South Asia Terrorism Portal

PAKISTAN

Balochistan: Systematic Annihilation
Tushar Ranjan Mohanty
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
 

On November 12, 2021, a Baloch identified as Abdul Wahab was abducted, allegedly at the hands of the Security Forces (SFs), during a raid on his house in Dera Bugti District.

On November 12, 2021, two brothers, identified as Muhammad Essa and Abdul Haq, were taken away by SF-backed death squad members during a raid on their house in Mashkay area of Awaran District.

On the same day, the SFs whisked away two individuals from Panjgur District. They were identified as Rashid Hussain and Sajjad Baloch.

The condition and whereabouts of these people remain unknown.

Such incidents are common in Balochistan. According to the Human Rights Council of Balochistan (HRCB), in the first ten days of November 2021, SFs have forcibly ‘disappeared’ 38 people from different areas of the province, of whom nine are students, including students from the University of Balochistan. On November 1, 2021, SFs ‘forcibly disappeared’ two students from the University of Balochistan in Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan. The abductees, identified as Sohail Ahmed and Fasih Baloch, are residents of Nushki District. 

According to HRCB data, at least 27 persons were disappeared in the month of October 2021. Since January 1, 2021 at least 339 people have been disappeared by the SFs from across Balochistan. Moreover, at least 298 people have been confirmed to have been extra judicially killed in 2021, thus far. Many of those killed were registered as victims of enforced disappearance and had already been in the custody of the forces.

Atrocities in Balochistan in 2021

According to HRCB data, since 2016, at least 3,738 people have been forcibly disappeared by the SFs. These include 522 in 2016; 1, 225 in 2017; 642 in 2018, 568 in 2019, 480 in 2020, and 301 in 2021 (data till November 10). Of these 3,738, just 453 have been released. But SFs have extrajudicially killed at least 1,553 people since 2016 (data till October 31, 2021).

The Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), meanwhile, claims that more than 45 thousand people have been forcibly disappeared by the Pakistan Army, and five thousand missing persons have been ‘killed and dumped’ over the last decade.

According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), of the 4,623 civilian fatalities recorded in Balochistan since March 6, 2000 (data till November 28, 2021), at least 1,449 have been attributable to one or another terrorist/insurgent outfit. Of these, 471 civilian killings (291 in the South and 180 in the North) have been claimed by Baloch separatist formations, while Islamist and sectarian extremist formations – primarily Islamic State, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Ahrar-ul-Hind (Liberators of India) – claimed responsibility for another 978 civilian killings, 895 in the North (mostly in and around Quetta) and 83 in the South. The remaining 3,174 civilian fatalities – 1,760 in the South and 1,414 in the North – remain 'unattributed'. It is widely believed that these are principally victims of the security agencies’ ‘kill and dump’ operations, particularly in the Southern region, targeting local Baloch dissidents.

Indeed, the systematic campaign of extermination of ethnic Baloch people through enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in the South of the Province remains unabated.

VBMP vice chairman, Mama Qadeer Baloch, asserted on April 27, 2021,

Again, on October 27 VBMP asserted that the Pakistani authorities had failed to take any concrete measures to end “enforced disappearances” in Balochistan. VBMP stated that the organisation had asked the Pakistani authorities to criminalize the practice and fix responsibility on the people behind these disappearances. VBMP Chairman Nasrullah Baloch added that those guilty of these crimes should be legally prosecuted, and the families of the missing persons should be supported and compensated by the Government. But the law criminalizing ‘enforced disappearances’ in Pakistan has not been put into practice effectively.

The menace is a reality that Pakistan’s Supreme Court has clearly recognized time and again.

Most recently, on September 30, 2021, the Supreme Court declared the report submitted by the Balochistan Police on five missing persons "unsatisfactory." Gulzar Ahmed, the Chief Justice of Pakistan, remarked that people had gone missing and the families had to run after the Police to register cases: "You (police) do not know how to investigate cases. A case of disappearance should have been registered by the police which could not be done." A three-member bench, comprising Chief Justice Ahmed, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Faisal Arab, was hearing the case at the Supreme Court's Quetta Registry. The Court had taken suo motu notice of the disappearances.

