| |
SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 14, No. 8, August 24, 2015
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
|
Karachi:
Uncertain Gains
Tushar
Ranjan Mohanty
Research
Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
On August
10, 2015, Pakistan Rangers in Sindh stated that the first
stage of the ongoing ‘targeted action’ in Karachi, the
provincial capital, had been completed. On September 4,
2013, the Federal Cabinet had empowered the Rangers to
lead the ‘targeted action’ with the support of the Police,
against criminals involved in the “four heinous crimes
of target-killing, kidnapping, extortion and terrorism”.
The Federal Minister of Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan,
laying emphasis that this was to be a ‘targeted action’
or ‘exercise’, rather than an operation, had announced
that a committee headed by the provincial Chief Minister
Syed Qim Ali Shah would “manage, administer and control”
the action.
The August
10, 2015, statement by the Rangers did not provide any
data related to the ‘targeted action’. An earlier July
8, 2015, release, however, claimed that, since the launch
of the ‘targeted action’ on September 5, 2013, the Rangers
had carried out 5,795 operations during which they had
apprehended 10,353 suspects and recovered 7,312 weapons
and 348,978 rounds of ammunition. The Rangers also traded
fire with suspected criminals, engaging in a total of
224 ‘encounters’, in which 364 suspected criminals were
killed and another 213 were arrested. The Rangers had
also arrested 82 abductors and in the process secured
the release of 49 abducted persons from their captivity.
In addition, a total of 826 terrorists, 334 ‘target killers’,
and 296 extortionists were arrested during this period.
These actions,
according to the Rangers’ release, led to an improvement
in the security environment in the city. Incidents of
bank robberies, which had become a menace in the city,
had fallen from 29 cases in 2013 to 19 in 2014, and seven
in 2015. Similarly, regarding extortion, the report claimed
that 1,524 cases were reported in 2013 as compared to
899 cases in 2014 and 249, thus far, in 2015.
Further,
according to a report compiled by the Sindh Police and
submitted to the Provincial Home Department on July 21,
2015, 971 people were murdered in the first half of 2015,
as compared to 2,075 people in the corresponding period
of 2014, a decline of 53.2 per cent. The report also claimed
that, since January 2015, some 479 suspects, including
133 allegedly associated with al Qaeda and Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP),
were killed in ‘police actions’. Of these, 98 belonged
to TTP, 11 to al Qaeda, six to the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ)
and one to Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP).
Partial
data compiled by the Institute for Conflict Management
(ICM) confirmed that terrorism-related fatalities in the
city had decreased considerably. In the period since the
start of the ‘targeted action’ on September 5, 2013, Karachi
recorded 2,143 terrorism and target killing related fatalities,
including 1,260 civilians, 675 terrorists/criminals and
208 Security Force (SF) personnel (data till August 23,
2015). During the corresponding period prior to the start
of the action, there were 3,099 fatalities including 2514
civilians, 234 terrorists/criminals and 251 SF personnel.
However, major incidents (each involving three or more
fatalities) which are also an indicator of the security
environment, more than doubled. As compared to 140 major
incidents recorded in the period of ‘targeted action’,
there were 66 such incidents during the corresponding
period prior to the launch of ‘exercise’. However, the
majority of such major incidents in the ‘targeted action’
period involved the killing of terrorists/criminals by
SFs.
Nevertheless,
the situation in Karachi remains grave, with more than
one civilian fatality per day. According to partial ICM
data, a total of 282 civilians were killed in the first
235 days of the current year. If total fatalities, including
civilians, SFs and terrorist/criminals are taken into
consideration, daily fatalities stand at 2.38 (541 fatalities
in 235 days). Indeed, Sindh Police data reflects a more
alarming situation, indicating that analysis of the first
six months “shows that average murders reported in 2015
are 2.7 per day as compared to 5.7 murders per day in
2014 [for the same period]”.
Recent
incidents reflect how insecure the city remains. On August
12, 2015, armed assailants shot dead four Police personnel
in an ambush within the precincts of Korangi Zaman Town
Police Station in Karachi. One passerby also sustained
injuries in indiscriminate fire by the militants. On July
8, 2015, three unidentified bullet riddled bodies of men
aged between 25 years and 30 years were found from Al-Noor
Society in Surjani Town area of Gadap Town.
