South Asia Terrorism Portal
Punjab: Narco-Terrorist Surge Ajit Kumar Singh Research Fellow, Institute for Conflict Management
India's premier investigation agency, mainly tasked with investigation of terrorism cases, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), is currently investigating two cases of narco-terrorism in Punjab, one registered in 2019 (RC-18/2019/NIA/DLI), and the second in 2020 (RC-03/2020/NIA/DLI). Following are the details of the two cases:
Three persons were arrested with 500 grams of heroin and INR 120,000 in drug money, and a case was registered in Tarsikka, Amritsar District, on May 31, 2019. Another three accused were arrested in December 2019. The NIA re-registered the case on January 22, 2020 and took over the investigation. An NIA release on February 10, 2020, disclosed,
Harmeet Singh aka PhD was killed on January 27, 2020, outside the Dera Chahal Gurudwara on the outskirts of Lahore, in what has been variously reported as a financial dispute over drug money and, separately, as a conflict over an illicit affair.
On May 29, 2020, NIA filed a charge sheet against 10 accused, further exposing linkages:
The earlier case relates to the seizure of 532 kilograms of heroin and 52 kilograms of mixed narcotics on June 29, 2019, at the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari, Amritsar. A case was registered at the Customs Commissionerate, Amritsar, on the same day. The NIA re-registered the case on July 24, 2019 and took over the investigation. It filed a charge sheet on December 27, 2019, against 16 accused persons and business entities, including Farookh Lone and Tariq Ahmad Lone, both residents of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Later, on May 28, 2020, NIA filed a supplementary charge sheet in the case against the 17th accused, narco-terrorist Amit Gambhir aka Bobby aka Bablu aka Shoe Mallet aka King India Amit Sir. As per the NIA release,
In between, on May 9, 2020, along with teams of Punjab Police and Haryana Police, NIA carried out intelligence-based raids in Sirsa, Haryana, and arrested narco-terrorist Ranjit Singh aka Rana aka Cheeta who, along with co-accused Iqbal Singh aka Shera, is the prime accused in case RC18/2019/NIA/DLI. According to an NIA release,
Ranjit Singh is also the prime accused in the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) terror funding module which was neutralized with the arrest of Hilal Ahmad Wagay, a resident of Nowgam, Awantipora, J&K, with INR 2.9 million in cash in Amritsar by Punjab Police on April 25, 2020. This money was being transported to the Kashmir Valley, to be handed over to HM’s then Kashmir ‘chief’ Riyaz Naikoo (killed on May 6, 2020). The NIA is investigating this case as well.
Investigations in the Attari case have also revealed that the consignment was to be delivered to Tariq Ahmad Lone in Kashmir. The role of the Taliban also came to the fore during investigation. According to a July 20, 2019, report, after a 120-day long operation the Delhi Police special cell busted a heroin racket, controlled by a Taliban leader and his Pakistani counterpart (names not mentioned), estimated to be worth INR 50 billion. According to investigations, the drug syndicate based in Jalalabad in Afghanistan sends drugs through trade routes via J&K, from where it reaches to Delhi in cars and SUVs, and then to Western Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. Further, on January 12, 2010, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) identified and neutralized an international drug cartel allegedly led by a Taliban leader in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and arrested nine Afghan nationals at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI), New Delhi. Significantly, the United Nations Drugs and Crime Office (UNODC), in a report released on June 25, 2020, estimated Afghanistan’s 2019 total farm-gate value of opium poppy at USD 404 million, cultivated over 163,000 hectares of land.
Meanwhile, the Parliament was informed on December 10, 2019, that, according to Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) data, large quantities of drugs had been recovered from the Punjab between 2015 and 2018. These included a total of 5,414.5 kilograms of Ganja (cannabis); 1,830.72 kilograms of Heroin; 1,669.41 kilograms of Opium; 168,420.32 kilograms of Poppy Husk and Poppy Straw; and 15,888,517 tablets of all type. SFs had arrested a total of 46,909 persons in drug related cases over this period.