On November 21, 2021, former Senator Farhatullah Babar stated that the enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings had been going on for decades, but they were institutionalised during the regime of General Pervez Musharraf who acknowledged this in his book, In the Line of Fire: A Memoir.

Further, a Commission on Enforced Disappearances was formed in in March 2011. According to Pakistan’s Commission of Enquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIED), it received 8,191 complaints related to enforced disappearances between March 1, 2011 (the date of inception of the Commission) and October 31, 2020. According to the Commission, of these 8,191 persons, 4,879 persons were traced – 227 dead bodies, 582 in prisons, 933 in internment centre and 3,137 returned home. The Commission ‘deleted’ cases of another 1,089 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 5,968 cases were ‘disposed of’, leaving another 2,223 cases under investigation.

Earlier, on September 8, 2020, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), a legal rights group based in Switzerland, observed that the Commission “has wholly failed to address entrenched impunity” and had not held any perpetrators of the crime to justice, even in cases where the whereabouts of the disappeared had been traced or the person had been released,” by implication, cases in which direct evidence would be available.

Despite this, the Government continues to deny reality. Balochistan Chief Minister Qudoos Bizenjo, in an interview on November 11, 2021, when asked about enforced disappearances in Balochistan, stated evasively that the Home Department was looking into the figures to determine whether the missing persons are actually missing or had fled to some other country, like Afghanistan. He claimed there were several names on the missing persons’ list who were in some foreign country. Bizenjo added that his government was working ‘in concert with other stakeholders’ to make sure that the issue is resolved and that his government was still trying to estimate an “accurate” figure for the Baloch missing persons.

On June 7, 2021, the Government introduced the 'Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2021' in the National Assembly, criminalising enforced disappearance and imposing a punishment of 10-year imprisonment for anyone found guilty of the offence. The Bill stated that a new section 52-B (enforced disappearance) should be inserted into the Pakistan Penal Code after section 52-A. The proposed section states:

Given the background, the Bill against enforced disappearance appears to be no more than an eyewash to contain the rising protests. Indeed, it was only after five months of deliberate delay and continuous campaigning by international and national human rights organisations that the National Assembly passed the Bill on November 8. However, the Bill is yet to be become law, and will now be sent to the Senate for its passage.

As the situation with regard to enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killings worsens, there are reports of near daily and widespread protests. Most recently, protests started in Quetta and the federal capital Islamabad on November 5, after the November 1 incident in the University of Balochistan. The protestors were demanding the safe release of Sohail and Fasih Baloch as well as action against “enforced disappearances” and to stop raids on academic institutions in the province. Following the protests in the University of Balochistan, Baloch students in the Bolan Medical College, Degree College Sariab, Polytechnic College and the Science College also suspended academic activities in protest against the disappearance of their fellow students from Balochistan University.

But Islamabad’s and Rawalpindi’s heavy-handed approach to Baloch dissent and separatism, as well as the relative weakness of judicial institutions in the country, make any reversal of the current and pervasive ‘disappearances’ and ‘kill and dump’ strategy unlikely. Further, the widening footprint of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects in the province, the denial of any significant benefits to locals, and the demographic transformation that is being engineered, can only compound the alienation and anger provoked by rising atrocities by SFs and their proxies.

INDIA

Nagaland: Divisive Talks
Giriraj Bhattacharjee
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management

On November 19, 2021, the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland-Reformation (NSCN-R) split into two: NSCN-R and NSCN-R-Akato Chophy, a new faction led by Akato Chophy. Announcing the split, Nokrang Lanu, the spokesperson of the newly created NSCN-R-Akato Chophy, announced, "Today we declare the split and announce unilateral ceasefire with Government of India… it is not about power or any cause but we are sticking to the NPG [Naga Political Group, a generic term referring to all Naga political formations] cause and the Naga people.”

Akato Chophy was ‘vice president’ in NSCN-R and has now become ‘president’ of NSCN-R-Akato Chophy. 

