| |
SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 13, No. 22, December 1, 2014
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
|
J&K:
Deepening Democracy
Ajit Kumar Singh
Research Fellow, Institute for Conflict Management
Reaffirming
their reviving faith in India's democratic set up, a total
of 71.28 per cent of voters cast their vote during the
first phase of the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) State Assembly
Elections on November 25, 2014. The Sonawari Assembly
constituency in the Valley registered an 80.10 per cent
voting. Voting for 15 out of 87 Assembly Seats took place
on the day. The State is in the process of holding a five-phase
Assembly Election, scheduled to conclude on December 12,
2014. Counting will commence on December 23, 2014, and
results will be declared on the same day.
During
the last State Assembly Elections in 2008, the same 15
seats had registered 65 per cent polling. The overall
voting during the 2008 Assembly Elections, conducted in
seven phases, stood at 61.49 per cent.
During
the recently held General Elections (April-May 2014),
these Assembly segments had registered 52.63 per cent
voting. The overall turnout in the State during the General
Elections of 2014 was 49.52 per cent.
Over 79
per cent of the electorate had also exercised their right
to vote between April 13 and June 27, 2011, in the village
Panchayat (local self-government institution) elections
in J&K. In the 2002 State Assembly Polls, a relatively
low 43.70 per cent of voters had cast their vote.
The rise
in voting percentage reflects the rapidly improving security
environment in the State. Not surprisingly,
the November 25 elections were completely free of violence.
Deputy Election Commissioner Vinod Zutshi observed, "Polling
has gone off absolutely peacefully without any incident.
It was 100 percent flawless polls and there was not a
single incident which vitiates poll process."
This was
despite the ritual pronouncement of threats and calls
for boycott of elections, both by Pakistan-based Islamist
terrorist organizations operating on Indian soil as well
as the separatist formations within J&K. Significantly,
on November 14, 2014, computer-typed Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM)
posters, written on plain paper in Urdu, were found in
some villages of Pulwama and Shopian Districts, warning
people against participation in election rallies and directing
them to adhere to a complete boycott of polls. “The people
who cast votes will have to face the consequences”, the
posters read. Later that day, Mohammad Yusuf Shah aka
Syed Salahuddin, HM chief and chairman of the PoK based
United
Jehad Council, released a statement
declaring, "People who will vote in the coming elections
will be considered as traitors who sell the blood of martyrs."
He urged the separatists, mainly the All Party Hurriyat
Conference (APHC),
to launch a door-to-door poll-boycott campaign.
The separatists
in J&K had called for a boycott soon after the Election
Commission announced the schedule on October 25, 2014.
While calling for the boycott, Syed Ali Shah Geelani,
Chairman of the APHC-Geelani faction on October 26, claimed
that "the poll announcement was unexpected and is
no way any alternative to the plebiscite." Similarly,
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Chairman of the APHC-Mirwaiz faction,
stated, on the same day, "Polls no way could be the
substitute of right to self determination. We ask people
to reject these polls and stay away from this process.”
The electorates
of Kashmir have once again rebuffed the calls of Pakistan's
proxies in the State as well as threats by terrorists,
during the first phase. However, four rounds of elections
are still to be conducted, and there are strong indications
that authorities in Islamabad are planning to vitiate
the environment and hamper the election process.
On November
27, 2014, just two days after the first phase of the elections,
terrorists who had reportedly been infiltrated across
the border under covering fire by Pakistani Rangers, in
violation of the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA), carried out
a suicide attack killing five civilians and three Security
Force (SF) personnel in the Arnia sector of Jammu District.
The attack ended on November 28, with SF personnel killing
the last of the four militants involved in the attack.
It was the first suicide attack of the year. The very
next day, on November 29, militants lobbed a hand grenade
at a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) picket in the
abandoned Palladium cinema hall at Lal Chowk in Srinagar,
injuring eight people, including a child and a CRPF officer.
The persistent
trend of CFA
violations, moreover, continues, as
Islamabad attempts to infiltrate more terrorists across
the border. Union Minister of State for External Affairs
V.K. Singh, on November 27, 2014, informed the Rajya
Sabha (Upper House of Parliament) that there had been
363 ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the International
Border and 61 on the Line of Control (Loc) in J&K,
between August and November 17, 2014.
