| |
SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 15, No. 8, August 22, 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
|
J&K:
Policy Paralysis
Ajit
Kumar Singh
Research Fellow, Institute for Conflict Management
The street
violence that engulfed a large part of Kashmir Valley
in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has
so far accounted for at least 68 deaths – 66 protestors
and two Policemen (data till August 21, 2016). The violence
was sparked subsequent to the killing of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen
(HM)
‘commander’ Burhan Wani in an encounter on July 8, 2016.
According to official figures, at least 4,515 Security
Force (SF) personnel and 3,356 protestors were also injured
during the protests till August 9. [No official figure
about the number of inured has been released thereafter.]
J& K consists of three divisions: Jammu, Kashmir Valley
and Ladakh.
Significantly,
at least 39 of the 68 reported deaths were recorded in
the first week of street violence – 38 protestors and
one Policeman. During the next seven days, another six
persons – five protestors and one Policeman were killed.
Thus over 66 per cent of such fatalities were reported
during the first two weeks of violence. In subsequent
weeks, though incidents of clashes between SFs and protesters
were still being reported on an almost daily basis, the
level of volatility has gone down considerably. Not surprisingly,
curfew which was imposed in large parts of the Valley
in the beginning has now been restricted to just a few
areas. In a statement released on August 19, 2016, the
J&K Police stated that curfew was imposed in Srinagar,
Kaloosa in Bandipora area of Baramulla District, and in
the towns of Anantnag, Shopian and Pampore. However, the
statement, added, “The restrictions under Section 144/CrPC
[Criminal Penal Code] remained in force in Kashmir valley
today.” Section 144/CrPC basically restricts people from
assembling in groups.
The ongoing
protest is primarily the handiwork of Islamabad. In a
video released by the National Investigation Agency (NIA)
on August 10, 2016, an arrested Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT)
militant Bahadur Ali states,
…When I contacted them [Alpha-3] again they told
me that one of our brothers, a mujahid, has
been killed in Srinagar. His name is Burhan Wani
and the situation in Kashmir has deteriorated because
of his killing and that people are throwing stones
at the Indian forces. I was told that two of my
partners have fuelled the protests and that I have
to do the same, participate in protests with grenades
in hand... throw them at the Indian forces so that
situation in Kashmir will deteriorate…
|
In its August 10, 2016,
Press Release, NIA noted,
As per Bahadur Ali and other available evidence,
control centre Alpha-3 is a fixed communication
centre, established at a high altitude peak in Pakistan
occupied Kashmir, which is operated with support
from Pakistani forces. Once the terrorists are inside
Indian territory, Alpha-3 guides, directs and controls
their operations. Whenever required, Alpha-3 arranges
tactical and material support through previously
identified contacts.
|
Bahadur
Ali aka Saifulla, son of Mohammed Haneef (Haneefi
Deobandi), resident of Village Zia Bagha, near Haloka
Bridge, Tehsil (revenue unit) Raiwind, District Lahore,
Pakistan, was arrested on July 25, 2016, from the Yahama
area of Kupwara District.
Revelations
made by Bahadur Ali are corroborated by recent reports
confirming that terrorists have openly joined protestors
at several places. According to reports, LeT ‘commander’
Abu Dujana, who is presently heading the outfit in the
Valley, attended a gathering in the Karimabad area of
Pulwama District on July 31, 2016, wearing a mask.
Pakistan’s
role in the recent troubles has also been highlighted
by the Indian Government. Addressing the Indian Parliament
on July 21, 2016, Union Home Minister (UHM) Rajnath Singh
reiterated that Pakistan played a “key role” in fomenting
the recent protests in Kashmir.
Pakistan’s
role was well established in the earlier orchestrated
rage of 2008,
2010
and 2013.
Those protests, aided and abetted by inimical agencies
from across the border in connivance with their proxies
on the Indian side, lost steam, with diminishing support,
in due course. The current cycle of street violence is
bound to come to a similar end.
However,
things have been made difficult on the security front
by the inept handling of the situation by Governments
both at the Union and Sate level. First in a bizarre move,
the incumbent State Government, soon after assuming office
in April 2016, reportedly decided to disband the three-tier
security grid. The grid comprised the Army and the Border
Security Force (BSF) on the LoC; the Army and paramilitary
troops in the Valley; and J&K Police as the final
layer. The Army and BSF shared intelligence about infiltration
with the Army and paramilitary forces in the Valley, who
then synergised their movements with J&K Police to
track down infiltrators. However, as the Army was completely
withdrawn it led to a breakdown in intelligence sharing
with the J&K Police. The effective interface between
the Army and Police collapsed.
