South Asia Terrorism Portal
Resurrecting TTP Tushar Ranjan Mohanty Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
Former Provincial Minister for Agriculture and livestock and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate for Province Khyber Paktunkhwa-99 (PK-99) Ikramullah Khan Gandapur was killed along with his driver and six persons, including two Police guards, seriously injured, in a suicide attack near his hometown Kulachi in Dera Ismail Khan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on July 22, 2018. The head of the bomb disposal unit (BDU) in Dera Ismail Khan, Inayat Tiger, said that eight kilogrammes of explosives had been packed in the suicide vest when it was detonated. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ‘spokesperson’, Muhammad Khurasani, claimed the responsibility and termed the attack “an act of vengeance for their fallen comrades.”
On July 13, 2018, at least four persons were killed and another 32 injured in a bomb triggered by remote control, targeting the convoy of Akram Khan Durrani in the Haved Bazaar (market) area of Bannu town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Durrani had served as Federal Minister for Housing and Works between June 2013 and May 2018, and as Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa between 2002 and 2007. He was heading back from an election rally near North Waziristan District. Durrani, who escaped unhurt, is the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) candidate for the National Assembly seat of Province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-35 (PK-35, Bannu), standing against Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan. The attack was claimed by the TTP.
On July 10, 2018, at least 22 persons, including Awami National Party (ANP) leader Haroon Bilour, were killed and over 30 people injured in a suicide blast which targeted an ANP election gathering in the Yakatoot area of Peshawar, the provincial capital of KP. The blast took place when Haroon Bilour, who was a candidate for the National Assembly Province Khyber Paktunkhwa-78 (PK-78), arrived at the site where the ANP workers had gathered for a meeting. Bilour suffered serious injuries and was shifted to hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds. Mohammad Khurasani, TTP ‘spokesperson’, claimed responsibility for the blast. Earlier, on April 16, 2013, TTP had carried out an attack targeting Bilour in the Mundabheri area of Yakatoot in Peshawar. Though Haroon escaped unhurt on that occasion, 16 persons were killed and more than 35 others were injured in the attack. Among the injured was Haroon’s uncle and senior ANP leader Ghulam Ahmed Bilour. While claiming responsibility, the then TTP ‘spokesperson’ Ehsanullah Ehsan told journalists that Haroon was the target, but "unfortunately Ghulam Ahmed Bilour got injured". Haroon Bilour was the son of Bashir Ahmed Bilour, a senior ANP leader and the then Minister for Local Government and Rural Development in the KP Assembly, who was killed by a suicide bomber during a party meeting in the Qissa Khawani Bazaar area of Peshawar on December 22, 2012. Eight others were killed and another 17 others had sustained injuries in that incident, and TTP had claimed the attack.
TTP also claimed the July 13, 2018, Mastung suicide attack in which at least 149 persons were killed and another 186 injuredat Dringarh village in the Mastung District of Balochistan. However,the Islamic State (IS) had also claimed the attack. Briefing the Senate Standing Committee on the Interior on July 19, 2018, Inspector-General (IG) Balochistan Mohsin Hassan Buttdisclosed, “The suicide bomber was a part of Daesh (IS) and had been affiliated with the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi as well. The facilitators of the attack have also been detected."
Even if the‘credit’ of Mastung incident, which is the second worst terrorism-linked attack (in terms of fatalities) recorded in Pakistan since March 2000, when the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) database commenced compiling data on terrorism-related fatalities in Pakistan, is ‘taken away’ from the TTP, the outfit appears to be in overdrive, seeking to avenge the killing of its former chief Maulana Fazlullah. The TTP was responsible for carrying out the worst attack, in Pakistan till date, at the Army Public School in Peshawar on December 16, 2014, in which at least 150 persons, including 134 children, nine school staff members and all seven suicide attackers, were killed.
