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SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 14, No. 15, October 12, 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


ASSESSMENT

INDIA
PAKISTAN
Click for PrintPrint

J&K: Continuing Deceit
Ajit Kumar Singh
Research Fellow, Institute for Conflict Management

On October 5, 2015, following inputs about movement of terrorists in the Hafruda Forest near the Line of Control (LoC) in the Handwara area of Kupwara District in the preceding days, Security Forces (SFs) launched a search operation in the area. On seeing the Army personnel, the terrorists opened heavy fire, triggering an exchange that resulted in the death of four Army personnel, while the terrorists managed to escape. Reports indicate that the terrorists had infiltrated from across the border three days earlier.

On October 7, 2015, a Police officer was killed in a gun battle in the Gund Dachin area of Bandipora District. Acting on information, a Police team headed by Sub-Inspector (SI), Altaf Ahmed Dar chased a vehicle in which terrorists, including a ‘divisional commander’ of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Abu Qasim, were travelling to receive a group of terrorists in the area. As the Police team opened fire and tried to intercept the vehicle, the terrorists retaliated, triggering a brief gun battle. During the encounter, SI Ahmad sustained injuries and later died. The terrorists, however, managed to escape leaving behind the vehicle. Abu Qasim was wanted by National Investigating Agency (NIA) and carries a head money of INR one million.

On October 8, 2015, an encounter took place between SFs and terrorists in the Koungnoo area of Shopian District. Acting on information regarding the presence of three terrorists, SFs had cordoned off the area. On seeing the troops, the terrorists opened fire, triggering an encounter. No casualty was reported from either side, but the terrorists managed to escape taking advantage of the dense vegetation.

These are only the most recent incidents of offensive engagement between Pakistan-backed terrorists and SFs. According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), the State has recorded 35 SF fatalities during the current year (data till October 11, 2015), as compared to 31 such deaths during the corresponding period of 2014. The number of terrorists killed in SF operation has also increased from 131 to 140 in the same period, while civilian fatalities have remained more or less at the same level, with 19 in 2015 as against 18 in 2014.

Despite Pakistan’s persistent efforts to create an environment of turmoil, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has managed to sustain the relative peace achieved after a protracted period of turmoil. While terrorism-related fatalities have registered marginal increases since 2013, after a sustained decline since 2002 onwards, indices of violence are only at tiny fractions of the intensity that was recorded between 1990 and 2006, when a high intensity conflict raged in the State, with fatalities over the 1,000 mark each year. At peak, the State recorded 4,507 fatalities (1,067 civilians, 590 SF personnel, 2,850 terrorists) in 2001. 

The number of violations of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) of 2003 from across the border has, however, soared enormously. In the current year alone, Pakistan has violated the CFA on at least 327 occasions. Through 2014, 583 CFA violations were recorded against Pakistan. In 2011, the number of such violations stood at 62, which increased to 114 in 2012 and further to 347 in 2013. Meanwhile, on October 5, 2015, the State Government informed the Assembly, “In the year 2014, the number of civilians killed was 14 and during the current year up to September 22, same number of civilians lost their lives in border firing. In these incidents, four security force personnel died in the year 2014, while six lost their lives in 2015."

However, according to an October 8, 2015, report, while 65 terrorists had succeeded in infiltrating from across the border through 2014, only 10 terrorists were believed to have successfully crossed the border in the current year, till September 2015. This is primarily because several measures have been taken by SFs to create a robust counter-infiltration grid. 

Out of 195 terrorists killed in J&K since January 2014, 89 (almost 46 per cent) were identified as being of Pakistani origin.  According to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA), 80 terrorists of Pakistani origin were killed between January 1, 2014, and April 19, 2015, and at least another nine Pakistani militants have been killed since April 20, 2015, according to SATP data. Most recently, an LeT 'commander' identified as Usman Tada, was killed in an encounter between terrorists and SFs in the Darpora forest area of Lolab in Kupwara District on October 5, 2015. Usman Tada, a Pakistani national, had been active in the area for the past two years. Two of his accomplices managed to escape.