Serious
concerns are being voiced regarding the ‘targeted action’,
including widespread allegations of indiscriminate and
extrajudicial executions, sweeping human rights’ violations,
and political executions. Zohra Yusuf, the Chairperson
of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), on
November 20, 2014, observed, “We consider every suspect’s
killing in police shootout as extrajudicial as one always
remains doubtful about the authenticity of that action.
It’s so unfortunate that our system is battling against
the criminals or suspects on the same conventional methodology.”
She also referred to a “number of complaints” received
by HRCP from families of people who went missing; many
of them were later found shot dead in different parts
of the city or declared killed in encounters.
Significantly,
questions have also been raised about the abuse of the
‘targeted action’ against political rivals. Thus, lawmakers
from Pakistan's fourth-largest party, the opposition Muttahida
Qaumi Movement (MQM), on August 12, 2015, resigned from
Parliament and the Sindh Assembly in protest over the
crackdown allegedly targeting party supporters in Karachi.
The decision applied to 24 Members of the National Assembly
(Lower House of Parliament), eight senators in the Senate
(Upper House of Parliament), as well as 51 members in
the Sindh Provincial Assembly, drawn from MQM. MQM was
in alliance with Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in the Sindh
Government. While PPP, with 92 seats, retains a majority
in the 168 seat Assembly, the withdrawal of 51 MQM legislators
will make it much less representative.
However,
Jahangir Mirza, former Inspector General of Police (IGP),
Sindh, who held the office from January 2, 2006, to April
14, 2007, argued, “Nobody can defend extrajudicial killings…
[But] in a condition where the criminal justice system
is not delivering and criminals have the protection of
(political) parties, what does one expect from the police?”
He asserted that extrajudicial killings can never be addressed
until the criminal justice system is reformed and policemen
associated with action against criminals are not threatened
or victimized in case of a change of guard in the corridors
of power.
Moreover,
the continued presence of multiple terrorist groups, in
addition to a substantial TTP presence, is worrisome.
Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), al Qaeda’s
South Asia chapter, has emerged as a new threat. Indeed,
on September 14, 2014, AQIS claimed responsibility for
the September 6, 2014, attack on the West Wharf Naval
dockyard in Karachi that left a sailor and three attackers
dead. More worryingly AQIS disclosed that the attack was
carried out entirely by serving Navy personnel. On September
14, 2014, authorities arrested three Navy officials involved
in an attack from the Lak Pass area of Quetta, the provincial
capital of Balochistan. Recently, five AQIS militants,
including its Karachi 'chief' Noor-ul-Hasan alias
Hashim alias Bhai Jan alias Babu Bhai and
his 'deputy, Usman alias Irfan alias Abdullah,
and another cadre, Ibrahim alias Rafiq alias
Awais, were killed in an encounter in the Khairabad area
of Orangi Town on April 14, 2015.
The abrupt
emergence of Islamic State (IS, formerly Islamic State
of Iraq and al Sham, ISIS) in Karachi has set off alarm
in the city. The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of
the Sindh Police had found the involvement of the group
in the murder of prominent Pakistani women’s rights activist
Sabeen Mahmud on April 24, 2015, in Karachi. Further,
IS had claimed responsibility for the May 13, 2015, Safoora
Goth carnage in the Gulshan Town area of Karachi, that
killed 45 Ismaili Shias travelling in a chartered bus.
The attackers left an IS pamphlet at the incident site
before fleeing on motorcycles. Earlier, a woman, identified
as Debra Lobo, a US national and the Vice-Principal of
the Jinnah Medical and Dental College’s student affairs
wing, was shot at and injured on Shaheed-e-Millat Road
in Jamshed Town on April 16, 2015. According to Police
sources, leaflets of IS claiming responsibility for the
attack were found at the incident site.
While claiming
on August 10, 2015, that the first stage of the ongoing
‘targeted action’ in Karachi, had been completed, the
Pakistan Rangers added,
[We]
are well prepared to start Stage 2 from Aug 14th
2015 till the time it is successfully completed.