On June 15, 2018, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani telephoned Pakistan’s Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa to confirm the news regarding the killing of TTP ‘chief’ Mullah Fazlullah in a US drone strike in the Kunar Province of Afghanistan on June 14, 2018. On June 23, 2018, TTP announced it had appointed Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud as the new leader of the group. In a statement sent to AFP, TTP ‘spokesman’ Mohammad Khorasani confirmed Fazlullah was killed in the US drone strike. "It is a matter of pride that all leaders of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan have been martyred by infidels," Khorasani declared, referring to Fazlullah’s two predecessors – Baitullah Mehsud and Hakimullah Mehsud – who were also killed in drone strikes. He also disclosed that the shura(council)elected Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud aka Abu Mansoor Asimas the ‘chief’, while Mufti Mazahim aka Mufti Hafza Ullah, was appointed ‘deputy chief’.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) which had claimed that Mullah Fazlullah was “hiding in Afghanistan since 2009” termed Fazlullah’s killing "a positive development", adding that the TTP leader's death "gives relief to scores of Pakistani families who fell victims to TTP terror including the APS massacre." However, the surge in TTP-linked violence within one month of Fazlullah’s killingestablishes the fact that the threat is far from over. It is useful to recall that the last TTP-claimed attack, prior to Fazlullah’s death, had taken place on January 9, 2018, when seven people, including five Policemen, were killed and 16 others, including eight Policemen, were injured, in a suicide blast near GPO Chowk on Zarghoon Road in Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan. The suicide bomber had targeted the Police contingent returning from duty at the Provincial Assembly building and rammed into the parked Police truck.
Since its formation on December 14, 2007, TTP has emerged as the biggest threat to Pakistan. According to partial data compiled by the SATP, out of 56,461 fatalities (19,166 civilians, 5,755 SFs, 31,540 militants) recorded in Pakistan since the formation of TTP, at least 9,699 fatalities were attributable to one or other militant outfit. The TTP-related fatalities alone stand at 6,345, i.e., 65.41 per cent. More worryingly, out of 19,166 civilians killed in Pakistan, during this period, at least 3,122 were attributable. The TTP alone was responsible for 2,004 deaths, i.e. 64.16 per cent. Out of 5,755 SF fatalities recorded, at least 1,351 were attributable. The TTP accounted for 953 such deaths, i.e., 70.54 per cent. Out of 407 suicide attacks resulting in 6,283 fatalities recorded in Pakistan since the formation of TTP, at least 133 incidents were attributable resulting in death 2,897. The TTP alone was responsible for 96 such incidents resulting in 2,163 fatalities, i.e. 72.18 per cent of the total such incidents and 74.65 resulting fatalities.
Moreover, according to thePakistan Institute of Peace Studies (PIPS) security report published on January 6, 2018, TTP and its associated outfits remain the most potent threat despite a 16 per cent decline in overall terrorist attacks in 2017. The report noted that 370 terrorist attacks were reported from 64 districts of Pakistan in 2017, including 24 suicide and gun-and-suicide coordinated attacks, killing 815 people, besides injuring 1,736. Of these attacks, as many as 213, or 58 per cent, were perpetrated by TTP, its splinter groups, mainly Jamaat-u-Ahrar (JuA), and other formations with similar objectives, such as local Taliban groups, killing 186 people. Rising internal rifts within the group and several Army operations, primarily the Zarb-e-Azb, have nevertheless had significant impact on the operational capability of these outfits, specially TTP.
