South Asia Terrorism Portal
Murdering Democracy Ajit Kumar Singh Research Fellow, Institute for Conflict Management
On July 13, 2018, at least 149 civilians were killed and 186 others injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up targeting a political rally of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) at Dringarh village in Mastung District of Balochistan. According to the bomb disposal squad (BDS), up to 15 kilograms of explosive material was used in the incident. The dead included Siraj Raisani, the BAP candidate from National Assembly seat Province Balochistan–35 (PB-35, Mastung). Siraj’s elder brother, Nawab Aslam Raisani, was the Chief Minister of Balochistan Province between 2008 and 2013. Most of the other victims were residents of Kanak and Dringarh areas, who had invited Raisani to announce their support for him. The Islamic State (IS) and the ‘Ghazi force Lal Masjid’ wing of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) separately claimed responsibility for the attack.
On the same day, at least four persons were killed and another 32 injured in a bomb triggered by remote control, targeting the convoy of Akram Khan Durrani in the Haved Bazaar (market) area of Bannu town (Bannu District) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Durrani had served as Federal Minister for Housing and Works between June 2013 and May 2018, and as Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa between 2002 and 2007. He was heading back from an election rally near North Waziristan District. Durrani, who escaped unhurt, is the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) candidate for the National Assembly seat Province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-35 (PK-35, Bannu), standing against Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan. The attack was claimed by TTP.
On July 10, 2018, at least 22 persons, including Awami National Party (ANP) leader Haroon Bilour, were killed and over 30 people injured in a suicide blast which targeted an ANP election gathering in the Yakatoot area of Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The blast took place when Haroon Bilour, who was a candidate from the National Assembly seat Province Khyber Paktunkhwa-78 (PK-78), arrived at the site where the ANP workers had gathered for a meeting. Bilour suffered serious injuries and was shifted to the hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds. Mohammad Khurasani, TTP ‘spokesperson’, claimed responsibility of the blast. Earlier, on April 16, 2013, TTP had carried out an attack targeting Haroon Bilour in the Mundabheri area of Yakatoot in Peshawar. Though Haroon had escaped unhurt, 16 persons were killed and more than 35 others were injured in the attack. Among the injured was Haroon’s uncle and senior ANP leader Ghulam Ahmed Bilour. While claiming responsibility, the then TTP ‘spokesperson’ Ehsanullah Ehsan had told journalists that Haroon was the target, but "unfortunately Ghulam Ahmed Bilour got injured". Haroon Bilour was the son of Bashir Ahmed Bilour, a senior ANP leader and the then Minister for Local Government and Rural Development in KP Assembly, who was killed by a suicide bomber during a party meeting in the Qissa Khawani Bazaar area of Peshawar on December 22, 2012. Eight others were killed and another 17 others had sustained injuries in that blast. TTP had claimed the attack.
These were the three most prominent election-related terror incidents among 12 reported from across Pakistan since the announcement of the date of General Elections 2018 by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on May 26, 2018. At least 180 people (178 civilians and two militants) have been killed in these incidents and another 270 have been injured. The General Elections 2018 are scheduled to be held on July 25, 2018.
The attacks have taken place despite National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) Suleman Khan issuing a warning on July 9, 2018, that terrorists could target top leaders of political parties during their election campaigns. Khan disclosed,
General Elections in Pakistan have been a bloody affair for some time now. During the General Elections 2013 (declared on March 22, 2013, and conducted on May 11, 2013), at least 268 persons (260 civilians, seven Security Force, SF, personnel, one militant) were killed and another 45 injured in 80 election-related terror incidents. The worst election-related terror incident during this period was recorded on May 6, 2013, when 23 civilians were killed and more than 70 were injured in a blast targeting an election rally of the Fazal faction of Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (JUI-F) in the Sewak village area of Kurram Agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
Similarly, General Elections 2008 were marred by terror incidents. In the period between February 8, 2007 (the date of declaration of elections) and the election date, February 18, 2008, at least 259 persons (251 civilians and eight militants) were killed and another 513 injured in 14 election-related terror incidents. The worst election-related terror incident during this period was recorded on February 16, 2008, when a suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into the election office of an independent candidate in Parachinar city, FATA, killing at least 47 persons, including six children, and injuring 109 others.
