPF and the Railway Protection Special Force
(RPSF) in various ranks, and the recruitment process
is expected to be completed in the current year. The
RPF also takes personnel from the Home Guards on deputation,
wherever necessary. RPF personnel currently engaged
in non-core activities are now being pulled back for
basic Police duties in view of the increasing responsibilities
of the force. The RPF, meanwhile, is sending its men
for training with various institutions in order to upgrade
their capabilities, including bomb detection and commando
operations. The Army is also providing training to the
RPF's canine force. Given the sheer length of the Railways
and the movement of passengers and goods across the
country, the available numbers are a fraction of what
is actually needed.
Worse,
an estimated 90,883 post are currently vacant, out of
which an estimated 40 per cent, are safety-related posts.
Vacant positions include those of gangmen, safety inspectors
and supervisors responsible for maintaining over 111,600
kilometres of tracks.
The Government
has initiated a number of steps to improve security,
including the Integrated Security Scheme consisting
of CCTV Surveillance Systems, access control systems,
personnel and baggage screening system, and bomb detection
and disposal systems have been finalized for 202 important
stations, and the schemes are currently being executed.
Other security-related initiatives include:
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Commando
Training to selected RPF staff to deal with insurgent
attacks
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Augmentation
of numbers of Sniffer Dog Squads in Divisions and
Zones
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Upgradation
and procurement of security technologies and weaponry.
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Improvements
in co-ordination and sharing of intelligence between
GRP and the Civil Police at District and State levels.
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Three
additional Railway Protection Special Force Battalions
have been sanctioned under the works programme for
2010-11.
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A
commando training centre has been sanctioned to
ensure in-house commando training of Railway Protection
Force/Railway Protection Special Force personnel.
Most
of these capacity augmentations are at preliminary stages.
Moreover, given the cumulative deficits of the past
years, their impact on Railway security, even when completed,
will, at best be marginal. Given the rampaging expansion
of Maoist activities and disruptive capabilities, it
is clear that India’s security establishment will not
be able to establish dominance and a sufficient preventive
capability on the sprawling Railways network, against
the Maoists, for some time to come.
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The ‘Sacred
Duty’ of Sectarian Slaughter
Tushar Ranjan Mohanty
Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management
At
least 95 worshippers were killed and 92 injured on May
28, 2010, as seven assailants, including three suicide
bombers, attacked Ahmadi mosques in the Model Town and
Garhi Shahu areas of Lahore. Five
of the attackers were also killed. Terrorists
wearing suicide vests stormed the two places of worship
a few minutes before special Friday prayers, initiating
an over three-hour-long standoff. Both the attacks were
backed by suicide bombers and began within a span of a
few minutes. After battling the militants for hours, the
Capital City Police Officer
(CCPO) claimed to have arrested two of the attackers from
Model Town and one suspect from the Garhi Shahu mosque.
Senior Police Official Rana Ayaz disclosed, "They
came into the mosque from the back and started firing.
They were armed with hand grenades and suicide vests and
other weapons."
The Punjab
chapter of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed
responsibility for the attack. "Congratulations to
the whole nation on what the brave mujahideen (holy
warriors) did yesterday in Garhi Shahu and Model Town,
Lahore," a statement issued by TTP spokesman Muhammad
Omar on May 29, declared, "On the whole, we do like
to encourage the nation for increasing such activities,
like targeted killings of Qadianis, Shias, the political
parties that support them, as well as law enforcement
agencies, the Pakistan Army and other racist parties."
He also warned the Muttahida Qaumi Movement [MQM] of attacks,
calling it a "terrorist wing of Qadianis and Jews"
and adding, "They are responsible for destruction
of the country and the nation. We are encouraging assassination
attacks on everyone who is with the MQM."
The May
28 attack coincided with the completion of one year since
the TTP attack at Lahore on May 27, 2009, where suicide
bombers detonated a vehicle loaded with some 100 kilograms
of explosives near the offices of the CCPO and the Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI)
– killing at least 27 and injuring 326, in addition to
destroying a two-storey building of the Rescue 15 Police
Service. An ISI colonel and 15 Police officials were among
those killed. There is some similarity between the two
incidents, since both involved small arms assaults backed
by suicide bombings
The
Lahore attacks are hardly an exception in any sense beyond
the relatively large numbers killed in a single operation.
On May 28, 2010, itself, unidentified militants killed
four Policemen in a suspected sectarian attack in the
Satellite Town area of Quetta in Balochistan. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi
(LeJ)claimed responsibility for the attack. On the same
day, one person belonging to the Shia community was killed
and some others injured in a clash between two rival sects,
the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), a front organization
of the Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP),
and a group of Shias, at Islam Chowk in the Orangi Town
of Karachi in Sindh.