TTP was formed under the leadership ofBaitullah Mehsud, who was killed in a US drone strike at his father-in-law's house in Zangara in the Laddha sub-division of the South Waziristan Agency of FATA on August 9, 2009. He was succeeded byHakimullah Mehsud, who was killed in US drone attack in the Dandy Darpakhel area, five kilometers north of Miranshah, the main town of the North Waziristan Agency, on November 1, 2013.A power struggle emerged within the group followed the appointment of a non-Mehsud tribe leader, Maulana Fazlullah, as the group’s chief in the aftermath of Hakimullah Mehsud’s killing. TTP draws most of its cadres from the Mehsud tribe and Fazlullah ‘s appointment cut that supply line. The new leader, Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, is from Mehsud tribe and this is an ominous sign for the Pakistani security establishment. Rahimullah Yusufzai, an expert on the Taliban thus observed on June 24, 2018,
Mufti Noor Wali Mehsudbelongs to the Michi Khel sub-clan of the Mehsud tribe, andhad served as a deputy to TTP founder Baitullah Mehsud. Wali Mehsudis considered a ruthless commander who has led the group’s activities in Pakistan’s urban areas, particularly Karachi (Chief of Karachi chapter from June 2013 to May 2015). Wali Mehsud, also known as Abu Mansoor Asim, was born on June 26, 1978 at Gorgoray village in the Sararogha tehsil (revenue unit) of the South Waziristan Agency of erstwhile FATA (FATA has been a part of KP since June 1, 2018). Educated in various seminaries in the Pakistani cities of Faisalabad, Gujranwala and Karachi, Wali Mehsud authored a book in Urdu titled "Inqalab-e-Mehsud-South Waziristan: Farangi Raj say Amreeki Samraj Tak" (The Mehsud Revolution, South Waziristan: From British Raj to American Imperialism). In the book, he, on behalf of TTP, claimed for the first time that the TTP cadres were involved in the killing of former premier Benazir Bhutto in Rawalpindi in 2007. Mehsud also admitted that the TTP platform was used for extortion, kidnapping and killings to get money to finance the groups' activities.
Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud will indeed try to reunify the various TTP factions under his command. On August 26, 2014, a group of TTP ‘commanders’ broke away’ from the parent organization led by Maulana Fazlullah and formed a new outfit called Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA, Assembly of Freedom) under the leadership of Maulana Qasim Omar Khorasani.JuA included TTP factions from the Bajaur, Khyber, Mohmand, and Orakzai Agencies in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA); and Charsadda, Peshawar, and Swat Districts in KP. While announcing the split, Khorasani claimed, "The leadership of the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan [TTP] is a victim of narrow, personal objectives. A separate group was announced after the efforts to keep TTP united ended in failure.”Wali Mehsud's job would now be to reconcile tribal splinters.
If TTP manages to regroup and restore its strength under the new leadership, the relative calm achieved by the Pakistani security establishment over the past few years will come under grave threat.
Maoists: No place to Hide Deepak Kumar Nayak Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management
On July 19, 2018, at least eight cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), including three women, were killed after an encounter that ensued between the Maoists and the Security Forces (SFs) near Timinar and Pusnar villages in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh. Sundarraj P., Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police (anti-Naxal operations, ANO), disclosed that the gun battle between the Maoists and the SFs took place while a joint team of the District Reserve Guard and Special Task Force were out on an anti-Maoist operation. During search subsequent to the encounter, along with the bodies of the Maoists, at least two INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) assault rifles, two .303 rifles, one 12 bore gun and a few muzzle loading guns were recovered from the encounter site. The identities of the slain Maoists are yet to be ascertained.
On July 6, 2018, three CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in an encounter with SFs in a forest area under Katekalyan Police Station limits in the Dantewada District of Chhattisgarh. A District Reserve Guard trooper was injured in the exchange of fire. The encounter took place when a joint team of the District Reserve Guard and the District Force was out on an anti-Maoist operation. The slain Maoists are yet to be identified.
On June 15, 2018, SFs killed three CPI-Maoist cadres during an encounter in the Chintagufa village area of Sukma District, Chhattisgarh. SFs recovered four weapons, including one rifle and a pistol, ten detonators, one bomb, codex wire, explosives, uniforms, backpacks and other material from the encounter spot. Two of the slain Maoists were identified as Renga, the ‘deputy commander’ of the CPI-Maoist Dornapal Local Operating Squad (LOS) and Vetti Deva. The identity of the third Maoist is yet to be ascertained.
On May 13, 2018, four CPI-Maoist cadres, including two women, were killed during an exchange of fire with the Police at Godanki village under Kandhamal Sadar Police Station limits in the Kandhamal District of Odisha. Police recovered eight weapons, including an AK-47 and an INSAS assault rifle, from the spot. The identities of the slain Maoists are yet to be ascertained.
