| |
SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 14, No. 40, April 4, 2016
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
|
Reassertion
of Reason
Sanchita
Bhattacharya
Visiting
Scholar, Institute for Conflict Management
On March
19, 2016, Counter-Terrorism and Trans National Crime Unit
(CTTC) Chief Monirul Islam stated that Ansarullah Bangla
Team (ABT) had set up eight hideouts in Dhaka city to
carry out killings of secular people. A group of 20 militants,
dubbed “the killing squad” by investigators, are reportedly
engaged in ‘managing’ these hideouts. Explaining the modus
operandi, investigators disclosed that, prior to killing
secular targets, ABT terrorists rent houses from where
they monitor their victims before making the final move.“Last
month, they planned to kill a blogger named Niloy who
lives in Dhaka’s Azimpur,” Monirul Islam stated, adding
that the Security Forces (SFs) had foiled the attempt.
CTTC garnered
the information about the “the killing squad” from two
ABT militants, identified as Shahin alias Jamal
alias Kamal (26) and Salahuddin alias Hiron
alias Shah Alam (30), who were arrested on February
19, 2016, from the Badda area of capital city, Dhaka.
So far, three out of eight such hideouts have been neutralised
by the SFs.
Of late,
Bangladesh has become a dangerous place for people who
are opposing extremists. According to partial data compiled
by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP),
at least 15 such persons have been killed since the first
murder of writer and publisher Ahmed Rajib Haider in the
Mirpur area of Dhaka on February 15, 2013. The most recent
of these has been the death of Mashiur Rahman Utsho (reporter
working with Bengali newspaper Juger Alo) killed
on December 24, 2015, in Rangpur District. 2015 proved
very lethal with six such people
killed, including Avijit Roy, Washiqur Rehman Babu, Ananta
Bijoy Das, Niloy Neel, Faisal Arifin and Mashiur Rahman.
On May
12, 2013, ABT
had issued a list of 84 “atheist bloggers” on the grounds
that "All of them are enemy of the Islam (sic)."
ABT operatives with information technology (IT) skills
were managing fake Facebook pages and using accounts
to hunt down "atheists" so that the group’s
armed cadres could
attack them.
Moreover, in 2015, al Qaeda in Indian Sub-continent (AQIS)
also joined ABT in threatening rational and secular minds.
In a message posted on justpaste.it, AQIS declared
in the wake of the Ananta Bijoy Das' killing: “We want
to say to atheist bloggers! We don't forget and we will
not forget others who insult our beloved Prophet Muhammad
and Allah. Another file closed! Stay tuned for next target.”
Religious
minorities are also facing the brunt of this extremist
violence. According to partial data collated by Institute
for Conflict Management (ICM), since 2013, six people
belonging to religious minorities have been confirmed
killed, but this is likely a gross underestimate. Data
on the plight of minorities in Bangladesh is extremely
deficient, with fitful reportage. The latest of such killings
took place on March 14, 2016, when a homeopathic doctor/
preacher, identified as Abdur Razzak, belonging to the
minority Shia sect was killed in Jhenidah District. “The
Government needs to be more aware about our security and
ensure justice, so that we can live without fear of more
attacks,” Mir Julfikar, President of the Husseni Welfare
Association, a leading Shia organization stated.
The threat
to independent voices from Islamist extremists persists
despite the fact that the present Bangladesh Government
under Sheikh Hasina Wajed -led Awami League (AL) party
has taken tremendous initiatives to curb the menace of
religious extremism, including the creation of a legal
body to tackle terrorism and religious extremism. In the
year 2009, Bangladesh promulgated the Anti-Terrorism
Act (ATA), which forbids membership
of and support to proscribed organisations which are engaged
in terrorist activities, including the terrorist outfits
listed under various United Nations Security Council Resolutions.
In addition, on February 16, 2012, Bangladesh’s Parliament
unanimously passed an amendment to the Act, which legalised
capital punishment for domestic acts of terrorism. Further,
the 2012 ATA authorised the death penalty for terrorists
targeting another country. Further, Bangladesh has devised
the Anti
Terrorism Rules 2013 to strengthen
the official position vis-a-vis terrorism and violent
extremist activities. The Rules contain stringent provisions
to check the flow of terror finances, including criminal
liability on the basis of a “reasonable suspicion” that
the money will be used to fund any terrorist act.