In addition, at least four Pakistani terrorists were arrested by the SFs between January 1, 2014, and April 19, 2015, and at least another two since then. These include LeT terrorist Mohammad Naveed aka Usman, involved in the attack on a Border Security Force (BSF) convoy in Udhampur (Udhampur District) on August 5, 2015, (Usman was arrested on the same day); and Sajjad Ahmed, who was arrested on August 27, 2015, following an over-night encounter near the LoC in the Rafiabad area of Baramulla District, in which four Pakistani terrorists were killed. Usman, who underwent a polygraph test on August 18, 2015, reportedly revealed that the Pakistani Army and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) train LeT recruits. Incontrovertible evidence, including the testimony of his father from Faisalabad in Pakistan as well as Usman’s own confessional statement, confirmed Usman’s Pakistani identity, but Islamabad continues with its policy of bare faced denial. Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) on August 6, 2015, a day after Usman’s arrest, officially stated that Usman was not a Pakistani national. 

And while its support to campaigns of terrorism in J&K continues, Islamabad is also becoming more assertive in its support for ‘Kashmir cause’. Thus, on August 14, 2015, Abdul Basit, Pakistan's High Commissioner to India, stated, “Aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir could neither be ignored nor put on the back burner. No matter how much more time their legitimate struggle takes, Pakistan will never abandon Kashmiris and their cause." Similarly, Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel Sharif, who had described Kashmir as “Pakistan's jugular vein”, reiterated, on October 2, 2015, that Kashmir was the “unfinished agenda of Partition”. Following the annual ritual of raising the Kashmir issue at the United Nations, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, on October 1, 2015, told the UN General Assembly (UNGA) that “since 1947, the Kashmir dispute has remained unresolved”, and proposed a four point ‘new peace initiative with India’:
“One, we propose that Pakistan and India formalize and respect the 2003 understanding for a complete ceasefire on the Line of Control in Kashmir. For this purpose, we call for UNMOGIP’s expansion to monitor the observance of the ceasefire.
Two, we propose, that Pakistan and India reaffirm that they will not resort to the use or the threat of use of force under any circumstances. This is a central element of the UN Charter.
Three, steps be taken to demilitarize Kashmir.
Four, agree to an unconditional mutual withdrawal from Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest battleground.”

India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted soon after, “To de-militarize Kashmir is not the answer, to de-terrorize Pakistan is”; and again, “Pakistan is not primary victim of terrorism but of its own policies. It is in fact the prime sponsor of terrorism.”

India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, addressing the UNGA on October 2, 2015, declared, “Yesterday the Prime Minister of Pakistan proposed what he termed as a four-point new peace initiative. I would like to respond. We do not need four points, we need just one – give up terrorism and let us sit down and talk.”

Meanwhile, turbulence within Pakistan administered Kashmir (PaK), which has always been prevalent, appears to have seen a spike. Undeclared censorship is enforced on the region, but reports of escalating unrest have begun to filter out. A September 29, 2015, report, backed by video feeds, indicates that regular and massive protests are taking place in PaK, including areas of Muzaffarabad, Gilgit and Kotli, against regular Pakistan Armed Forces engineered incursions. Some of the slogans raised included Pakistani faujiyo Kashmir hamara chor do (Pakistani military leave our Kashmir); Pakistan se lenge Azadi (We will get freedom from Pakistan)”. Islamabad has resorted to a brutal crackdown and ordered the detention of nearly 200 hundred protesters in major towns of Muzaffarabad, Gilgit and Kotli. Unsurprisingly, according to the report, the Pakistan Government asserted, "Video shown on CNN-IBN is doctored. We don't control the media in PoK."  