April 27, 2018, eight CPI-Maoist cadres, including six women were killed in an encounter with teams from Greyhounds, an elite anti-Naxal unit of the Telangana Police, along with Chhattisgarh Police's Special Task Force, as well as the District Reserve Guards and troopers from the Central Reserved Police Force (CRPF), in the deep jungles under Ilmidi Police Station limits in Bijapur District, Chhattisgarh. Police recovered one Self Loading Rifle (SLR), one .303 bore rifle, four .12 bore guns, one .315 bore gun, one revolver, live cartridges, three hand grenades, six Rocket Launchers, 10 bags, four pairs of olive green dresses and Maoist literature. The killed CPI-Maoist cadres, whose identities are yet to be ascertained, were active in the Usoor and Basaguda areas of Bijapur District.
These are not isolated incidents. Rather they reflect the growing consolidation of SFs against the Maoists. It is crucial to note here that SF personnel have achieved considerable successes against the Maoists across the country, particularly since the beginning of the current year. The recent incidents only carry forward past momentum.
According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) database, at least 122 Maoists have been killed across India in 2018 (till June 30), in comparison to 82 Maoists, killed in the corresponding period of 2017. Incidentally, this is the highest number of fatalities among the Maoists recorded during the first six months of any year since 2011, when such fatalities stood at 154. Such fatalities remained within two digits between 2012 and 2015, and increased to 117 in 2016, only to fall again in 2017, to 82.
Half-Yearly CPI-Maoist linked Fatality in India: 2010-2018
Year
Civilians
SFs
Maoists
Total
2010
397
204
145
746
2011
133
82
154
369
2012
73
56
211
2013
98
59
86
243
2014
48
177
2015
44
36
50
130
2016
68
37
117
222
2017
66
207
2018
61
122
233
TOTAL
1015
663
860
2538
* Data updated till June 30, 2018
As reflected in the data, the SF:Maoist fatality ratio of 1:2.44 in the first six months of the current year, favouring SFs, bettered the SF:Maoist fatality ratio of 1:1.24 in the first six months of 2017. Since 2010, the SF:Maoist fatality ratio (for the first six months of each year) favoured the Maoists thrice(1.40:1 in 2010), (1.30:1 in 2012) and (1.16:1 in 2014), while the ratio favoured the SFs six times: 1:1.87 in 2011); 1:1.45 in 2013; 1:1.66 in 2015; 1:3.16 in 2016; 1:1.24 in 2017; and 1:2.44 in 2018. However, the strongest SF:Maoist fatality ratio in favour of SFs was 1:3.16 in 2016.
What is disturbing, however, is that civilian killings by the Maoists have seen a slight spike of 3.38 per cent in 2018 (first six months) as compared to the same period last year. The highest number of such fatalities during the first six months of a year was recorded in 2010, at 397.
In the meantime, at least 17 major incidents (each involving three or more fatalities) have been recorded in 2018 (till June 30) in which three civilians, 28 SF personnel and 86 Maoists have been killed; as against 11 major incidents in which three civilians, 51 SF personnel and 29 Maoists were killed in the first six months of 2017. The number of major incidents in 2016 was 18; in 2015, seven; in 2014, 15; in 2013, 17; in 2012, 12; in 2011, 28; and in 2010, 27 in the first six months of each of these years.
Out of the 17 major incidents recorded in 2018, the Maoists were at the losing end in at least 12, with 86 cadres killed. Significantly, there were two incidents in which more than 10 Maoist cadres were eliminated. At least 40 Maoists were killed in the Gadchiroli District of Maharashtra in twin encounters on April 22-23, 2018; and at least 10 Maoists, including six women, and one trooper were killed in an encounter near Pujarikanker in Bijapur District on March 1, 2018.
According to a July 3, 2018, report CPI-Maoist documents recovered by the Police reveal that the Maoists have conceded their failure in targeting SFs and mobilising militia. The documents, which are apparently the proceedings of meetings of ‘sub-zonal or zonal level committees’ of the CPI-Maoist, stated,
According to the report, the documents also revealed that the Maoists have attributed the failure in carrying out their ‘annual TCOC’ to a variety of reasons other than “technical mistakes and error of judgment at the level of ‘commanders’.” These include, failure in mobilising militia’ (fighting force in forest areas), problems with ‘gathering of Intelligence’ on Police movement, insubordination within party units, among others. In one of the recovered documents, instances of junior-level Maoist cadres refusing to obey the orders of seniors have been mentioned. From the documents, it is evident that the senior-level Maoists are worried about cadres refusing to do sentry duties. In some cases, when the senior Maoists scolded the juniors, they preferred not to communicate with each other, resulting in lack of co-ordination within units while moving through the jungles and avoiding face-offs with the SFs. One of the CPI-Maoist documents mentioned, “all the single-target actions this year under TCOC have failed completely,” with increased visibility and mobility of Police forces especially in Gadchiroli District. The leadership expressed worries about their own operations.
