South Asia Terrorism Portal
Controlled Voices Sanchita Bhattacharya Research Fellow, Institute for Conflict Management
On May 25, 2021, Islamabad-based journalist and blogger Asad Ali Toor was attacked in the federal capital city of Islamabad. Initial reports indicated that unidentified assailants broke into his house and physically assaulted the journalist. In 2020, Toor was booked on charges of spreading “negative propaganda” against the state and its institutions, including the Pakistan Army, through his social media posts.
On April 24, 2021, unidentified gunmen shot dead Abdul Wahid Raisani, a reporter with the local Urdu language newspaper Azadi, while he was returning home in the provincial capital of Quetta in Balochistan.
On April 20, 2021, prominent Pakistani journalist Absar Alam was shot at and wounded in a targeted attack near his home at a park in the F-11 area of Islamabad.
On April 10, 2021, Waseem Alam, the Joint Editor of a local newspaper, Sada-e-Lawaghir, was shot dead by unidentified people in the Batani Khel area of Karak District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Alam was returning home on his motorcycle when he was targeted near the Batani Khel Government School.
On March 18, 2021, Ajay Lalwani, associated with a local Sindhi newspaper, Daily Puchano, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Sukkur city, Sindh.
According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), at least 66 journalists have been killed and another 27 injured in Pakistan since March 6, 2000, when SATP started compiling data on conflicts in Pakistan (data till June 6, 2021). Three of these killings were reported in 2021. These numbers are likely an underestimate of the actual casualties.
Indeed, according to the UNESCO observatory of killed journalists–Pakistan, 81 journalists have been killed in the country since 2000 (data till June 5, 2021). A maximum of 11 journalists were killed in 2010 followed by 10 in 2012; eight in 2013; five each in 2011, 2018, 2019 and 2020; four each in 2008, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017; three in 2009; two each in 2002, 2005 and 2006; one each in 2004, 2007 and 2021 (as of June 5). No fatality was recorded in years 2000, 2001 and 2003.
Journalists in Pakistan are facing challenges not only from militants, terrorist networks and religious fanatics, but, ironically, from the political and Military Establishment as well.
The popular talk show host of 'Capital Talk', journalist Hamid Mir, for instance, has been taken off air by Geo News. On May 31, Mir himself broke the news on Twitter,
Following the physical assault on Asad Ali Toor (as mentioned above), Hamid Mir vehemently criticised the administration. As a result, his show was cancelled.
Atrocities meted out to Baloch journalists require a special mention. The military has quietly, but effectively, set restrictions on access to Balochistan where there is ongoing armed struggle. On September 5, 2020, a Baloch female journalist, Shaheena Shaheen Baloch, was shot dead in the Turbat area of Kech District. She was the host of a morning show on PTV Bolan and Editor-in-Chief of the Baloch magazine Dasgohar. Earlier, another Baloch journalist, Anwar Jan, who worked with the daily Naveed-e-Pakistan was shot dead by two gunmen while walking home in the Barkhan District of Balochistan on July 23, 2020.
The outreach of violence towards Baloch journalists has stretched to Europe. Sajid Hussain, a Baloch rights activist and journalist from Pakistan, living under political asylum in Sweden, was found ‘missing’ on March 2, 2020, from Sweden. As he had been forced to flee Pakistan in 2012, after his investigative journalism attracted frequent death threats, Hussain travelled from Oman to Dubai, to Uganda, finally reaching Sweden and staying there. His body was later found in the Fyris River in Uppsala on April 23, 2020. Hussain, was working part-time as a professor in Uppsala University, and was also the Chief Editor of Balochistan Times, an online magazine he had set up, in which he wrote about abductions, drug trafficking and the long-running insurgency in Balochistan.
Unfavorable circumstances have created a major vacuum for information dissemination across Pakistan, and more particularly in Balochistan. As reported on June 2, 2021, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) stated that journalists who report from conflict areas, such as Balochistan and parts of KP, must be provided safety and first-aid training, bulletproof jackets where necessary, and life insurance.