There are
also reports that Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed has stationed himself in an
LeT training camp in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan occupied
Kashmir (PoK), with a plan to disturb the democratic process
in J&K at any cost. CFA violations are intended to
facilitate the entry of well-prepared LeT cadres, among
others, into Indian territory over the coming days.
The success
of the election, the widespread participation of voters
and the engagement of various former separatist elements
with national political formations will be an extraordinary
goad for the surviving terrorist and separatist groups
and for their sponsors in Pakistan's Army and its Inter
Services Intelligence (ISI) Directorate. Some extremist
formations with direct connections to J&K and its
people, such as HM, have been shocked into a measure of
sobriety, and appear to be revaluating their stance. Yusuf
Shah aka Syed Salahuddin, thus stated, "The
militant leadership believes participation in the polls
is betrayal with the sacrifices. But whatever decision
is taken by the Hurriyat over the issue, we will abide
by it." Other terrorist groups, with their roots
squarely in Pakistan, and operating purely as proxies
of the ISI, however, are likely to harden their stance
further, seeking an escalation of violence in the apprehension
that their waning influence in J&K signals the end
of their movement.
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Targeting
Doctors
Tushar Ranjan Mohanty
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
Dr. Rubina
Khalid (55), a senior professor of the Dow University
of Health Sciences and a Sunni, was shot dead by unidentified
assailants on University Road in Karachi, the provincial
capital of Sindh, in the night of November 25, 2014. Police
said it was still unclear whether the shooting was a robbery
gone wrong or a targeted murder.
On September
23, 2014, a doctor from the Ahmadiya community, identified
as Dr. Mubashar Ahmad Khosa, was shot dead in the Malhi
Colony area of Mirpurkhas District in Sindh. According
to the reports, the doctor had got a text message half
an hour before the murder asking him to come out of his
clinic. Abid Khan, spokesman of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
later stated, “His murder means that he joins a long list
of Ahmadi Muslim medical professionals who have been targeted
in Pakistan solely because of their faith.”
A Shia
Doctor, Dr. Abdul Aziz, was shot dead by unidentified
assailants at his clinic near Madni Mosque in Korangi
Town of Karachi on September 11, 2014.
Indeed,
irrespective of their sectarian background, it appears
that doctors are being singled out across Pakistan. According
to partial
data compiled by the South Asia
Terrorism Portal (SATP), at least 44 doctors have
been killed, and another four have been injured, in 44
incidents of attack on doctors since 2001. 11 of the dead
were Shias; 30 were Sunnis; and three were Ahmadiyas.
25 of the total killings (in 26 attacks) were reported
from Sindh; followed by six killings (in six attacks)
from Balochistan; six killings (in six attacks) from Punjab;
four killings (in four attacks) from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
(KP); and three killings (in two attacks) from the Federally
Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
Significantly,
there has been a major spike in such incidents in recent
years. 2014 has, thus far, witnessed 11 killings and two
injuries in 11 such attacks, with Sindh accounting for
the highest fatalities (8), followed by Punjab (2) and
KP (1). Seven killings were recorded in 2013, in seven
attacks; and 10 doctors were killed in 2012 in 11 attacks.
These numbers,
however, appear to be a considerable underestimate of
such targeted attacks on Doctors. At least 19,832 civilians
have been killed in Pakistan
since 2001, and the professional identity of most of the
deceased was not available in open media. Consequently,
the number of doctors specifically targeted for killing
may be substantially higher.
Indeed,
on March 20, 2014, investigative journalist Kamran Khan
claimed in his Television programme Aaj Kamran Khan
Kay Sath, that, over just the two preceding years,
130 doctors had been killed in Karachi alone. He also
claimed that another 150 Doctors were abducted for ransom
during this period, clarifying further that targeted terrorism
against doctors was not confined to Karachi alone.
According
to data compiled by the Pakistan Medical Association
(PMA), at least 47 doctors have been killed in Karachi
alone since 2010. The PMA report claimed that 10 of these
killings occurred in 2014 (data till August 31, 2014);
14 in 2013; 11 in 2012, four in 2011, and eight in 2010.
PMA provides no data of such killing between 2005 and
2009. The number of such killings stood at three in 2004,
two in 2003, seven in 2002, 13 in 2001, six in 2000, seven
in 1999, four in 1998, 13 in 1997, six in 1996 and eight
in 1995. PMA data also indicates that at least 17 doctors
were victims of targeted killings between 1990 and 1994.