Stage 2 will be more severe than Stage 1 as the
main task is to hunt down Land Grabbers, Target
Killers, Extortionists, Kidnappers, Terrorists to
Justice. Pak Rangers Sindh is committed not to spare
any criminal. If you have information or if you
are a victim yourself than please do not hesitate
to contact Pakistan Rangers Sindh through email
or telephone numbers. Do not worry even if the criminals
are very powerful because Pakistan Rangers Sindh
are more powerful by the will of Allah. Credentials
of the complainant will be kept highly confidential.
|
The first
stage of the ‘targeted action’ has clearly impacted on
the will and capacity of the terrorist-criminal nexus
in Karachi, which had flourished for years under political
protection. It has, however, also raised serious questions,
not only of legitimacy and justice, but also of sustainability,
as new actors with wider networks and a deeper agenda
of state destabilization enter the beleaguered city to
fill up the vacuum. With state legitimacy at an extraordinary
low across Pakistan, the eventual outcome of brutal and
often extralegal and indiscriminate state action remains
entirely unpredictable.
|
Decisive
Moment
Ajit
Kumar Singh
Research Fellow, Institute for Conflict Management
Following
a historic agreement on August 20, 2015, between the United
National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP)
to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the incumbent
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on August 21, 2015,
took oath as the 26th Prime Minister (PM) of
the island nation. Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the
PM for the fourth time [having served earlier tenures
between May 17, 1993, and August 19, 1994; December 9,
2001, and April 2, 2004; and January 9, 2015, and August
20, 2015]. Later in the day, the MoU was signed by the
two parties. UNP and SLFP are the two major political
forces in Sri Lanka, with a long history of bitter rivalry,
and who engaged fiercely in the latest round of Parliamentary
Elections on August 17, 2015.
The MoU
is valid for two years, can be extended further with the
consent of the two parties, and defines the process of
formation of a National Government. In a nation seeking
a final resolution to decades of ethnic strife, the formation
of such a Government had remained a long standing demand
across the political spectrum, more prominently since
the decisive defeat in May 2009, of the protracted Tamil
armed insurgency led by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (LTTE).
In the
latest Parliamentary Elections, voters had given a fractured
mandate, with none of the parties securing a simple majority.
UNP, led by Wickremesinghe, secured 106 seats [93 ‘District-basis’
seats + 13 'National-basis seats'], falling seven short
of simple majority in a 225-memebr House; the SLFP could
get only 95 seats [83 ‘District-basis’ seats + 12 'National-basis
seats']. The main Tamil political party, the Tamil National
Alliance (TNA) which contests election in the name of
Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK), as the TNA itself is
not a registered political party, won 16 seats [14 ‘District-basis
seats’ + 2 'National-basis seats']. The main Marxist party,
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP, People's Liberation Front)
won six seats [4 ‘District-basis seats’ + 2 'National-basis
seats']. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and the
Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) got one ‘District-basis
seat’ each. [The District-basis seats are those for which
direct elections are held. There are 29 'National-level
seats', which according to the 15th Amendment to the Constitution,
which introduced Article 99A, that are decided on the
basis of the total number of votes polled by the respective
political parties or independent groups at the national
level.]
The split
verdict put the political class in a quandary and forced
them to seek a compromise. Significantly, SLFP has virtually
split into two factions – one led by incumbent President
Maithripala Sirisena and another led by former President
Mahinda Rajapaksa. It was during the January 2015 Presidential
Elections that Sirisena revolted against
his political master, then incumbent President Rajapaksa,
who was also the head of SLFP. Though Sirisena was thrown
out of the party, he contested a successful election against
Rajapaksa as a 'common candidate'. Subsequent to his loss,
Rajapaksa resigned as the head of SLFP and was succeeded
by Sirisena. The latter, however, failed to establish
full authority over the party. This became apparent when
Rajapaksa successfully contested the Parliamentary Elections
as the 'Prime Ministerial candidate' of the SLFP despite
Sirisena's direct opposition. Sirisena conceded later
that he had allowed Rajapaksa to contest because he feared
a split within the party though, under immense subsequent
pressure, he also made the rather impractical declaration
that he would not appoint Rajapaksa even if SLFP was to
win the elections. Reports indicate that most of SLFP’s
new Members of Parliament (MPs) are Rajapaksa supporters.