Indeed, according to a June 8, 2020, report, despite a strict lockdown in India and some restrictions in neighbouring Pakistan in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, cross-border smuggling continued unabated along the India-Pakistan border in Punjab. A total of 81.84 kilograms of heroin worth INR 4.09 billion was seized by law enforcement agencies between March 24, 2020, when the lockdown was imposed, and May 31. An unnamed Border Security Force (BSF) official observed, “In the last over two months, our forces have thwarted several attempts by anti-national elements to push contraband inside the Indian territory.”
Sources also indicate that at least 72 incidents of seizures of ‘composite consignments’ [weapons/drugs/Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN)] were reported from border districts of Amritsar, Ferozepur and Gurdaspur between 2009 and 2019. The recoveries included drugs such as of heroin, opium, etc.; and weapons and ammunition including AK-47/56 rifles, pistols, and RDX. Pakistan’s external intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) uses the services of a common network of ‘drug smugglers/couriers’ to push in composite consignments into Indian Punjab from Pakistan, exploiting gaps along the land and riverine border. The ‘drug smugglers/couriers’ working under the ISI’s aegis also throw the consignment over the Border fence in areas where infiltration is not suspected. Their Indian partners later collect the goods.
However, with Indian Security Forces (SFs) plugging the gaps along the land and riverine border used to smuggle goods, the possibility of using of drones for sending composite consignments is being increasingly explored. NIA is already investigating the Punjab Drone Case (RC-21/2019/NIA/DLI) re-registered by the agency on October 1, 2019. The case was first registered by the Punjab Police on September 22, 2019, following the arrest of four persons along with a consignment of arms, ammunition, explosives and FICN on the outskirts of Chohla Sahib town, Tarn Taran District, in Punjab. It was later confirmed that the consignment had been dropped by an Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) originating from Pakistan. On March 18, 2020, the NIA filed a charge sheet in the case against nine Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) terrorists. Investigations in the case have revealed,
Several reports of Pakistani drones spotted flying in the Indian air space have emerged in recent past. In 2020 alone, and in Punjab, these prominently include:
January 13, 2020: A drone from Pakistan was spotted at the Indo-Pak border in Indian air space at Tendiwala village in Ferozepur District. An unnamed senior official stated, “The drone was seen for 4-5 minutes. BSF personnel tried to shoot it down but could not do so. Then, it disappeared.”
January 15, 2020: A Pakistani drone entered Indian Air space near the border at Channa Pattanam near the Ajnala Sector of Amritsar District. The BSF fired around 100 rounds, though they were unable to recover the drone due to the dense of fog in the area.
February 2, 2020: BSF personnel and some villagers reportedly spotted a drone-like object along the border in Jalalabad subdivision of the Fazilka District.
According to a February 12, 2020, report, Punjab Police is concerned about the growing use of technology in the narco-terrorism racket from across the border in Pakistan, with about 40 movements of sophisticated UAVs noticed in the Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Ferozpur and Fazilka Districts of Punjab.
Most recently, on June 20, 2020, the BSF shot down a Pakistan drone strapped with arms along the International Border at Rathua village in the Hiranagar sector of J&K’s Kathua District. A US-made M4 semi-automatic rifle, two magazines with 60 rounds and seven M67 Chinese grenades were found mounted on the drone.
Several drones and their remains have also been recovered. On September 26, 2019, a five-member NIA team reportedly visited the spot in Amritsar District where a China-made drone had been destroyed by KZF terror module members. The interrogation of arrested persons revealed that they had also thrown several parts of the drone into a canal near Dhode village near Jhabalin, Amritsar District. On September 29, 2019, Police recovered missing parts of the drone from the Dode-Chhapa canal near Chabhal town in Tarn Taran District.
Again, on September 27, 2019, the SFs recovered a drone from Mahawa village near Attari on the Indo-Pak border in Amritsar District. On January 11, 2010, a soldier, Rahul Chauhan, was arrested along with two Chinese-made drones and arms. Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Amarinder Singh, showing pictures of the Chinese drones, said in the State Assembly on February 26, 2020, “These are the drones which we were able to catch and we do not know how many such drones are still there with people of Punjab.”