Even against this background, the current elections are a matter of great concern, because they follow a phase of relative calm. Terrorism-related fatalities have recorded declining trends over the past few years, but election violence has put Pakistan once again on the boil. During a single week – between July 9 and July 15 – Pakistan has accounted for at least 178 terrorism-related deaths (176 civilians and two militants) as against a total of 281 (90 civilians, 95 SF personnel, and 96 militants) such fatalities recorded in first 189 days of the current year.
Significantly, moreover, the July 13, 2018, incident is the worst attack, in terms of fatalities, recorded since the Army Public School (APS) attack on December 16, 2014, in which at least 150 persons, including 134 children, nine school staff members and all seven suicide attackers, were killed.
The Pakistani establishment – civilian and military – has, from time to time, claimed that ‘terrorism is over’. The Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa claimed, on October 11, 2017, that Pakistan had improved the security situation on the internal front and defeated the challenges to the writ of the State, though a ‘residual threat’ remained. Further, on January 13, 2018, the then Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi declared that Pakistan had achieved remarkable success against terrorism: “The tide has been turned against terrorists and their capacity to conduct activities has been immensely curtailed.” It is pertinent to mention here that though terrorism-linked fatalities were on a decline between December 16, 2014, and July 13, 2018, there were at least 156 major incidents (involving three or more civilian killings) targeting civilians even during this period. At least five of these incidents recorded over 50 civilian fatalities each, including one in which 88 persons were killed, and two where 74 persons were killed in each.
As SAIR has noted earlier, all the factors responsible for the rise of terrorism in Pakistan remain intact, and no honest effort has been made to deal with basic issues, as state policy continues to support select terrorist formations and is against taking any hard measures against domestic extremism as well.
Crucially, the infiltration of terrorist elements into mainstream politics in Pakistan now appears imminent. The Nation thus reported on July 8, 2018,
Significantly, TLP, an Islamist party, erupted against the alleged change in the Khatm-e-Nabuwat [finality of Prophet-hood] clause, and has now underlined its extremist-terrorist orientation. TLP chief Maulana Khadim Hussain Rizvi, who has fielded as many as 152 candidates for the General Elections 2018, declared on July 9, 2018,
He was referring to a competition of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad announced by The Freedom Party of Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders in June 2018.
Among the 460 candidates for the NA Elections, are Hafeez Saeed’s son, Hafiz Talha Saeed, and son-in-law, Khalid Waleed, both internationally proscribed terrorists. Significantly, they face no face impediment in standing for elections.
On the other hand, attempts are being made by the deep state to target particular political formations among the front line parties, most prominently Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which has been in power since 2013, using courts and ECP. For instance, on July 14, 2018, the Lahore Police registered at least 12 FIRs [First Information Reports] against top PML-N leaders, including the current party chief Shehbaz Sharif, on charges of terrorism, attempt to murder, interference in government matters, and violation of Section 144 of Pakistan Penal Code which prohibits joining unlawful assembly armed with deadly weapon. Shehbaz Sharif, the Chief Minister of Punjab Province till May 2018 (the Punjab Province like other Provinces and the country are presently under care taker Governments) is the brother of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The FIRs were lodged a day after violent clashes erupted between PML-N supporters and law enforcers on Nawaz Sharif’s arrival in Lahore. Nawaz Sharif and his daughter, Maryam, were convicted by an Accountability Court on July 6, 2018, in absentia, while they were visiting Sharif’s ailing wife in London. The sentence, 10 years in prison in Nawaz Sharif’s case, came almost a year after Pakistan’s Supreme Court removed him from office and less than five months after the court barred him from holding office for life. The case stemmed from the so-called Panama Papers leak that disclosed expensive and undeclared property owned by the Sharif family in London. Nawaz Sharif and Mryam were both arrested on their arrival and are currently lodged in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jil.
The Leader of Opposition in the Senate, PPP Senator Sherry Rehman on July 12, 2018, also alleged that some parties were being rewarded while others being targeted, including the PPP. Talking to journalists after she and Senator Maula Bakhsh Chandio met with Chief Election Commissioner Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan, she said they apprised him of their concerns and how their candidates were being disqualified and pressured to change loyalties. She complained that they had been talking to the ECP for over a month, but ECP was not paying any attention to their concerns. "’Proscribed organisations' candidates are being brought to the forefront, while our candidates are being disqualified," she asserted, "Our party is being stopped from running its election campaign. Magisterial powers are being given to people other than the presiding officers.”
