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SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 15, No. 3, July 18, 2016

Data and assessments from SAIR can be freely published in any form with credit to the South Asia Intelligence Review of the
South Asia Terrorism Portal


ASSESSMENT

PAKISTAN
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War within Islam
Ambreen Agha
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management

Pakistan’s famed and much celebrated devotional Sufi singer Amjad Sabri (45) was killed in a targeted attack in broad daylight while he was traveling in his car in the Liaquatabad Town of Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, on June 22, 2016. Sabri’s relative and co-traveler, Saleem Sabri, was also killed in the attack. Qari Saifullah Mehsud, spokesperson for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)-Hakimullah Mehsud faction claimed responsibility for the killing, which he justified on account of “his (Sabri’s) blasphemous Qawwalis” (Sufi devotional music).  

In a bizarre judicial ruling in 2014, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had issued a blasphemy notice to Amjad Sabri and Geo TV for playing a Qawwali during a morning show. Sabri was booked after one of his songs mentioned the names of the family members of Prophet Muhammad who are revered and followed in Shia and Sufi Islam. This was considered offensive by the hardline and puritanical Wahhabi Islam that has come to dominate Pakistan with al Qaeda-like extremism, Taliban-style misogyny and Islamic State (IS)-style savagery and terrorism.

The slapping of a blasphemy case on Sabri added to his vulnerability in both the public and private space. Lamenting the loss of her son, Amjad Sabri’s mother Asghari Begum disclosed that about six months ago three unidentified armed assailants barged into their house frantically looking for Sabri. Not finding him at his residence they left. Knowing his precarious situation, Sabri had earlier submitted an application to Government for security. The Sindh Board of Film Censors Chairman, Fakhre Alam, claimed on Twitter that despite the submission of a security application by Sabri, “the Home Department refused to follow up on it.”

The Sabri killing is part of the larger canvas of religious intolerance, censorship and violence in Pakistan. An alarming situation has arisen for the freedom of artistic expression in the country. Musicians, artists, and alternative Muslim voices have faced brutal attacks by fanatical forces. Expanding their war strategy beyond state institutions, extremist and sectarian outfits like the TTP are targeting civilians and worshipers in mosques, shrines and marketplaces.

Sufism (mystical Islam) and Sufi shrines are a dominant and integral part of traditional Pashtun culture. There are more than hundred Sufi shrines in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) that have served as centres of spirituality and recreation. However, the Wahhabi ideology of the Taliban considers music and shrine culture un-Islamic and has attacked 50 such shrines since 2001 in tribal areas alone, according to Center for Peace and Cultural Studies (CPCS), Peshawar, Report published on February 24, 2014,

In one of the worst attacks on Sufi mosques and shrines, two suicide bombers blew themselves up at the Data Darbar shrine in Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab on July 1, 2010, killing at least 42 people and injuring 172. Again, on April 3, 2011, at least 51 persons were killed and more than 100 were injured when two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside the shrine of Sufi saint Ahmed Sultan, popularly known as Sakhi Sarwar in Dera Ghazi Khan District of Punjab.

In other such attacks, terrorists have targeted Sufi shrine workers across Pakistan. Thus, on January 7, 2014, six dead bodies were found near a shrine in the Gulshan-e-Maymar area of Gadap Town in Karachi. Of these, two men had been beheaded, while the rest had their throats slit. On January 10, 2014, two workers at the shrine of Ghazi Shah Baba were shot dead in the Mardan District of KP.

Several artists have also been killed by the extremist religious vanguards of Islamism. Successive post-Zia-ul-Haq Governments in Pakistan have destroyed music by persecuting musicians, even as Islamist terrorists have killed many and silenced even more. A CPCS Report observes that at least 18 persons have reportedly been killed since 2001 because of their direct involvement in music. Of these, 12 cases are of female artists. Most of these killings have taken place in the tribal area of KP, where TTP once ran the show. On January 2, 2009, Shabana, one of Pakistan’s celebrated dancers, was dragged out of her house and shot dead by TTP’s Swat Chapter in the Mingora city of Swat District, after defying its ban on music and dance.

Despite the much claimed “military success” in Swat Valley in 2009, the dread of terror remained. On August 19, 2015, Pashto telefilm actress Mussarat Shaheen was shot dead in a targeted attack by fanatical assailants in Nowshera District.  