PMA President
Dr. Idress Adhi disclosed, on August 30, 2014, that PMA
as a representative of doctors had knocked the doors of
Health Departments, Rangers, Police, other law enforcing
agencies, social media and print and electronic media,
to help stop the targeted killing of healthcare practitioners
in Karachi, but, unfortunately, nobody was willing to
play their due role in this regard. He added, “No such
example of killing of medical professionals is found in
any other country.”
Similarly,
on December 27, 2012, Dr. Mirza Ali Azhar, Central Secretary
General, PMA, observed that, although no official national
numbers were available, in and around Quetta, the provincial
capital of Balochistan, alone, at least 16 doctors had
been killed and another 27 had been abducted over the
preceding two years. Referring to the gravity of the threat,
he noted that, nationally, one-third of doctors were under
some kind of threat, adding that in KP and FATA "every
doctor is feeling threatened in the current situation."
The causes
of the sustained assault on doctors in Pakistan differ
from province to province. Doctors have been killed and
kidnapped in Karachi for ransom and sectarian reason.
Dr. Akbar Khalil, a senior leader of PMA, stated, on December
27, 2012, that terrorists seek out doctors and other medical
workers because they see them as ‘desirable targets’ in
terms of quick payment of ransoms: "People perceive
that doctors are the wealthy class. Those doctors who
can afford to go abroad are not staying a day in Pakistan."
Similarly, Raza Muhammad Raza, a former senator and leader
of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party noted, "No doubt
kidnapping of doctors has turned out to be an easy business
for criminals, militants and insurgents."
In the
tribal areas of KP and FATA, doctors were targeted mostly
in order to terrorize the larger population, as they are
the more commonly visible and respected figures of society.
Terrorists also whisk away doctors in KP and FATA to provide
medical treatment to their associates, as well as to hold
them for ransom. An April 28, 2014, news reports quoted
an unnamed officer of the Federal Ministry of Interior
as stating,
Criminals
[terrorists] are kidnapping doctors from areas of
KP bordering the tribal areas. Surprisingly, they
are being kidnapped since criminals [terrorists]
find it difficult to get their accomplices treated
in the tribal areas, where they have their hideouts.
It has become a challenge for the law-enforcement
agencies to protect practicing doctors in KP. The
Police are trying to devise some strategy to counter
doctors’ kidnappings in the province.
|
On March
22, 2013, Dr. Abdul Jabbar, PMA Secretary, had disclosed,
further,
We
have only 7,000 doctors for 22 million people in
KP and FATA. It is impossible for doctors to pay
proper attention to the patients when death looms
over them. The militants are bent upon exposing
the people to disease because they are eliminating
the doctors at will.
|
172,289
doctors are registered in Pakistan for a population of
196,174,380, resulting in doctor-to-population ratio of
1:1138, below the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended
minimum of 1:1000. Pakistan Islamic Medical Association
President Dr. Misbahul Aziz observed, on April 5, 2014,
that the situation of healthcare services in rural areas
was the worst, as a majority of Rural Health Centres (RHCs)
lacked doctors, medical staff, medicines, equipments,
toilets, provision of clean drinking water, electricity,
etc. This fragile system has come under further and severe
pressure due to its targeting by terrorists.
Where they
have not looked the other way, law enforcement agencies
have come up with impractical solutions. For instance,
Peshawar Capital City Police Officer, Dr. Imtiaz Altaf
declared, on March 22, 2013, "We have deployed policemen
in the areas where Shia doctors work. The doctors have
also been advised to restrict their movements." Further,
during a meeting between a high level PMA delegation and
Major General Rizwan, Chief of the Rangers in Karachi,
on March 30, 2014, it was agreed that all doctors would
be facilitated to secure weapons' licenses for their personal
protection and would be trained for the proper use of
weapons. Doctors would also be allowed to carry their
weapons without any legal or administrative hindrance.
This bizarre decision comes in the wake of the fact that
authorities in the port city of Karachi have been struggling
unsuccessfully to de-weaponize
the city since 1993. Moreover, since the targeted killing
of doctors is just another aspect of the widening menace
of terrorism that has flourished across the country as
a result of ambivalent, often mischievous, state policies,
these ineffective and often absurd measures are bound
to fail.