With SF pressures along the border in Punjab mounting, the sea route through Gujarat has also been explored. SFs had seized five kilograms of heroin from Salaya in Devbhumi Dwarka District of Gujarat and arrested Aziz Abdul Bhagad on August 12, 2018. The value of the seized drug consignment, with origins in Pakistan, and having suspected nexus with terror organisations, was estimated at INR 150 million in the international market. Aziz Abdul Bhagad revealed that a total of 300 kilograms of heroin was brought to 150 nautical miles off Mandavi coast (Kutch District) in two tranches from Pakistan and was later brough to land using fishing dhows. According to reports, the consignment was brought to Mandavi for Rafiq Adam Sumara (arrested later). Rafiq Adam Sumara, meanwhile, had delivered the consignment of 295 kilograms of heroin to two Kashmiris – Nazir Ahmad Thakar and Manzoor Ahmad Mir – in Unjha, Mehsana District, Gujarat, at the instructions of Simranjeet Singh Sandhu. From there the consignment reached Amritsar in Punjab through Rajasthan. There is a possibility of linkages between this case and the Attari case.
There is a visible unity of purpose between the smugglers, Khalistanis and Kashmiri terrorists, under the direction of ISI. The Director General of Police (DGP), Punjab, Dinkar Gupta, thus observed,
Significantly, a LeT militant, identified as Javed Ahmed Bhat (29), a resident of Shirmal village in Shopian District of J&K, was arrested from the Pathankot District of Punjab on June 13, 2020. According to a State Government press release, Bhat was intercepted and arrested along with his truck from Dhobra Bridge, Pathankot, on the Amritsar-Jammu Highway, by the Pathankot Police when he was trying to escape to the Valley on learning about the arrest of his accomplices. Bhat’s initial questioning revealed that he had come with his accomplices Aamir Hussain Wani (26) and Wasim Hassan Wani (27) from Kashmir Valley to Amritsar District to collect the weapons consignment in the guise of bringing fruits and vegetables. Aamir Hussain Wani (26) and Wasim Hassan Wani (27) were arrested from Pathankot District on June 11, 2020, and 10 hand grenades, one AK-47 rifle with two magazines and 60 live cartridges were recovered from them. Both the militants are residents of Shopian District, Kashmir. The duo, actively involved in transporting automatic weapons and hand grenades from Punjab to the Kashmir Valley, was arrested by the Pathankot Police, who intercepted a truck at a police barricade on the Amritsar-Jammu highway. Punjab DGP Gupta, after the arrest had disclosed that the search of the truck led to the recovery of the arms and ammunition and that the accused, during the preliminary investigation, revealed that they had been directed by one Ishfaq Ahmed Dar aka Bashir Ahmed Khan, a former J&K Constable, currently an active LeT militant in the Kashmir Valley, to collect the weapons’ consignment from Punjab.
Meanwhile, ongoing investigations in all these cases indicate that several narco-terrorism networks have been established by the ISI to further its disruptive strategy in Punjab. These networks include the KLF module, the International Sikh Youth Federation (IYSF) module, and the KZF Module. These networks have planned their operations with minute precision. For instance, the KLF module has five prominent players – Harmeet Singh @ PHD, operating out of Pakistan (now dead); Jasmeet Singh Hakimzada, based in Dubai; Kulwinder Khanpuria, based in South East Asia; Jagbir Singh, Nirrmal Singh Neeldhari and Bobby. Four of these – Jagbir Singh, Harmeet Singh, Jasmeet Singh Hakimzada, Nirrmal Singh Neeldhari – have been charge sheeted by NIA in RC-03/2020/NIA/DLI case (the Attari seizure case). Harmeet Singh, operating out of Pakistan, had been sending drugs to Jagbir Singh with the help of Kashmiri operatives. Harmeet used to get grenades delivered at prefixed location in Ferozepur, from where Jagbir Singh collected these. Jagbir Singh then used his resources in India to send drugs and grenades to other areas.