The Indian Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Jitendra Singh, responding to Pakistan Army Chief Raheel Sharif’s statement that Kashmir is an “unfinished agenda of Partition” asserted, on September 7, 2015, "If there is any subject related to Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan, it is how the parts of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) can be again included in India. That means the area, which after 65-66 years, even after being part of Jammu and Kashmir, is under illegal possession of Pakistan." In its pursuit to counter Pakistan at international forums, India has begun to highlight the issue of PaK more vigorously, after long years of a misconceived silence.

On the domestic front, the gains in J&K have been extraordinary, and security successes have been reflected in a deepening consolidation of democracy as demonstrated in successive and successful elections witnessing large voter turnouts. Improvements in the security grid along the border have been effective in pushing down infiltration rates, and improvements in the State Police have resulted in augmented flows of intelligence and a widening counter-insurgency role for local Police Forces. Unfortunately, a measure of neglect could easily put these great and cumulative gains at risk. Indeed, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India Report laid on the table of the State Legislature Assembly on March 27, 2015, noted,

18 out of total 195 police stations and 103 out of total 192 police posts were operating without own buildings… Basic equipment (like bomb disposal equipment) had not been provided to the majority of the police stations. The life saving equipment viz., Body Protectors and Bullet Proof Vests were not available with 64 police stations…”

Pakistan’s objectives and commitment to support terrorism and separatism in J&K shows no signs of waning. The visible slackness on the part of the Central and State Governments in J&K will prove detrimental in the long run, even as the increasing perversity of the political discourse polarizes communities and creates conditions for further destabilization.

INDIA
PAKISTAN
Click for PrintPrint

The Lifeblood of Terror
Sanchita Bhattacharya
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management

On September 24, 2015, a fake lottery scam, with suspected hawala (illegal money transactions) linkages, was unearthed in West Bengal. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), based on inputs from the Intelligence Bureau (IB), exposed the racket and seized INR 200 million in raids. As many as nine locations in Kolkata and one in Siliguri of Darjeeling District were raided. According to reports available, of these, as many as 20 sacks of notes were seized from two locations in Kolkata and one in Siliguri. An unnamed senior intelligence official disclosed, "It is a lottery-hawala-money laundering racket. Money seized was being transferred by hawala on Thursday [September 24] to Dubai. We are looking at further nodes there".

Reports on September 27, 2015, indicated that IB alerted the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) about numerous bank accounts, involved in either hawala or fake lottery schemes running across India, possibly being operated by Dawood Ibrahim. With inputs from the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), IB submitted a detailed report over the scam to the UMHA, informing the Centre that a majority of the bank accounts were in Government banks, with the State Bank of India topping the list. 30 per cent of such suspicious bank accounts were operational in Bihar, followed by 18 per cent in West Bengal, 13.5 per cent in Uttar Pradesh and 11 per cent in Madhya Pradesh. More importantly, the cases investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) found that the estimated size of the scam thus far was INR 41.93 billion. The report further noted that while 1,175 Pakistani phone numbers were under surveillance, 305 Indian phone numbers were known to be in constant touch with these Pakistani contacts.

Money laundering channels, fake lottery scams, the circulation of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICNs), narco-trafficking, etc., have been integral to the funding of Islamist terrorism in India. Pakistani sponsored modules have long sought to destabilise the India through these instrumentalities. These modules receive funding and instructions from Pakistani intelligence agencies, most prominently the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and also use launch pads in UAE and Bangladesh.

Hawala channels have been the dominant medium of transferring funds to Kashmiri separatist organisations. According to a September 13, 2015, report, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) identified JKART (Jammu and Kashmir Affectees Relief Trust), with its head office in Rawalpindi (Pakistan) and branch offices in Islamabad and Muzaffarabad (Pakistan occupied Kashmir), sends money into India through the hawala route as well as banking channels, and these funds are distributed through conduits not only in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) but also in Delhi and other parts of the country.

