South Asia Terrorism Portal
A Grim Silencing Tushar Ranjan Mohanty Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) leader Sardar Arif Wazir was killed in an attack at Ghwa Khwa in Wana town of South Waziristan District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on May 1, 2020. According to reports, unidentified attackers opened fire at him when he was strolling outside his house. Eyewitnesses said two of the attackers were also injured in an exchange of fire with Wazir’s security guards.
Earlier, on April 17, 2020, Wazir was arrested by the Police in Wana, allegedly for making an ‘anti-Pakistan’ speech during his visit to Afghanistan. Though Police official Usman Wazir accused Sardar Arif Wazir of delivering an 'anti-Pakistan' speech on March 6, 2020, during his visit to Afghanistan, he did not provide any further details.
Wazir spent 10 days in prison before being released on bail on April 27.
Wazir has become the 18th member of his immediate and extended family to be killed since 2007. Seven members of Wazir's family were killed in a clash with al Qaeda-linked foreign militants (mostly Uzbeks and Tajiks) near Wana on March 6, 2007. The dead included his father Saadullah Jan and uncle Mirza Alam.
Wazir was the first cousin of PTM leader Ali Wazir, who was elected as Member of the National Assembly (MNA) from South Waziristan in the General Elections of 2018 as an independent candidate.
Another PTM leader and MNA, Mohsin Dawar, who represents North Waziristan in the National Assembly as an independent member, blamed the state for the attack. He asserted that the attack was carried out by “good” (state backed) terrorists and added that his party’s “struggle against their masters will continue.”
Echoing the same sentiment, Aurang Zeb Khan Zalmay, the PTM organiser in Europe who lives In Heidelberg, Germany, issued a statement that the Wazir's killers were
PTM is an ongoing non-violent protest movement for Pashtun human rights in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
PTM’s origins lie in the Mehsud Tahafuz Movement (MTM) started in May 2014 by eight students of the Mehsud tribe, including Manzoor Pashteen, staying at the Gomal University Hostel in Dera Ismail Khan town of KP, to campaign for the rights of the Mehsud community impacted by military operations. The campaigners also demanded removal of landmines from Waziristan and other parts of the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas, now part of KP, and KP.
However, the MTM came into prominence after the killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud, an aspiring model, in a Police encounter by Karachi Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rao Anwar on January 13, 2018. The incident reignited anger in the Pashtun community.
Under the leadership of 26-years-old Manzoor Pashteen, MTM turned into PTM, and organised a “long march” of Pashtuns from Dera Ismail Khan to Islamabad to protest the killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud. Their peaceful two-week sit-in in Islamabad from January 28 to February 10, 2018, shook the security establishment and compelled them to arrest SSP Rao Anwar and start a criminal investigation into the extrajudicial killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud. On March 25, 2019, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) indicted Rao Anwar and 17 others for the murder of Naqeebullah Mehsud. Latest reports indicate that, on March 25, 2020, the Court adjourned hearings of the Naqeebullah Mehsud murder case till April 9, 2020, due to the coronavirus lockdown. There is no further open source information regarding the case.
Meanwhile subsequent to the "long march", PTM organized protest rallies in most of the major cities across Pakistan, including Quetta in Balochistan; Peshawar, Swat, Swabi, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, in KP; Karachi in Sindh; and Lahore in Punjab. The movement has secured a great deal of traction and is widely seen as the largest non-violent protest in Pakistan and, consequently, has attracted considerable international attention. This has encouraged PTM members to organize more rallies and reiterate their demands, which include:
Since its emergence, PTM has openly criticized the Pakistan Army and its intelligence agencies, accusing them of human rights violations in the tribal region. The Pakistani authorities, on the other hand, accuse the PTM leadership of getting funds from Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies.
Islamabad expectedly tried to supress the movement, misusing the state machinery, and has arrested PTM activists from time to time. Amnesty International’s annual report Human Rights in Asia-Pacific: Review of 2019 pointed out that Pakistan authorities had intensified the crackdown on PTM, arresting and arbitrarily detaining dozens of its supporters, subjecting them to surveillance, intimidation, prosecution and threats of violence.