Significantly, in April 2018, the Ministry of Home Affairs indicated that just 106 districts in 10 States were categorize as ‘Left Wing Extremism affected’, and continued to be covered under the Ministry’s Security Related Expenditure Scheme (SRE) for the purpose of reimbursement of security related expenditure. Out of these 106 districts, 35 accounted for 80 to 90 per cent of country-wide LWE violence, and were categorized as ‘Most Affected’. The Ministry also noted that, over the last few years, a number of districts had been carved into smaller districts, as a result of which the geographical area of the 106 SRE Districts was redistributed over 126 Districts; and that of the 35 ‘most affected Districts’ expanded to 36 Districts.
Moreover, the MHA claimed, over the preceding four years there has been a substantial improvement in the LWE scenario. Incidents of violence recorded a 20 per cent decline, with a 34 per cent reduction in related deaths in 2017, as compared to 2013. The geographical spread of LWE violence also shrunk from 76 districts in 2013 to 58 in 2017. Besides, just 30 of these Districts account for 90 per cent of LWE violence in the country. MHA also undertook a “comprehensive exercise in consultation with the States to review the affected Districts in order to ensure that the deployment of resources is in sync with the changed ground reality.” As a result, 44 districts were excluded and eight new Districts were added to the list of SRE Districts: The MHA statement added,
The Maoists are facing a challenging time across all theatres of their conflict in India, and the pressure on them in their ‘last bastion’ – Chhattisgarh – is also building rapidly. The SF campaigns against the Maoists need to be sustained, even as SF capacities and intelligence flows are augmented, to leave the Maoists with no place to hide.
Weekly Fatalities: Major Conflicts in South Asia July16-22, 2018
Security Force Personnel
Terrorists/Insurgents
INDIA
Jammu and Kashmir
INDIA (Left-Wing Extremism)
Bihar
Chhattisgarh
Jharkhand
INDIA (Total)
PAKISTAN
Balochistan
KP
PAKISTAN (Total)
ICT-1 sentences four war criminals to death for crimes against humanity during Liberation War: The International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1) on July 17 sentenced four war criminals to death finding them guilty of committing genocide and crimes against humanity at different places of the then Rajanagar thana during the Liberation War. The convicts are Mohamad Akmal Ali Talukder (73), Abdun Nur Talukder (63), Mohamad Anis Miah (76) and Mohamad Abdul Mosabbir Miah (64). New Age, July 18, 2018.
If Rohingyas were not safely repatriated they would become easy targets of international terrorist groups, says Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan: Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on July 17 said if the Rohingyas were not safely repatriated soon, they would become easy targets of international terrorist groups that always look for new recruits. He, however, said there was no sign of the repatriation though the Myanmar authorities repeatedly said they would take back the Rohingyas. Around 10 lakh Rohingyas fled Myanmar and took refuge in Bangladesh after August 25, 2017, fearing persecution by Myanmar security forces. According to intelligence agencies, some militant outfits have made attempts to recruit operatives in the camps. The Daily Star, July 18, 2018.
No election would be held keeping party Chairperson Khaleda Zia in jail, says BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at a mass rally in Dhaka city on July 20 said that no election would be held in the country keeping the party Chairperson Khaleda Zia in jail. "The people would not allow conducting any national polls without freeing Khaleda Zia. We will go to polls under free Khaleda Zia's leadership," Alamgir said. The New Nation, July 21, 2018.