The success of the MoU, consequently, will depend overwhelmingly
on the role Rajapaksa chooses to play over the coming
months.
It remains
to be seen how long Rajapaksa remains away from the political
centre stage as the National Government works towards
reconciliation on the ethnic issue. It was, in fact, Rajapaksa
who initiated this process after he defeated the LTTE
amidst overwhelming international pressure. In case Rajapaksa
chooses to create political instability in an effort to
secure control of the Government after a hiatus, new challenges
will confront both President Sirisena and PM Wickremesinghe.
Interestingly, one of the most important features of the
10-point MoU is that it disallows the crossing over of
MPs from one party to another.
These elections
are also an endorsement of the reality that the peace
which returned to the island nation in May 2009 will endure.
Indeed, Inspector General of Police N.K. Ilangakoon noted
on August 18, 2015, the day after the elections, “Since
2012, there have been 11 elections including nine Provincial
Council elections, one Presidential election and the one
which just concluded. The General Election 2015 was the
most peaceful of all. This election was a turning point.
We created the message that we can hold an election without
violence, and we should continue this trend in the future."
Furthering the argument, the Centre for Monitoring Election
Violence (CMEV), an independent and non-partisan organization,
noted that between June 26, 2015 midnight, when the elections
were notified, and August 14, 2015, when the campaigning
officially ended, it registered 143 'Major Incidents',
17 per cent of the total incidents reported to it. The
percentage of 'Major Incidents' had stood at 45 per cent,
56 per cent and 54 per cent in the 2010 Presidential and
General Election campaigns and the 2015 Presidential Election
campaign, respectively. [The list of ‘Major incidents’
includes murder, injuries, assaults, threat and intimidation,
misuse of state resources, robbery, arson, abduction,
damage to property, etc].
In a crucial
development, voters in Tamil dominated Northern Sri Lanka
defeated all those who were the ardent supporters of the
now defeated-LTTE. Significantly, the Crusaders for Democracy
(CFD), a party of ex-LTTE cadres which even fielded one
of the bodyguards of slain LTTE 'chief' Velupillai Prabhakaran,
reportedly secured just 0.6 per cent of the vote and no
seats. Similarly, parties aiming to resurrect the 'ideas'
of LTTE were also shown the door. The Akila Ilankai Tamil
Congress (AITC), which wanted “full self-determination”
for the Tamils as the LTTE did, according to reports,
garnered five per cent of the vote and no seats as well.
In a more
open endorsement of the defeat of LTTE's 'ideas', the
TNA, which had rejected the demands of ex-LTTE cadres
to contest as TNA candidates, won nine out of 13 seats
in the Northern Province. The TNA stressed that it is
not a secessionist party and it only demands a power-sharing
arrangement in a unit of a re-merged Northern and Eastern
Provinces under a federal structure, as existed earlier.
TNA leader R. Sampanthan had thus stated on May 9, 2015,
"We have never asked to divide the country. We have
very clearly said that a political solution should be
formulated through a local process. The Tamil people should
be given a suitable political solution soon and they should
also be given equal rights." Echoing a similar conciliatory
note on May 18, 2015, the Chief Minister of the TNA ruled
Northern Province, C. V. Wigneswaran stressed, "The
environment is now much more positive. Without delay,
we must work towards the all important goal of maximum
devolution for the Tamil speaking people." The TNA,
meanwhile, has decided to provide outside support to the
National Government.
There is
clearly an encouraging environment for the new Government
to work towards a conclusive settlement. President Sirisena
had stated, "Achieving national reconciliation with
the minority Tamil community is a priority for the new
Sri Lankan Government and winning hearts and minds is
more important than reconstructing war-devastated buildings."
It is now time to demonstrate that this was not mere rhetoric.
The gains of the past years are, of course, irreversible,
but the potential for mischief has not been altogether
neutralized. The United States Department of State in
its Annual Country Report on Terrorism for 2014, for instance,
notes that despite the military defeat of the LTTE, the
group’s financial network of support continued to operate
throughout 2014.
