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SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 14, No. 2, July 13, 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
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Ajai
Sahni
Editor, SAIR; Executive Director, ICM &
SATP
India's
policy on Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), on terrorism,
and on the principal sponsor of terrorism in South
Asia - Pakistan - has often been criticized for
its inconsistencies. Over the past years, however,
an increasing consistency has been evident - though
perhaps not in any particularly constructive sense:
the consistency of a pendulum, swinging with insistent
regularity from one extreme to the other.
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Another
‘historical’ media event has been orchestrated, with ‘unprecedented’
agreements arrived at during the meeting of Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
(SCO) summit at Ufa in Russia on July 10, 2015. Modi’s
attendance at the South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC) Summit at Islamabad in 2016 is being
packaged as a ‘breakthrough’ in Indo-Pak relations, as
are the restoration of routine diplomatic and military
contacts between the two countries. Crucially, it was
India that sought the meeting between the two Prime Ministers
at Ufa.
Meanwhile,
a day earlier, on July 9, 2015, a Border Security Force
(BSF) Constable was killed by Pakistani troops in the
Nowgam Sector of Kupwara District, along the Line of Control
(LoC), in J&K. Constable Krishan Kumar Dubey of BSF’s
119th Battalion was killed when Pakistani troops
fired three sniper shots at him at the Karam picket in
the Nowgam Sector.
Further,
on July 5, 2015, Pakistani Rangers opened fire at Indian
positions in the Nowgam Sector, killing another BSF trooper.
At the same time, Pakistani Rangers had also opened fire
in the Macchil Sector of the same District, but no casualty
was reported there.
On the
same date, Pakistani Rangers had resorted to night-long
firing targeting six Border Out Posts (BOPs) in the Arnia
sector of Jammu District, along the International Border
(IB). However, no casualty was reported.
According
to partial data collated by the South Asia Terrorism
Portal (SATP), Pakistani Forces have violated the
Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) on at least 50 occasions during
the first six months of 2015 (data till June 30), resulting
in three fatalities among Security Force (SF) personnel.
There were 74 CFA violations by Pakistan during the last
six months of 2014, resulting in three deaths among SF
personnel. There have already been five CFA violations
by Pakistan, resulting in the death of two SF personnel,
in the month of July 2015 ( till July 12).
CFA violations
by Pakistani Forces are deliberately intended to help
infiltrate terrorists into Indian Territory. SATP’s partial
data has recorded at least 17 infiltration attempts during
the first six months of 2015 (till June 30), resulting
in 11 fatalities – eight terrorists and three SF personnel,
adding to 19 such attempts during the last six months
of 2014, which resulted in 13 fatalities – 12 terrorists
and one trooper.
Further,
J&K State Director General of Police (DGP) K. Rajendra
Kumar disclosed, on June 11, 2015, that there was a significant
concentration of terrorists across the LoC, and intelligence
reports indicate that infiltration attempts are slated
to increase. Moreover, Union Minister of State in the
Ministry of Home Affairs Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary
stated in Parliament on February 24, 2015, “According
to reports there are several terrorist training camps
in Pak Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK) of the various
outfits i.e. Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT),
Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM),
Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM),
which are used for training and subsequently for infiltrating
trained militants/terrorists into J&K State.”
It is significant
that, as recently as on June 7, 2015, Modi had, during
his visit to Bangladesh, declared, that Pakistan was a
‘nuisance’ and was responsible for ‘promoting terrorism’
in the South Asian region. Reiterating India’s purported
‘hardline’ position, External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj, speaking on May 31, 2015, after a Pakistani court
ordered the release of jailed 26/11 (Mumbai 2008) attack
perpetrator Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi, demanded, “If Lakhvi
remains outside and he remains free and Pakistan thinks
we will speak, will India ever accept that?” On the other
hand, Pakistan’s Interior Minister, Nisar Ali Khan, had
clearly stated that his Government would not ban the Jama’at-ud-Dawa
(JuD), the organisation responsible for numberless terrorist
attacks on Indian soil, including the 26/11 carnage.