NIA gets major breakthrough in curbing cyber terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, says report: The National Investigating Agency (NIA) has succeeded in identifying at least 1,000 telephone numbers of Pakistan and Gulf countries, which were being used by terrorists and Over Ground Workers (OGWs) to lure Kashmiri youth into militancy and stone pelting. Official sources said that after nearly six month long investigations, the NIA has cracked the case of cyber terrorism in the Kashmir valley, being operated mostly from Pakistan and partly from Gulf nations and now the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) was likely to submit a detailed dossier to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for taking up the issue with Pakistan through appropriate diplomatic channels to initiate action against the militants and their OGWs, who stood identified. Daily Excelsior, July 19, 2018.
NSCN-K barred from signing NCA in Myanmar: Myanmar Government stated that National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) will not be a signatory to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) because of its demand for an independent Naga homeland spanning either side of the Myanmar-India border. NCA, conceived as a foundation stone for the peace process, was signed between the Myanmar government and eight ethnic armed groups in 2015. They have since been joined by two other groups, but most of the more powerful groups remain outside of the agreement. NSCN-K, who broke ranks with other leaders in the Naga cross-border insurgency, signed a ceasefire with the Myanmar government in 2012 and was allowed to open a liaison office in the town of Hkamti in Myanmar. According to a member of Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC) secretariat, a government body involved in the negotiations stated that NSCN-K can only join NCA if they abandoned idea of ‘separation’. Nagaland Post , July 17, 2018.
PTI candidate killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Former Provincial Minister for Agriculture and livestock and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate for Province Khyber Paktunkhwa-99 (PK-99) Ikramullah Khan Gandapur was killed and six persons, including his driver and two Police guards seriously injured, in a suicide attack near his hometown Kulachi in Dera Ismail Khan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on July 22, 2018. The head of the bomb disposal unit (BDU) in Dera Ismail Khan, Inayat Tiger, said that eight kilogrammes of explosives had been packed in the suicide vest when it was detonated. Tehreek-e-Taliban Taliban (TTP) ‘spokesperson’, Muhammad Khurasani, claimed the responsibility and termed the attack “an act of vengeance for their fallen comrades.” The Express Tribune, July 23, 2018.
Ansarul Sharia has formed alliance with TTP and LeJ to target politicians in Karachi, says CTD: Three banned outfits — the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Ansarul Sharia Pakistan (ASP) and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) — have developed a nexus to target political leadership in Karachi to “sabotage forthcoming elections and trigger destabilisation in the country”, said Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Junaid Ahmed Sheikh on July 18. “The ASP, TTP and LeJ have developed a sort of alliance to redouble their capability and capacity for terrorism as they sustained heavy losses during the ongoing targeted operation against them in the city,” said SSP Junaid Ahmed Sheikh. He said this emerged during initial interrogation of four held suspects Mohammed Jawad, Abu Bakar, Mohammad Ibrahim and Mohammed Fahad. Dawn, July 19, 2018.
Notable politicians facing life threat, says Caretaker Interior Minister Mohammad Azam Khan: Caretaker Interior Minister Mohammad Azam Khan on July 20 told that notable politicians have apparent threats to their lives. Interior Minister said warned that Awami National Party's (ANP) Asfandyar Wali, Pakistan Peoples Party's (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Akram Durrani, Qaumi Watan Party's (QWP) Aftab Sherpao, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam's (JUI) Maulana Fazalur Rehman are among the politicians whose lives are in danger. He added that ANP and PPP are the two political parties in most in danger. Moreover, the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) Chairman Dr Suleiman had also revealed that lives of political leaders in the country were in danger during his briefing to Senate's Standing Committee on Interior. It is worth-mentioning here that election campaigns of different political parties for upcoming general elections have been targeted by different terrorist organizations. The Nation, July 20, 2018.
Islamabad High Court issues order to Army and ISI not meddle in the affairs of other departments: Islamabad High Court on July 18 ordered the Army and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) not meddle in the affairs of other departments. Islamabad high court made this explicit declaration worried over the perception of a state within a state, something security analysts in India, the US and elsewhere have been well aware of as being the norm in a country has seen military coups three times. In fact, Islamabad HC's Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui went so far as to say that these military and intelligence elements conspired to manipulate Government and the judiciary. "Everyone knows how (court) proceedings are manipulated, from where strings are pulled, and when power (is) wielded and manoeuvred to achieve the desired results," he said. Times of India, July 19, 2018.
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.
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