With the systematic targeting and suppression of mainstream media, an attempt is being made to fill the gap by alternative or ‘new’ media. A number of online news outlets covering Balochistan – such as Balochistan Voices, Balochistan Point, Baloch News, Bolan Tribune, Haal Hawal, among others – have emerged. These online platforms are playing an important role in filling the news vacuum in Balochistan. Nevertheless, the situation on the ground is extremely gloomy.
Highlighting the Government's perverse designs, Freedom House's Pakistan Country Report, 2021, observed,
While discussing the severity of the situation in Pakistan with respect to the fraught working environment for journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), in its report titled, "Getting Away with Murder", published on October 28, 2020, noted,
Meanwhile, the Federal Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is trying to further control the press by bringing in the Pakistan Media Development Authority Ordinance, 2021. The proposed body is to regulate print, television, electronic and digital media, by merging all different regulators into a single body, supposedly to save money and streamline authority. The proposal has been labelled as an attempt to impose “media martial law". The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, Pakistan Bar Association, and HRCP have condemned it as an ordinance circumventing democratic processes. If the Ordinance goes through, regulations like annual no-objection certificates will be imposed on media outlets. They will be stifled by suspensions and hefty fines for falling short of the purported ‘standards’ laid down by government. In short, the Ordinance would be an effective instrument to force television and newspapers to toe the line.
The situation in Pakistan has long obstructed the free flow of information through the media. Journalists are at high risk of being identified, branded and killed. Moreover, the looming danger of onerous state regulations will result in an environment of perpetual threat for both journalists and media houses, particularly while reporting on the realities of ongoing conflicts and separatist movements within the country.
NSCN-KYA: Collaborating to Survive Giriraj Bhattacharjee Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
On May 31, 2021, a heavy gun battle broke out between Assam Rifles troopers and suspected militants of the Yung Aung faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-KYA) at Nogolo village in Tirap District. However, no casualty was reported in the incident.
On May 23, 2021, suspected NSCN-KYA militants killed an Assam Rifles trooper near Longvi village under the Nampong circle, along the Indo-Myanmar border, in Changlang District.
On May 18, 2021, NSCN-KYA militants opened indiscriminate fire at Longkhaw village in Longding District, while attempting to kidnap a villager, Khamjan Wangsu. However, the village locals resisted and foiled the militants’ attempt to abduct the villager.
On May 10, 2021, NSCN-KYA militants abducted two road construction workers from Tenyak village in Longding District. They were subsequently released on May 17.
According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), there were four NSCN-KYA-linked violent incidents in 2021 (data till June 6, 2021) resulting in the death of one trooper and injuries to two Security Force (SF) personnel. Since August 17, 2018, when the outfit ‘officially’ came into existence, there have been 10 such incidents, resulting in nine fatalities (four SFs personnel and five militants), and six injuries (four SFs personnel and two civilians).
On August 17, 2018, Khango Konyak, the ‘chairman’ of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) was removed from the position and was replaced by Yung Aung, a Myanmarese national. The outfit led by Yung Aung came to be known as NSCN-KYA. Nearly 14 months prior to this development, on June 20, 2017, Khango Konyak had been made the ’chairman’ of NSCN-K after the demise of the then incumbent ‘chairman’, S.S. Khaplang, on June 9, 2017.
Though the major reason for Khango Konyak’s removal from the chairman’s post was the growing difference between the Indian and Myanmaese Naga leaders of the outfit after Khaplang’s demise, it was alleged that the outfit under Khango Konyak had failed to act on the ground.
According to the SATP database, under Khango Konyak, between June 20, 2017 to August 17, 2018, there were five NSCN-K-linked fatalities (one civilian, one trooper, and three NSCN-K militants) across Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur.