The Government
has also sought to curb the menace of terrorist finance
in Bangladesh, monitoring banks and Non-Governmental Organisations
(NGOs). The Government brought two private banks, Islami
Bank Bangladesh Limited (IBBL) and Social Islami Bank
Limited (SIBL), both managed by Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI),
under its regulatory mechanisms after the US Senate Permanent
Subcommittee on Investigation in its July 17, 2012, report
titled U.S. Vulnerabilities to Money Laundering, Drugs
and Terrorist Financing: HSBC Case History, had implicated
these Banks for involvement in terror financing. Also,
the Government closed the operation of the Saudi Arabia
based charity al Haramain Foundation and the Kuwait based
charity Revival of Islamic Heritage Society, for their
alleged involvement in terror financing.
In 2015
Bangladesh also experienced a spate of bank robberiesby
religious extremists to fund terrorist activities. In
the month of February 2015, the country’s central bank,
Bangladesh Bank, had put banks in Bangladesh on maximum
alert so that they could protect against being exploited
to finance terrorism, following Prime Minister, Sheikh
Hasina Wajed’s directive.
Further,
the Government is working for the mitigation of extremism
and intolerance by implementing a national counter-radicalisation
strategy through education, women’s empowerment and propagation
of secular and moderate cultural values. The Government
has also adopted an innovative “Motivational Campaign”
to stop misuse of religion as a pretext for carrying out
subversive activities.
Bangladesh
has raised a strong direct challenge to extremist forces.On
May 26, 2015, the AL Government banned ABT. Earlier, a
number of other such outfits had also been banned, including
Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B)
(October, 2005); Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB)
and Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (February, 2005);
Hizb ut-Tahrir (October, 2009); Shahdat-e-al Hikma (February,
2003).
Similarly,
the Government constituted the International Crimes Tribunal-1
(ICT-1) on March 25, 2010, and subsequently, ICT-2 on
March 22, 2012, with the objective of bringing the perpetrators
of War Crimes of 1971 to justice. There is a critical
overlap between the leadership involved in the 1971 War
Crimes and the radical Islamist leadership of the country
today. So far, the two ICTs have indicted
53 leaders, including 36 from Jama'at-e-Islami (JeI),
six from the Muslim League (ML), five from Nezam-e-Islami
(NeI), four from BNP and two from the Jatiya Party (JP).
Verdicts against 26 of these indicted leaders have already
been delivered – 19 were awarded the death sentence while
the remaining seven received life sentences. Four of the
19 who received the death sentence have already been executed,
while 13 others cases are currently pending with the Appellate
Division of the Supreme Court.
Unsurprisingly,
these initiatives have sparked major turmoil and violence
in the country. According to partial data compiled by
ICM, since the formation of ICT-1 (as mentioned above),
at least 511 people, including 286 civilians, 29 SF personnel
and 196 extremists have been killed, principally in acts
of terror targeting civilians, or in street violence (data
till April 3, 2016). However, the Government has decided
not to give up and has reiterated that the trials will
continue. On December 14, 2015, Sheikh Hasina stated,
"There is no power in the world which will be able
to halt the continuous war crimes trial...The conspiracy
of the cohorts of the Pakistani occupation forces is going
on in the country and it would continue."
Bangladesh
is not only a country for Sunni Muslims. It is also homeland
to Shias, Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, atheists and
agnostics. The very foundation of the country was built
on the edifice of cultural protest, justice and secular
thinking. Bangladesh's 1971 Constitution originally declared
that all religions were equal in the eyes of the state.
However,
military ruler Hussain Mohammad Ershad, with the Eighth
Amendment to the Constitution in 1988, pronounced Islam
the state religion, against the original and secular nature
of the Constitution. The Amendment not only made Islam
the state religion but also allowed religion-based politics,
which enabled the JeI and other religious parties to return
to the position of power that had been denied to them
under the 1972 Constitution.
In June
2011, following the 15th Constitutional Amendment,
Sheikh Hasina’s incumbent Government reinstated the principle
of secularism. However, in a volte face on her
declared position, she also reaffirmed Islam as the state
religion, and thus preserved the changes
made to the Constitution in 2007 by
the Provisional Government led by Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed.
In the
meantime, in a major step in order to increase Police
capability to combat militancy and terrorism, a new Police
Division, the CTTC unit under the Dhaka Metropolitan Police,
consisting of 600 personnel, was formed in December 2015.