The hold of fanatical forces in KP is not surprising. Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Government in KP, in a shocking gesture, ‘gifted’ PKR 300 million to Darul Uloom Haqqania, the most notorious seminary and birthplace of the Afghan Taliban, located in Akora Khattak town of Nowshehra District, for the financial year 2016-17. Slashing the minority funding from 52.70 per cent in 2015 to 23.49 per cent this year, KP Information Minister Shah Farman unabashedly told the Provincial Assembly on June 17, 2016, “I am proudly announcing that Darul Uloom Haqqania Nowshehra will get PKR 300 million to meet its annual expenditures.”  

Darul Uloom Haqqania, founded in 1947, is the alma mater of many prominent Afghan Taliban leaders, including its former ‘chief’ Mullah Omar, who received an honorary doctorate from the seminary. Currently headed by Maulana Sami-ul-Haq, the leader of Jama’at Ulema-e-Islam – Sami (JUI-Sami), the seminary is well known as the breeding ground for the Taliban. Haq is also the chairman of the Difa-e-Pakistan Council, an umbrella coalition of more than 40 radical religious formations, including Hafiz Muhammad Saeed’s Jama’at-ud-Dawa (JuD), the front organization of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Significantly, on February 26, 2015, during the hearing of the former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto murder case at the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) established inside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi District of Punjab, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Peshawar Inspector Naseer Ahmed and Sub-Inspector Adnan told the ATC, headed by Justice Pervez Ismail, about the involvement of Darul Uloom Haqqania’s students in the former Prime Minister’s assassination on December 27, 2007. The suspects who had received their education from the seminary and were accused of involvement were identified as Abdullah aka Saddam Nadir aka Qari Ismail, Rasheed aka Turabi and Faiz Muhammad.

Further demonstrating the links between the Islamic seminary and terrorism, former President Asif Ali Zardari, on June 26, 2016, expressed concern over the allocation of PKR 300 million to Dar ul Uloom Haqqania, a privately owned seminary, from the public funds. Dismayed over this development, Zardari claimed that the head of the Haqqania madrassa is an “acknowledged sympathizer” and an “undeclared spokesperson” of the Taliban. In a public statement Zardari asserted,
Haqqania seminary is known for its links with the militant Taliban. This is nothing but legitimization of militancy and the Taliban that will undermine the nation’s resolve to fight militants to the finish. Although the National Action Plan calls for disallowing banned outfits from resurrecting, yet they have resurrected and are openly promoting their militant agenda with impunity… is the revival of the jihadi project by design or by default?

The release of state funds to private seminaries was routine before 2002. The Former Secretary of Religious Affairs, KP, Vakil Khan, thus observed, “Before that (2002), a fund was set up for seminaries during the Zia era and that was from Zakat, not tax revenue.”  Further, KP Provincial Minister of Higher Education and Information Mushtaq Ghani, on June 22, 2016, noted that this had been a practice during the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) Government (2002-07), an alliance of religious parties, and was only resumed by the current PTI administration.

MMA’s alliance of six religious parties enjoyed an absolute majority at both Provincial and Federal levels after the ‘managed’ elections of 2002, under the Pervez Musharraf dictatorship. On 25 November 2002, the pro-Taliban MMA formed the Government in KP, after the alliance's huge success in the Province, at both the Provincial and National level. After taking control of the Province, the Islamist political alliance banned music on public transport, medical examinations of women by male doctors, male coaches for women athletes, male journalists from covering women's sports, and orchestrated the destruction of the music market in Mingora and other areas of Swat District. The MMA Governments directives led to the closure of shops dealing in musical instruments.

In the wake of the intensified attacks on music centres the MMA Government banned all cultural activity and laid down a deep foundation for puritanical Islam and religious militancy. This alarming trend gradually gathered momentum across Pakistan, leading to raids on theatres in Lahore and illegal detention of performers on fake charges of ‘indecency’ and ‘vulgarity’.