Worryingly,
the island nation, like many other countries in South
Asia, is also facing a threat from Islamist extremism,
including some emerging linkages to the Islamic State
(IS). According to reports, a 37-year-old Sri Lankan national,
identified as Mohammed Niram aka Sharfaz Shuraih
Muhsin aka Abhu Shuraih Sailani (name given after
he joined the IS), who graduated in Sharia Law from Pakistan,
has reportedly died fighting alongside the IS. Reports
indicate that at least one other Sri Lankan, going by
the IS nom de guerre Abu Dhujaana Seylani, is also
thought to be with IS in Syria, and several other Sri
Lankan nationals may also be fighting for IS in Iraq and
Syria. The group is believed to have some sympathizers
within Sri Lanka as well.
A Government
committed to national unity and a resolution of the residual
ethnic issues can ensure that the nightmare of terrorism
through which Sri Lanka endured for over three decades
can be treated as no more than a tragic chapter of history.
Sri Lanka has displayed enormous sagacity in the wake
of the LTTE’s defeat, and has done exemplary work in rehabilitation
and the restoration of the Northern Province. If the remaining
grievances over power sharing and equality of status and
rights to all citizens can be resolved, the little remaining
potential for destabilization could easily be defused.
|
Weekly Fatalities:
Major Conflicts in South Asia
August 17-23, 2015
|
Civilians
|
Security
Force Personnel
|
Terrorists/Insurgents
|
Total
|
INDIA
|
|
Jammu and
Kashmir
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
5
|
Manipur
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
3
|
Meghalaya
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
Left-Wing
Extremism
|
|
Bihar
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Chhattisgarh
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
4
|
Jharkhand
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
Odisha
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Total (INDIA)
|
4
|
4
|
9
|
17
|
PAKISTAN
|
|
Balochistan
|
4
|
1
|
1
|
6
|
FATA
|
4
|
5
|
161
|
170
|
KP
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Punjab
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Sindh
|
3
|
1
|
8
|
12
|
PAKISTAN
(Total)
|
|
|
|
|
Provisional
data compiled from English language media sources.
|
BANGLADESH
There
is
no
doubt
about
involvement
of
Begum
Khaleda
Zia
and
her
son
in
the
August
21,
2004
grenade
attack,
asserts
Prime
Minister
Sheikh
Hasina
Wajed:
Prime
Minister
(PM)
Sheikh
Hasina
Wajed
said
that
there
is
no
doubt
about
the
involvement
of
Begum
Khaleda
Zia
and
her
son
in
the
August
21,
2004
grenade
attack.
The
PM
said
it
is
evident
in
all
the
activities
of
the
then
Bangladesh
Nationalist
Party
(BNP)-Jamaat-e-Islami
(JeI)
Government
that
BNP
was
in
a
move
to
kill
her
and
annihilate
her
party.
The
Daily
Star,
August
22,
2015.
Involvement
of
SC
lawyers
in
financing
militant
outfits
was
alarming,
says
Attorney
General
Mahbubey
Alam:
Attorney
General
Mahbubey
Alam
after
the
arrest
of
three
lawyers
in
Dhaka
city
on
August
18
for
financing
Shaheed
Hamja
Brigade
(SHB)
said
on
August
20
that
the
involvement
of
Supreme
Court
(SC)
lawyers
in
financing
militant
outfits
was
alarming.
He
said,
"It
will
be
proved
in
trial
whether
the
three
lawyers
are
guilty
or
not.
No
lawyers
have
been
held
over
such
allegations
before."
Dhaka
Tribune,
August
21,
2015.
India-Bangladesh
joint
SOP
to
counter
fake
currency
notes,
says
report:
India
and
Bangladesh
have
agreed
to
draft
a
Standard
Operating
Procedure
(SOP)
to
counter
the
growing
menace
of
fake
currency
notes,
the
National
Investigation
Agency
(NIA)
said
on
August
20.
The
decision
was
taken
during
the
second
meeting
of
the
Joint
Task
Force
on
Fake
Currency
Notes
between
India
and
Bangladesh
held
in
Dhaka
(Bangladesh)
on
August
12-13.
The
first
meeting
was
held
in
Delhi
in
January
2014.
Business-Standard,
August
21,
2015.