On August 22, 2015, ED had issued fresh summons to Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Shah, Chairman of the Democratic Freedom Party of Jammu and Kashmir, for questioning in connection with a decade-old case of terror financing through the hawala channel. This is the third attempt by the agency to serve summons on Shah in a case where Delhi Police's Special Cell arrested Mohammed Aslam Wani on August 26, 2005, along with INR 6.3 million, which he had received through hawala channels from the Middle East, and a large amount of ammunition. During questioning, Wani had claimed before Police that, out of the INR 6.3 million, INR five million was to be delivered to Shah and INR one million to Abu Baqar, the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) 'area commander' in Srinagar, while the rest of the money was to be his (Wani's) commission. Wani, an alleged hawala dealer, had also claimed that he had passed on INR 22.5 million to Shah and his kin in several installments over the preceding year. According to sources, Shah had asked Wani to channel hawala money to him from Delhi, for which he was to be paid three per cent as commission.

Similarly, in July 2015, ED filed a charge sheet against Firdous Ahmad Shah, a member of Syed Ali Geelani's All Parties Hurriyat Conference, and Yar Mohammed Khan, for allegedly receiving money from Europe for use in terror financing. ED had alleged that the fund was received from Italy through Western Union Money Transfer and this money was used for unlawful activities relating to the financing of terror.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh has become a market for dumping FICNs. Two big seizures of FICNs within Bangladesh in the month of September 2015, including INR 27.1 million from a consignment arriving at the Chittagong Port from Dubai on September 20 and INR 12.8 million from a Bangladeshi flying into Dhaka from Dubai on September 22, have deepened India's suspicion that Pakistani agents are producing FICNs in bulk at facilities in the Gulf, and shipping the fake currency into South Asian ports and airports, for entry into India.

According to Indian intelligence sources, the total amount of FICNs recovered from Bangladesh since January 2014 is over INR 230 million. Most FICN hauls were from flights arriving into Bangladesh, either directly from Pakistan or from Dubai, Colombo (Sri Lanka), Doha and Turkey. Indeed, October 1, 2015, reports indicate that UMHA had warned the West Bengal and Assam State Governments to maintain strict vigil across the border.

FICNs circulation remains a major challenge in India. The Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Indian Parliament) was informed on August 4, 2015, by Union Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha, that more than 1.55 million notes were recovered in 2012, 2013 and 2014, with a face value of about INR 775 million. The porous Indo-Bangla border has made the Malda District in West Bengal the epicenter for FICN smuggling. According to a Malda District Police report, FICNs with a face value of INR 14.3 million were seized in 2013; rising to INR 15 million in 2014; and INR 19.7 million in the current year (till July, 2015). The source of most of these notes is Pakistan, and the quality is so good that it can hardly be distinguished from original notes.

FICN rackets have taken the magnitude of a cottage industry at places like Mohabbatpur, Chorianantapur and Sasani in Malda District; Gopalnagar and Khoribona in Murshidabad District; Misutola and Dangipara in Uttar Dinajpur District (all in West Bengal), which are easily accessible to Bangladesh's Chapai Nababgunj District, notorious for being a fake currency hub, as well as Nepal. Malda Superintendent of Police (SP) Prasun Banerjee, according to a September 14, 2015, report, observed, "Also, people here work as labourers in Rajasthan, Punjab, Delhi and Assam and they carry the notes with them there." NIA had stated that 80 per cent FICNs are sneaked into the country through the 172 kilometer porous border along Malda. According to NIA, Malda has become the locus of a range of criminal activities with links to the Pakistan's ISI-backed network of terrorism.

West Bengal is not alone among Indian states affected by FICNs circulation. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), of the 30,354,604 FICNs seized across the country in 2014, 8,747,820 were recovered from Gujarat. Chhattisgarh followed close at heel with the seizure of 7,386,900 fake notes, while Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana saw recoveries of 5,437,600, 3,249,000 and 1,696,850 counterfeit notes, respectively. Apart from the road and railway routes, the air route via Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the UAE, as also China and Holland, have been used for smuggling in fake notes.