The atmosphere of extremism and impunity that dominates the cultural landscape in Pakistan has also given rise to increasing crimes against women and a continuous stream of ‘honour’ killings. The latest incident involved both cultural censorship and the deep rooted misogyny that underpins this phenomenon. On July 15, 2016, Fouzia Azeem alias Qandeel Baloch (26), a model, actress, and social media celebrity, was strangulated to death by her brother Waseem Baloch in the Multan District of Punjab Province to ‘protect family honour’. While confessing his crime, Waseem stated that he killed Qandeel because she brought “dishonour to the Baloch name” by posting risqué videos and statements on social media. This phenomenon of honour killings has claimed thousands of lives across Pakistan. According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) database, a total of 1,096 women were killed in cases of honour crimes in 2015 alone; another 1,005 in 2014; and 869 in 2013. The primary reasons for these killings have been alleged illicit affairs, exercising the right of choice in marriage and domestic disputes, but the underlying cause, as one commentator on the Qandeel Baloch killing observed, is “because we hate women who don’t conform.”

The current revival of the jihadi project is both by “design and default”. Former HRCP chairperson Asma Jahangir points to “unnerving tales of how politics empowered bigotry, laws were used for persecuting religious minorities and liberal Pakistanis, and how an easy-going Muslim population was turned into an insufferable “puritanical” society.” The targeted killing of alternative voices, intimidation, religious bigotry, suppression of women, intimidation and killing of artists, State censorship, and fear of terrorism have done serious and irreparable damage to culture and freedom of expression in Pakistan, and have created the conditions for the further exacerbation of the ongoing war within Islam.

INDIA
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Chhattisgarh: Dwindling Maoists
Mrinal Kanta Das
Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management

On July 16, 2016, at least four Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres were killed in an encounter with Security Force (SF) personnel in the forests of Bijapur District. SFs recovered four bodies along with rifles, pipe bombs and other supplies during an area search operation. Commenting on the operation, Bastar Range Inspector General of Police (IGP) S.R.P. Kalluri disclosed that a joint force led by Laxman Kewat, Inspector-in-Charge Awapalli Police Station and Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) Commander Ashok Kumar carried out the encounter in the forests of Pamed in Bijapur District.

At least two unidentified CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in an intelligence based operation on the bank of the Indravati River in Bastar District on July 13, 2016, according to Bastar Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Vijay Pande. However, the Police could not recover any bodies. The joint Police team of the Special Task Force (STF) and District Reserve Guard (DRG) also destroyed a boat belonging to the Maoists which was hidden near the river.

Three days earlier, on July 10, 2016, four Maoists were killed in an encounter with the Police in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur District. Giving details about the incident, S.R.P. Kalluri, IGP, Bastar Range, noted, “An encounter took place near Tumnar village of Bijapur District late last night. The spot of the encounter is around five kilometers from Bijapur. Four dead bodies of Maoists have been recovered so far from the spot. The number of Maoists killed is likely to go up.” One 9 mm pistol was also recovered from the encounter spot. Two out of the four dead Maoists were identified as Ukesh, the Local Guerrilla Squad (LGS) ‘commander’ in the Gangaloor area, and Raju, the ‘section commander’ of the CPI-Maoist’s Company No.2.

Earlier, on June 28, 2016, three Maoists were killed in an encounter with SF personnel at Badesatti village near Bandem under Gadiras Police Station limits in Sukma District. ‘Tiffin bombs’ [IED’s packed into Tiffin boxes] and other Maoist-related items were found from the spot. 

These are not isolated incidents. Rather they reflect the growing consolidation of the SFs against the Maoists over a period of time. It is crucial to note here that SF personnel have achieved considerable success against the Maoists in Chhattisgarh, particularly since October 2015. These incidents only carry forward the past momentum.

The Maoists are facing a challenging time across all theatres of conflict in India, but the pressure on them in their own backyard – Chhattisgarh – is the most significant SF gain.

According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) database, 118 people including 26 civilians, 22 SF personnel and 70 Maoists, have been killed in Chhattisgarh in 2016 (till July 17), in comparison to 67 persons, including 16 civilians, 33 SF personnel and 18 Maoists, killed in the corresponding period of 2015.

Half-Yearly CPI-Maoist linked Fatality in Chhattisgarh: 2011-2016

Year

Civilian
SF
CPI-Maoist
Total

2011

11
42
58
111

2012

18
26
24
68

2013

43
26
24
93

2014

18
33
15
66

2015

16
33
18
67

2016

26
22
70
118

Total

132
182
209
523
*Data updated till July 17, 2016

As reflected from the data, the first half of 2016 has recorded the lowest number of SF deaths and the maximum number of Maoist casualty in five and a half years. The neutralization of the Maoists in 2016 has seen a staggering growth of 388.88 per cent growth against the 2015 figure.      