The
Ahmadis, also known as Qadianis, have tens of thousands
of followers in Pakistan, and the sect has long regarded
as deviant and heretic and been persecuted and targeted
in sectarian attacks in the country. Founded by Mirza
Ghulam Ahmad towards the end of the 19th Century,
the Ahmadis have a number of unique views, including the
claim that Ahmad himself was a prophet, and that Jesus
died at age 120 in Jammu and Kashmir, assertions regarded
as heretical by orthodox Muslims. An Ahmadi website indicates
that the movement, now headquartered in the UK, spans
over 195 countries, with membership exceeding ‘tens of
millions’. The Ahmadis also claim that they are the only
leading Islamic organisation to categorically reject terrorism
in any form. They have been systematically targeted by
radical Sunni groups in the past. Significantly, the Pakistani
leaders who condemned the attacks did not refer specifically
to the Ahmadis in their statements. TV channels and newspapers
avoided the word "mosque" in describing the attacked sites,
preferring "places of worship."
Throughout
the first half of the 20th Century, the issue
of the Ahmadi faith was raised repeatedly before different
courts at the District level. In many such cases, local
courts declared them non-Muslims. In 1974, under severe
pressure from clerics, Pakistan's first democratically
elected Prime Minister, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, introduced
the Second Amendment to the Constitution, which declared
Ahmadis non-Muslims. In 1984, Pakistan's military dictator,
General Zia-ul-Haq, brought in a new law, which barred
Ahmadis from reciting the Kalima (the first proclamation
of Islamic faith) and from calling their places of worship
mosques. The Ahmadis, however, declare themselves Muslims
and claim to practise Islam in its pristine form.
After
the May 28 attack, the Jamaat-e-Ahmadi Pakistan, which
represents the sect, stated that the Government had been
'going soft' on radical groups that espoused violence
against Ahmedis. "All hard-line religious organisations
in Pakistan are against us and are spreading venomous
propaganda against us. We are told that the Punjabi Taliban
had carried out the attack. Tell me which religious party
here does not endorse the idea of killing Ahmedis?" JAP
spokesman Qamar Suleman demanded. He stated, further,
"The Government has never come down hard on elements that
instigate people against us, and that is why it is equally
responsible for what happened on Friday." He complained
that a section of the media had incited people against
Ahmedis. An audiotape conversation between Hamid Mir,
Executive Editor of GEO News and a man purportedly
linked to the TTP, has revealed that Mir’s exhortations
against the Qadianis in a telephonic conversation with
an unnamed TTP leader could have led to the execution
of Khalid Khawaja, a retired ISI official associated with
the Lal Masjid Operation in July 2007. During this conversation,
Mir described the Ahmadis as "even worse than kafirs
(unbelievers)". Suleman asserted that, unless the Federal
and Punjab Governments acted "seriously and sincerely"
to condemn and eliminate such elements, incidents like
Friday's attacks will not stop: "Pakistani clerics want
us to leave Pakistan. They are giving us this message
through such attacks."
Apart from
Ahmadis, other sects, including the Shias and Barelvis,
have also come under fire from radical Islamist groups.
Since the emergence of the TTP, sectarian violence has
escalated, with a cult of suicide bombing taking root
among the extremists. Sectarian groups such as the LeJ
and SSP have joined hands with TTP in executing these
sectarian attacks. The Institute for Conflict Management
database records that 2010 has already witnessed 17 such
attacks, in which 215 people have been killed. Total fatalities
have already exceeded the 190 killed in 106 sectarian
attacks in 2009.