This Police unit, which also deals with terror financing,
and mobile bank related and cyber crimes, started functioning
from February 2016. Earlier, on December 15, 2015, State
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shahriar Alam stated that
Bangladesh has decided to join a Saudi Arabian initiative
to set up "Counter-Terrorism Centre" along with
other Muslim countries to fight terrorism and extremist
ideology.
Nevertheless,
secular thinking remains under constant threat from ultra-rightist
religious fanatics in Bangladesh. Though, legal action
to drop Islam as Bangladesh's state religion has been
revived and the Dhaka High Court agreed to hear the case
on March 27, 2016, the petition was rejected. The three-member
panel of judges said in its ruling that the petitioners
had “no locus standi” and could not demonstrate
that they had been harmed by the law they were seeking
to challenge. Islamists, including JeI and Hefazat-e-Islam
(HeI) cadres, had called for a general strike on March
28, 2016, to protest the legal challenge, but withdrew
the call after the High Court dismissed the petition following
a brief hearing.
Bangladesh
has been proactive in curbing terror in whole, demonstrating
the commitment of Sheikh Hasina and her Government in
correcting past wrongs. Despite strong opposition and
disruptive activities of rightist elements, the state
has maintained its goal of uprooting violence and terrorism.
The threat of extremism persists, of course, and the decades
of unchallenged radicalization have left behind a very
large pool of extremists within the population. Enormous
and enduring efforts will be required to reverse the impact
of this long and perverse process – but the reassertion
of reason is certainly well begun.
|
Northeast:
Widening Tranquility
Ajit
Kumar Singh
Research Fellow, Institute for Conflict Management
Peace prevailed
over much of India’s Northeast through 2015, with 62 civilian
fatalities in the year, as against 245 such fatalities
recorded in 2014. Fatalities had been rising since 2011,
with 79 civilians killed in the year, as against 77 in
2010; rising to 90 in 2012 and further to 95 in 2013.
More importantly,
the 62 civilian fatalities registered in 2015 are the
lowest in the region since 1992, according to the South
Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) database [SATP data for
the region is available only since 1992]. The previous
lowest was 77 recorded in 2010. Notably, at the peak of
the multiple insurgencies in the region, 946 civilian
fatalities were recorded in 2000.
The region
comprises eight states: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur,
Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura. Barring
Sikkim which has had no insurgency in its history, all
others have seen enduring movements of armed violence,
though their intensity and dispersal have varied across
these States and across time. Significantly, while civilian
fatalities were recorded across all seven States through
2014, 2015 saw no such fatalities in two States – Tripura
and Mizoram. Among the States from where fatalities were
reported in 2015, except Nagaland which registered a marginal
increase, from 11 in 2014 to 14, all the other States
registered a fall in civilian fatalities. Assam recorded
the largest dip, with just 10 such fatalities in 2015,
as against 184 in 2014.
Overall
fatalities in the region also declined from 465 [245 civilians,
23 Security Forces (SFs) personnel, 197 militants] in
2014, to 273 [62 civilians, 49 SFs personnel, 162 militants]
in 2015, a drop of 41.29 per cent. At the peak of the
insurgencies, the region recorded 1,696 fatalities in
2000. So far in 2016 (data till April 3), the Northeast
has recorded 39 fatalities (10 civilians and 29 militants).
The number
of districts from where fatalities were reported in 2015
stood at 40, as against 47 in 2014. The seven troubled
States of the Northeast (excluding Sikkim) have a total
of 87 Districts.
Other parameters
of violence also witnessed improvements. As against 31
major incidents (involving three or more fatalities) resulting
in 229 deaths in 2014, there were 16 such incidents resulting
in 82 deaths in 2015. The number of explosions and resultant
fatalities also recorded a decline, from 102 incidents
and 24 killed in 2014, to 74 incidents and 11 killed in
2015.
SF operations
yielded a kill ratio of 1:2.16 against militants in 2015,
significantly worse than 2014, when it stood at 1:7.65.
As operations intensified, the militants have pushed back
against the SFs in 2015. In 2016, thus far (data till
April 3), SFs have eliminated 29 militants without suffering
a single loss, suggesting that the adverse trend in 2015
has been reversed. [SFs had killed 176 militants out of
197 killed in 2014; while 21 were killed in factional
clashes. Similarly, out of 162 militants killed in 2015,
56 were killed in factional clashes while SFs eliminated
106].