Further,
in spite of visible evidences and admissions by the Government
that the current cycle of street violence, as on previous
occasions, were an act of aggression from across the border,
Governments have been found short of ideas. Instead of
allowing the SFs to assess the ground situation and act
accordingly, both the Central and State Governments publicly
asked them to "exercise maximum restraint,"
escalating violence by protestors and implicitly suggesting
that SF actions were not justified by the situation. An
unnamed security officer was thus quoted as stating, “Even
on August 9, we spotted three armed militants in a protest
demonstration at Lalpora in Lolab area of Kupwara District.
We did not strike them as there was every apprehension
of civilian casualties." Indeed, the mindless and
ill-informed public discourse on operational procedures
is enormously hampering security operations.
Meanwhile,
reports indicate that not a single raid or counterinsurgency
operation was conducted in the plains till August 15,
2016, since the beginning of the street protests on July
9, 2016. On August 15, 2016, an encounter took place between
SFs and militants in Srinagar, in which a commandant of
the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Pramod Kumar was
martyred and two militants were killed. "No reason
has been specified, though it is clear enough that operations
have been suspended for fear of mob attacks and civilian
casualties," according to security sources. This
has emboldened the sagging spirit of the separatists and
terrorists.
Not surprisingly,
terrorists have carried out 17 attacks between July 9,
2016 and August 19, 2016 (excluding the August 15 attack),
resulting in one fatality among the SFs. Three civilians
have also been killed by terrorists during this period.
During the whole of 2016, the total number of civilians
killed in terrorism-related incidents stands at eight.
The SFs
have, however, continued with operation in areas along
the Line of Control (LoC) and have killed 21 terrorists.
SFs have also lost 10 of their personnel in these operations.
According to official figures, released on July 19, 2016,
the number of infiltration attempts in the current year
was 51 (up to May 2016).
The current
crisis is nothing more than an attempt by Islamabad to
reverse the process of deepening peace in J&K. Fighting
all odds, SFs have managed to restore a semblance of peace
through sheer resolve and efficiency. The effective leadership
required to secure a more enduring resolution of the crisis
has, however, been conspicuous in its absence.
Indeed,
in a rather bizarre move, addressing Parliament on August
10, 2016, UHM Rajnath Singh stated that Union Government
is ready to talk to "mainstream political parties,
moderates and other organisations." This statement
clearly tells the sorry state of affairs in New Delhi,
suggesting that UHM Singh is not aware that none of these
three – mainstream political parties, moderates and other
organisations – are party to the current cycle of violence.
Talking about talks with these people, at this juncture,
make little sense. But what more only can be expected
from a Government which lapses into a deep slumber during
periods when there was a genuine and conducive environment
for talks among most of the democratic stakeholders.
|
Promises
and Dilemmas
S.
Binodkumar Singh
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
On August
3, 2016, Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Centre (CPN-Maoist
Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal was elected as the
new Prime Minister of Nepal after garnering 63.35 per
cent of votes in Parliament. Out of 595 lawmakers, 573
cast their votes in the poll, of which 363 were in Dahal’s
favour. Dahal was backed by the largest party in the House,
Nepali Congress (NC), constituents of the United Democratic
Madhesi Front (UDMF), the Federal Alliance, and some fringe
parties. 210 lawmakers, including those of the Communist
Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) and
Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal (RPP-N) voted against
the Maoist leader. This is Dahal’s second stint as Prime
Minister; he led the Government after the first Constituent
Assembly (CA) elections from August 18, 2008, to May 25,
2009.
On July
12, 2016, CPN-Maoist Center, a major coalition partner
with 82 seats in the CPN-UML-led coalition Government,
had withdrawn its support from the incumbent Government,
on the grounds that CPN-UML was reluctant to implement
the “gentlemen’s agreement” and the nine-point
agreement made with it on May 5, 2016.