PTM suffered its first casualty of this state suppression on February 2, 2019, when Muhammad Ibrahim Arman Luni, a college teacher and rights activist, died in the hospital after reportedly being beaten by the Police in the Loralai District of Balochistan for his peaceful sit-in protest. Luni had repeatedly protested alleged targeted killings by the state and had criticized the state for marginalizing Pashtuns. He had also raised awareness for those affected by militancy and Army operations in KP and Balochistan.
Another prominent PTM activist Gulalai Ismail, a woman human rights defender who campaigned against violence against women and enforced disappearances, was charged with sedition, terrorism and defamation on May 22, 2019. In September, she fled to USA. Her family faced serious intimidation by the law enforcement authorities.
Meanwhile, the first confrontation between Army and PTM activists reportedly occurred on May 26, 2019, when a crowd led by PTM leaders and MNAs Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir raided Kharqamar checkpost in the Boya area of North Waziristan District in KP, resulting in a clash in which 13 protester were killed and 25 others, including five soldiers, sustained injuries. A statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) claimed,
The statement added that Ali Wazir, along with eight individuals were arrested, while Mohsin Dawar escaped after inciting the crowd. The statement, however, did not mention loss of life of PTM activists.
Earlier, on April 29, 2019, Major General Asif Ghafoor, Director General, ISPR, had claimed that PTM had received funding from Afghan and Indian intelligence services, and warned,
In this context, it appears that SFs, at the direction of people at the helm, used disproportionate force. Indeed, the Government tried to supress information of the massacre. A Human Rights Commission of Pakistan's (HRCP’s) fact-finding team that was trying to reach to the area to investigate was stopped by the Army on June 24, 2019.
Despite the Pakistan Army’s and Government’s intimidation, PTM organised rallies across different cities of Pakistan through 2019, and continues its protests in 2020 as well. Protests and sit-ins are organised regularly where the participants reiterate their demands. Speeches of Manzoor Pashteen during PTM rallies have challenged the military in a way that no other civil movement in Pakistan previously had. In every rally, he talks about human rights abuses by the Army in tribal areas. In one of his interviews with British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on January 27, 2020, he stated,
PTM mobilization has deeply disturbed the Government and the Army, and the response has been a ‘campaign’ of arbitrary arrests of PTM leaders on charges of sedition and criminal conspiracies. In one such move, the Pakistan Government arrested Manzoor Pashteen on January 27, 2020, from the Shaheen Town of Peshawar, on charges of sedition, hate speech, incitement against the state, and criminal conspiracy. Pashteen reportedly had attended a gathering on January 18, 2020, in Dera Ismail Khan city of KP, where he had allegedly stated that the 1973 Constitution violated basic human rights. He was, however, released on bail by the Islamabad High Court on February 15, 2020. During the bail hearing Chief Justice Athar Minallah of the High Court remarked,
Manzoor Pashteen is lucky not to face the same fate as Sardar Arif Wazir who, after securing bail, has been brutally killed by suspected state proxies.
The intimidation and killing of Pashtun activists by state actors demonstrates the inflexibility with which the Pakistan Government and Army views dissent. With the killing of Sardar Arif Wazir, the Government and security establishment have given a warning to all those who dare raise their voices against injustice and human rights violations: their voices will be silenced forever.
Jharkhand: West Singhbhum: Maoist Quandary Indrajit Sharma Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
On April 19, 2020, cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) shot dead a civilian, identified as Raj Kishore Gope (35), a resident of Bhalurungi village in the Sarjamburu Forest under Goilkera Police Station limits in West Singhbhum District. The Maoists killed Gope suspecting him to be a ‘police informer’. Superintendent of Police (SP) Indrajeet Mahatha disclosed that about 20 Maoists intercepted Gope in the forest area while he was returning home late in the evening and shot him dead. Before fleeing, the rebels planted three Improvised Explosive Device (IED)-fitted arrows near the body to target the Police, who they believed would reach the incident site. The IEDs were, however, detected and subsequently defused by a Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS).