Just a
day before the Ufa confabulations, Pakistan’s Defence
Minister Khwaja Asif had warned that Pakistan could use
nuclear weapons against India in the event of war.
And just
a month earlier, in the wake of a minor
Indian Army operation on Myanmarese
soil against militants of some Northeastern insurgent
groups, several Indian Government sources, including Ministers,
vastly exaggerating the significance of the incident,
had warned that the operation was a ‘message’ to Pakistan
as well.
Crucially,
shortly after his election, but before he had been sworn
in as Prime Minister, Modi had promised a brave new strategy
to deal with Pakistan’s mischief, the lynchpin of which
was that talks and terrorism could not go together, that
it was not “possible to have a discussion amidst the deafening
noise of bomb blasts and gunshots... There can be no talks
till all this (terrorism) comes to an end.”
The Bharatiya
Janata Party’s Election Manifesto 2014 had promised “zero
tolerance on terrorism, extremism and crime”, noting that
“Over the past decade, lack of a strong and visionary
leadership, coupled with multiple power centres, has failed
to address the issue of national security, leading to
a chaotic situation and denting India's image in the international
arena.” Recognizing the “increase in incidence of Pakistan
backed terror groups in India”, among other threats to
national security, the Manifesto declared, “BJP recognizes
the importance of identifying a clear roadmap to address
the issue head-on, with radical systemic changes.”
None of
this has come to pass. Despite completely unambiguous
evidence of Pakistan’s continuing mischief, the Indian
establishment under Modi, after some little bluster and
posturing, has returned to the default setting of India’s
policy on Pakistan – vacillation and drift. For all the
promise of ‘radical change’, the options remained circumscribed
to ‘talks’ or ‘no talks’, a situation no different from
that under the feckless Manmohan Singh Government. There
has been a comprehensive failure to develop any other
instrumentalities to force any measure of rationality
or compliance on Islamabad, and no evidence whatsoever
of any ‘strong, visionary leadership’.
A range
of extraneous circumstances, particularly including enormous
international (particularly US) pressure on Islamabad,
a mounting crisis of domestic terrorism, and a shift in
strategic priorities towards the more urgent terrorist
campaigns in Afghanistan, have provided some relief in
J&K, and this has been capitalized on by Indian SFs.
The result has been a dramatic improvement in the security
situation in J&K, with a total of 70 fatalities recorded
in the first six months of 2015, as against 124 such killings
in the latter half of 2014.
Nevertheless,
there is clear evidence of Pakistan’s continuing efforts
to support radicalization and terrorism, despite dwindling
support in the Valley and beyond. Pakistan’s external
intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)
is actively supporting its terrorist proxies to find new
recruits. According to a July 7, 2015, report, intelligence
agencies warned that at least 14 LeT and five JeM terrorists
had infiltrated into J&K, with the principal objective
of recruiting youth to their cause, from villages located
along the LoC and the IB. JeM has resolved to mark 2015
as a year of ‘Inquilab-e-Jihad’. Most of the terrorists
currently operating in J&K are of foreign origin.
DGP Kumar stated, on January 14, 2015, "We continue
to see foreign terrorists' presence between 40 to 50 per
cent. The sidelining of the militant Jammu Kashmir Liberation
Front (JKLF) and downsizing of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM) has seen increase in foreign terrorists, who are
more ruthless."
Further,
a hitherto unknown terror outfit, Lashkar-e-Islam (LeI),
widely considered to be a front of the Hizb-ul-Mujahiddeen
(HM), has spread havoc in the Sopore area of Baramulla
District, disrupting mobile
networks, and engaging in a campaign
of targeted killings. At least six persons, including
two activists of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference –
Gilani (APHC-G),
have been killed, just between May 25 and June 15, 2015.