Significantly, this success comes on two fronts: firstly, the SFs neutralised more Maoists at a ratio never seen in the last five and half years; more importantly the lowest SF fatalities have been recorded since 2011. What is disturbing, however, here is that civilian killings by the Maoists have seen a spike, registering their highest numbers in 2016, with the exception of 2013.

SF personnel also arrested 257 Maoists in 2016, till July 17, as against 221 arrests through 2015. Moreover, the surrender of 596 Maoists thus far in 2016 in comparison to 279 in 2015 will also go a long way in demoralizing and weakening the ultras

Crucially, in the worst case scenario for the Maoists, the local support that they enjoyed in what have for long been their ‘heartland’ areas, is also dwindling. Between March and May 2016, locals in Sukma District decided to oppose Maoist atrocities. Armed with bows and arrows and other traditional weapons, youth in the area have been patrolling the peripheral areas of their villages throughout the night to ban the entry of Maoists. The practice started in Kumakoleng and Nama villages under the Kumakoleng gram panchayat (village level local self government institution). Aayta Karma, a resident of Nama village stated, "We were disturbed with the Maoists' act of obstructing development which had resulted in lack of power supply and no proper road connectivity in our villages. In the name of police informers, innocent villagers have been killed."

Despite these reverses, rebel violence continues. On July 4, 2016 for instance, an Assistant Constable of Chhattisgarh Police, identified as Tirupati, was killed by Maoists in Bijapur District while he was returning to the Police camp after having a meal at home. On the same day an Assistant Constable, identified as Madkam Ganga, was picked up from a bus on the Jagargunda-Dornapal road in Sukma District by around 40 Maoists. The whereabouts of the Assistant Constable are not known.

Apart from killings, the Maoists have also been involved in other patterns of violence, including Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blasts. In 2016, 27 such explosions have been orchestrated, adding to 33 in 2015. Commenting on the growing number of IED blasts, a senior Police officer on March 24, 2016, observed that the Maoists had revised their strategy, choosing IED attacks over guerrilla warfare to target SF personnel. The official added "Maoists have upgraded their insurgency level by moving over to guerrilla warfare from blast attack nearly 5-6 years ago. They seem to have scaled down their insurgency level now by reverting back to the primary level of insurgency in which Security Forces are targeted with IED attacks."

In a disturbing turn of events, several local body representatives and workers of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have resigned in Bijapur District in the recent past, allegedly due to threats and pressure from the Maoists. G. Venkat, Bijapur District President of BJP, stated on July 14, 2016, “I have received 27 resignations of local body representatives and party workers from various blocks of Bijapur District in the last one month. Some said they were resigning due to personal reasons while others claimed that the unstable situation in the region forced them to submit resignations. However, we know the resignations are due to pressure and threats from Maoists.” The series of resignations followed the killing of Ramsay Majji, a BJP Zilla Panchayat (District level local self government institution) member, by Maoists on June 10, 2016, near Sangampalli village in Bijapur District. Bijapur Superintendent of Police (SP) K.L. Dhruv confirmed that the resignations were due to Maoist threats.  

Occasional errors by the SFs persist, despite major gains over the years. In a bizarre incident on May 18, 2016, a "suspected" Maoist, identified as Markam Deva, who came to surrender at a Police Station in Bijapur District, fled with sophisticated weapons. Deva expressed his wish to surrender at the Basaguda Police Station and fled moments after being interrogated by officials. Bijapur SP K.L. Dhruv disclosed that, "During the break in the interrogation that we usually do for any rebel ahead of their surrender process, Deva, who claimed himself as a Maoist, fled from the thana carrying one AK-47, 90 live cartridges, one Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) and around 10 grenades," There were at least 50 Policemen in the Police Station when the 23-year-old man escaped.

Chhattisgarh has witnessed 11 major incidents (each involving three or more fatalities) in 2016 (till July 17) in which 10 SF personnel and 38 Maoists have been killed in comparison to nine major incidents in which 19 SF personnel and 16 Maoists were killed in 2015. The major incidents of 2016 in Chhattisgarh are as under:

July 16: At least four CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in an encounter with SF personnel in the forests of the Bijapur District.

July 10: Four suspected CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in an encounter with the Police in the Bijapur District.

June 28: Three CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in an encounter with SF personnel in the Sukma District.