Nevertheless,
numerous challenges remain before lasting peace can be
established in this troubled region, which has witnessed
cyclic surges and recessions in levels
of violence over decades. Never since
1992 have overall fatalities registered decline, on year
on year basis, for more than three consecutive years.
This positive trend was achieved twice – between 2004
and 2006; and between 2009 and 2011. Fatalities then increased
for five consecutive years between 1993 and 1997, the
longest span of continuous increase in fatalities.
The region
remains home to 13 of the 39 terrorist formations banned
by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) as on March
30, 2015. According to the SATP database, apart from these
13 major terror outfits, 30 other groups remain active
in the region. In addition, 23 terror groups/conglomerates
are presently in peace talks or have signed ceasefire
agreements with respective State and the Union Governments.
In the meantime, on March 21, 2016, Union Home Minister
(UHM) Rajnath Singh reiterated, "We are ready for
talks with anyone who gives up violence. I appeal to everyone
to shun violence.”
Significantly,
a ‘historic
accord’ was signed between the Government
of India (GoI) and the largest rebel Naga group, the National
Socialist Council of Nagaland–Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM)
on August 3, 2015. While few details of the actual contents
of the agreement are available, the Centre’s principal
interlocutor R.N. Ravi had then clarified that the ‘accord’
was, in fact, a “framework agreement” that spelled out
the terms of a “final settlement”. Though subsequent reports
suggested that such a final settlement would be worked
out within three months, more than seven months have passed
and no timeframe has yet been scheduled. However, NSCN-IM
and GoI decided on January 20, 2016, to speed up the peace
process by holding 'formal talks' twice a week.
There have,
however, been instances in the past when terror outfits
in the region have abrogated ceasefire agreements and
rejoined militancy. Most recently, the National Socialist
Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K)
on March 27, 2015, unilaterally
abrogated a ceasefire that had endured
since April 2001. Subsequently, the Union Government also
called off its agreement with NSCN-K through a statement
released on April 28, 2015. NSCN-K had signed the ceasefire
agreement with the Central Government on April 28, 2001,
and this had since been extended annually. Since abrogating
the ceasefire, the NSCN-K has been confirmed to have been
involved in the killing of seven civilians and nine SF
personnel in Nagaland.
It is noteworthy
that after being successfully targeted by the SFs in a
protracted campaign, most of the major terror outfits
operating in the region have moved their leadership to
neighboring countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, China and
Myanmar. They operate out of ‘safe havens’ in these countries,
from where they have established training camps, and from
where they help their cadres smuggle arms and ammunition,
and mount attacks on Indian soil. Though the Indian Government
has been able to get vital support from countries like
Bangladesh,
Bhutan
and Myanmar
from time to time, helping reduce the menace, several
training camps still exist in these countries and these
remain a worry. Not surprisingly, on March 21, 2016, UHM
Rajnath Singh asserted, "We are trying to ensure
border security through all possible means and to curb
cross-border terrorism in the region. We (the Central
Government) will discuss with Chief Ministers of the northeastern
States to check the smuggling of arms from across the
international border and to other States in the country.
Whatever assistance is required from the Central Government
would be provided to all the State Governments."
Significantly,
Mukul Sangma, Chief Minister of Meghalaya, one of the
States in the region, expressing concern on the easy availability
of arms had noted, on March 11, 2016, “There are pockets
in the region (Northeast) where arms are easily available.
There are too many guns available at throwaway prices."
Moreover,
facing the heat from SFs, the militants in the region
have come together in an attempt to form a united platform.
On April 17, 2015, NSCN-K joined hands with three of the
most active terror outfits in the Northeast: the United
Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I);
IK Songbijit faction of the National Democratic Front
of Bodoland (NDFB-IKS);
and Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO),
to form the United National Liberation Front of Western
South East Asia (UNLFWESEA). The UNLFWESEA headed by S.S.
Khaplang was formed with the aim to set up a ‘northeast
government-in-exile’, reportedly to be based in Myanmar.
The CorCom [Coordination Committee], a conglomerate of
six Manipur Valley-based militant outfits – the Kangleipak
Communist Party (KCP),
Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL),
People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK),
its Progressive faction (PREPAK-Pro), Revolutionary People's
Front (RPF, the political wing of the People’s Liberation
Army– PLA), and United National Liberation Front (UNLF)
– have also reportedly extended ‘moral support’ to the
Front and agreed to take part in joint operations against
‘common enemies’. CorCom was formed in July 2011 with
seven members but, in a Press Release issued on February
1, 2013, stated that it has expelled the United Peoples
Party of Kangleipak (UPPK) from its membership.