Efforts
to orchestrate public disorders in J&K, and to reunite
the fractious separatist constituency, are also in evidence,
even as the Pakistan High Commission at Delhi continues
to find occasion to meet, consult with and guide the separatist
leaders. One such meeting, for an Iftar party on July
4, was scuttled to ensure that the Modi-Sharif meeting
at Ufa went through; but reports now indicate that the
High Commission will be hosting the separatist leaders
for an Id Milan party on July 21, 2015. It is significant
that Foreign Secretary level talks between India and Pakistan
were suspended, and the entire, premature, negotiation
process was derailed, after the Pakistan High Commission
had hosted the separatist leaders in August 2014. Thereafter,
however, separatists attended the Pakistan Day celebration
of March 2015.
The Modi
Government has betrayed its promise of bringing coherence
to its policy on terrorism and on Pakistan and has relied
more on the projection of a false image, rather than on
the acquisition of any real strength, or the development
of any consistent strategy. It appears that every party
reserves its heroics and its nationalism for its periods
in opposition; once in power, every regime operates within
the same inertial paradigm, alternating between occasional
sulks in the wake of fresh Pakistani transgressions, and
desperate intervals of directionless conciliation. For
all his efforts to project himself as a strongman, Modi
is progressively exposing himself as being as weak kneed
as his spiritless predecessor, Manmohan Singh. In the
process, without securing any measurable gains, he has
conferred increasing legitimacy on a rogue state that
has long sponsored terrorism in India, extended the malignant
shadow of Islamist extremism and terrorist violence across
vast areas of the globe, and that remains the epicenter
of geopolitical destabilization in the South Asian region.
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Gathering
Momentum
S.
Binodkumar Singh
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
On July
7, 2015, after weeklong deliberations, the Constituent
Assembly (CA) endorsed the preliminary draft of the new
Constitution, clearing the way for public consultations
on its provisions. Further, on July 9, 2015, the CA endorsed
an action plan for publicizing the draft Constitution
and provided 15 days to the Committee on Citizen Relation
and Public Opinion Collection to gather people’s views
on the document and submit its report to the CA.
According
to the action plan of the Committee, the draft will be
disseminated through newspapers, radios and other mass
media. The draft will also be published in the Nepal Gazette.
Officials of the CA Secretariat will visit 240 electoral
constituencies and 75 Districts to seek people’s feedback.
Moreover,
the CA formed a sub-committee on July 9, 2015, to collect
suggestions on the draft Constitution from Non Resident
Nepalis (NRNs), estimated to be around three million,
including students and labor force living away from home.
The feedbacks from NRNs are to be collected through embassies
and foreign wings of political parties. Those living abroad
can also post their comments via CA’s website www.can.gov.np/draft.
Abruptly,
it appears, the process of finalizing the draft Constitution
has been expedited.
After 17
months of the formation of the second CA on January 20,
2014, the preliminary draft of the new Constitution was
tabled in the CA on June 30, 2015, paving the way for
promulgation of the new Constitution. Constitution Drafting
Committee (CDC) Chairman Krishna Prasad Sitaula presented
the draft, proposing wider discussion among CA members.
CDC had recommenced the drafting process on June 14, 2015,
after it received the report of the CA's Constitutional
Political Dialogue and Consensus Committee (CPDCC) and
directed the five Sub-committees under it to prepare draft
proposals as per the 16-point
Agreement signed by four major political
parties – the Nepali Congress (NC), Communist Party of
Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), Unified Communist
Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M)
and Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Loktantrik (MJF-L) – on June
8, 2015. The Sub-committees include a Legislature Sub-committee
under the convener-ship of Bharat Mohan Adhikari; a Justice
Sub-committee under Ramesh Lekhak; an Executive Sub-committee
under Hitraj Pandey; a Preamble Sub-committee under Jitendra
Dev; and a Fundamental Rights Sub-committee under Aindra
Sundar Nembang.
United
Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nepal,
Jamie McGoldrick, commending the progress in the Constitution
drafting process on behalf of the international community,
in a statement issued on July 9, 2015, observed, "The
accomplishment of a democratic and inclusive Constitution,
providing for the interests, equity and rights of women
and men from all sections of Nepali society would build
on the positive achievements of past agreements. With
this fundamental and guiding document, the political leaderships
have a historic opportunity to inspire a peaceful, united,
inclusive and democratic future of Nepal.”