On the same day (November 19), NSCN-R, which was itself formed after a split in the NSCN-Khaplang in 2015, expelled Akato at an emergency meeting held at Thilixu village in Dimapur District from “active national service” for “his anti-party activities.” NSCN-R’s Tatar Hoho (parliament) speaker Iheshe Aye asserted that there would be only one NSCN-R, and they would not allow Akato’s group to have the same nomenclature. The parent group also questioned the claim of the support of over 2,000 members by the Akato-led Group. Aye said there were only 226 signatories and they were from only two regions – Ao and Sangtam. Aye also claimed that the Konyak, Chang, Phom region and Sumi regions were with the parent group. Each of these regions is named after the dominant tribes.

On November 21, the Working Committee (WC) of the Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) endorsed the decision of the NSCN-R to expel its ‘vice-president’ Akato Chophy from the fold for “anti-party activities.”

Retaliating on the same day (November 21), NSCN-R-Akato Chophy announced that it would sever all ties with the Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs).

Akato Chophy, in an interview to a local newspaper, published on November 19, 2021, claimed that the split was not for “power or personal benefits” but in the interest of the Nagas. He blamed a section of NSCN-R leaders ‘who knew nothing about the history of the Nagas, and were only after money,’ for the split. Interestingly, Chophy has a history of ‘defection.’ On October 28, 2017, he was elected the new ‘vice-president’ of the NSCN-R. He had been associated with NSCN-NK till August 2017. Before August 2017, he had been, in succession, with both NSCN-Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM) and NSCN-Khaplang.

Commenting on the split, on November 23, 2021, the Sümi Kükami Hoho (SKH), Sumi Chiefs Association, condemned the division within political groups “as such move would only jeopardize and prolong the much-awaited solution.” SKH president H. Kashito Yepthomi, general secretary Hetoho S. Zhimomi and finance secretary Ghuhevi Khujumi, in a joint press note, expressed fear that at a time when Nagas were “eagerly anticipating final political solution of the vexed Indo-Naga issue,” further fragmentation within the Naga Political Groups was “unwelcome and undesired.”

The signs of a rift within NSCN-R first emerged in October 2021. However, NNPGs intervened and the situation was salvaged.

Significantly, NNPGs was formed on December 14, 2016, at the behest of the Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC), a civil society organisation, to steer a ‘permanent solution’ to the ‘Naga issue’. Initially, there were six groups in NNPGs – the Neokpao-Kitovi faction of NSCN (NSCN-NK), NSCN-R, and four factions of the Naga National Council (NNC). The four NNC factions were the Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN), NNC-Parent Body, National People's Government of Nagaland (NPGN) and Government Democratic Republic of Nagaland (GDRN). Then on January 29, 2020, NSCN-K-Khango Konayak joined the NNPGs becoming the seventh member. All seven are part of the Naga peace talks under the NNPGs banner.

The Naga talks have two major parties – the NSCN-IM and the NNPGs. At a time when the talks with NSCN-IM have hit a roadblock, the Government was expecting to continue talks with the NNPGs unhindered.  

However, the split in the NSCN-R has created some concerns. There is already one group, the Niki Sumi faction of the NSCN (NSCN-NS) with which NNPGs have difficulties. In a statement on July 4, 2021, NNPGs accused the Government of India (GoI) of “setting a wolf among sheep” and warned that “WC (Working Committee) will be forced to respond if its integrity and commitment to peace and solution is taken as a sign of weakness.” WC of NNPGs alleges that NSCN-NS was encouraging defection of its cadres with the lure of money and rank. Nevertheless, GoI signed a ceasefire agreement with NSCN-NS on September 8, 2021, and the group now maintains that it is not against the framework agreement signed by NSCN-IM or the agreement signed by NNPGs, and that it “stands with the aspirations of the people of Nagaland.” On October 7, 2021, the leaders of NSCN-NS met with interlocutor A. K. Mishra as a ‘separate entity’ in the Naga talks.

Meanwhile, on November 21, 2021, NNPGs maintained that it would “resolutely uphold the decision of the 14 Naga tribal Hohos and other frontal Naga organisations and would not entertain the formation of any new political faction. The statement implies that NSCN-R-Akato Chophy and NSCN-NS are unlikely to be included in the conglomerate.

Meanwhile, the Naga talks continue to drag on, with the political dispensation and the armed groups expecting divergent outcomes. On November 9, 2021, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio thus observed,

Earlier, on October 23, 2021, NSCN-IM had expressed its disappointment with the recent rounds of talks with A. K. Mishra, GoI’s newly appointed interlocutor for Naga talks. NSCN-IM asserted that the talks had failed to live up to the hype created and had been unable to resolve the Nagas’ demands for a separate flag and Yehzabo (constitution).