On April 4, 2020, three women cadres belonging to the Suresh Munda squad of the CPI-Maoist were killed in an exchange of fire between the Maoists and Security Forces (SFs) at Chirung village under Gudri Police Station limits in West Singhbhum District. SFs recovered over 500 rounds, arrow bombs, two IEDs, and Maoist literature from the incident site. SP Indrajeet Mahatha said that the rebels were present at the village to motivate the villagers to join their movement.
These two incidents of killing have been reported in West Singhbhum during the current year (data till May 10, 2020). During the corresponding period in 2019, no fatality was reported in the District. However, three civilian fatalities were reported in two separate incidents in the remaining period of the year in the District. West Singhbhum recorded two fatalities (both civilians) in 2018.
Since March 6, 2000, when SATP started compiling data on Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-linked violence across India, West Singhbhum recorded 177 fatalities (55 civilians, 75 SF personnel, 43 Left Wing Extremists, Naxalites, and four Not Specified) in such violence.
There are 80 Districts across 10 States which have recorded fatalities in both Maoist and SF categories since March 6, 2000. Only 24 of these, spread across six States, have recorded a kill ratio that favours the Maoists. West Singhbhum is one such District, where the overall kill ratio stands at 1.74:1 in favour of the Maoists.
This is despite the fact that the District saw its last SF killing on September 3, 2013. In that incident, a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trooper was killed in an encounter with the Maoists in the Tebo Valley of West Singhbhum District. SFs suffered 18 fatalities in 2002, 20 fatalities in 2004, 15 fatalities each in 2006 and 2009, five fatalities in 2010, and one fatality in 2011.
It was in 2010 that the Maoists suffered their maximum of 21 fatalities (in the District) in a year, including 10 fatalities each in the month of June and September. Since September 2010, the SFs have suffered only three fatalities.
The successful offensives launched by SFs in the District in 2010 dealt a major blow to the Maoists who, since then, have failed to take on the SFs directly. Sadly, the Maoists have increasingly directed their violence against civilians. Of 55 civilian fatalities recorded in the District since May 2000, 38 were reported between 2011 and 2020 (data till May 10). Between 2000 (since March 6) and 2010, nearly the same duration, there were just 17 fatalities in this category.
Located at the Southern part of Jharkhand bordering Odisha, West Singhbhum is the largest District in the State, covering 5,351.41 square kilometers, of which 53 per cent (around 2836.24 square kilometres) is under forest cover. The District borders Khunti in the North; Saraikela-Kharsawan in the East; Simdega (all three in Jharkhand) and Sundargarh (in Odisha) to the West; and Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj Districts of Odisha on the South. The steep mountains and deep forests in the District make it a formidable challenge for SFs.
Significantly, all these bordering Districts (barring Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj) as well as West Singhbhum, are among the 90 Districts in 11 States listed as LWE affected, according to a Government release of February 5, 2019. Further, Khunti and Simdega, along with West Singhbhum, fall among the ‘30 worst Maoist-affected’ Districts, across seven States in the country, according to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA). West Singhbhum is also listed as one of the Aspirational Districts included in the 'Aspirational Districts Programme'. The programme focuses on five main themes – Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & Skill Development, and Basic Infrastructure – which have a direct bearing on the quality of life and economic productivity of citizens.
Not surprisingly, the Maoists always had a strong base in the District. However, after facing reverses in their erstwhile stronghold in the Saranda Forest in the District, the Maoists reportedly shifted to the adjoining Sundargarh District of Odisha. Several Maoist cadres hid themselves in the villages in Saranda in the guise of cultivators.
Worryingly, however, a November 25, 2019, report observed that the Maoists were trying to re-infiltrate the District through the porous Sundargarh border linking up to the Saranda Forest. Working on a changed strategy, the Maoists move in small groups, occasionally using the forests under Bisra Police Station limits and the Bonai sub-division on the Sundargarh side of the border, as hideouts.