According to the “gentleman’s agreement”, former Prime
Minister K.P. Sharma Oli was to let Dahal take over the
reins of Government after the tabling of the Fiscal Budget,
and the nine-point agreement provided blanket amnesty
for human rights abusers over the decade-long Maoist insurgency,
in order to save Maoist leaders from being implicated
in war crimes. However, when Oli refused to step down
even after the passage of the Appropriation Bill on July
9, 2016, the Maoists decided to withdraw support.
Significantly,
on August 4, 2016, as promised in the seven-point
agreement signed with NC President
Sher Bahadur Deuba on July 13, 2016, to build a new coalition
Government, in his first speech as Prime Minister, Dahal
declared that addressing the demands raised by the agitating
Madhesis, Tharus and Janajatis to strengthen internal
unity and increasing the acceptance of the Constitution,
would be his top priority. The first point of the seven-point
agreement is to amend the Constitution, if the need arises,
to address the demands of these indigenous groups.
Notably,
on August 9, 2016, Prime Minister Dahal presented a proposal
to the Madhes-based parties for forming a Joint Task Force
to prepare a Constitution amendment proposal. In a major
development, during a Cabinet meeting on August 18, 2016,
the Government decided to declare 52 persons, including
41 Madhes protestors and 11 Security Force (SF) personnel
killed during protests in 2015, as martyrs. Earlier, on
August 6, 2016, the Government had decided to provide
NR 1 million each to family members of individuals killed
during the Madhes movement. Declaration of those killed
in the Madhes protests as martyrs was one of the major
demands of the agitating Madhes-based parties.
On August
6, 2016, Sarvendranath Shukla, Spokesperson of the Tarai
Madhes Democratic Party (TMDP), a constituent of UDMF,
declared that UDMF could discuss its participation in
the Cabinet if a Bill to amend the Constitution was tabled
in Parliament in the next two months. However, a delay
would dampen the front’s chance of joining the Government.
Likewise, on August 17, 2016, Rajendra Mahato, Chairman
of Sadbhawana Party (SP), another UDMF constituent, ruled
out the possibility of joining the Cabinet, declaring,
“We want the Government to address our concerns; we are
in no hurry to join it.” UDMF has long been demanding
Constitutional amendments to meet its 11-point
demands.
Assuring
the Madhesi parties regarding Constitutional amendments,
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Bimalendra
Nidhi stated, on August 11, 2016, “Now, the Constitution
will be amended in accordance with the agreement signed
with the Madhesi Front. The ruling parties have already
begun preparations for it. We are ready to amend the Constitution
to address demands of Madhesis, Janajatis, indigenous
communities and Tharus among others.” Separately, on the
same day, Speaker Onsari Gharti Magar observed, “We do
not have option (but) to amend the Constitution. Along
with the amendment, we must implement the basics of the
Constitution now. Except for the clauses which cannot
be amended, Constitution is something that is always open
for amendment. In fact, such amendment is a progress that
goes on (sic).”
Another
dilemma
for the Government is the issue of transitional justice
in the country. Two transitional justice bodies, the Truth
and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission
of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP),
were formed in February 2015 in the spirit of the Interim
Constitution of 2007 and the Comprehensive
Peace Agreement (CPA) of 2006, to
probe instances of the serious violation of human rights
and to discover the status of those who ‘disappeared’
in the course of the armed conflict between the State
and the then CPN-Maoist. These bodies closed registration
of complaints on August 10, 2016, with around 60,000 cases
registered. However, TRC and CIEDP, now have only six
months to establish the truth, investigate violations
of human rights and make recommendations for action, as
terms of the transitional mechanisms expire on February
10, 2017.
Sensing
a Herculean task lying ahead, Surya Kiran Gurung, Chairman,
TRC, which received over 55,000 complaints on human rights
violations, noted, on August 11, 2016, that TRC had finalized
a procedure to select war-era cases that could be put
on hold on several grounds, including lack of evidence
and inadequate details. Urging the Prime Minister to resolve
war-era cases swiftly, a TRC delegation led by Gurung
on August 15, 2016, requested Dahal to allocate an adequate
budget for the transitional justice bodies. Similarly,
Bishnu Pathak, a member of CIEDP, which got 2,846 complaints,
stated, on August 19, 2016, “The Government seems reluctant
to give us the needed resources so that it can later blame
us for not doing our job. CIEDP’s work was much more challenging,
as 25 per cent of cases out of 2,846 complaints could
require excavation at suspected sites. Digging out one
site could take at least one month and DNA test of degenerated
bones could take 6 to 9 months. CIEDP would need at least
10 years to complete its assigned task.”