NSCN-K was formed on April 30, 1988, after a split in NSCN. Clan and tribal divisions among the major Naga groups (Konyak and Tangkhul) were the primary reason leading to the division. Khaplang was the founding ‘chairman’ of one of the two groups that emerged from the split; the other was headed by its late ‘president’ Isak Chisi Swu and T. Muivah, and came to be known as NSCN-IM.
Under Khaplang’s leadership, the outfit emerged as the most active militant outfit in the region. According to partial data compiled by the SATP, since March 2000, when SATP started compiling data on conflicts in the Northeast, and till June 9, 2017, when Khaplang died, NSCN-K was involved in at least 361 fatalities (32 civilians, 40 SFs personnel and 289 militants). For a period, between April 28, 2001 and March 27, 2015, the outfit had maintained a cease fire agreement (CFA) with the Government. Of the total 361 fatalities, when Khaplang was at the helm, 79 fatalities (seven civilians, 32 SF personnel, and 40 NSCN-K militants) were reported after the unilateral abrogation of the CFA by the NSCN-K on March 27, 2015, and till the death of Khaplang.
Despite the allegation against Khango Konyak, it is evident that the group led by Yung Aung, NSCN-KYA, has itself failed to regain the lost ground. On the other hand, it has suffered losses on the ground. Indian Secuirty Forces, apart from having killed five NSCN-KY militants, have arrested another 43. Those arrested include ‘Major General’ Yanghang aka Mopa and ‘sergeant major’ Bokaho Yeptho.
Moreover, operations launched by Tatmadaw (Myanmar Army) in 2019 also weakened the group.
The failure of the Yung Aung leadership to keep Indian and Myanmarese Nagas united led to the split in the NSCN-KYA itself. While Indian members of the outfit alleged that Aung Yung was collaborating with NSCN-IM, the Aung Yung-led group countered by claiming misappropriation of funds and creating divisions. The three Naga rebel leaders hailing from India – Niki Sumi, Starson Lamkang and Nyemlang Konyak – later surrendered to Indian authorities and joined the peace process. On September 27, 2020, Nyemlang Konyak joined NSCN-Reformation (NSCN-R), after surrendering on September 22. NSCN-R is a part of the Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs). Nikki Sumi surrendered on December 19, 2020, along with two cadres. Lastly, on December 25, 2020, Starson Lamkang surrendered along with 52 militants in the Phek District of Nagaland.
Nevertheless, concerns related to the outfit persist.
The NSCN-KYA reportedly has camps – Haukyat, Khanmoi, Lohan, Kamai and Pangsau – in the Sagaing Division of Myanmar. These are areas falling along the main locus of operations of the militant group in India – Tirap, Changlang and Longding Districts of Arunachal Pradesh and Mon District of Nagaland. The military coup and the subsequent rise in volatility in Myanmar is expected to provide some more relief to the militant formations inside Myanmar.
Reports also indicate that the group has an unwritten agreement with NSCN-IM’s Arunachal Pradesh leader, ‘major-general’ Rockwang Absalom Tangkhul. An unnamed security officer thus claimed, “The NSCN-KYA and ‘major-general’ Rockwang Absalom Tangkhul struck a deal for peaceful co-existence.” Under the ‘deal’, the NSCN-KYA will ‘dominate’ Longding District and NSCN-IM will ‘control’ Tirap. Both the outfits will jointly ‘control’ Changlang District, Tirap, Longding and Changlang, the hub of the ‘last remaining militants’ in Arunachal Pradesh, are also claimed by the NSCN-IM as part of Nagalim (‘Greater Nagaland’).
Similarly, there were instances of NSCN-KYA jointly operating with the United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I). Most recently, on December 21, 2020, cadres of NSCN-KYA and ULFA-I, in a ‘joint operation’, abducted two employees of Quippo Oil and Gas Infrastructure, Pranab Kumar Gogoi and Ram Kumar, from Changlang District in Arunachal Pradesh. They demanded INR two billion from the company for the release of its employees. It is rumored that the company ultimately had to pay INR 50 million. The abductees were released separately on April 3 and 4, 2021.