April 15: Three CPI-Maoist cadres, including a 'Commander', were killed while planting a bomb in the Koyalibeda area in Kanker District of Chhattisgarh during the Dandakaranya bandh (shut down strike) called by the CPI-Maoist.

March 30: Seven troopers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed in a landmine explosion triggered by the CPI-Maoist cadres in Dantewada District. A vehicle carrying personnel of CRPF's 230th battalion belonging to the Ghusaras CRPF camp in Dantewada, were returning after leave for Holi, was blown up near the Malewara market on the Dantewada-Sukma Road.

March 29: Three CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in an encounter with the SF personnel in Narayanpur District of Chhattisgarh.

March 3-4: Three troopers of CoBRA were killed and at least 15 were injured in an encounter with CPI-Maoist cadres in Sukma District.

March 1: At least eight members of the CPI-Maoist Venkatapuram 'area committee' were killed in an encounter with SF personnel along the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border in Sukma District.

February 13: Three Maoists were killed in an encounter with SF personnel at Sendra village in Bijapur District.

January 27: Three CPI-Maoist cadres, who were allegedly involved in the Jiram Valley attack on Congress leaders in Bastar District on May 25, 2013, were killed in an encounter with SF personnel at Metapal village in Dantewada District.

January 15: Four CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in an encounter with the DRG of Bijapur District.

Further, in an indication towards a dangerous turn of events, CRPF Director General (DG) K. Durga Prasad while commenting on March 31, 2016, on the killing of seven CRPF troopers in Dantewada District on March 30, observed, "A surprise movement was under way and it was being done in a secret way. I don't know how the news got leaked [to Maoists]. The way the incident happened, it is clear that someone gave specific inputs [to Maoists]. We will investigate to find out what went wrong."

SFs have made tremendous advances in their campaigns against the Maoists over the last nine months, despite some setbacks. Sustaining the tempo, augmenting capacities and intelligence flows, and consolidating the major gains of the recent past will be key to ensuring that the Maoists are not able to regroup and revive their movement.


NEWS BRIEFS

Weekly Fatalities: Major Conflicts in South Asia
July 11-17, 2016

 

Civilians

Security Force Personnel

Terrorists/Insurgents

Total

INDIA

 

Assam

0
0
4
4

Jammu and Kashmir

1
1
5
7

Left-Wing Extremism

 

Chhattisgarh

0
0
4
4

Jharkhand

0
1
0
1

Total (INDIA)

1
2
13
16

PAKISTAN

 

Balochistan

0
0
1
1

FATA

1
0
2
3

Punjab

0
0
6
6

Sindh

1
0
0
1

Total (PAKISTAN)

2
0
9
11
Provisional data compiled from English language media sources.


BANGLADESH

Various plots are there to carry out more terrorist attacks in the country, says Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on July 13 said that various plots are there to carry out more terrorist attacks in the country. “We have intelligence reports that the terrorists have planned to launch more attacks. We have to keep in mind that this will not stop here. There are many kinds of plots. We are collecting reports of various intelligence agencies at home and abroad,” she said. The Daily Star, July 14, 2016.

Prime Minister urges all parents to be vigilant about movements of their children to prevent them from being radicalized: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina giving instruction to a cross-section of people to remain vigilant against militancy, from her official residence in Dhaka city on July 12 urged all parents to be vigilant about the movements of their children to prevent them from being radicalized. “The people of the country are pious, but not bigots. I simply cannot understand why their children who are receiving education in reputed schools and colleges and English medium institutions are turning into bigots. We don't want these students to lay down their valuable lives indiscriminately after getting derailed from the right path. We won't allow emergence of militancy in the country. We don't want Bangladesh to be the land of militancy…we'll have to take some measurers keeping this view in mind,” she asserted. The Daily Star, July 14, 2016.


INDIA

Keep politics aside in tackling terrorism, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing Chief Ministers at a day-long meeting of the Inter-State Council on July 16 said that keep politics aside in tackling terrorism. Modi said “We have to remain alert and updated always. With close cooperation, we will not only strengthen the Centre-State relations but make a better future for the citizens.” He urged all concerned to keep politics aside and keep national security paramount. Daily Excelsior, July 17, 2016.