The use of narco-terrorism by Pakistan is not something new. In an interview with the Washington Post published way back, on September 12, 1994, Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had disclosed that, in November 1990, Gen. Aslam Beg, the then Pakistan Army Chief of Staff, and Lt. Gen. Asad Durrani, then head of the ISI, had told him that the armed forces needed more money for covert foreign operations and wanted to raise funds through large-scale drug deals. Sharif added, "General Durrani told me, we have a blueprint ready for your approval," and further,
Sharif admitted that he had "no sources" to verify that ISI had obeyed his orders to abandon the plan, but said that he assumed the agency had complied.
Indeed, the Washington Times in the same report had noted,
With the Indian SFs thwarting every ISI attempt to force J&K into the turbulent phases of the 1990s and early 2000s, and to relaunch the 'Khalistan Movement' in Punjab, the ISI has sought to increase the use of narco-terrorism in Punjab over the past few years. In doing so, the agency has revived its 'K2 (Khalistan and Kashmir) Strategy' launched in 1988 under the General Zia-ul-Haq regime. Initiating Operation Topac, Zia had directed ISI to wrench J&K from India and export terror into Punjab. Pakistan has been relentless in its pursuit of these goals, to the extent of supporting a significant cadre and leadership of Khalistani terrorists on its soil for well over two and a half decades since the comprehensive defeat of the movement on Indian soil. As new avenues, routes and technologies are explored by Pakistan to facilitate its enduring strategy, Indian SFs and intelligence agencies will have to continuously intensify efforts and improve capacities and capabilities to effectively counter this dangerous design.
Sindh: Hardening Separatism Tushar Ranjan Mohanty Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
On June 19, 2020, a hand grenade was lobbed targeting a Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) vehicle in Liaquatabad area of Karachi (Karachi District), the provincial capital of Sindh, killing two Rangers personnel and injuring four others.
On the same day, an attack took place in Ghotki City of Ghotki District, killing one Rangers Officer and four personnel. Two Rangers personnel were critically wounded in the attack. Elsewhere in the District, a Bomb disposal squad vehicle was targeted, killing one trooper and injuring another two.
Further, a Rangers check post located opposite Chandka Medical College in Larkana city (Larkana District) was attacked. One Ranger was killed and another four were injured.
Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army (SRA) claimed responsibility for all these attacks. SRA spokesperson, Sodho Sindhi, declared in a statement,
And further,
Samiullah Kalhoro, vice-chairman of the Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSMM), along with another JSMM leader, Fayyaz Janwari, were picked up from Jamshoro (Jamshoro District) in November 2004. Kalhoro was admitted to the hospital following his escape from Police custody in Hala town of Matiari District in the second week of February 2005. After his escape, Kalhoro, at a press conference in Karachi, narrated details of how he was tortured by the Police. However, he succumbed to his injuries in a Karachi hospital on March 4, 2005. Similarly, the bullet riddled and tortured body of Niaz Lashari was found dumped in front of Jinnah Hospital in Karachi on June 16, 2019. A member of the National Congress of Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz – Arisar (JSQM-A), Lashari was first abducted by ‘state agencies’ in April 2018 from Karachi, where he was residing and was later freed in September 2018. He was again abducted by ‘state agencies’ in April 2019.
SRA had also claimed responsibility for twin attacks targeting Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) personnel at two different places in Karachi on June 11, 2020. The first attack was carried out on a Rangers vehicle in Gulistan-e-Johar Town of Karachi, in which two Rangers personnel were killed and five were injured. In another attack, a Rangers check post was targeted in Malir Town. One Ranger was killed and two were injured in the attack.
Though the SRA was formed in 2010, it had largely remained peaceful. According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), since its formation, the outfit has been found involved in 13 violent incidents, including six in June 2020 alone, resulting in the death of 11 Rangers personnel (all in June 2020). The 13 violent incidents include two attacks on Chinese nationals and establishments in Sindh, as follows:
The Federal Ministry of Interior, however, banned the JSMM on March 15, 2013, and declared it a terrorist organisation allegedly for their involvement in province-wide violence. Shafi Muhammad Barfat reportedly left the country and went to Germany, where he lives in exile. He controls the activities of Sindhu Liberation Army (SLA), the new name given to the SDLA.
Another prominent Sindhi separatist political party is JSQM-A. The JSQM-A, founded in 2006 by Abdul Wahid Arisar, who died in May 2015, is currently headed by Aslam Khairpuri.