INDIA
India
has
specific
information
on
Dawood
being
in
Pakistan,
says
UHM
Rajnath
Singh:
Union
Home
Minister
(UHM)
Rajnath
Singh
said
on
August
23
that
the
Government
had
specific
information
about
Mumbai
blasts
accused
Dawood
Ibrahim's
presence
in
Pakistan.
He
said
Dawood
was
in
Pakistan
for
sure
and
even
the
Pakistan
government
was
aware
that
the
coordinates
of
the
dreaded
terrorist
were
available
with
India.
Meanwhile,
news
reports,
citing
a
'dossier
prepared'
by
India
to
be
handed
over
to
Pakistan,
claimed
that
Dawood
Ibrahim
has
nine
residences
in
Pakistan,
including
one
bought
near
the
house
of
Bilawal
Bhutto
Zardari,
son
of
former
Pakistan
Prime
Minister
Benazir
Bhutto,
two
years
ago,
and
has
three
Pakistani
passports
which
he
frequently
uses
to
travel.
Midday,
August
23,
2015.
Gulf
News,
August
23,
2015
Maoist
pamphlet
warns
Ministers
and
OCTL
in
Telangana,
says
report:
The
Viplava
Karmika
Samkhya
(VPS),
a
front
organization
of
the
Communist
Party
of
India-Maoist
(CPI-Maoist),
has
sent
a
pamphlet
to
a
newspaper
office
in
Nalgonda
(Telangana)
warning
the
management
of
Oil
Country
Tubular
Limited
(OCTL)
located
at
Narketpally,
Ministers
T.
Harish
Rao
and
Nayani
Narasimha
Reddy
and
Nakrekal
Member
of
Legislative
Assembly
(MLA)
Vemula
Veeresham
on
the
issue
of
"removing
about
500
employees
from
the
company".
Signed
by
VPS
Secretary
Azad,
the
two-page
pamphlet
alleged
that
the
Telangana
Rashtra
Samithi
(TRS)
Government
had
colluded
with
management
of
the
OCTL.
The
Hindu,
August
22,
2015.
Chinese
elements
are
facilitating
supply
of
arms
and
ammunition
to
the
militant
groups
of
the
Northeast,
says
report:
Reports
citing
Union
Ministry
of
Home
Affairs
(UMHA)
sources
said
that
Chinese
elements
are
facilitating
supply
of
arms
and
ammunition
to
the
militant
groups
of
the
Northeast.
Since
2008-09,
some
elements
in
China
have
been
urging
upon
the
militant
groups
of
the
region
to
join
hands.
The
recent
action
of
four
militant
groups
to
form
a
common
platform,
UNLFWESA,
may
be
due
to
the
pressure
from
the
Chinese
authorities.
Assam
Tribune,
August
20,
2015.
Villagers
living
along
the
India-Myanmar
border
areas
are
at
the
mercy
of
the
militants
and
undesirable
elements,
observes
Task
Force
constituted
by
Prime
Minister:
A
Task
Force
constituted
by
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi,
which
is
headed
by
Chairman
of
the
Joint
Intelligence
Committee
(JIC)
R
N
Ravi
has
observed
that
villagers
living
along
the
India-Myanmar
border
areas
are
at
the
mercy
of
the
militants
and
undesirable
elements
because
of
lack
of
presence
of
administration
in
the
area.
The
Task
Force
pointed
out
that
around
300,000
people
in
around
250
villages
are
living
in
the
10-kilometre
belt
along
the
international
border
and
as
there
is
hardly
any
presence
of
administration
in
the
area,
the
people
are
left
at
the
mercy
of
"God,
militants
and
undesirable
elements".
Assam
Tribune,
August
20,
2015.
Army
has
strengthened
counter-infiltration
grid
along
the
LoC
to
ensure
zero
infiltration,
says
GOC
15
Corps
Lieutenant
General
Subrata
Saha:
General
Officer
Commanding
(GOC)
of
15
Corps,
Lieutenant
General
Subrata
Saha
on
August
19
said
that
Army
has
strengthened
counter-infiltration
grid
along
the
Line
of
Control
(LoC)
to
ensure
zero
infiltration.
The
GOC
said:
"We
have
made
our
counter-infiltration
grid
much
more
robust.