According to an April 10, 2015, report, from 2006 onwards INR 148.5 million have been recovered by the Police and NIA in 15 states (names not available). Of these, NIA seized INR 36.6 million in terror funds in 11 cases investigated by it since its inception in December 2008. As many as 101 persons are accused in these cases. Jammu and Kashmir Police ranks second only to NIA in seizures. The State has seized INR 29.3 million in 80 terror financing cases since 2006, in which 190 persons are accused. Manipur, despite its small size, reported terror fund seizures worth INR 21.1 million in 26 cases, followed by Delhi which seized INR 19.2 million in 21 cases. Madhya Pradesh accounted INR 16.4 million, and Odisha Police around INR 11.2 million in seizures of terrorist funds. Karnataka, Gujarat and Kerala registered 14, three and one terror financing cases, respectively, under the Unlawful Activities [Prevention] Act (UAPA), but have not reported any seizure since 2006.

On September 9, 2015, Union Home Minister (UHM) Rajnath Singh noted that India faces a serious challenge because of drug trafficking due to its proximity to major opium-growing areas of the region, adding: "Involvement of various terrorist groups and syndicates in drug trafficking leads to threat to the national security and sovereignty of states by the way of narco-terrorism." Significantly, a dossier on Dawood Ibrahim, reportedly prepared by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, discloses that Dawood's cash comes from the drug trade, fake currency, realty and money laundering. Agencies feel once they have control over Dawood's offshore assets, "it'll break the security cordon around him..."

June 26, 2015, report stated that 110,032 tonnes of illegal narcotic substances were seized between 2011 and 2014. Moreover, as many as 64,737 drug-trafficking cases were reported during same time-frame. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) data for January 2015 reveals that the four major international airports of India in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata account for 94 per cent of the instances of drug smuggling and seizures.

To fight this menace of terror finance, India has taken several measures in the past. Most recently, in September 2015 the Union Government approved the introduction of seven new security features in currency notes to detect FICN. Though the measures are not yet disclosed by the agencies, they are expected to be functional in 2016. Moreover, in the same month, a team was formed, on the directions of the Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance, to conduct a ‘national risk assessment’ on the threat posed to the financial sector by money-laundering and terror financing.

Pakistan remains relentless in its effort to destabilise India through terrorism, creating resources for its proxy war through the circulation of FICN, drugs and a range of criminal enterprises, even as monies are directly provided to terrorist networks through hawala and the banking system. Various ‘peace building’ measures that New Delhi has supported, including the easier movement of populations across the Line of Control and International Border in J&K, improved trade relations and greater ‘people to people’ contacts, have only facilitated some of these processes, and have encouraged Pakistan to believe that it can continue with its malfeasance without prohibitive, or even significant, costs. After decades of Pakistan backed terrorism and subversion, India is yet to formulate a coherent strategy of response. Fire-fighting initiatives, seeking to contain or suppress the visible manifestations of Pakistan’s proxy war can only provide limited relief, but fail consistently to address the source.


NEWS BRIEFS

Weekly Fatalities: Major Conflicts in South Asia
October 5-11, 2015

 

Civilians

Security Force Personnel

Terrorists/Insurgents

Total

BANGLADESH

 

Islamist Extremism

0
0
1
1

INDIA

 

Assam

0
0
2
2

Jammu and Kashmir

0
5
2
7

Meghalaya

2
0
0
2

Nagaland

2
0
0
2

Left-Wing Extremism

 

Jharkhand

0
2
1
3

Chhattisgarh

0
0
1
1

Maharashtra

0
1
0
1

Total (INDIA)

4
8
6
18

PAKISTAN

 

Balochistan

1
0
3
4

FATA

0
0
22
22

KP

1
0
1
2

Punjab

3
0
5
8

Sindh

0
3
1
4

PAKISTAN (Total)

5
3
32
40
Provisional data compiled from English language media sources.