According
to a March 23, 2016, report, the Assam Police disclosed,
through a Press Statement, “On March 8, a group of UNLFWSEA
[UNLFWESEA] and some other extremist organisations entered
Upper Dihing Reserve Forest, Tinsukia. The group was a
conglomerate of ULFA (I), PLA [Peoples’ Liberation Army],
KYKL [Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup], NSCN (K).” Their initial
target was to attack SFs in Upper Assam on March 16, 2016,
ULFA’s ‘Raising Day’.
UMHA has
also expressed concern over the Communist Party of India-Maoist’s
(CPI-Maoist)
attempts to expand their base in the region. UHM Rajnath
Singh, on March 22, 2016, thus observed, while addressing
Assam Rifles troopers on their 181st Raising
Day celebrations in Meghalaya, "We have got information
that in some parts of the Northeast, Maoists are trying
expand their roots. We have to check this, and I believe
you can demoralise their courage (sic)." Interestingly,
none of the 87 Districts of the seven insurgency affected
States in the region feature in the list of 106 districts
declared Maoist-affected by the UMHA as of March 1, 2016.
In the last such detailed list which was released in 2012,
thirteen Districts across three States in the Northeast
(Assam-10, Tripura-2, and Arunachal Pradesh 1) were listed
as Maoist-affected. 182 districts (including the 13 in
the Northeast) had been declared Maoist-affected in the
2012
list.
Meanwhile,
residual State specific threats persist in all the seven
affected States: Arunachal
Pradesh, Assam,
Manipur,
Meghalaya,
Mizoram,
Nagaland
and Tripura.
For instance, the issue
of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) continued to trouble Manipur
through 2015, with 10 people killed in the related stir.
Manipur was the worst affected State in the region in
terms of insurgency related fatalities through 2015, accounting
for 94 deaths.
SFs have
helped attain relative peace in the region and are expected
to tackle the residual challenges as well. However, for
an enduring peace to be established in the region, it
is imperative for the Central Government to work in unison
with the respective State Governments to accelerate developmental
projects in the region to narrow down the economic disparity
which has emerged because of years of neglect on the part
of successive regimes. On March 3, 2016, Union Minister
for Development of the North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra
Singh disclosed, “The budgetary allocation for the Ministry
of DoNER has been increased from Rs 2,334.50 crore last
year to Rs 2,400 crore this year. A budget of Rs 33,097.02
crore has been allocated for the Northeast across 56 ministries,
which is 14 per cent higher than the budget estimate of
Rs 29,087.93 crore for the previous year.”
Fund allocation,
however, is only a very small part of the problem. Despite
generous Central allocations, States in the region have
– with the exception of Tripura – been non-performers,
and their administrations deeply eroded by corruption,
neglect and politicization.
|
Weekly Fatalities: Major
Conflicts in South Asia
March
28-April 3, 2016
|
Civilians
|
Security
Force Personnel
|
Terrorists/Insurgents
|
Total
|
INDIA
|
|
Assam
|
0
|
0
|
4
|
4
|
Left-Wing
Extremism
|
|
Chhattisgarh
|
0
|
7
|
3
|
10
|
Maharashtra
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
Total (INDIA)
|
2
|
7
|
7
|
16
|
PAKISTAN
|
|
FATA
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
KP
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
Punjab
|
2
|
0
|
10
|
12
|
Sindh
|
0
|
1
|
3
|
4
|
Total (PAKISTAN)
|
|
|
|
|
Provisional
data compiled from English language media sources.
|
BANGLADESH
US
now
accepts
JeI
as
a
terrorist
organization,
says
State
Minister
for
Foreign
Affairs
Shahriar
Alam:
State
Minister
for
Foreign
Affairs
Shahriar
Alam
following
a
meeting
with
a
delegation
of
United
States
(US)
diplomats
on
March
31
said
that
US
now
accepts
Jamaat-e-Islami
(JeI)
as
a
terrorist
organization.
The
Minister
told,
"The
US
now
understands
that
Jamaat-e-Islami
is
a
terrorist
organization,
even
though
they
were
slow
on
the
uptake."