However,
in a major blow to the process, the Supreme Court (SC)
on June 19, 2015, ordered the CA and concerned political
parties not to implement the 16-point Agreement. Issuing
an interim order, responding to a writ petition filed
by Bijay Kanta Karna on June 16, 2015, a single bench
of Justice Girish Chandra Lal noted that the points of
the deal on forming eight provinces, assigning provincial
assemblies to name them, and forming a Federal Commission
to finalize delineation, would contradict Articles 138
and 82 of the Interim
Constitution of 2007. The SC order
stated, “As Interim Constitution is the fundamental law
of Nepal, it is duty of every person to uphold it. The
Constituent Assembly, executive, judiciary and even the
political parties have been established as per the provisions
of the Constitution and institutions within the state
or founded by the state should function in accordance
with the Constitution and Constitutional Law. If attempts
are made to draft a new Constitution overriding the provisions
of the existing Constitution, it could be controversial
and could also invite another conflict."
Immediately
after the SC’s ruling, the four major political parties
held an emergency meeting on June 19, 2015, at Prime Minister
Sushil Koirala’s official residence in Baluwatar, Kathmandu,
and issued a joint statement which read, “The CA is an
independent and capable institution. It is indisputable
that its decision on Constitution-drafting will be final.
It’s a prerogative of the CA to decide how to make the
Constitution and of what kind.” Subsequently, overlooking
the SC order, the four major parties went ahead with their
plan to promulgate the new Constitution by tabling the
draft of the new Constitution in the CA on June 30, 2015.
Foreseeing
a future stand-off, President Ram Baran Yadav invited
Prime Minister and NC President Sushil Koirala, CPN-UML
Chairman KP Sharma Oli, UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal
aka Prachanda and MJF-L Chairman Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar
to Sheetal Niwas, the official residence of the President
in Kathmandu, on July 10, 2015, and advised the four major
political parties to promulgate the new Constitution only
after the delineation of provinces, a key demand of the
leaders from Madhesi and Janajati constituencies, in accordance
with the SC’s observation. UCPN-M has already softened
its earlier stand on the issue, on July 12, 2015, with
UCPN-M Chairman Dahal stating, "It is possible to
delineate provinces prior to promulgation of the new Constitution.
I have asked NC and UML leaders to give the Constitution
a complete shape."
Meanwhile,
United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF), a four party alliance
of Madhesi People's Rights Forum Nepal (MPRF-N), Tarai
Madhes Democratic Party (TMDP), Sadbhavana Party (SP)
and National Madhes Shadbhavana Party (NMSP), burnt the
copies of preliminary draft of the Constitution, on July
1, 2015. After tearing and burning the Constitution draft
in front of the Department of Roads office in Babar Mahal,
Kathmandu, the Madhesi leaders came down heavily on the
preliminary draft, and warned of severe protests if the
major political parties did not pay heed to their demands.
On July 10, 2015, the dissenting UDMF announced programmes
of protest which included putting black flags in public
areas and organizing rallies in Kathmandu and other major
cities of the country. The alliance has been demanding
that Nepal be federated into 11 provinces as recommended
by the State Restructuring Commission formed in 2011,
and not into eight as agreed in the 16-point Agreement.
Separately,
four fringe political parties in the CA, including Sanghiya
Samajwadi Party (SSP), Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party (TMLP),
SP and Tarai Madhes Sadbhavana Party (TMSP), boycotted
the CA meeting on July 5, 2015, reiterating their demand
that the Constitution should be promulgated only after
the delineation of federal units. TMLP General Secretary
Sarbendra Nath Shukla stated that federalism without demarcation
of state boundaries was like a body without its head.
Similarly, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal (RPP-N)
on July 5, 2015, announced protest programmes demanding
an end to secularism and re-establishment of the Hindu
state.
Astonishingly,
during an interview on June 26, 2015, Prime Minister Koirala
had already declared,
There
is no reason to doubt the trajectory of new Constitution.