Now, with two groups outside the purview of the talks and at odds with the NNPGs, and with talks lingering indefinitely, there is a rising possibility of the bad blood between the divergent groups, potentially translating into clashes to maintain or enhance influence. There is a long history of turf wars between Naga factions, and one fatal clash between NSCN-NK and NSCN-NS has already been reported. On October 17, 2021, NSCN-NK militants killed Atoka Kinimi, ‘additional secretary’ of the NSCN-NS, near the Khehoi designated camp in the the Niuland area of Dimapur District.

The continuing protraction of the talks and the fissiparous tendencies among Naga factions could well put the peace achieved over the past several years in jeopardy. Unless focus, flexibility and pragmatism guide both sides, at least some of the factions will be tempted into a regression to armed violence.

AFGHANISTAN

US and IEA delegates to resume talks in Doha, tells US State Department: On November 23, the United States (US) State Department said that US special envoy for Afghanistan Thomas West will return to Doha, Qatar next week for talks with Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) officials. State Department spokesman Ned Price said talks between the two parties will focus on a number of issues including counterterrorism, humanitarian aid, and the economic situation in the country." Ariana News, November 25, 2021.

US State Department designates three IS-KP leaders as Special Designated Terrorists: On November 22, the United States (US) State Department designated senior Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-KP) leaders Sanaullah Ghafari, Sultan Aziz Azam, and Maulawi Rajab as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs). Additionally, the US Treasury Department sanctioned Ismatullah Khalozai, describing him as a top financier and facilitator for IS-KP. Voice of America News, November 23, 2021.

UAE reopens its embassy in Kabul: On November 20, the United Arab Emirate (UAE) reopened its embassy in Kabul announced the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA). A spokesman of the IEA, Ahmadullah Wasiq said that the reopening of the UAE's embassy is a step forward for positive changes and added that it will further strengthen bilateral relations. Tolo News, November 22, 2021.

BANGLADESH

HeI demands exemplary punishment for those who demean Islam: Hefajat-e-Islam (HeI) on November 27 demanded exemplary punishment for those who demean Islam. At an "Ulama Mashayekh" conference organised by HeI at Jatiya Press Club, it made a four-point demand in presence of Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, who was the chief guest. The other demands are the state declaring 'Qadianis' as non-Muslims, release of arrested HeI leaders and scholars, and withdrawal of cases against them. They also demanded action against people of the Government who commented against the state's religion being Islam. The Daily Star, November 28, 2021.

Government maintaining 'zero tolerance' policy against terrorism, says State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury: State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury speaking at the historic Rash Utsav at Kantajew Temple in Dinajpur District as chief guest on November 26 said that the Government had been maintaining 'zero tolerance' policy against all forms of terrorism. He said, "We are committed to curbing terrorism in the country and that is why "zero tolerance" policy has been adopted. Wherever there is terrorism, the government is vocal and we have taken legal actions against the terrorists. We are firmly committed to fighting against terrorism." New Age, November 27, 2021.

INDIA

India asks Pakistan to expedite trial in 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case: India on November 26, summoned a senior diplomat of the Pakistani High Commission on the 13th anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, and pressed for an expeditious trial in the case, saying the families of 166 victims from 15 countries are still awaiting closure. "A note verbale reiterating India's call for an expeditious trial in the Mumbai terror attacks case, and calling on the Government of Pakistan to abide by its commitment to not allow territories under its control for terrorism against India was handed over to him," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. The Hindu, November 27, 2021.

PLA got emboldened due to collaboration with Tatmadaw, says intelligence report: According to an intelligence report, People's Liberation Army (PLA) fighting along with the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Army) gave the militant formation renewed confidence to carry out the recent ambush in Manipur. PLA ambushed the 46 Assam Rifles convoy killing seven, including a colonel, his wife and minor son, on November 13. According to the report, about 300 members of the PLA and other Valley-based insurgent groups are active across the India-Myanmar border. The Hindu, November 23, 2021.