First
of
all,
it
has
evolved
over
the
years
and
secondly,
we
have
made
some
changes
this
year.
We
have
improved
the
coordination
with
regard
to
intelligence."Dailyexcelsior,
August
20,
2015.
GoI
have
decided
to
hold
talks
with
militant
groups
only
after
they
surrender
and
deposit
their
arms
and
ammunition,
states
Union
Minister
of
State
for
Home
Affairs
Kiren
Rijiu:
Union
Minister
of
State
for
Home
Affairs
Kiren
Rijiu
stated
that
Government
of
India
(GoI)
has
decided
to
hold
talks
with
militant
groups
only
after
they
surrender
and
deposit
their
arms
and
ammunition
to
concerned
authorities.
He
stated,
"We
have
made
an
appeal
to
those
(militant
groups)
who
wanted
to
come
to
the
mainstream,
that
the
first
and
foremost
is
to
lay
down
arms
and
abjure
violence
because
violence
and
talk
cannot
go
parallel."
He
added,
"We
will
not
talk
to
anybody
who
indulges
in
any
kind
of
violence".
Nagaland
Post,
August
22,
2015.
'We
committed
'mistakes'
during
Lalgarh
stir
in
West
Bengal',
says
CPI-Maoist:
In
a
six-page
review
report,
the
eastern
bureau
of
the
Communist
Party
of
India-Maoist
(CPI-Maoist),
has
said
it
committed
"mistakes"
during
the
Lalgarh
movement
by
killing
people
and
removing
their
bodies
covertly
and
said
that
it
had
wrongly
believed
that
Trinamool
Congress
(TMC)
would
withdraw
joint
forces
from
Jangalmahal
after
coming
to
power
in
the
State.
The
outfit
said,
"We
had
a
belief
that
if
the
CPI-M
is
defeated,
then
the
joint
forces
will
be
withdrawn
and
all
political
prisoners
released,
but
we
were
wrong."
Ruling
TMC,
however,
dismissed
the
report
as
"propaganda".
Business
Standard,
August
20,
2015.
Cyber
crime
goes
up
by
69
per
cent,
according
to
NCRB
'Crime
in
India
2014'
report:
Cyber
crimes
witnessed
a
69
per
cent
increase
in
2014
with
the
maximum
cases
registered
under
the
now-repealed
Section
66A
of
Information
Technology
(IT)
Act,
according
to
'Crime
in
India
2014'
report
published
by
the
National
Crime
Records
Bureau
(NCRB).
Police
registered
9,622
cases
of
cyber
crime
in
2014
as
against
5,693
in
2013
with
Maharashtra,
Uttar
Pradesh
(UP)
and
Karnataka
together
accounting
for
48.18
per
cent
of
the
cases
across
the
country,
the
report
said.
Deccan
Herald,
August
20,
2015.
NEPAL
Final
draft
Constitution
submitted
to
Constituent
Assembly:
Chairman
of
the
Constitution
Drafting
Committee
(CDC),
Krishna
Prasad
Sitaula,
submitted
the
final
draft
of
the
Constitution
to
Constituent
Assembly
(CA)
to
Chairman
Subas
Chandra
Nembang
on
August
21.
The
CDC
has
prepared
the
final
draft
after
the
Special
Committee
comprising
of
top
leaders
of
major
political
parties,
Nepali
Congress
(NC),
Communist
Party
of
Nepal-Unified
Marxist
Leninist
(CPN-UML)
and
Unified
Communist
Party
of
Nepal-Maoist
(UCPN-M),
agreed
on
a
seven-Pradesh
model
of
the
federal
set-up.
The Himalayantimes,
August
22,
2015.
Voices
of
all
will
be
accommodated
in
new
statute,
asserts
PM
Sushil
Koirala:
Prime
Minister
(PM)
Sushil
Koirala
on
August
18
said
the
new
Constitution
would
be
a
document
of
compromise
and
it
would
accommodate
voices
from
all
walks
of
life.
"We
are
a
heterogeneous
society.
Differences
are
there.
We
are
trying
our
best
to
accommodate
the
concerns
of
all
people
to
ensure
that
the
document
is
acceptable
to
all
of
us,"
he
stated.