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Weekly Fatalities: Major
Conflicts in South Asia
November 24-30,
2014
|
Civilians
|
Security
Force Personnel
|
Terrorists/Insurgents
|
Total
|
INDIA
|
|
Assam
|
5
|
0
|
7
|
12
|
Jammu and
Kashmir
|
6
|
3
|
4
|
13
|
Manipur
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Meghalaya
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
Left-wing
Extremism
|
|
Chhattisgarh
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
Total (INDIA)
|
13
|
3
|
13
|
29
|
PAKISTAN
|
|
Balochistan
|
5
|
1
|
0
|
6
|
FATA
|
2
|
0
|
41
|
43
|
KP
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
Punjab
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
Sindh
|
10
|
0
|
3
|
13
|
Total (PAKISTAN)
|
|
|
|
|
Provisional
data compiled from English language media sources.
|
BANGLADESH
RAB
launches
centralized
database
system:
The
Rapid
Action
Battalion
(RAB)
while
inaugurating
the
database
management
system
at
the
RAB
headquarters
in
Dhaka
city
on
November
27
launched
a
centralized
database
system
along
with
detailed
information
about
40,000
criminals
who
have
been
in
64
jails
across
the
country
since
2011.
RAB
sources
said
that
it
can
generate
150
types
of
information,
including
Auto
Biometric
Fingerprint
Identification
System
(AFIS),
about
a
criminal
of
the
country.
The
Independent,
November
28,
2014.
INDIA
12
persons
killed
in
Jammu
and
Kashmir:
On
November
27,
four
militants
who
infiltrated
from
across
the
border
amidst
ceasefire
violations
by
Pakistan,
carried
out
attack
killing
including
five
civilians
and
three
Army
soldiers
at
border
village
of
Kathaar
in
Arnia
sector,
close
to
the
International
Border,
of
Jammu
District.
The
attack
ended
with
last
of
the
four
militants
killed
by
the
Security
Force
personnel
on
November
28.
Daily
Excelsior,
November
28-29,
2014.
424
ceasefire
violations
along
IB
and
LoC
in
Jammu
and
Kashmir
between
August
and
November
17,
2014,
Government
informs
Raja
Sabha:
There
were
363
ceasefire
violations
along
the
International
Border
(IB)
and
61
along
the
Line
of
Control
(LoC)
in
Jammu
and
Kashmir
with
Pakistan
between
August
and
November
17,
2014,
the
government
told
the
Rajya
Sabha
(Upper
House
of
Parliament)
on
November
27.
In
a
written
reply,
Union
Minister
of
State
for
External
Affairs
V
K
Singh
said
that
government
continues
to
take
all
necessary
steps
to
safeguard
India's
territorial
integrity
and
safety
and
security
of
people.
Times
of
India,
November
28,
2014.
Tripura-based
militants
have
32
camps
in
Bangladesh:
Border
Security
Force
Inspector
General
(BSF-IG),
Tripura
Frontier,
B.
D,
Sharma,
stated
that
Tripura-based
militant
organisations
still
have
32
hideouts
in
Bangladesh.
Biswamohan
faction
of
National
Liberation
Front
of
Tripura
(NLFT-BM)
has
maximum
number
of
shelters
or
camps.
Assam
Tribune,
November
29,
2014.
NSG
chief
states
that
militancy
is
a
cottage
industry
in
North
East
India:
National
Security
Guard
(NSG)
Director
General
J.
N.
Choudhury
on
November
28
stated
that
militancy
has
become
a
"cottage
industry"
in
North
East
India.
He
stated,
"In
northeast,
militancy
has
become
almost
a
cottage
industry
where
extortion
and
abduction
for
ransom
is
seen
as
an
easy
means
for
money."
Business
Standard,
November
29,
2014.
'Checks
are
in
place
to
prevent
illicit
fund
flows',
states
Union
Minister
of
State
for
Finance
Jayant
Sinha:
On
November
28,
Union
Minister
of
State
for
Finance
Jayant
Sinha
in
a
written
reply
to
Lok
Sabha
(Lower
House
of
Indian
Parliament)
informed
that
to
prevent
illicit
money
flows
into
capital
markets,
authorities
have
put
in
place
advanced
risk
management
mechanism
and
other
systems.
"SEBI
[Securities
and
Exchange
Board
of
India]
maintains
constant
vigil
in
the
market,
and
in
case
of
any
abnormality,
takes
appropriate
action
against
the
concerned
entities,"
Sinha
said.