BANGLADESH

Killing of bloggers propels Bangladesh onto Global Impunity Index of CPJ: The killing of bloggers in Bangladesh propelled the country onto Global Impunity Index of Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). CPJ in a report said, "At least four Bangladeshi bloggers have been hacked to death by apparent Islamic extremists this year alone, and a total of five of Bangladesh's seven victims of unsolved murders over the last decade are bloggers who criticized religious extremism. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the nominally secular ruling Awami League party have done little to speak out for justice in these crimes, allowing political interests to trump rule of law. Authorities seem more concerned with what bloggers are writing than going after their killers." Daily Star, October 10, 2015.

No one will be able to destabilise the country by killing foreigners, says Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed on October 7 said that no one will be able to destabilise the country by killing foreigners. She said, "Bangladesh has consolidated its position on the international stage in such a way that no one will be able to destabilise the country with such incidents." The Prime Minister urged all, including the members of the Armed Forces, to remain alert so that no one could hold up the pace of country's development. Daily Star, October 8, 2015.


INDIA

69 people killed in militancy related incidents and cross border firing this year, informs Jammu and Kashmir Government: The Jammu and Kashmir government on October 5 informed the State Assembly that 69 people, including 35 Security Force (SF) personnel, were killed and 199 injured in militancy-related incidents and Pakistani firing in the state this year. While 49 people - 29 SF personnel and 20 civilians - lost their lives in militancy-related violence, six SF personnel were among 20 people killed in firing from across the border till September 22 this year (2015), Chief Minister (CM) Mufti Mohammad Sayeed said in a written reply to a question raised by National Conference legislator Mian Altaf Ahmad. Times of India, October 7, 2015.

More than 500 Maoists give up arms in 10 years in Maharashtra, says report: Maharashtra Government's Naxal (Left Wing Extremism) surrender policy has yielded positive results with 502 Maoists giving up arms in the last 10 years and being rehabilitated. Of these, 482 rebels have surrendered in Gadchiroli District alone, considered as a Naxal hotbed. Maharashtra Government had launched a Naxal surrender policy on August 29, 2005, which has been extended time and again till date, official sources from Anti-Naxalite Operations (ANO) of Maharashtra Police said. First Post, October 7, 2015.

Centre examining northeast's special category status, says Union Minister Jitendra Singh: Central Government's Finance Ministry is examining the continuation of the special category status for the eight northeast states, Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (Independent charge) Jitendra Singh said in Agartala on October 9. Jitendra Singh said the issue whether the eight northeast states will continue to get special category status "is being looked into by the union finance ministry". "When and how the issue would be settled, I do not know," he added. Nagland Post, October 10, 2015.


NEPAL

CPN-UML Chairman K. P. Sharma Oli elected as 38th Prime Minister of Nepal: Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) Chairman K. P. Sharma Oli was elected 38th Prime Minister of Nepal on October 11 by defeating Nepali Congress (NC) President Sushil Koirala with a margin of 89 votes. Oli garnered 338 votes while Koirala polled 249 votes during the voting held at the Parliament. Seven members remained absent and two members of Tharuhat Tarai Party Nepal boycotted the voting. 587 members took part in the voting. Himalayan Times, October 12, 2015.

Government registers "first amendment bill" to address demands of Madhesi and indigenous communities: 17 days after the Constituent Assembly (CA) promulgated new constitution on September 20, the Government on October 7 registered "first amendment bill" of the constitution at Parliament Secretariat in Kathmandu seeking to address proportional inclusion and making population the basis for delineating the electoral constituencies - the two major demands of Madhesi and indigenous communities. The bill registered by Minister for Law, Justice, Constituent Assembly and Parliamentary Affairs Narahari Acharya seeks amendment to five provisions of Articles 42, 84 and 286 to address the two issues. Himalayan Times, October 8, 2015.