It has already entered a process. Every Committee
of the Constituent Assembly is working on war footing.
There is not a moment to waste. You might consider
the Constitution done and dusted. No force can stop
it now. There is no time like now to reconstruct
the country and take it on the path of development
and prosperity. The recent disaster has only added
to the urgency. Our commitment is peace, development,
democracy and prosperity and there is no better
time to institutionalize them.
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Further,
speaking at a ceremony in Kavrepalanchok District on July
3, 2015, the Prime Minister again said that no one could
obstruct the Constitution writing process, as it had already
been initiated and the new Constitution would be promulgated
at any cost.
The coming
together of the major parties to finalize the draft of
the new Constitution is undoubtedly a major achievement.
The process of taking the draft to the public and receiving
their feedback will continue for a fortnight or so. Maintaining
a high level of transparency on the kind of suggestions
received, on how they are being tabulated and how these
concerns will be tackled in the new Constitution, will
be necessary, if the existing rifts in the country are
not to widen further. The legal face-off between the major
parties and the country’s apex court will also need to
be resolved, if it is not to turn into a disruptive rallying
point for dissident forces in the country. It is encouraging
to note that some first steps in this direction have already
been initiated by the UCPN-M.
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Weekly Fatalities:
Major Conflicts in South Asia
July 6-12, 2015
|
Civilians
|
Security
Force Personnel
|
Terrorists/Insurgents
|
Total
|
INDIA
|
|
Assam
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
Jammu and
Kashmir
|
0
|
1
|
3
|
4
|
Manipur
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
Meghalaya
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
Left-Wing
Extremism
|
|
Odisha
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Total (INDIA)
|
1
|
1
|
6
|
8
|
PAKISTAN
|
|
Balochistan
|
12
|
1
|
3
|
16
|
FATA
|
0
|
6
|
9
|
15
|
KP
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
Punjab
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
Sindh
|
7
|
1
|
0
|
8
|
PAKISTAN
(Total)
|
|
|
|
|
Provisional
data compiled from English language media sources.
|
INDIA
UMHA
declares
whole
of
Nagaland
as
"disturbed
area"
further
for
a
period
of
one
year:
Union
Ministry
of
Home
Affairs
(UMHA)
has
declared
whole
of
Nagaland
as
a
"disturbed
area"
for
a
further
period
of
one
year
from
June
30,
2015.
Notification
in
this
regard
states
that
the
Government
of
India
(GoI)
is
of
the
opinion
that
the
entire
state
is
in
such
a
"disturbed"
and
"dangerous"
condition
that
the
use
of
armed
forces
in
aid
of
civil
power
is
"necessary".
Times
of
India,
July
8,
2015.
Union
Home
Minister
Rajnath
Singh
calls
for
reduction
of
CAPFs
in
Northeast:
Union
Home
Minister
(UHM)
Rajnath
Singh
on
July
11
stressed
the
need
to
decrease
deployment
of
Security
Forces
[with
reference
to
Central
Armed
Police
Forces
(CAPFs)]
in
the
Northeast.
"In
the
wake
of
improvement
in
security
scenario,
there
is
a
need
to
review
deployment
of
security
forces
in
the
region.
At
present,
the
deployment
is
more
than
when
the
insurgency
was
at
its
peak…
I
would
urge
all
the
Hon'ble
Chief
Ministers
to
conduct
a
realistic
audit
of
deployment
of
Central
Armed
Police
Forces
in
their
states…Without
compromising
with
security,
we
must
plan
to
reduce
deployment
to
make
the
environment
easy
and
also
to
encourage
positive
thinking
of
outsiders
about
this
region,"
he
said
while
addressing
a
conference
of
North
East
Chief
Ministers
in
Guwahati.
Telegraph,
July
12,
2015.
Government
asks
Supreme
Court
to
let
it
seize
assets
of
Dawood
relatives,
says
report:
The
government
has
asked
the
Supreme
Court
to
let
it
confiscate
properties
of
Dawood
Ibrahim's
sister
and
his
other
relatives
in
Mumbai
(Maharashtra),
pointing
out
Dawood's
kin
have
failed
to
establish
their
source
of
income
and
"lawful
acquisition"
of
these
properties.