Business
Standard,
November
29,
2014.
BSF
is
planning
to
use
laser
walls
to
stop
infiltration
from
Pakistan,
say
BSF
officials:
Border
Security
Force
(BSF)
is
planning
to
use
laser
walls
to
stop
infiltration
from
Pakistan.
This
is
one
solution
BSF
is
exploring
to
implement
more
effective
border
checks.
The
laser
wall
will
ensure
that
anyone
approaching
the
border
or
breaking
the
beam
in
an
unfenced
zone
sets
off
an
alarm.
Other
than
laser
walls
in
unfenced
areas,
the
force
is
considering
anti-tunnel
ground
sensors
and
thermal
sensors
in
the
fenced
stretches.
Such
technologies,
sources
said,
are
already
in
use
in
countries
such
as
Israel.
Times
of
India,
November
27,
2014.
There
is
no
intelligence
inputs
that
IS
outfit
was
trying
to
gain
ground
among
youth
in
Kashmir,
says
UMHA:
Union
Ministry
of
Home
Affairs
(UMHA)
on
November
26,
said
that
although
some
youths
in
Srinagar
were
found
unfurling
flags
of
the
Islamic
State
(IS)
on
a
few
occasions
during
the
past
couple
of
months,
there
were
no
intelligence
inputs
that
the
outfit
was
trying
to
gain
ground
among
the
youth
in
Kashmir.
Union
Minister
of
State
for
Home
Affairs
Kiren
Rijiju,
in
a
written
reply
in
the
Rajya
Sabha
(Upper
House),
said,
"Interrogation
of
the
accused
youths
in
these
cases
indicated
that
they
had
seen
IS-related
literature
on
social
media
and
were
fascinated
by
it."The
Hindu,
November
27,
2014.
71.28
per
cent
turnout
recorded
during
first
phase
of
polling
for
15
Assembly
Constituencies
of
Jammu
and
Kashmir:
71.28
per
cent
turnout
was
recorded
during
first
phase
of
polling
for
15
Assembly
constituencies
of
Jammu
and
Kashmir
held
on
November
25.
People
defied
various
odds
including
election
boycott
call
given
by
the
separatists
and
adverse
weather
conditions
with
cold
wave
sweeping
many
parts
of
the
segments
that
went
to
polls
on
November
25.
Daily
Excelsior,
November
27,
2014.
Coastal
Security
much
stronger,
says
Government:
The
Government
on
November
25,
said
that
the
overall
coastal
and
maritime
security
along
the
entire
coast
is
"much
stronger
than
before"
as
several
steps
have
been
taken
in
this
regard.
"At
any
given
time,
the
entire
west
coast
is
under
continuous
surveillance
by
ships
and
aircraft
of
the
Navy
and
Coast
Guard",
according
to
an
official
statement.
The
statement
added
that
since
2008,
coastal
and
maritime
security
has
been
strengthened
substantially
by
"successful"
implementation
of
technical,
organisational
and
procedural
initiatives
by
all
maritime
security
agencies.
NDTV,
November
26,
2014.
PAKISTAN
41
militants
and
two
civilians
among
43
persons
killed
during
the
week
in
FATA:
Eleven
militants
were
killed
and
five
of
their
hideouts
destroyed
in
air
strikes
in
the
Kukikhel
area
of
in
Tirah
valley
in
Federally
Administered
Tribal
Areas
(FATA)
on
November
28.
Seven
militants
were
killed
when
US
drone
fired
two
missiles
at
a
house
in
the
Shawal
area
of
North
Waziristan
Agency
(NWA)
on
November
26.
At
least
20
militants
were
killed
and
eight
others
were
injured
on
November
25
in
air
strikes
in
the
Dattakhel
area
of
NWA.
Daily
Times;
Dawn;
The
News;
Tribune;
Central
Asia
Online;
The
Nation;
The
Frontier
Post;
Pakistan
Today;
Pakistan
Observer,
November
25-December
1,
2014.
SC
can't
ignore
problems
of
minorities,
says
Chief
Justice
Nasirul
Mulk:
The
Chief
Justice
of
Pakistan
(CJP),
Nasirul
Mulk,
on
November
25
observed
that
the
Supreme
Court
could
not
overlook
the
problems
being
faced
by
the
minorities
and
issued
notices
to
the
Attorney
General
of
Pakistan
and
the
four
Provincial
Advocate
Generals
seeking
their
respective
reports
on
the
implementation
of
the
apex
court's
directives
for
the
protection
of
minority
rights.