Sectarian
Violence in Pakistan: 2002-2010
|
Year
|
Incidents
|
Killed
|
Injured
|
|
2010*
|
17
|
220
|
336
|
|
2009
|
106
|
190
|
398
|
|
2008
|
97
|
306
|
505
|
|
2007
|
341
|
441
|
630
|
|
2006
|
38
|
201
|
349
|
|
2005
|
62
|
160
|
354
|
|
2004
|
19
|
187
|
619
|
|
2003
|
22
|
102
|
103
|
|
2002
|
63
|
121
|
257
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*Data
till May 30, 2010
Meanwhile,
the Minister for Interior Affairs Rehman Malik indicated
that his Ministry had sent two security alerts to the
Punjab Government on May 13 and May 26, respectively,
about possible terrorist activity in Lahore, Islamabad
and Rawalpindi. Such general alerts are, however, issued
on farily regular intervals, and have seldom succeeded
in preventing attacks. Before the March 8, 2010, suicide
attack in front of the Special Intelligence Agency’s (SIA)
office in the Model Town area of Lahore, in which 13 persons
were killed and 80 injured, for instance, a February 8
intelligence reports had warned
that the TTP had sent eight female suicide bombers to
attack high-value targets in Punjab. A successful attack
was, nevertheless, staged, though female suicide bombers
were not involved. A spokesman for the TTP, Azam Tariq,
claiming responsibility for attack had then warned, "The
attack was to avenge (US) drone attacks and (Pakistani)
military operations in the Tribal Areas… we have 2,800
to 3,000 more suicide bombers. We will target all Government
places, buildings and offices."
Again on
March 11, 2010, authorities declared red alert at sensitive
installations after the reported entry of an explosive-laden
car into Lahore. Sources claimed that a white car, with
registration number 1320-A, had entered Lahore from Rawalpindi,
following which security was beefed up to avoid any mishap.
Enforcement agencies had warned authorities that 19 militants
had been deputed to cover 12 cities of the Province, and
were most likely to target National Accountability Bureau
offices and anti-terrorism courts. A letter had also been
forwarded to the authorities concerned, mentioning that
some relatively defunct organisations, including Maulana
Abdul Jabbar’s faction of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM),
LeJ, Harkat-ul-Jehad Islami (HuJI),
Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM)
and Harkat-ul-Ansar (HuA), had also joined the TTP. Despite
all the warnings, on March 12, suicide bombers ripped
through Lahore’s RA Bazaar in the cantonment area, killing
at least 57 persons, including eight soldiers, and injuring
more than 90. While a private television channel reported
that the TTP had claimed responsibility, another television
channel reported that al Qaeda-linked Sunni terrorist
organisation LeJ had claimed responsibility. Interior
Minister Rehman Malik’s comments on this remained confused,
though he did claim that a ‘decisive operation’ would
be launched against banned sectarian outfits if they did
not refrain from further terrorist attacks. Such ‘decisive
action’ remains conspicuous in its absence.
Pakistan’s
political formations, across party lines, have supported
sectarian groups to strengthen their vote banks. Just
after the attack on the Ahmadi mosques in Lahore, for
instance, the Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer stated that
the Ahmedis had been targeted due to the close relations
between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the TTP.
In a message on the social networking website, Twitter,
Taseer claimed that the banned SSP and TTP were united
and supported by Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah. Significantly,
during the National Assembly by-election for the Jhang
seat on March 11, 2008, in the Punjab, Sanaullah conducted
a joint campaign with the SSP and its head, Muhammad Ahmad
Ludhianvi. Jhang is the epicentre of the sectarian groups.
When questioned on this, Sanaullah declared, "not
all banned outfits and organisations are involved in terrorist
activities".
Instead
of taking effective action against the sectarian extremists,
Islamabad seems quite content to muddy the waters with
unsubstantiated allegation of the involvement of the Indian
external intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing
(R&AW). Minister for Interior Affairs, Rehman Malik, thus
insinuated, after the Lahore attacks, "About Balochistan
I am sure that RAW is involved in sabotage activities.
But, for Lahore we are investigating." While such
declarations may find some political traction among the
more gullible of Pakistan’s citizens, the state’s failure
to deal with the malignant sectarian genie can only further
endanger the future of a country and system already writhing
in the flames of an engulfing terrorism.
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Weekly
Fatalities: Major Conflicts in South Asia
May 24-30,
2010
|
|
Civilians
|
Security
Force Personnel
|
Terrorists/Insurgents
|
Total
|
|
Bangladesh
|
|
|
Left-wing
Extremism
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
INDIA
|
|
|
Jammu and
Kashmir
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
|
Manipur
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
|
Left-wing
Extremism
|
|
|
Andhra Pradesh
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
|
Bihar
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
|
Chhattisgarh
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
|
Jharkhand
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
|
Maharashtra
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
2
|
|
West Bengal
|
155
|
0
|
0
|
155
|
|
Total
(INDIA)
|
157
|
3
|
5
|
165
|
|
PAKISTAN
|
|
|
Balochistan
|
3
|
4
|
0
|
7
|
|
FATA
|
3
|
4
|
250
|
257
|
|
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
|
0
|
1
|
9
|
10
|
|
Punjab
|
95
|
3
|
5
|
103
|
|
Sindh
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
|
Total
(PAKISTAN)
|
102
|
12
|
264
|
378
|
|
Provisional
data compiled from English language media sources.