Justifying
the
order
of
attachment
passed
in
1998,
the
Ministry
of
Finance
has
maintained
in
its
affidavit
that
relatives
of
the
fugitive
were
covered
under
the
relevant
provisions
of
the
Smugglers
and
Foreign
Exchange
Manipulators
(Forfeiture
of
Property)
Act
(SAFEMA).
Indian
Express,
July
11,
2015.
NEPAL
CA
endorses
15-day
action
plan
on
seeking
public
opinion:
The
Committee
on
Citizen
Relation
and
Public
Opinion
Collection
has
come
up
with
a
15-day
action
plan
to
collect
public
opinion
on
preliminary
draft
of
new
constitution.
The
action-plan
endorsed
by
full
House
Constituent
Assembly
(CA)
on
July
9
will
come
into
effect
from
July
10.
The
action-plan
has
drawn
criticism
for
allotting
only
two
days
for
holding
direct
interaction
with
common
people
though
the
Committee
got
15
days.
Kantipur Online,
July
10,
2015.
UCPN-M
backtracks
and
decides
to
mount
pressure
for
delineation
of
provinces
prior
to
promulgation
of
the
new
Constitution:
Backtracking
on
its
earlier
stance,
top
leadership
of
the
Unified
Communist
Party
of
Nepal-Maoist
(UCPN-M)
on
July
12
has
decided
to
mount
pressure
for
delineation
of
provinces
prior
to
promulgation
of
the
new
constitution.
Addressing
a
function
organized
by
All
Nepal
National
Independent
Student
Union-Revolutionary
(ANNISU-R),
the
student
wing
of
the
party
in
Kathmandu,
UCPN-M
Chairman
Pushpa
Kamal
Dahal
directed
student
leaders
to
start
campaign
to
mount
pressure
on
the
Constituent
Assembly
(CA)
and
political
parties
to
delineate
provinces
before
promulgation
of
the
new
Constitution.
Dahal
said,
"It
is
possible
to
delineate
provinces
prior
to
promulgation
of
the
new
Constitution.
I
have
asked
Nepali
Congress
(NC)
and
Communist
Party
of
Nepal-Unified
Marxist
Leninist
(CPN-UML)
leaders
to
give
the
Constitution
a
complete
shape."
Republica,
July
13,
2015.
PAKISTAN
483
alleged
criminals
killed
in
encounters
so
far
under
NAP
2015:
According
to
a
report
presented
in
a
meeting
held
at
the
Central
Police
Office
(CPO)
in
Karachi
on
June
9,
Sindh
Police
carried
out
8,928
targeted
operations
and
1,512
search
operations,
and
killed
483
criminals
in
different
Districts
of
Sindh,
including
Karachi,
as
per
the
National
Action
Plan
(NAP)
since
January
2015
until
July
8,
2015.
As
many
as
5,397
alleged
criminals
were
also
arrested
during
this
period
from
across
Sindh,
while
the
Police
also
claimed
to
have
recovered
explosive
material
from
their
possession.
Dawn,
July
10,
2015.
Government
decides
to
install
'ankle
chip'
for
electronic
surveillance
of
terror
suspects:
The
Law
Enforcement
Agencies
decided
on
July
10
to
install
'tracking
chips'
on
the
ankles
of
1,600
'terror
suspects'
in
Punjab
after
Eidul
Fitr
(Holy
month
of
Eid)
to
monitor
their
movements.
There
are
some
1,600
terror
suspects
on
the
list
of
the
Fourth
Schedule
in
Punjab.
The
Fourth
Schedule
defines
a
terror
suspect
as
a
"person
who
is
concerned
in
terrorism
or
he
belongs
to
a
proscribed
organisation".
Dawn,
July
11,
2015.
Government
to
use
Daesh
instead
of
Islamic
State
in
a
move
to
delegitimize
it:
The
Foreign
Office
on
July
9
decided
not
to
call
Islamic
State
(IS)
by
this
name
and
instead
refer
to
it
as
Daesh.