Terror has claimed lives of 707 Indians since 2005, says UMHA data: The Central Government released a data on a string of terror strikes in India since 2005 that claimed at least 707 innocent lives and left over 3,200 injured. The data, released by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) in response to Hathras-based RTI (Right to Information) activist Gaurav Agrawal, included the terrorist attack at Pathankot in Punjab on January 2, 2016 in which seven security personnel besides a civilian were killed and 37 others injured. Times of India, July 16, 2016.

IS may have set up sleeper cells in India, states Iraqi Ambassador to India, Fakhri Hassan Al Issa: The Islamic State (IS) may have set up sleeper cells in India owing to the influence of foreign-funded Islamic seminaries and preachers who teach an exclusivist version of Islam, says Fakhri Hassan Al Issa, the Iraqi Ambassador to India. Highlighting growing radicalisation in South Asia, Fakhri told that India should watch the Islamic seminaries and preachers more closely to understand “what kind of Islam” they were preaching. The Hindu, July 15, 2016.

Pakistan provides sanctuary to UN-designated terrorists, asserts India: India on July 14, slammed Pakistan’s attempts to put it in the dock for alleged human rights violations in Kashmir, describing Pakistan as a country that “extols the virtues of terrorists and that provides sanctuary to UN-designated terrorists”. India’s permanent representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin told the United Nations (UN) that Pakistan “uses terrorism as state policy.” Livemint, July 15, 2016.

'North East security scenario improved', says Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on July 13 asserted that the overall security scenario in the North East has improved since 2014. He announced that the target of his Ministry is to secure complete peace in the region so that development is expedited here (North East). Rijiju revealed that the entire international border that Assam shares with Bangladesh will be sealed by 2017. Assam Tribune, July 14, 2016.

Kashmir is an internal matter of India, says US: US said that Kashmir is an internal matter of India. “We have seen reports of the clashes between protesters and Indian forces in Kashmir, and are concerned by the violence. We encourage all sides to make efforts towards finding a peaceful resolution. This is an internal matter for the Government of India,” a State Department spokesman said. Daily Excelsior, July 13, 2016.


NEPAL

CPN-UML decides to face a no-confidence vote registered against its leader Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli at Parliament: The Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) on July 14 decided to face a no-confidence vote registered against its leader Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli at the Parliament. A Parliamentary Party (PP) meeting held in Naya Baneshwor of Kathmandu made a decision to this effect. The PP leader and Prime Minister Oli during the meeting had directed lawmakers of his party to take the fresh political developments easily. The Himalayan Times, July 15, 2016.


PAKISTAN

Posters calling for military coup crop up across 13 Pakistani cities: A poster campaign across Pakistani cities urging Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) General Raheel Sharif to impose martial law and form a Government of technocrats has been launched. The posters appeared on major thoroughfares in at least 13 cities, including Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta, Faisalabad, Sargodha and Hyderabad, besides several cantonment areas, urging the general to take over. Move on Pakistan (MoP), a largely unknown political party, claimed the campaign. "Jaane ki baatein ho gayee puraani, khuda ke liye ab ajao (talk of leaving office is old now for God's sake appear on the scene now)," read the posters. Times of India, July 13, 2016.

Terrorism dwindled in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from January to June: There has been a considerable decrease in incidents of terrorism from January to June in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). IED attacks and firing incidents have also dwindled during this period. This was said by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Additional Inspector General of Police (IGP) while addressing a meeting of Police officials at the Central Police Office on July 12. According to a handout issued on the same day, the meeting was chaired by IGP Nasir Khan Durrani. The moot was held to review efforts taken to combat terrorism. During the year, there were 99 terrorism incidents, whereas the number of terrorism incidents reported in 2013, 2014 and 2015 were 281, 292 and 134, respectively. Tribune, July 13, 2016.


SRI LANKA

UN asks Sri Lanka to follow agreements with international community to ensure accountability for human rights abuses during decades-long armed conflict: United Nations (UN) on July 12 asked Sri Lanka to follow its agreements with the international community to ensure accountability for the human rights abuses during the decades-long armed conflict. Responding to a media question at daily press briefing in New York, Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General said the UN expects Sri Lanka to follow the commitments it made to the international community. Colombo Page, July 13, 2016.


The South Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR) is a weekly service that brings you regular data, assessments and news briefs on terrorism, insurgencies and sub-conventional warfare, on counter-terrorism responses and policies, as well as on related economic, political, and social issues, in the South Asian region.

SAIR is a project of the Institute for Conflict Management and the South Asia Terrorism Portal.

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Editor
Dr. Ajai Sahni


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