The rising instability in Myanmar as well as the meandering talks with the NSCN-IM may help NSCN-KYA gain some ground. It is therefore imperative for the Indian SFs to increase intelligence-based counter insurgency operations along the India-Myanmar border in the regions where this militant group still has some presence.
Weekly Fatalities: Major Conflicts in South Asia May 31-June 6, 2021
Civilians
Security Force Personnel
NS
Total
AFGHANISTAN
INDIA
Jammu and Kashmir
INDIA (Left-Wing Extremism)
Chhattisgarh
Jharkhand
India (Total)
PAKISTAN
Balochistan
Islamabad Capital Territory
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
PAKISTAN (Total)
Taliban still closely tied to Al-Qaeda, says UN Monitoring Team Report: A report by the UN Monitoring Team released on June 2 said that "the Taliban and Al-Qaeda remain closely aligned and show no indication of breaking ties". According to the report, Al-Qaeda is resident in at least 15 Afghan provinces, primarily in the east, southern and south-eastern regions, and are led by Al-Qaeda's Jabhat-al-Nasr wing under the direction of Sheikh Mahmood. A significant part of Al-Qaeda leadership remains based in the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan, where the core is joined by and works closely with Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent. 19 Members of the group have been relocated to more remote areas by the Taliban to avoid potential exposure and targeting, the report added. Tolo News, June 5, 2021.
HeI leader Mamunul Haque has links with militant organizations, says Narayanganj SP Zayedul Alam: Narayanganj Superintendent of Police (SP) Zayedul Alam on June 6 said that Hefajat-e Islam (HeI)'s former joint secretary general Mamunul Haque has links with militant organizations. "We have got primary information of his involvement in local and external militant organizations. We will share details later after scrutiny," said Zayedul. The Daily Star, June 6, 2021.
No HeI leader or supporter would be arrested without any specific allegations, says Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque: Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque on June 2 said that no Hefajat-e-Islam (HeI) leader or supporter would be arrested in future without any specific allegations. He said, "No one has been arrested without specific allegations and it has been decided that no one will be arrested in the future without allegations. We will take action if evidence is found against anyone about involvement in crime." The Daily Star, June 3, 2021.
HeI leader Monir Hossain Qashemi met representative of BNP in Thailand to topple Government in 2020, says report: The finance secretary of Hefazat-e-Islam (HeI)'s recently dissolved committee, Monir Hossain Qashemi, had met a representative of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)'s acting chairman Tarique Rahman in Thailand in a bid to topple the Government in 2020. Upon the instructions from a top leader of the Islamist hardliner platform and also a BNP leader, Qashemi travelled to Bangkok in February 2020 to discuss how to oust the Government. In exchange, he was given a hefty sum of money, the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police revealed. He divulged the information to the DB after his arrest on May 21 from the capital Dhaka city's Baridhara area. Dhaka Tribune, June 1, 2021.
Majority of HeI's funds came from Middle East through Bangladeshi expatriates, says DB Joint Commissioner Mahbub Alam: Mahbub Alam, Joint Commissioner of Detective Branch (DB) of Police, on May 30 said that majority of Hefajat-e-Islam (HeI)'s funds came from the Middle East through Bangladeshi expatriates. The funds were donated for multiple purposes such as aiding the Rohingya community, helping madrasa students, and the welfare of HeI, adding that some locals also financed them. Asked about link to terror financing, the DB official said that they were yet to conclude whether there was any terror financing or any attempts of money laundering." The Daily Star, May 31, 2021.
Islamist orator confesses to spreading extremism:Islamist orator Mufti Amir Hamza on May 30 confessed to misinterpreting religion and spreading extremism. In the confession statement, Hamza admitted to delivering provocative speeches in videos on YouTube and Facebook, however, he denied ordering any attack on the parliament. Hamza was arrested from a village in the Islamic University Thana area of Kushtia District on June 1. Dhaka Tribune, June 1, 2021.