Meanwhile,
reiterating the Government's commitment to providing necessary
resources as well as the legal setup for the transitional
justice mechanism, Prime Minister Dahal, during a meeting
with the Chairman and Commissioners of TRC on August 15,
2016, gave an assurance that the Government and his party
were not seeking blanket amnesty in conflict-era cases
of human rights violation. Earlier, on July 31, 2016,
Attorney General Hari Phuyal asserted that Dahal was appreciative
of the work carried out by the Office of the Attorney
General and Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary
Affairs, and the CPN-Maoist-Center was ready to face conflict-era
cases.
In Nepal,
the game of toppling and forming Governments dominates
the national political arena and has badly hampered the
country’s development and economic growth. Now, again,
the CPN-Maoist Center and NC, which joined forces against
the CPN-UML-led Government, have agreed to hold the leadership
of Government on a rotation basis. There is deep conflict
of interest on investigating cases relating to war era
excesses, and it remains to be seen whether Nepal is able
to reconcile the demands of political stability and continuity,
on the one hand, and deliver justice for war era crimes,
on the other.
|
Weekly Fatalities: Major
Conflicts in South Asia
August
15-21, 2016
|
Civilians
|
Security
Force Personnel
|
Terrorists/Insurgents
|
Total
|
BANGLADESH
|
|
Islamist Terrorism
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
INDIA
|
|
Assam
|
2
|
0
|
3
|
5
|
Jammu and
Kashmir
|
0
|
4
|
10
|
14
|
Meghalaya
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
Left-Wing
Extremism
|
|
Chhattisgarh
|
0
|
0
|
5
|
5
|
Jharkhand
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Total (INDIA)
|
4
|
4
|
19
|
27
|
PAKISTAN
|
|
Balochistan
|
4
|
0
|
3
|
7
|
FATA
|
0
|
1
|
26
|
27
|
KP
|
7
|
0
|
0
|
7
|
Total (PAKISTAN)
|
|
|
|
|
Provisional
data compiled from English language media sources.
|
BANGLADESH
JeI
and
Pakistan's
intelligence
agency
ISI
are
involved
in
terrorist
activities
in
Bangladesh,
says
Information
Minister
Hasanul
Haq
Inu:
Information
Minister
Hasanul
Haq
Inu
addressing
a
press
conference
at
the
Bangladesh
High
Commission
in
New
Delhi,
India
on
August
19
said
that
Jamaat-e-Islami
(JeI)
and
Pakistan’s
intelligence
agency
Inter-Services
Intelligence
(ISI)
are
involved
in
terrorist
activities
in
Bangladesh.
Inu
said,
“Terrorism
has
a
legacy
in
Bangladesh
relating
to
Jamaat-e-Islami's
role
in
opposing
the
Liberation
War
in
1971
and
playing
the
role
of
collaborator
with
occupation
Pakistani
troops.”
The
Daily
Star,
August
20,
2016.
Born-again
Neo
JMB
is
far
more
radicalized
and
fearsome,
say
Investigators:
Investigators
said
that
the
born-again
Neo
Jama'atul
Mujahideen
Bangladesh
(JMB)
is
far
more
radicalized
and
fearsome.
Banned
in
2005
and
subsequently
broken
down,
the
JMB
took
only
nine
years
to
reorganize.
The
Neo
JMB,
as
called
by
law
enforcers,
is
now
inspired
by
the
ideology
of
Islamic
State
(IS),
skilled
in
modern
technology
and
equipped
with
sophisticated
firearms.
It
is
capable
of
causing
damage
more
than
the
old
JMB
which
a
decade
ago
carried
out
suicide
bombing
and
synchronized
blasts
across
the
country.
The
Daily
Star,
August
17,
2016.
Prime
Minister
urges
OIC
to
play
more
proactive
role
against
terrorism:
Prime
Minister
Sheikh
Hasina
while
meeting
the
Secretary
General
of
the
Organisation
of
Islamic
Cooperation
(OIC)
Iyad
Ameen
Madani
at
Gono
Bhaban
in
Dhaka
city
on
August
18
urged
the
OIC
to
play
a
more
proactive
role
against
terrorism.