All these groups are influenced by the ideology of the late Ghulam Murtaza Syed, a prominent Sindhi nationalist leader and founder of Jeay Sindh Movement, a separatist political movement, who died in 1995. Ghulam Murtaza Syed was an ardent advocate of Sindhi Nationalism.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement–London (MQM-L) headed by Altaf Hussain also supports the notion of separate Sindh Nation. The self-exiled Hussain, sitting in London, has for long demanded the “independence” of Sindh and Balochistan. Most recently, in a letter addressed to the United Nations (UN) on June 4, 2020, Altaf Hussain asked the UN Security Council to “use its power according to UN charter” to “end atrocities and illegal occupation of Pakistan in Sindh, Balochistan, Pashtunishtan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Chitral and PoK”.
In recent months, Altaf Hussain appears to have come closer to Sindhi nationalist groups. Shafi Barfat, the leader of the defunct JSMM, also in self-exile, in Germany, has reportedly asked Altaf Hussain to join what he described as their armed struggle against the state of Pakistan. Both groups view China as an “occupying force”.
Indeed, a day after the June 19 attacks on the Rangers, the Sindh Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Chief Additional Inspector General (IG), Jamil Ahmed, asserted that a group in London and Baloch separatists were aiding Sindhi separatist groups. Further, an unnamed official in Karachi stated, “They are working together. Two men loyal to Altaf Hussain in South Africa are handling their cells in Sindh.”
Meanwhile, on May 7, 2020, the Federal Government banned SRA and SLA along with Sindhi the separatist political entity JSQM-A under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. The Federal Interior Ministry notification read,
It is significant that the Voice for Missing Persons of Sindh (VMPS), on June 22 claimed that the Security Forces (SFs) had forcibly abducted 50 Sindhi nationalists during the preceding two days. It further said that Pakistani forces had been raiding the homes of political activists across Sindh, arresting them and making them disappear. According to Pakistan’s Commission of Enquiry on Enforced Disappearances website, Sindh accounted for a total of 1,586 cases of missing persons between March 1, 2011 (date of inception of the Commission) and December 31, 2019. According to the Commission. of these 1,586 persons, 948 were traced – 52 dead bodies, 234 in prisons, 32 in internment centre and 630 returned home. The Commission ‘deleted’ cases of another 371 missing persons, claiming that these were “closed due to not being cases of enforced disappearances, incomplete address, withdrawal by complainants, non-prosecution. etc.” Thus, as per the commission, a total of 1,319 cases were disposed of, leaving another 267 cases under investigation.
Instead of taking appropriate measures to address the growing dissatisfaction of ethnic Sindhis, the administration had been using excessive force against those protesting the enforced disappearances in Sindh, including students. In a recent incident, on June 27, 2020, at the Karachi Press Club a protesting crowd, including family members of the victims, had gathered to hold a peaceful protest against illegal arrests and enforced disappearances of their loved ones. The protesters asserted that, over the preceding two weeks, more than 200 Sindhis and Muhajirs belonging to MQM and different groups of Jiye Sindh had been arrested by Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) and other law enforcement agencies in Karachi, Hyderabad and other cities of the Province. No arrested person had been presented before any court of law. When protesters started chanting slogans against enforced disappearances, a large number of Police, Paramilitary Rangers, and plainclothes personnel of intelligence agencies attacked the peaceful protesters. Elderly men, women, young girls and students were among those who were beaten, and a large number of protestors were reportedly injured.
The sudden spike in violence in an otherwise peaceful Sindhi separatist movement is an alarming development. In all likelihood, the movement will become more violent in Sindh given the track record of abuse of force by the Pakistani establishment against genuine demands of the people of Sindh.