Indeed, a February 4, 2020, report observed that, in an attempt to step up activities and violence in eastern India, particularly Bihar and Jharkhand, prominent CPI-Maoist leaders such as Nambala Keshav Rao aka Basavraj, held a meeting in Saranda forests of West Singhbhum District, in which they decided to replace the aging Prashant Bose aka Kishan da (74) with Ranjit Bose aka Kabir (63). The latter is known for his expertise in mobilising masses against SFs, and carries a bounty of INR 10 million on his head.
Meanwhile, Raj Kumar, Inspector General (IG), Jharkhand Sector, CRPF, stated on April 7, 2020,
Further, according to an April 5, 2020, report, intelligence sources have revealed that the Maoists have restarted influencing the local residents in the District to come into the LWE fold. The report mentioned that the rebels were targeting areas in Sonua, Goelkera and Porahat region of West Singhbhum District to extend their base.
Following intelligence inputs, SFs have now been asked to intensify anti-insurgency operations in the District. On April 6, 2020, Jharkhand Finance Minister Rameshwar Oraon categorically stated, “The Police have been given complete freedom to rein in crime and Naxal incidents.”
On the ground, the administration has increased Police patrolling in the border areas of the District and has also deployed increased numbers of paramilitary personnel in areas of potential attack. Further, a May 4, 2020, report noted, the State Police has set up six CRPF camps at Saranda and another six are in the process of being installed.
The Maoists are desperate to regain their stronghold in West Singhbhum, creating a resurgent challenge for the SFs along the poorly governed inter-State border areas.
Weekly Fatalities: Major Conflicts in South Asia May 4-10, 2020
Civilians
Security Force Personnel
Terrorists/Insurgents
Total
INDIA
Jammu and Kashmir
INDIA (Left-Wing Extremism)
Chhattisgarh
Jharkhand
INDIA (Total)
PAKISTAN
Balochistan
KP
PAKISTAN (Total)
Taliban appoints new leader in military leadership following recent upheavals: The Taliban has appointed Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, the son of Mullah Mohammad Omar, the founder of the Taliban group, as the new 'military chief' of the group following recent upheavals, involving a spike in attacks against Afghan forces. As per the report, Mulla Yaqoob will keep his previous post as deputy to the movement's overall leader Mulla Haibatullah Akhunzada, but will now also oversee military operations. The Khaama Press, May 10, 2020.
Uzbek leader Abdul Rashid Dostum to be awarded 'Marshal' Rank in proposed plan to resolve political crisis reveals aide: Afghanistan's former first vice president and leader of the National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan, General Abdul Rashid Dostum, would be awarded the rank of marshal as part of a proposed political agreement between President Ashraf Ghani and his political rival Abdullah Abdullah. Dostum's aide Bashir Ahmad Tayyanj on May 7 said that good news was on the way in the coming days, stating that the political agreement will determine the authorities of Dostum. Tolo News, May 8, 2020.
Tense meeting with Iran over border deaths, says Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar: The Afghan Parliament on May 5 summoned high-ranking government officials to brief them on the recent reports of the death and torture of a group of Afghan nationals in border areas with Iran. Among those summoned was Acting Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar, who told lawmakers that their discussion with Iranian officials on May 4 ended with tension and that, so far, 16 of the Afghan nationals have been rescued, 18 to 20 are missing, and 16 bodies have been found. According to the reports, at least 20 Afghan nationals have been "drowned" by Iranian border forces; a claim that Iran denies. Tolo News, May 7, 2020.
India should talk directly to Taliban, says US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad: United States (US) special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, during visit to Delhi on May 7 said that India should discuss its concerns about terrorism directly with the Taliban. Khalilzad said that he had discussed how India could play a "more active role" in the Afghan reconciliation process, the report said. "India is an important force in Afghanistan, and it would be appropriate for that [India-Taliban] engagement to take place," Khalilzad told The Hindu in an exclusive interview. Tolo News, May 9, 2020.