Dhaka Tribune,
April
2,
2016.
There
is
no
room
for
terrorism
and
militancy
in
Islam,
says
BNP
Chairperson
Begum
Khaleda
Zia:
Bangladesh
Nationalist
Party
(BNP)
Chairperson
Begum
Khaleda
Zia
while
addressing
a
programme
of
Islami
Oikya
Jote
in
Dhaka
city
on
March
31
said
that
there
is
no
room
for
terrorism
and
militancy
in
Islam.
Mentioning
that
Islam
is
a
religion
of
peace,
she
said:
"There
is
no
place
for
militancy
and
terrorism
in
Islam.
However,
a
vested
quarter
is
running
militant
activities
in
the
country
in
the
name
of
our
religion.
Please
stay
alert
and
keep
the
common
people
away
from
such
activities."
Dhaka Tribune,
April
1,
2016.
20
militant
outfits
are
trying
to
recruit
documented
as
well
as
undocumented
Rohingyas
living
in
Districts
of
Chittagong,
Cox's
Bazaar
and
Bandarban,
says
Intelligence
report:
Intelligence
report
said
that
20
militant
outfits
are
trying
to
recruit
documented
as
well
as
undocumented
Rohingyas
living
in
the
Districts
of
Chittagong,
Cox's
Bazaar
and
Bandarban.
The
report
said
that
the
militant
groups
named
their
alliance
as
Hilful
Fuzul
Al
Islam
Al
Bangladesh
to
recruit
the
Rohigiyas.
The
recruitment
drives
are
carried
out
by
leaders
of
local
and
foreign
militant
groups.
The
outfits
exploit
the
helplessness
of
the
refugees
from
Myanmar.
New Age,
March
30,
2016.
High
Court
rejects
writ
challenging
legality
of
Constitutional
provision
recognizing
Islam
as
state
religion
of
Bangladesh:
The
High
Court
on
March
28
rejected
the
writ
challenging
the
legality
of
a
Constitutional
provision
recognizing
Islam
as
the
state
religion
of
Bangladesh.
The
bench
of
Justice
Naima
Haider,
Justice
Quazi
Reza-Ul
Hoque
and
Justice
Mohamad
Ashraful
Kamal
summarily
rejected
the
28-year-old
petition,
saying
the
petitioners
have
no
jurisdiction
to
move
such
a
petition.
Dhaka Tribune,
March
19,
2016.
INDIA
FICN
enters
Mumbai
through
illegal
Bangladeshi
migrants,
according
to
Mumbai
Police:
The
trail
of
Fake
Indian
Currency
Notes
(FICNs)
entering
Mumbai
has
led
the
Police
to
new
players,
illegal
Bangladeshi
migrants
working
as
construction
labourers
and
house
help.
According
to
sources,
the
porous
international
border
in
West
Bengal's
Malda
District
is
the
main
route
for
smuggling
FICN
into
the
country.
Illegal
migrants,
Police
claimed,
visit
their
villages
in
Bangladesh
frequently
and
carry
fake
currency
notes
on
their
way
back
into
the
city,
which
they
eventually
spend
in
the
city.
Hindustan
Times,
April
1,
2016.
Pakistan
acknowledges
Pathankot
Attack
originated
from
its
soil,
says
UHM
Rajnath
Singh:
Union
Home
Minister
(UHM)
Rajnath
Singh
on
March
30
said
Pakistan
has
for
the
first
time
acknowledged
that
the
terror
attack
in
Pathankot
had
its
roots
in
that
country.
Singh
said
Pakistan
had
been
continuously
saying
that
it
has
no
involvement
in
militant
and
terror
activities
in
India.
He
said,
however,
now
Pakistan
has
acknowledged
the
fact
that
Pathankot
attack
(January
2,
2016)
originated
from
its
soil
and
filed
a
First
Information
Report
(FIR).
The
Indian
Express,
March
31,
2016.
NEPAL
UDMF
directs
its
constituents
to
prepare
for
another
movement
to
begin
from
mid-April:
Democratic
Madheshi
Front
(UDMF)
on
March
31
directed
its
constituents
to
prepare
for
another
movement
to
begin
from
mid-April.
According
to
spokesperson
for
National
Madhes
Socialist
Party
(NMSP)
Keshav
Jha,
the
UDMF
will
wait
and
see
till
mid-April.