Weekly Fatalities: Major Conflicts in South Asia June 22-28, 2020
Civilians
Security Force Personnel
Terrorists/Insurgents
Total
AFGHANISTAN
INDIA
Jammu and Kashmir
INDIA (Total)
PAKISTAN
Balochistan
KP
PAKISTAN (Total)
291 Government troops killed in 422 terrorist activities in the last week, claims NSC: The National Security Council (NSC) on June 22, claimed that Taliban had carried out 422 "terrorist activities" in 32 Provinces last week, "killing 291 government troops and wounding 550 others". "The past week was the deadliest of the past 19 years. Taliban carried out 422 attacks in 32 provinces, martyring 291 ANDSF members and wounding 550 others. Taliban's commitment to reduce violence is meaningless, and their actions inconsistent with their rhetoric on peace," said Javid Faisal, NSC spokesman. Tolo News, June 23, 2020.
Iran-based Al Qaeda network sends money and fighters to Afghanistan and Syria, says US State Department Annual terrorism report: The United States' (US) State Department, in its annual terrorism report, stated that Iran continued to permit an Al Qaeda facilitation network to operate in Iran, sending money and fighters to conflict zones in Afghanistan and Syria, and it still allowed Al Qaeda members to reside in the country. The report said Tehran "has allowed [Al Qaeda] facilitators to operate a core facilitation pipeline through Iran since at least 2009, enabling [the group] to move funds and fighters to South Asia and Syria". Tolo News, June 26, 2020.
First Vice President Amrullah Saleh calls Taliban 'Terrorist': The First Vice President Amrullah Saleh called the Taliban group 'Terrorist' amid growing violence across the country. "Summer 2020 is like every other summer & every other June as terrorist Taliban come out of their madrasas to kill, massacre & play with blood in quest for heaven. Stenchy ideology. The so called "exposure" hasn't changed them instead has given them "opiate" like euphoria," Saleh said in a Twitter post. The Khaama Press, June 25, 2020.
There has been sharp rise in cases under DSA during COVID-19 crisis, says report: There has been a sharp rise in the cases under the Digital Security Act (DSA) during the COVID-19 crisis as people are increasingly becoming critical about the Government health mismanagement. Journalists, university teachers, rights activists, even a child, were charged and arrested under this law during the pandemic as they posted critical posts against the Prime Minister and ruling party people. According to Cyber Crime Tribunal data, 327 cases were filed under the DSA in the first three months of this year with the number gradually increasing as 86 cases were filed in January, 119 were filed in February and 122 were filed in March with different Police Stations and Courts. New Age, June 27, 2020.
ISI planning terror attack in India with help of Taliban and JeM, says report:As per intelligence sources, Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is planning a terror attack in India with the help of Taliban and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists. Their target could be New Delhi and prominent political figures. "Over 20 terrorists will attempt to infiltrate the Line of Control [LoC] in Kashmir and a group of terrorists can use porous Indian-Nepal border in Bihar to infiltrate," the sources have said. India Today, June 29, 2020.
Pakistani agencies roping in youth through social media for disrupting peace in Punjab, says report: Pakistan-based agencies and anti-national elements are targeting youth via social media platforms for carrying out terror attacks and targeted killings in Punjab. As per the report, the disclosure came to limelight during the interrogation of Khalistani operative Gurmeet Singh, who along with another aide Vikram Singh, was arrested by the Punjab Police on June 19. The investigation officer said Gurmeet revealed that the Pakistan-based agencies were not targeting youth of a particular community. The Tribune, June 25, 2020.
Pakistan served safe haven to terrorist groups targeting India, states US: The US on June 24, criticised Pakistan saying it continued to serve a safe haven to terrorist groups targeting India and allowed them to operate from its territory. It also stated that Pakistan took modest steps in 2019 to counter terror financing. The US Department of State Bureau of Counterterrorism in its report on terrorism said, "Pakistan continued to serve as a safe haven for certain regionally-focused terrorist groups. It allowed groups targeting Afghanistan, including the Afghan Taliban and affiliated HQN, as well as groups targeting India, including LeT [Lashkar-e-Toiba] and its affiliated front organizations, and JeM, to operate from its territory." Zee News, June 25, 2020.
Maoists in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand recruiting children as young as 14, says US report: According to the US State Department report, Trafficking in Persons Report 2019, released by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on June 25, the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh continued to recruit and use children as young as 14 years in direct hostilities against the Indian Government. The report observed that Maoists were forcibly recruiting children to handle weapons and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), and in some cases be human shields." Hindustan Times, June 27, 2020.