The efforts of the military to steer the elections against PML-N and PPP, the two most popular political formations in Pakistan, and in favour of a possible coalition led by Imran Khan’s PTI and including a range of radical Islamist formations, has enormously destabilized both the political and extremist landscape across the country. Under the prevailing situation, a dramatic rise in violence is not unexpected.
Evasive Maneuvers S. Binodkumar Singh Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
On July 2, 2018, the Parliament of Nepal endorsed a Bill tabled on June 28, 2018, to extend the terms of two transitional justice bodies – the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP). With the passage of the Bill the terms of the two bodies were formally extended till February 7, 2019. TRC and CIEDP were formed on February 7, 2015, in the spirit of the Interim Constitution of 2007 and the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) of 2006, to probe instances of serious violations of human rights and determine the status of those who disappeared in the course of the armed conflict between the State and the then Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist), between February 13, 1996, and November 21, 2006. The Commissions were formed with a two-year term, and were awarded their first one-year extension on February 7, 2017. Their extended tenure expired on February 7, 2018.
On February 5, 2018, just two days before the expiry of the extended tenure, the Cabinet extended the mandates of TRC and CIEDP by one year, for the second time. However, on the same day, the National Human Rights Commission of Nepal (NHRC) called on the Government to amend the Commission on Investigation of Disappeared Persons, Truth and Reconciliation Act 2014 (TRC Act) in line with international standards. The TRC and CIEDP have fallen short of international standards, both in constitution and operation, despite repeated orders by the Supreme Court of Nepal. On January 2, 2014, the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional the TRC Ordinance adopted in 2013 by the Maoist-led Government, which provides for amnesties to persons deemed responsible for serious human rights abuses during the country’s civil war of 1996-2006. However, the Government effectively ignored the Court order and promulgated the Commission on Investigation of Disappeared Persons, Truth and Reconciliation Act, 2014 (TRC Act) into law on May 11, 2014. Once again, on February 26, 2015, the Supreme Court struck down the amnesty provision in the TRC Act.
To allay the concerns of the international community that Nepal may leave those who committed serious crimes during the Maoist insurgency unpunished, Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, during a luncheon meeting with foreign diplomats at his official residence at Baluwatar, Kathmandu, on March 27, 2018, remarked “There will be no blanket amnesty for cases of serious violation of human rights and humanitarian laws. To fully address the issue of transitional justice, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons are currently engaged in the country.” Similarly, Attorney General Agni Kharel, addressing an interaction organized by NHRC in Kathmandu on April 11, 2018, noted “We’ll try our best to make the truth-seeking mechanism robust.”
On July 9, 2018, speaking of Nepal's peace process as highly successful on the contemporary global scene, Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali at the Dinner hosted for the Diplomatic Community in the Capital, Kathmandu observed, “Our own experience of the peace process may be useful to the countries in transition and those gone through conflict (sic). We would be happy to share our experience as a uniquely successful and home-grown brand of the peace process and contribute to peace building elsewhere.”
On May 17, 2018, in a historic development, the two major national Left political parties – the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML) and the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Centre (CPN-Maoist Center) – had merged to form the Nepal Communist Party (NCP). However, on May 31, 2018, TRC officials argued that the CPN-UML – CPN-Maoist Center merger and formation of NCP had affected the investigation into the war-era cases of human rights violations as the local governments in many places were now reluctant to cooperate in the investigation process. By joining forces with CPN-UML to form a single communist force, TRC officials said, the former rebels now wielded their new-found political influence at the local level to hinder war crimes’ investigations. According to the TRC, local Government representatives in many places had grown reluctant to support the Commission, which is currently conducting field visits to finalize the reparation policy and to carry out preliminary investigation into the complaints registered by victims. Manchala Jha, who leads the provincial office of the Commission in Province 1 and 2, claimed “The party merger had made the investigation process tougher. We are getting cold response from the local governments who are our first contact at the local level.”
Meanwhile, representatives of the Conflict Victims Common Platform (CVCP), an association of 13 organizations working for conflict victims, asserted, at a meeting with TRC officials in Kathmandu on January 9, 2018, that members of TRC should resign and join their movement if they could not do their job of investigating war-era violations. Further, on January 10, 2018, CVCP representatives reached the CIEDP office to inquire about the progress made by the commission in its three-year tenure, and gave ultimatum to CIEDP officials to complete investigations on time or quit.