"I
would
refer
to
the
outfit
as
Daesh
as
there
is
nothing
Islamic
about
it,"
Foreign
Office
spokesman
Qazi
Khalilullah
said.
The
Foreign
Ministry
had
previously
been
using
both
IS
and
Daesh
in
its
statements.
There
have
been
calls
by
Muslim
scholars
for
calling
the
group
Daesh
in
a
move
to
delegitimize
it.
Dawn,
July
10,
2015.
Karachi
will
be
cleansed
of
crime
and
terrorists
at
all
costs,
says
Sindh
Apex
Committee:
During
an
emergency
meeting
of
Sindh
Apex
Committee
that
was
held
at
Chief
Minister
House
in
Karachi
on
July
12,
it
was
agreed
that
the
operation
against
terrorists
will
be
brought
to
its
logical
conclusion
and
the
port
city
will
be
cleared
from
crime
and
miscreants
at
all
costs.
"Slow
implementation
on
National
Action
Plan
(NAP)
is
affecting
action
against
miscreants
in
the
metropolis,"
it
was
observed.
The News,
July
13,
2015.
Terrorists
won't
be
allowed
to
come
back
to
the
tribal
areas,
says
DG
ISPR
Major
General
Asim
Saleem
Bajwa:
Director
General
(DG)
of
Inter-Services
Public
Relations
(ISPR)
Major
General
Asim
Saleem
Bajwa
said
on
July
12
that
terrorists
will
not
be
allowed
to
return
to
the
tribal
areas
and
no
agreement
will
be
made
with
them
in
this
regard.
He
said
that
the
Army
and
the
local
tribesmen
had
agreed
that
terrorists
would
never
be
allowed
to
come
back
once
the
whole
area
was
cleared
of
them.
"The
state
position
is
very
clear
that
there
would
be
no
agreement
with
the
Taliban
and
no
question
of
their
return
arises,"
he
said.
The News,
July
13,
2015.
Christians
and
Sikhs
get
tribal
elder
status
in
Khyber
Agency
in
FATA:
The
Khyber
Agency
political
administration
in
Federally
Administered
Tribal
Areas
(FATA)
on
July
10
granted
the
status
of
'Lungi
holder'
(tribal
elder)
to
four
representatives
of
minority
communities,
Christians
and
Sikhs,
living
in
the
Agency.
Officials
said
that
it
was
for
the
first
time
that
minorities
living
in
FATA
were
granted
the
status
of
tribal
elders,
thus
formally
merging
the
community
into
the
tribal
society.
Dawn,
July
11,
2015.
Pakistan
hosts
first
round
of
Afghan
Government-Taliban
peace
talks:
The
first
round
of
first
official
peace
talks
between
the
Afghan
Taliban
and
the
Afghanistan
Government
concluded
in
Pakistan
on
July
7
with
an
agreement
to
meet
again
after
the
month
of
Ramazan.
The
next
round
of
talks
is
provisionally
planned
for
August
15
and
16
in
Doha,
capital
of
Qatar,
according
to
sources
close
to
the
participants.
Pakistani
Prime
Minister
Nawaz
Sharif
hailed
the
meeting
as
a
"breakthrough".
Daily Times,
July
10,
2015.
SRI
LANKA
TNA
bars
former
members
of
LTTE
from
contesting
parliamentary
elections
next
month:
Tamil
National
Alliance
(TNA)
has
barred
former
members
of
the
terrorist
organization
Liberation
Tigers
of
Tamil
Eelam
(LTTE)
from
contesting
parliamentary
elections
next
month.
Several
ex-LTTE
members
had
reportedly
applied
to
be
nominated
from
the
former
battle
zone
Districts
in
the
north
and
eastern
provinces
for
the
August
17
polls.
Among
them
was
Ananthi
Sasitharan,
wife
of
Elilan,
a
former
senior
LTTE
member
from
the
eastern
province
in
Trincomalee
District.
Colombo
Page,
July
7,
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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