She
said,
“Muslim
countries
should
sit
together
and
resolve
their
problems
without
external
interference.
Terrorism
has
emerged
as
a
global
problem
and
terrorists
killing
innocent
people
in
the
name
of
Islam
are
ultimately
undermining
the
religion.
We
have
zero
tolerance
to
terrorism
in
any
form
and
manifestation.”
The
Daily
Star,
August
20,
2016.
INDIA
Pakistan
behind
unrest,
derailing
peace
in
Kashmir,
says
Union
Home
Minister
Rajnath
Singh:
Union
Home
Minister
(UHM)
Rajnath
Singh
on
August
20
lashed
out
at
Pakistan
for
the
ongoing
unrest
in
Kashmir,
saying
it
was
continuously
trying
to
derail
peace
in
the
Valley.
“Today,
I
don’t
feel
hesitant
in
saying
that
Pakistan
is
continuously
trying
to
create
unrest
in
Kashmir.
It
wants
to
destroy
it
and
derail
peace
in
the
Valley,”
he
said.
“Recently,
I
went
to
Pakistan
and
you
all
know
our
neighbouring
country’s
misdeeds.
I
don’t
want
to
repeat
what
happened
over
there
but
would
like
to
say
that
I
did
not
let
India’s
pride
go
down
there.
I
said
one
country’s
terrorist
cannot
be
the
hero
of
another,”
he
said.
Daily
Excelsior,
August
21,
2016.
Dhaka
attack
mastermind
was
in
India,
reveals
arrested
Islamic
State
operative:
The
mastermind
behind
the
Holey
Artisan
attack
in
Dhaka
and
the
murder
of
English
professor
Rezaul
Karim
at
Rajshahi
University
is
fugitive
Jama’at
ul
Mujahideen
Bangladesh
(JMB)
leader
Mohammed
Suleiman,
a
key
Islamic
State
(IS)
operative
arrested
in
India
revealed.
Indian
national
Mohammad
Masiuddin
alias
Abu
Musa
told
his
interrogators
that
the
April
23
killing
of
the
professor
and
the
July
1
attack
on
the
upmarket
cafe
in
Dhaka
were
linked
to
Suleiman,
this
is
the
first
time
such
a
claim
has
come
to
light.
Times
of
India,
August
21,
2016.
IS
'studied'
26/11
Mumbai
attacks
to
carry
out
Paris
terror
strikes,
according
to
UN
report:
Islamic
State
(IS)
terrorists
had
"studied"
the
26/11
(November
26,
2008)
Mumbai
terror
attack
and
similar
"active
shooter
scenarios"
to
maximise
confusion
and
casualties
before
hitting
multiple
locations
in
Paris
on
November
13,
2015
UN
member-states
have
said.
The
18th
report
of
the
Analytical
Support
and
Sanctions
Monitoring
Team
submitted
to
the
UN
Security
Council's
1267
ISIS,
Al-Qaida
Sanctions
Committee
said
the
modus
operandi
that
IS
operatives
demonstrated
while
conducting
multiple,
nearly
simultaneous
attacks,
such
as
in
Paris
and
Brussels,
presents
particular
problems
in
terms
of
security
response.
Zee News,
August
19,
2016.
No
talks,
only
rehabilitation
package,
Meghalaya
Chief
Minister
tells
militants:
Meghalaya
Chief
Minister
(CM)
Mukul
Sangma
on
August
15
said
rebels
should
give
up
arms
and
accept
the
Central
aid
to
come
back
to
the
main
stream.
“The
State
government
has
provided
an
enabling
environment
for
the
members
of
insurgent
groups
to
withdraw
from
their
criminal
and
anti-national
activities
and
avail
themselves
of
the
rehabilitation
package
to
assimilate
with
the
national
mainstream,”
said
Sangma.
The Shillong
Times,
August
17,
2016.
NEPAL
CIEDP
needs
10
years
to
complete
task,
says
CIEDP
member
Bishnu
Pathak:
Commission
of
Investigation
on
Enforced
Disappeared
Persons
(CIEDP)
member
Bishnu
Pathak
said
that
CIEDP
needs
10
years
to
complete
task.