However, on January 29, 2018, nine days before the end of their three-year tenure, TRC and CIEDP requested the Government for another extension of their term. Both the commissions had blamed non-cooperation from the Government and the political parties for their poor performance in looking into the war-era cases. Lack of resources and mandate to spend, coupled with inadequate staff and non-cooperation from political parties, were cited as reasons for failing to investigate even a single case completely since the formation of the two bodies in February 2015. As of February 2018, TRC has received 60,298 complaints of human rights violations, and CIEDP has received 3,093 complaints of enforced disappearance. Though they have stated that investigations have been initiated into some cases, not a single case has been recommended for prosecution till date.
In the meantime, urging the Government to come up with a law criminalizing conflict-era torture and enforced disappearance in order to prevent a situation where conflict-era victims seek justice through international institutions, NHRC Chairman Anup Raj Sharma warned on February 5, 2018, “If the laws are not amended to ensure justice within the country, the conflict-era victims will be forced to seek justice from beyond the borders. It won't do any good to the country. So, we ask the government to heed our suggestions and move forward in an appropriate way for ensuring transitional justice.” He also urged all authorities concerned, including the Government, to suitably amend the TRC Act.
Likewise, on April 16, 2018, officials from the CIEDP urged Sher Bahadur Tamang, Minister for Law and Justice, to expedite amendments to the existing Act on transitional justice, saying that the lack of required laws was responsible for the sluggish investigation process. Further, blaming the ruling leaders for delaying justice to conflict victims, CIEDP Chairman Lokendra Mallik, observed at Kathmandu on June 18, 2018, “We have not been able to work as efficiently as we had thought due to the negligence on the part of the Government in providing necessary vehicles, funds and human resources, and in making necessary laws. Some of the cases are in their final stage but there are no laws that say how to prosecute the guilty.”
Meanwhile, rejecting the Draft Amendment Bill on the TRC Act tabled on June 28, 2018, which failed to address any of their demands, CVCP Chairman Bhagi Ram Chaudhary at an interaction held on June 29, 2018, at the NHRC Office, Kathmandu, declared, “After waiving 75 per cent of the sentence and other departmental actions faced by the perpetrators, there will virtually be no punishment left. Cases related to serious human rights violations should be addressed through the criminal justice system.” On the occasion, NHRC Chairman Anup Raj Sharma stated that a ‘syndicate’ of political parties was trying to sabotage the whole transitional justice process with an amendment draft that had been ‘translated’ and ‘guided by a motive’: “The draft is focused at providing immunity to perpetrators, and the whole design is to tire the victims. So we should not stop exerting pressure.”
International human rights bodies also expressed the concerns of conflict victims in Nepal. Human Rights Watch (HRW) in its World Report 2018 released on January 18, 2018, noted that conflict victims are yet to get justice in Nepal. According to the report, flaws in the Commissions’ mandates were not remedied, in spite of several Supreme Court directives. Due to these shortcomings, the international community chose to remain silent on the transitional justice process until the laws were brought into line with international norms. Further, warning that Nepal's legal efforts to deliver justice to victims of its bloody civil war failed to meet international standards and risk letting the worst offenders go unpunished, HRW and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) issued a joint statement on July 8, 2018. Human Rights Watch Asia Director Brad Adams stated, "For a successful, internationally accepted process, the authorities in Nepal should focus on providing justice to victims, not engage in trying to get perpetrators off the hook." Similarly, Ian Sedierman, Legal and Policy Director at the ICJ observed “Without a justice process that meets international standards for prosecuting the most serious crimes, such as torture and enforced disappearances, anyone suspected of such crimes in Nepal risks arrest, extradition, and prosecution in the many countries that are committed to prosecuting such crimes.”
It has been 12 years since the Comprehensive Peace Agreement which formally ended the war in Nepal. The mere extension of the terms of the TRC and the CIEDP is likely to prolong the justice process without meaningfully improving the chances that victims will have their demands for justice, truth, and accountability met. Moreover, Prime Minister Oli who served as the premier in 2015 and 2016 has done little to prioritize justice for war crimes. Unsurprisingly, there are apprehensions that Oli will not address the victims’ grievances this time either, as doing so could lead to the prosecution of coalition partners and the collapse of the Government. Justice will continue to evade the victims of the protracted conflict in Nepal.