PAKISTAN

588 persons become victims of 821 terrorism incidents in eight months, says report: The first eight months of the current year (2015) has witnessed 821 incidents of terrorism in the country, in which 588 people lost their lives while 1,007 people got injured. The report revealed that in 124 incidents of terrorism during month of January, 122 people were killed and 174 were injured. Similarly, in 10 terrorism related incidents during February, 9 people were killed and 49 injured, in March 86 terrorism related incidents occurred in which 45 people were killed and 141 injured and in 113 incidents during month of April, 59 lost their lives and 110 got injured. The data further revealed that the month of May witnessed 121 unfortunate incidents of terrorism with killing of 137 people and injuries to 162 people. In June, there were 70 such incidents in which 50 got killed and 55 got injured, the month of July saw 116 such incidents in which 65 were killed and 131 injured while in August 2015, 61 people became victims of 82 terrorism related incidents while 77 got injured. Dawn, October 12, 2015.

Fighting for an independent Balochistan, says Baloch separatist leader Hyrbyair Marri: Baloch separatist leader Hyrbyair Marri in an interview on October 9 said that he was fighting for an independent Balochistan, a report published on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Urdu website said. He, however, said that neither he nor his associates have any affiliation with the proscribed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) militant group. He also added that the Baloch people are not in favour of seeking help from India to gain freedom. Dawn, October 11, 2015.

Situation for journalists unlikely to improve in Pakistan, says CPJ Impunity Index Report: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on October 8 in its recently released Impunity Index Report, "Getting Away with Murder", for 2015 stated that Pakistan's position remains unchanged at number 9. However, its rating has improved by 0.004 points from 0.123 in 2014 to 0.119 in the latest report. The report looks at unsolved murders of journalists - in countries where attacks on journalists mostly go unpunished - as a percentage of the country's population. The News, October 9, 2015.

Over 6,000 death-row convicts in jails, Government informs Senate: Minister of State for Interior Baleeghur Rahman informed the Senate on October 6 that there were a total of 6,016 death row convicts imprisoned in various jails across the country. During the question hour, he said that the process for execution of the convicts who had availed of all legal options and whose mercy petitions had also been rejected continued as per law since December 17, 2014. The last such prisoner, Mohammad Aslam, was executed in the Bahawalpur jail in September. Dawn, October 7, 2015.

Military operation to continue, says Islamabad's Defense attache Brigadier Sarfraz Ali Chaudhary: The current military operation against militants will continue until the writ of the state is restored, said, Pakistan's Defence Attaché Brigadier Sarfraz Ali Chaudhary while addressing a convention of Pakistani-Americans in Washington on October 5. He said that the operation had four major goals, eliminating extremists from North Waziristan, their sleeper cells elsewhere in the country, restoring the writ of the state, and ensuring that only the state had monopoly on the use of legitimate physical force within its jurisdiction. Dawn, October 6, 2015.

Criticizing blasphemy laws not blasphemous, Says Supreme Court Judge: Justice Asif Saeed Khosa of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on October 5 while hearing an appeal filed by Mumtaz Qadri, the killer of former Punjab Governor Salman Taseer, against his death penalty, said that criticism of the blasphemy law did not amount to blasphemy. During the hearing on October 5, the bench observed that the entire argument of Qadri's counsel would be rendered irrelevant if it is not established that then governor Salman Taseer had committed blasphemy. Daily Times, October 6, 2015.


SRI LANKA

Government to abolish Missing Persons Commission and replace it with new commission to continue its procedures, says Justice Minister Wijedasa Rajapaksa: Justice Minister Wijedasa Rajapaksa said that the Government is to abolish the Missing Persons Commission and replace it with a new commission to continue its procedures. He said, "The international community has no confidence in the Missing Persons' Commission so it will be abolished. Even locally, most of the people are not happy with the Commission and they have no faith in the process. However, we will not abandon the procedure. We will go ahead with the procedure with a commission which will be more effective." Colombo Page, October 11, 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.

South Asia Intelligence Review [SAIR]

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Editor
Dr. Ajai Sahni


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