Pathak
said
“The
government
seems
reluctant
to
give
us
the
needed
resources
so
that
it
can
later
blame
us
for
not
doing
our
job.”
Pathak
said
CIEDP’s
work
was
much
more
challenging,
as
25
per
cent
of
cases
out
of
2,846
complaints
could
require
excavation
at
suspected
sites.
Digging
out
one
site
could
take
at
least
one
month
and
DNA
test
of
degenerated
bones
could
take
6-9
months.
He
said
the
CIEDP
would
need
at
least
10
years
to
complete
its
assigned
task.
The Himalayan
Times,
August
20,
2016.
Government
decides
to
declare
52
individuals
killed
during
2015's
Madhes
protests
as
martyrs:
The
Government
on
August
18
decided
to
declare
52
individuals
who
were
killed
during
2015's
Madhes
protests
as
martyrs.
A
Cabinet
meeting
decided
to
declare
as
martyrs
41
protestors
and
11
Security
Force
(SF)
personnel
who
lost
their
lives
during
the
Madhes
movement.
The
Cabinet
took
the
decision
on
the
basis
of
a
political
understanding
reached
between
Deputy
Prime
Minister
and
Home
Minister
Bimalendra
Nidhi
and
leaders
of
the
agitating
parties
during
a
meeting
on
August
14.
Republica,
August
19,
2016.
PAKISTAN
142,335
suspects
held,
1,808
terrorists
killed
under
NAP:
The
law
enforcement
agencies
(LEAs)
have
carried
out
122,772
combing
operations
under
National
Action
Plan
(NAP)
while
142,335
suspects
were
arrested.
The
LEAs
conducted
56,834
combing
operations
in
Punjab,
39,485
in
Sindh,
21,087
in
Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa
(KP),
2,935
in
Balochistan,
653
in
Islamabad
Capital
Territory
(ICT),
996
in
Gilgit
Baltistan
(GB),
310
in
Azad
Jammu
and
Kashmir
and
472
in
Federally
Administered
Tribal
Areas
(FATA).
Daily
Times,
August
17,
2016.
Rangers
report
on
human
rights
violations
in
Karachi
declared
fake
by
Senate
body:
The
Senate’s
Functional
Committee
on
Human
Rights
on
August
16
rejected
a
report
submitted
by
Sindh
Rangers
regarding
the
human
rights
violations
in
Karachi
Operation,
declaring
it
“fake
and
phony”.
In
the
report,
prepared
by
a
relatively
unknown
human
rights
organisation
called
“Human
Rights
Commission
on
South
Asia”,
Sindh
Rangers
were
given
a
clean
chit.
Sindh
Rangers,
while
referring
to
the
report,
claimed
that
no
human
rights
violations
were
done
by
the
paramilitary
force
during
ongoing
Karachi
Operation.
Dawn,
August
17,
2016.
SRI
LANKA
OMP's
purpose
is
to
seek
truth
not
retribution,
says
Prime
Minister
Ranil
Wickremesinghe:
Prime
Minister
Ranil
Wickremesinghe
explaining
the
importance
of
establishing
the
Office
on
Missing
Persons
(OMP)
on
August
18
said
that
OMP’s
purpose
is
to
seek
the
truth
not
retribution.
"If
there
is
to
be
prosecution
we
can
do
it
under
our
law.
So
we
are
starting
the
missing
persons'
office.
Missing
Persons'
Office
is
for
the
future
also...We
all
want
to
know
how
many
people
are
missing.
Truth
may
be
ugly.
But
we
can
live
with
that.
Truth
should
not
lead
to
retribution.
We
should
put
the
past
behind
us.
We
have
a
future
ahead,"
the
Prime
Minister
said.
Colombo Page,
August
20,
2016.
PCICMP
hands
over
its
report
to
Presidential
Secretariat:
The
Presidential
Commission
Investigating
Cases
of
Missing
Persons
(PCICMP)
handed
over
its
report
to
the
Presidential
Secretariat.
The
Commission
submitted
its
interim
report
to
President
Maithripala
Sirisena
in
April
and
scheduled
to
present
its
final
report
before
September.
Since
its
establishment
on
August
15,
2013,
the
Commission
had
received
16,213
complaints
from
civilians
and
another
5,000
complaints
from
relatives
of
missing
security
forces
personnel.
Colombo Page,
August
20,
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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