If
the
major
parties
and
the
Government
do
not
address
the
demands
of
the
front,
then
agitating
forces
will
start
their
protests
in
the
third
week
of
April.
"This
time
we
will
launch
protests
in
all
the
regions
and
they
will
be
decisive,"
Jha
said.
Himalayan
Times,
April
1,
2016.
TRC
unveils
plan
to
complete
investigation
into
conflict-era
human
rights
violation
cases
within
a
year:
The
Truth
and
Reconciliation
Commission
(TRC)
on
March
30
unveiled
its
plan
to
complete
investigation
into
conflict-era
human
rights
violation
cases
within
a
year.
During
a
meeting
of
Social
Justice
and
Human
Rights
Committee
of
the
Parliament,
TRC
Chairman
Surya
Kiran
Gurung
presented
a
plan
of
action,
stating
that
the
transitional
justice
mechanism
would
submit
its
final
report
to
the
government
by
early
February
2017.
Himalayan
Times,
March
31,
2016.
PAKISTAN
252
militants
killed;
640
square
kilometers
of
area
cleared
in
Shawal
Valley
so
far
in
the
last
phase
of
Operation
Zarb-e-Azb,
says
Army:
Since
the
last
phase
of
Operation
Zarb-e-Azb
kicked
off
on
February
27,
at
least
252
militants
have
been
killed
and
160
severely
injured,
while
Security
Forces
(SFs)
have
cleared
640
square
kilometres
of
so
far
uncontrolled
area
in
Shawal
Valley
of
North
Waziristan
Agency
in
Federally
Administered
Tribal
Areas
(FATA),
the
Inter-Services
Public
Relations
(ISPR)
said
in
a
statement
on
April
3.
Major
terrorist
hubs
in
Mana,
Gurbaz,
Lataka,
Inzarkas
and
Magrotai
areas
have
been
cleared
of
militants,
the
ISPR
said.
Daily
Times,
April
4,
2016.
92
militants
killed
during
last
four
months,
says
Provincial
Home
Minister
Mir
Sarfaraz
Bugti:
Security
Forces
(SFs)
have
killed
92
militants,
including
a
key
'commander',
and
have
conducted
417
targeted
operations
in
the
province
during
the
last
four
months,
said
Balochistan
Home
Minister
Mir
Sarfaraz
Bugti
on
April
1.
"Security
forces
in
the
province
have
also
seized
more
than
10,000
kilograms
of
explosives
and
other
arms
and
ammunition,"
said
Bugti.
He
added
that
during
the
last
four
months,
22
Frontier
Corps
(FC)
personnel
have
been
killed
and
65
others
have
been
injured.
Dawn,
April
2,
2016.
'We
have
arrived
in
Punjab',
JTTP-JuA
warns
Government:
Jama'at-ul-Ahrar
(JuA),
the
breakaway
faction
of
the
Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan
(TTP),
on
March
29
warned
the
Government
that
the
Lahore
terror
attack
was
a
"message"
to
the
Government
about
their
"arrival"
in
Punjab.
"Also,
this
is
a
message
to
the
Pakistani
Prime
Minister
that
we
have
arrived
in
Punjab,"
the
group's
spokesman
Ehsanullah
Ehsan
said.
The
spokesman
even
taunted
Prime
Minister
Nawaz
Sharif
on
Twitter.
"After
the
Lahore
attack,
Nawaz
Sharif
repeated
old
words
to
give
himself
false
assurances,"
he
wrote.
"Nawaz
Sharif
should
know
that
war
has
reached
his
doorstep,
and
God
willing
the
mujahideen
will
be
the
winners
in
this
war."
Times
of
India,
March
30,
2016.
SRI
LANKA
PDP,
PLOTE
and
EPRLF
were
answerable
for
missing
persons,
says
Commissioner
for
Missing
persons
Maxwell
Paranagama:
Commissioner
for
Missing
persons
Maxwell
Paranagama
while
replying
to
questions
by
the
media
at
the
conclusion
of
the
inquiries
of
the
Commission
held
at
Vavuniya
District
said
that
Eelam
People's
Democratic
Party
(EPDP),
People's
Liberation
Organisation
of
Tamil
Eelam
(PLOTE)
and
Eelam
People's
Revolutionary
Liberation
Front
(EPRLF)
were
answerable
for
missing
persons.
Daily News,
April
2,
2016.
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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