A
three-member
bench
of
the
Supreme
Court,
headed
by
the
Chief
Justice,
resumed
hearing
related
to
the
implementation
of
its
June
19,
2014,
directives
for
protection
of
minority
worship
places
in
the
country.
The
News,
November
26,
2014.
Washington
not
a
reliable
friend,
says
Defence
Minister
Khawaja
Asif:
The
uneasy
truth
of
Pakistan's
less-than-trusting
relationship
with
the
US
was
acknowledged
by
a
key
member
of
the
Federal
Cabinet
on
November
25
when
Defence
Minister
Khawaja
Asif
drew
a
large
question
mark
on
the
reliability
of
Washington
as
a
friend
of
Pakistan.
"The
Americans
have
been
our
friends
for
a
long
time
-
since
the
60s
and
the
70s
-
but
their
reliability
is
relative,"
he
told
at
the
Institute
of
Strategic
Studies.
"American
foreign
policy
has
been
disastrous
for
this
region,"
he
said,
referring
to
South
Asia
and
the
Middle
East,
adding
that,
"for
all
times
to
come,
the
geography
of
this
region
has
been
changed".
Dawn,
November
26,
2014.
ISI
is
country's
first
line
of
defence,
says
Prime
Minister
Nawaz
Sharif:
Prime
Minister
Nawaz
Sharif
during
his
meeting
with
Inter-Services
Intelligence
(ISI)
Director
General
Lieutenant
General
Rizwan
Akhtar
in
Islamabad
on
November
24
lauded
the
services
of
ISI,
describing
it
as
the
country's
first
line
of
defence
against
the
enemies
of
the
State.
The
Prime
Minister
said
the
ISI
was
playing
a
vital
role
in
curbing
terrorism
in
the
country
and
its
sacrifices
would
not
go
waste.
The
News,
November
25,
2014.
CCTV
cameras
to
be
installed
in
Balochistan:
During
a
briefing
given
to
Balochistan
Chief
Minister
Dr
Abdul
Malik
Baloch
on
November
24
it
was
said
that
over
1,400
close
circuit
television
(CCTV)
cameras
will
be
installed
at
more
than
250
points
in
Provincial
capital
Quetta
as
part
of
the
Government's
efforts
to
curb
terrorism
and
other
heinous
crimes.
The
meeting
was
also
told
that
X-ray
machines
would
be
installed
at
six
exit
and
entry
points
of
the
city.
Dawn,
November
25,
2014.
SRI
LANKA
No
LTTE
'Mahavir
Day'
celebrations
allowed
in
Sri
Lanka,
says
Army
spokesman:
Army
Media
spokesperson
Brigadier
Ruwan
Wanigasooriya
on
November
26
said
that
Sri
Lanka
will
not
allow
anyone
to
celebrate
the
birth
anniversary
of
the
slain
leader
of
the
Liberation
Tigers
of
Tamil
Eelam
(LTTE),
Velupillai
Prabhakaran
or
the
'Mahavir
Day'
(Heroes'
Day)
that
falls
on
his
birthday.
Prabhakaran's
birthday
falls
on
November
26,
and
before
its
demise
in
2009,
the
LTTE
commemorated
its
'war
heroes'
day
on
the
leader's
birthday.
The
spokesperson
said
the
reports
claiming
that
LTTE
loyalists
are
planning
on
celebrating
the
'Mahavir
day'
on
November
26
and
27
is
completely
false.
Colombo
Page,
November
28,
2014.
Army
to
return
more
LTTE-possessed
gold
jewellery
to
rightful
owners
in
Northern
Province:
Commander
of
the
Army,
Lieutenant
General
Daya
Ratnayake,
on
November
26
said
that
Army
has
taken
measures
to
return
another
stock
of
gold
jewellery
the
defunct
terrorist
group
Liberation
Tigers
of
Tamil
Eelam
(LTTE)
possessed
to
the
rightful
owners
in
the
Northern
Province.
He
said
that
another
stock
of
gold
jewellery
will
be
released
to
1,960
identified
rightful
owners
in
the
Northern
Province
at
a
ceremony,
headed
by
President
Mahinda
Rajapaksa,
on
December
4.
Colombo
Page,
November
28,
2014.
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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