Taliban and Afghan Government not fulfilling terms, US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper: The United States Defense Secretary Mark Esper on May 4 said that the Taliban was not living up to their commitments under an agreement signed this year. "I don't think they are," Esper told reporters when asked if the Taliban were living up to their commitment. He added that he believed the Afghan government was also not living up to its commitment. The Afghan Government was not part of an agreement between the United States and the Taliban. Esper said the Afghan Government and the Taliban "both need to come together and make progress on the terms that (are) laid out." Tolo News, May 6, 2020.
HM 'chief' Reyaz Naikoo among four militants killed in separate encounters in Jammu and Kashmir: Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) 'chief' Reyaz Naikoo was among four militants killed by Security Forces (SFs) in separate encounters in Pulwama District of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) on May 6. SFs engaged with militants in two simultaneous gun battles in Pulwama, one in Sharshalli village where two unidentified militants were killed and the other in Beighpora in Awantipora where Naikoo was killed along with another militant. His accomplice attempted to escape by charging towards SFs and opening indiscriminate fire but was killed in the encounter, which led to clashes as people started pelting stones at security personnel, in which two persons also sustained bullet injuries. Daily Excelsior, May 7, 2020.
Mehbooba Mufti's detention under PSA extended by three months: The Public Safety Act (PSA) against former Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti was extended by three months on May 5. In a brief order, District magistrate of Srinagar handed over the continuation of her custody at her residence, hours before her present term under the PSA was to expire. She was initially detained on August 5 last year (2019) when the Centre abrogated special status of the erstwhile State and bifurcated it into two Union Territories (UTs) -- Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir. The Times of India, May 6, 2020.
Al Qaeda urges Indian Muslims to wage Jihad against India: Al Qaeda on May 4, urged Indian Muslims to join the Islamist jihad. Yemen's Al Qaeda in Arab Peninsula (AQAP), the globally banned terrorist group, issued a statement accusing India of being part of a global war on Muslims. The Al Qaeda statement comes days after the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Kuwait government and many Arab activists called India Islamophobic. The anti-India statements in the Arab countries were a result of Pakistani propaganda against India over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and Kashmir and also because of the widespread criticism of Tablighi Jamaat Islamic proselytisers for being a super-spreader of the novel coronavirus infection in India. FirstPost, May 5, 2020.
Naga Hoho writes to UN appealing for intervention: Naga Hoho, the apex body of Nagas in Nagaland on May 4 appealed for United Nations (UN) intervention by alleging violations of human rights in Naga areas in the Northeast India and northwestern part of Myanmar. In a letter to UN secretary general António Guterres, Hoho President H.K. Zhimomi and General Secretary K. Elu Ndang also urged him to recognise the Nagas as indigenous people under the United Nations' Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People. It also urged UN to direct India to settle Naga political issue by honouring the framework agreement of 2015. The Telegraph, May 5, 2020.
US Commission on International Religious Freedom wants Pakistan to be re-designated for religious freedom violations: : The United States (US) Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has said that religious freedom is severely restricted in Pakistan and slammed the country for doing nothing about it. "In Pakistan, the systematic enforcement of blasphemy and anti-Ahmadiyya laws, and failure to address forced conversions of religious minorities - including Hindus, Christians, and Sikhs - to Islam, severely restricted religious freedom," the USCIRF said in its annual report. The USCIRF has recommended that the US Government should re-designate Pakistan as a country of particular concern. Hindustan Times, May 5, 2020.
The South Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR) is a weekly service that brings you regular data, assessments and news briefs on terrorism, insurgencies and sub-conventional warfare, on counter-terrorism responses and policies, as well as on related economic, political, and social issues, in the South Asian region.
SAIR is a project of the Institute for Conflict Management and the South Asia Terrorism Portal
To receive FREE advance copies of SAIR by email Subscribe. Recommend South Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR) To A Friend