NIA files chargesheet against Hizb-ut-Tahrir operative for promoting establishment of Islamic Caliphate:National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Chennai (Tamil Nadu) on May 29 filed a chargesheet against Mohammad Iqbal N alias Senthil Kumar, Hizb-ut-Tahrir operative, for promoting establishment of the Islamic State Caliphate. The NIA spokesman said the case was originally registered at Thideernagar Police Station in Madurai against the accused for allegedly uploading denigrating posts on Facebook and it was subsequently shifted to the NIA which re-registered the case on April 15, 2021 for a thorough investigation. "The investigation has revealed that the posts on the Facebook page 'Thoonga Vizhigal Rendu is in Kazimar Street' were uploaded by the accused to incite communal disharmony amongst different religious groups in a manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public order," the spokesman said. The Week, May 30, 2021.
CPN-Maoist-Chand is not into peaceful politics yet, says CPN-Maoist-Chand General Secretary Netra Bikram Chand: Three months after he signed a deal with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to raise demands in a peaceful manner, Netra Bikram Chand aka Biplav, the General Secretary of Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist-Chand) in an interview with Himalaya TV broadcast on June 2 said his party is not into peaceful politics yet. He said, "We did not say that we came to peaceful politics. It was just that we were ready to present our opinions peacefully. I think we should not classify politics as peaceful and violent. This understanding is erroneous. While underground also, we were in peaceful politics." Online Khabar, June 5, 2021.
Government strikes six-point deal with Tharuhat-Tharuwan Struggle Committee: The Government has signed a six-point agreement with Thaurhat-Tharuwan Struggle Committee on June 1. The Government and Tharuhat-Tharuwan Struggle Committee have agreed that the Government will take initiative to retract the case against Tikapur incident accused Resham Lal Chaudhary, Dhaniram Chaudhary and Laxman Chaudhary, among others according to the constitution and relevant laws. The agreement also decided to provide relief to the families of martyrs of the Tharuhat-Tharuwan struggle, treatment to the injured and to provide compensation for economic loss incurred during the same. Both sides also have agreed to make provision for reservation for the Tharuhat in all levels of the country according to constitutional provision and the rulings of the Supreme Court. According to the agreement, the Government will initiate a process to provide education to the Tharu community children till primary level in their mother tongue in Tharu majority areas. The Himalayan Times, June 2, 2021.
Pakistan compliant on 31 out of 40 recommendations, says MER: On June 5, the Asia Pacific Group (APG) of Financial Action Task Force (FATF), in its second Mutual Evaluation Report (MER), found that out of 40 recommendations, Pakistan has been declared compliant or largely compliant on 31 recommendations in order to combat money laundering and terror financing. "Pakistan has 31 Recommendations rated C/LC. Pakistan will move from enhanced (expedited) to enhanced follow-up, and will continue to report back to the APG on progress to strengthen its implementation of AML/CFT measures. Pakistan submitted its third progress report in February 2021," the MER released by APG report stated. The News, June 5, 2021.
CTD of Sindh Police updates Red Book after four years: The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Sindh Police notified on June 3, the issuance of the ninth edition of the Red Book - a document containing the names and details of most wanted people - after a hiatus of four years. According to CTD officials, in the ninth edition of the Red Book, details of 12 more terrorists of the Islamic State (IS), 18 more terrorists of Al Qaeda, 23 of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), four of Ansar Sharia, 13 of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), two of Jundullah, 24 of Sipah-e-Muhammad, four of the Sindh Resolution Army (SRA), five of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and 33 gangsters of Lyari have been incorporated. A total of 93 names have been added to the most wanted persons list, told CTD officials. Regarding the names mentioned in the earlier edition, CTD officials claimed that 10 of the most wanted terrorists in the eighth edition of the Red Book have been arrested, five terrorists wanted by law enforcement agencies have been killed in encounters and two most wanted militants were killed in Afghanistan and Syria. The Tribune, June 4, 2021.
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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