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INDIA 148
persons killed as passenger train derails after Maoist
attack in West Bengal: At
least 148 persons were killed and more than 145 injured
as Howrah-Kurla Gyaneshwari Express, a passenger train,
was derailed and subsequently run over by a goods train,
coming from the opposite direction, in the Sardiya area
of Jhargram region in the West Midnapore District of
West Bengal on May 28. West Midnapore District Magistrate
N. S Nigam said search was continuing for 25 missing
passengers. The train running between Khemasoli and
Sardiya stations had 24 coaches. 13 coaches, including
10 sleeper coaches, of the train went off the tracks
at around 1:30 am (IST). Five of the derailed sleeper
coaches were hit by the freight train. An unreserved
coach, the pantry car and luggage van also derailed.
The incident happened during the "black week"
[May 28-June 2] observed by the Communist Party of India-Maoist
(CPI-Maoist).
The
Hindu; Times
of India, May 28-31, 2010.
Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
asks its PoK-based leadership for a bigger strike against
India: The
Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) has asked its Pakistan occupied
Kashmir (PoK)-based leadership to sneak into India and
strike in a big way. "Sneak into India fast and do something
big," said a HM ‘commander’ to one of the outfit's leaders
based in PoK during a conversation intercepted recently
by security agencies, officers of the Indian Army said
on May 26.
Indian
Express, May 27, 2010.
Naxalism
remains biggest internal security challenge, says Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh: Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh on May 24 said Naxalism (Left
Wing Extremism) remains the biggest internal security
challenge and it is imperative to control left-wing
extremism for the country's growth.
PTI
News; Indian
Express, May 25, 2010.
Signs
of Naxals re-grouping in Punjab, says DGP: Punjab
Director General of Police (DGP) P. S. Gill on May 26
said that there have been signs of Naxals (Left Wing
Extremists) re-grouping in the State, but their movements
were still at a low level and the situation is not serious
yet.
Indian
Express,
May 27, 2010.
Government
ready for talks with all groups in Jammu and Kashmir,
says Prime Minister Manmohan Singh: Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh on May 24 said his Government
is ready to hold dialogue with all groups in Jammu and
Kashmir which are outside the political mainstream provided
they shun violence. "I would once again like to appeal
to all elements in Jammu and Kashmir that our Government
is ready for a dialogue provided that all these groups
which are outside the political mainstream shed the
path of violence," he said at a national press conference
in New Delhi. Both the factions of the Hurriyat Conference
and the United Jihad Council, an umbrella of militant
organisations, have rejected the talks offer made by
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and termed it "hoax".
Daily
Excelsior ; The
Hindu, May 25-26, 2010.
NEPAL Political
parties fail to forge consensus over CA term extension:
The meeting
of the three major parties-Unified Communist Party
of Nepal-Maoist (Unified CPN-Maoist), Communist Party
of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) and Nepali
Congress (NC) - failed to forge a consensus on May
26, just two days before the Constituent Assembly
(CA) term expires. NC and CPN-UML refused to budge
from their stance of considering the Prime Minister's
resignation only after a consensus on other issues,
while the Unified CPN-Maoist refused to agree to support
the CA term extension unless the PM committed to resign
after consensus.
Meanwhile,
the Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has urged the
leaders of Unified CPN-Maoist not to make the issue
of CA extension a bargaining tool. Claiming that the
Government under his leadership is committed to conclude
the peace process and write a new constitution, PM
Nepal said extension of the CA term must not be linked
with his resignation.
Nepal
News, May 27, 2010.
PAKISTAN 250
militants and four SFs among 257 persons killed during
the week in FATA: The
Security Forces (SFs) backed by fighter jets killed
42 Taliban (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, TTP) militants
and injured another 13 Operation Khwakh Ba De Sham
(I will see you) in various parts of Orakzai Agency
in Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) on May
30.
At least
44 Taliban (TTP) militants and two soldiers were killed
in clashes and shelling during Operation Khwakh Ba
De Sham in upper tehsil (revenue unit) of
Orakzai Agency) on May 29.
The SFs
backed by fighter jets and helicopters gunships killed
at least 80 Taliban (TTP) militants and injured 60 others
during Operation Khwakh Ba De Sham in Orakzai
Agency on May 28.
53 Taliban
(TTP) militants and one SF killed in various clashes
during Operation Khwakh Ba De Sham in Orakzai
Agency on May 27. In addition, Taliban (TTP) militants
armed with rockets and grenades stormed the home of
a pro-Government tribal elder, killing him, his wife
and son before blowing up the house in Asghar village,
about 40 kilometres northwest of Khar, the main town
in Bajaur Agency.