Weekly Fatalities: Major Conflicts in South Asia July9-15, 2018
Civilians
Security Force Personnel
Terrorists/Insurgents
Total
INDIA
Arunachal Pradesh
Jammu and Kashmir
Manipur
INDIA (Left-Wing Extremism)
Chhattisgarh
Jharkhand
INDIA (Total)
PAKISTAN
Balochistan
KP
PAKISTAN (Total)
Over 100 Taliban militants killed in Paktia province: Over 100 Taliban militants were killed in military operations, supported by Air Force, conducted in Ahmad Abad district and Zurmat Districts of Paktia province. Paktia Police on July 13 claimed that one of the operations was carried out in Machalgho area in Ahmad Abad district in the province in which 55 Taliban militants were killed. Another military operation was conducted in Shamozai, Patak, Haibatkhail and Yamanikhail villages in Zurmat district of Paktia in which 46 Taliban militants were killed. Ayub alias Karamat, a former designated district governor of Taliban and Musa, a commander of the group were among those killed in the military operation. Tolo News, July 14, 2018.
President Ashraf Ghani declares an end to Government's unilateral ceasefire with the Taliban: The Ministry of Defense (MoD) on July 8 said the Afghan Security Forces (SFs) have doubled their offensive operations against insurgents, their hideouts and strongholds in many regions of the country after President Ashraf Ghani declared an end to Government's unilateral ceasefire with the Taliban. Following the end of the unilateral ceasefire, air operations and SFs' operations have been doubled against insurgents, compared to previous months, the MoD said. Tolo News, July 11, 2018.
Taliban movement slowing, says US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who arrived on an unannounced visit to Kabul, on July 9 said US President Donald Trump strategy on Afghanistan was working and the Taliban movement was slowing. Pajhwok, July 11, 2018.
Pakistan blocks deportation of terrorist arrested on foreign soil, claims Intelligence Bureau: In a report of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA), the Intelligence Bureau (IB) has claimed that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) maintained a 'special cell' to monitor the most-wanted terrorists in India who are arrested in foreign countries-with a purpose to interrupt India's plea to deport or extradite them [terrorists]. The Special cell of ISI produced forge documents to claim the custody of India's most-wanted terrorists to prevent their deportation to India. The Tribune, July 16, 2018.
UK has no intentions to ban the pro-Khalistan campaign in London, says report: The Government of the United Kingdom (UK) has no plans to ban a pro-Khalistan campaign- "Referendum 2020" organized by the Sikh separatist groups-based in UK as long as it stays within the limits of the law and remains non-violent, said an unnamed senior UK government official on July 13. The Tribune, July 5, 2018.
Popular Front of India is likely to be banned for its anti-India activities, says report: The Indian government is likely to move ahead to proscribe the Kerala-based Islamist radical outfit-Popular Front of India (PFI) - because of its anti-national activities. The decision of the ban was based on the report submitted by the Kerala Police Intelligence and Kerala's Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Bureau I.B. Rani. Also, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had submitted its report to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) which stated the anti-India activities of PFI. Mathrubhumi, July 11, 2018.
Islamic radical forces spreading their bases in northeast, states Assam CM: Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said Islamic radical forces have spread their bases in the Northeast and sought inter-state and international cooperation to overcome the security challenge. The CM also said that 'militants operating in one state find shelter in another and cross over to neighboring countries. There is also expansion of Islamic radical forces in the region. All northeastern states must come together to effectively meet the challenges'. Assam Tribune, July 10, 2018.
Insurgency related incidents in north east region have declined by 85 percent, states Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh: Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh on July 9 said that during four years of current government the security situation in the North Eastern region has drastically improved as compared to the 90s further adding that the insurgency related incidents have declined by 85 percent. The Home Minister in a tweeted stated that 'Today, Tripura and Mizoram are completely free from insurgency and there is tremendous improvement in other NE States as well. Due to this improvement in security situation the AFSPA has been completely lifted from Meghalaya & its coverage has been reduced in Arunachal Pradesh'. Northeast Today, July 10, 2018.
Nepal had abiding faith in principles and purposes of UN Charter, says Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali: Partners for Peace and Development' organized by United Nations (UN) Association of Nepal in Kathmandu on July 12 said that Nepal had an abiding faith in the principles and purposes of the UN Charter and the country's constitution recognized them as guiding elements of its foreign policy. He said, "Nepal's partnership with the United Nations permeates to all three pillars of the organization - development, peace and security, and human rights. Some of the UN specialized agencies that are there in the governance of international public goods and cross-border regulation of communications and air transportation has been partner in their respective fields ever since we became the member of these agencies." The Himalayan Times, July 13, 2018.