ISI using Pakistan's diplomatic missions in London for anti-India hate campaigns, reveal intelligence agencies: The Indian intelligence agencies have revealed that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is using its diplomatic missions, particularly in London to 'fund and foment' anti-India hate campaigns. As per the report, at the behest of ISI, a colonel rank officer of Pakistan Army has been instrumental in funding pro-Khalistan groups, including Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) which has an office in London. Also, the colonel, who works under a senior official of Pakistan Navy posted at the High Commission, is assigned the task of re-uniting splinter groups of pro-Khalistan Sikhs, operating from Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and some other countries of Europe. Times Now News, June 24, 2020.
NSCN a legitimate organization, says NSCN-IM: In a statement issued on June 27, National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) stated that 'NSCN is the recognised and legitimate national organisation of the Naga people and not a gang'. This statement comes in response to Nagaland governor and interlocutor for Naga peace talks RN Ravi's letter to the chief minister of Nagaland where he recently highlighted about 'rampant extortions and violence by the armed gangs' in the state." East Mojo, June 29, 2020.
NSCN a legitimate organization, says NSCN-IM: In a statement issued on June 27, National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) stated that 'NSCN is the recognised and legitimate national organisation of the Naga people and not a gang'. This statement comes in response to Nagaland governor and interlocutor for Naga peace talks RN Ravi's letter to the chief minister of Nagaland where he recently highlighted about 'rampant extortions and violence by the armed gangs' in the state. Zee News, June 29, 2020.
26/11 attack convict David Coleman Headley cannot be extradited to India, says report: Mumbai terrorist attack (26/11) convict David Coleman Headley cannot be extradited to India, but Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman and co-conspirator Tahawwur Rana faces extradition, Assistant US Attorney John J Lulejian has told the Federal Court while opposing his bail plea on June 26. Rana was recently rearrested on June 10, 2020, in Los Angeles on an extradition request by India for his involvement in the 26/11 terror attacks. Outlook, June 27, 2020.
Nepal could be used as transit or staging point for international terrorists, warns US State Department: The US State Department on June 25, warned that Nepal could be used as a transit or staging point for international terrorists due to the open border with India and insufficient security protocols at the country's sole international airport in Kathmandu. In a report titled "Country Reports on Terrorism 2019", the State Department said, "Nepal appears to be largely infertile soil for terrorism propagated by international terrorist organizations. A more significant threat is non-Nepali international terrorist groups using Nepal as a transit or staging point or soft target." Republica, June 26, 2020.
US report slams Pakistan for doing little on terrorism: The United States (US) annual terrorism report, 'Country Report on Terrorism 2019', said Pakistan was doing too little to counter terrorist groups, particularly those taking aim at rival India and the dreaded Haqqani Network operating in Afghanistan. The reported said Pakistan continued to serve as a safe haven for certain regionally-focused terrorist groups. It allowed groups targeting Afghanistan, including the Afghan Taliban and affiliated Haqqani Network, as well as groups targeting India, including Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and its affiliated front organisations, and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), to operate from its territory. The Times of India, June 26, 2020.
Pakistan to remain in FATF's Grey List: The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on June 24, decided to keep Pakistan in the "Grey List" as it has failed to check flow of money to terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). The decision was taken at FATF's third and final plenary held virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The plenary was held under the Chinese Presidency of Xiangmin Liu. "The FATF plenary decided continuation of Pakistan in 'Grey List' till its next meeting to be held in October", an official privy to the development said. The Times of India, June25, 2020.
40 files of Police inquiry on suspects of Easter Sunday bombings are incomplete, says Attorney General's Coordinating officer and State Counsel: Attorney General's Coordinating officer and State Counsel, Nishara Jayaratne on June 26, said that 40 files of Police inquiry conducted on the suspects of Easter Sunday bombings are incomplete. She further said the Attorney General having marked the investigation files concerned as "Incomplete" returned them to Acting Inspector General of Police, C.D. Wickremaratne so that the inquiries concerning the suspects can be properly concluded for the determination of legal action. Daily Mirror, June 27, 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