The Himalayan
Times,
August
20,
2015.
PAKISTAN
161
militants
and
five
SF
personnel
among
170
persons
killed
during
the
week
in
FATA:
Four
Army
soldiers
were
killed
and
four
others
suffered
injuries
when
militants
fired
rockets
on
their
observation
post
in
the
Tirah
valley
of
Khyber
Agency
in
Federally
Administered
Tribal
Areas
(FATA)
from
the
border
areas
of
Afghanistan's
Nangarhar
province
on
August
23.
At
least
three
people
including
two
tribal
elders,
identified
as
Malik
Dawakhana
and
Haji
Kareem,
were
killed
and
two
others
were
injured
in
an
improvised
explosive
device
(IED)
blast
in
the
Arang
area
of
Bajaur
Agency
on
August
22.
At
least
43
terrorists
were
killed
in
air
strikes
by
Security
Forces
(SFs)
in
the
North
Waziristan
Agency
(NWA)
on
August
20.
SFs
killed
10
militants
and
injured
five
more
in
armed
skirmishes
in
the
Paray
Ghar,
Larvay
and
Mushta
areas
of
Ladha
tehsil
(revenue
unit)
in
South
Waziristan
Agency
on
August
20,
At
least
25
militants
were
killed
in
military
air
strikes
in
Shawal
area
of
NWA
on
August
19,
At
least
18
militants
were
killed
in
air
strikes
in
Shawal
Valley
of
NWA
on
August
18,
The
SFs
claimed
to
have
killed
65
militants
in
air
strikes
in
the
NWA
and
the
Khyber
Agency
on
August
17.
Daily
Times;
Dawn;
The
News;
Tribune;
The
Nation;
The
Frontier
Post;
Pakistan
Today;
Pakistan
Observer,
August
18-24,
2015.
NADRA
officials
involved
in
issuing
Pakistani
ID
cards
to
militants:
Pakistani
authorities
are
investigating
officials
at
National
Database
and
Registration
Authority
(NADRA)
for
allegedly
issuing
Identity
cards
to
militants,
including
some
linked
to
al
Qaeda,
in
return
for
bribes
as
small
as
USD
100.
The
Inter-Services
Intelligence
(ISI),
uncovered
the
alleged
corrupt
practices
at
the
NADRA
during
ongoing
anti-terrorism
operations,
according
to
official
documents.
The
News,
August
20,
2015.
SRI
LANKA
Ranil
Wickremesinghe
sworn
in
as
Sri
Lanka's
16th
Prime
Minister:
United
National
Party
(UNP)
leader
Ranil
Wickremesinghe
was
on
August
21
sworn
in
as
16th
Sri
Lankan
Prime
Minister.
Earlier,
on
August
20,
an
understanding
was
reached
between
the
UNP
and
the
Sri
Lanka
Freedom
Party
(SLFP)
to
join
hands
to
form
a
National
Government.
The
two
sides
signed
a
Memorandum
of
Understanding
(MoU)
subsequent
to
Ranil's
swearing
in
ceremony.
The
UNP
had
won
106
seats
while
the
SLFP
had
got
95
seats
in
the
225-memebr
Parliament.
Colombo Page,
August
20-22,
2015.
TNA
given
strong
mandate
to
negotiate
a
political
solution,
says
GTF:
The
United
Kingdom
(UK)-based
Diaspora
Tamil
organization,
Global
Tamil
Forum
(GTF)
said
the
Tamil
people
in
Sri
Lanka
have
given
the
main
Tamil
party,
Tamil
National
Alliance
(TNA)
and
its
leader
a
strong
mandate
to
negotiate
a
political
solution.
Congratulating
the
TNA
and
its
leader
R.
Sampanthan
on
their
resounding
election
victory
in
the
Northern
and
Eastern
Provinces,
the
GTF
said
the
Tamil
people
have
also
sent
a
clear
message
to
the
new
Sri
Lankan
Government
and
to
the
international
community
that
they
are
firmly
behind
the
TNA
and
its
leadership.
The
TNA
secured
16
seats
in
Sri
Lanka's
Parliament
in
the
August
17
general
elections.
Colombo Page,
August
22,
2015.
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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