Constitution can be amended if it has affected people in country adversely, says Prime Minister KP Oli: Softening his previous stance against Constitution amendment, Prime Minister KP Oli speaking at the National Assembly on July 9 said that the Constitution can be amended if it has affected people in the country adversely. "If the constitution has affected the people adversely, for whose sake should we be taking a stance against its amendment? The constitution can be amended for the sake of the people and the development of the country," he said. My Republica, July 11, 2018.
149 persons including BAP candidate Siraj Raisani killed in suicide blast in Balochistan:At least 149 civilians were killed and 186 others injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up targeting a political rally of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) at Dringarh village in Mastung District of Balochistan on July 13, 2018. The dead included Siraj Raisani, the BAP candidate from National Assembly seat Province Balochistan-35 (PB-35, Mastung). Siraj's elder brother, Nawab Aslam Raisani, was the Chief Minister of Balochistan Province between 2008 and 2013. Most of the other victims were residents of Kanak and Dringarh areas, who had invited Raisani to announce their support for him. The Islamic State (IS) and the 'Ghazi force Lal Masjid' wing of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) separately claimed responsibility for the attack. Dawn; Tribune, July 14, 2018.
ANP leader Haroon Bilour among 22 persons killed in suicide blast in Peshawar: At least 22 persons, including Awami National Party (ANP) leader Haroon Bilour, were killed in a suicide blast which targeted an election gathering of ANP in Yakatoot area of Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in the night of July 10. The blast took place when Haroon Bilour, who was contesting elections from PK-78 constituency, arrived at the site where the ANP workers had gathered for a corner meeting. Mohammad Khurasani, the spokesperson of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility of the blast. Dawn, July 11, 2018.
Former PM Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz sent to Adiala Jail upon returning to country: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) team arrested convicted Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz upon their arrival at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab, on July 13. After being taken into custody, the ousted Prime Minister (PM) and his daughter were flown to Islamabad airport through a special aircraft from where they were shifted to the Rawalpinid's Adiala Jail. Tribune, July 14, 2018.
Give me atom bomb, I'll wipe out Holland, says Islamist party TLYRA chief Maulana Khadim Hussain Rizvi: Islamist party Tehreek-i-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLYRA) chief Maulana Khadim Hussain Rizvi, who has fielded as many as 152 candidates for the upcoming general elections in the country, said on July 9 that if he were given "the atom bomb", he would "wipe Holland off the face of this earth" if it allowed a competition of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad. "If they give me the atom bomb I would remove Holland from the face of the earth before they can hold a competition of caricatures… I will wipe them off the face of this earth," said TLYRA chief Rizvi, showed a Samaa TV video of his interactions with the media. The TLP chief said this to reporters at a media interaction organised by the Karachi Press Club Times of India, July 12, 2018.
Army would not close down Army camps in Northern Province as alleged by some media reports, says Army Commander Mahesh Senanayake: Army Commander Mahesh Senanayake on July 15 said in a media statement that Army would not close down Army camps in the Northern Province as alleged by some media reports. He said; "Sri Lanka Army is prepared round the clock to respond to all security requirements in the country. During the war, the Army adopting its own structural reforms succeeded in winning the war at that time. In similar vein, the Army while performing a gigantic role in development has thrown its full weight behind the government's ongoing nation-building projects as the prime mover.Daily News, July 16, 2018.
Government will defuse pro- LTTE mindset in North, says Deputy Minister of Law and Order Nalin Bandara Jayamaha: Deputy Minister of Law and Order Nalin Bandara Jayamaha at a news conference on July 10 said Government will defuse pro-Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) mindset in North. Law and Order Minister Ranjith Madduma Bandara, Deputy Minister of Law and Order Nalin Bandara Jayamaha and IGP Pujith Jayasundara are to visit North on July 12 to defuse the pro-LTTE mindset in the area. Daily Mirror, July 11, 2018.
The South Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR) is a weekly service that brings you regular data, assessments and news briefs on terrorism, insurgencies and sub-conventional warfare, on counter-terrorism responses and policies, as well as on related economic, political, and social issues, in the South Asian region.
SAIR is a project of the Institute for Conflict Management and the South Asia Terrorism Portal
To receive FREE advance copies of SAIR by email Subscribe. Recommend South Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR) To A Friend