At least
15 Taliban (TTP) militants were killed and 10 others
injured when PAF fighter jets bombed several militant
hideouts during Operation Khwakh Ba De Sham in
various parts of the Upper Orakzai Agency on May 26.
At least
13 Taliban (TTP) militants were killed and several others
injured when PAF fighter jets bombed several militant
hideouts during Operation Khwakh Ba De Sham in
the Orakzai Agency on May 25. Dawn;
Daily
Times; The
News, May 24-31, 2010.
95
civilians and five militants among 103 persons killed
during the week in Punjab: At
least 80 worshippers killed and 92 others injured as
seven assailants including three suicide bomber attacked
Ahmadiyya place of worship in Model Town and Garhi Shahu
areas of Lahore in Punjab on May 28. The death toll
rose to 95 on May 29. Terrorists wearing suicide vests
stormed two places of worship of the Ahmadiyya community
a few minutes before special Friday worship initiating
an over three-hour-long standoff that resulted in the
killing of 80 worshippers. The Punjab chapter
of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed
the responsibility for the attack, reports The
News.
At least
three Policemen, including a sub inspector, were killed
when unidentified assailants opened indiscriminate fire
at a police checkpost in Samanabad area of Lahore in
Punjab on May 29. Dawn;
Daily
Times; The
News, May 24-30, 2010.
Swat
Taliban Chief Maulana Fazlullah suspected killed: Maulana
Fazlullah, the Swat Taliban (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan,
TTP) ‘chief’, has apparently been killed along with
six other militants in a clash with Afghan border forces
in Nuristan province of Afghanistan on May 26, intelligence
sources said on May 27. Fazlullah, who was known as
‘Radio Maulana’ for his fiery sermons broadcast on an
illegal radio station, apparently died during May 26’s
clash with Afghan border forces, the sources said. Six
others militants are also believed to have been killed
in the gun battle in Nuristan. However, the report of
Fazlullah’s death is yet to be officially confirmed,
the sources added. Maulana Faqir Muhammad, the ‘chief’
of the Taliban (TTP) in Bajaur Agency, denied that Fazlullah
had been killed in a gun battle. In an interview to
BBC in November 2010, Fazlullah had said he had escaped
to Afghanistan after fleeing a Pakistan Army offensive
against the Taliban (TTP) in Swat valley. Fazlullah
and his militants had established a parallel administration
that controlled most parts of Swat District, located
just 160 km from Islamabad.
Indian
Express, May 28, 2010.
Pakistan
Supreme Court rejects LeT militant Lakhvi's acquittal
plea: Pakistan's Supreme Court on May 27 rejected
a petition filed by Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) ‘commander’
Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, seeking acquittal in the November
26, 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks case, after his counsel
withdrew the plea.
The
Hindu, May 28, 2010.
Supreme
Court rejects Government pleas against release of JuD
chief Hafiz Saeed: A
three-member Supreme Court bench on May 25 dismissed
pleas of the Federal and Punjab Governments against
the release of Jama'at-ud-Da'awa (JuD), the frontal
organisation of Lashkar-e-Toiba, ‘chief’ Hafiz Saeed,
maintaining that it was not a live issue.
Daily
Times, May 26, 2010.
ISI
hand in attack on NATO, says Afghanistan intelligence
agency spokesman: A
spokesman for Afghanistan’s intelligence agency on May
24 accused Pakistan’s intelligence agency Inter-Services
Intelligence’s (ISI) involvement in the suicide bombing
in Kabul on May 19 that killed six NATO soldiers.
Indian
Express, May 26, 2010.
US
seeks Pakistan crackdown on Taliban: Two
top United Sates President Barrack Obama administration
officials have told Pakistan that it has only weeks
to show real progress in a crackdown against the Taliban
(Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, TTP), a senior US official
said on May 26. The US has put Pakistan "on a clock"
to launch a new intelligence and counterterrorist offensive
against the group, which the White House alleges was
behind the Times Square bombing attempt, according to
the official.
Dawn,
May 27, 2010.
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The South
Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR) is a weekly service that
brings you regular data, assessments and news briefs on
terrorism, insurgencies and sub-conventional warfare, on
counter-terrorism responses and policies, as well as on
related economic, political, and social issues, in the South
Asian region.
SAIR is a project
of the Institute
for Conflict Management
and the
South
Asia Terrorism Portal.
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