MALDIVES

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih ratified the Fifth Amendment to the Penal Code related to hate crime: On November 28, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih ratified the Fifth Amendment to the Penal Code related to hate crime. The Hate Crime Bill was passed by the Parliament at the 39th sitting, on 16th November 2021.The amendment bill includes the addition of article 124 subsequent to article 123 to the Penal Code. The article criminalizes the portraying people as non-believers or as anti-Islamic based on views expressed on religious matters in which religious scholars have conflicts or opposing views. It also dissuades the labelling of a Muslim as anti-Islamic unless the person publicly proclaims to be a non-believer, comes out as a non-believer or deliberately commits an act of kufr. Avas, November 29, 2021.

MPS begins following 'Strategic Policing Requirement' under the newly enacted Police Service Act: Maldives Police Service (MPS) has begun following the 'Strategic Policing Requirement', a special guideline formulated under the newly enacted Police Service Act. Sun Online November 26, 2021.

NEPAL

Youths organize motorcycle rally alleging Pakistan for sponsoring terrorism: Youths in Janakpur Dham city of Dhanusha District organized a motorcycle rally on November 25 alleging Pakistan for sponsoring terrorism. The youths staged a motorcycle rally under the leadership of the National Unity Campaign. During the protest, the youths had put up placards with various slogans saying that Pakistan was sponsoring terrorism, and that Pakistan was an enemy to world peace." Khabar Hub, November 26, 2021.

Crimes against humanity during insurgency period cannot be forgiven easily, says CPN-UML Chairman K. P. Sharma Oli: Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML) Chairman K. P. Sharma Oli issuing a statement on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) on November 21 said that the crimes against human rights that were carried out in the insurgency period in Nepal cannot be forgiven easily. Oli alleged the Maoists of being the reason for halting this process to address the pain of the citizens caused by the insurgency during his time in the Government." My Republica, November 23, 2021.

Pushpa Kamal Dahal reaffirms commitment to make his party revolutionary in ideology, principle and practice: Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Centre (CPN-Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda while virtually addressing the party's local-level convention across the country on November 27 reaffirmed his commitment to making his party revolutionary in ideology, principle and practice to lead Nepal's socialist revolution. Stating that people's attraction towards the Maoist party has increased of late, the CPN-Maoist Centre Chairman said that past confusions regarding his party were over and the party would be institutionalised on the new foundation in the future. The CPN-Maoist Centre Chairman added that steps to make a revolutionary party on its own foundation have already been initiateds. Khabar Hub, November 28, 2021.

PAKISTAN

Amnesty International asks Pakistan to end enforced disappearances: The Amnesty International on November 22 urged Pakistani authorities to stop forcibly disappearing suspected militants for years without trial, calling the practice abhorrent. In a report entitled "Living Ghosts", the rights group describes the difficulties faced by the families of the disappeared in obtaining information about their detained relatives. It says that since the beginning of the United States-led war on terror, hundreds of Pakistani rights defenders, activists, students and journalists have gone missing. Dawn, November 24, 2021.

Sleeper cells of banned outfits active in Pakistan, says Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed: Sleeper cells of certain banned outfits are active in the country, said Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on November 25. He said there were 78 banned outfits in Pakistan. Sleeper cells of certain banned outfits are carrying out activities, he added. Dawn, November 26, 2021.

TTP withdraws demand of reversing FATA merger into KP: The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has withdrawn its demand of reversing the merger of the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) following a tough stance by the Government on the matter. Pakistan has emphatically rejected two key demands at the very onset of negotiations between the two sides.

The Government has released more than 100 Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) prisoners as a "goodwill gesture" to reciprocate the ceasefire announced by the group earlier this month. Most of the freed TTP prisoners were undergoing de-radicalisation and rehabilitation at the internment centres set up by the Government. The Express Tribune, November 27, 2021.The Express Tribune, November 23, 2021.

SRI LANKA

Government has power to prosecute leaders of previous Government for Easter Sunday attacks, warns President Gotabaya Rajapaksa: President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on November 24 warned the Opposition to be vigilant when making demands as his government has the power to prosecute the leaders of the previous government for Easter Sunday attacks. The President said that through an Act of Parliament, law can be enforced against the culprits revealed by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) into the Easter Sunday attacks.

Tourism and Aviation Minister Prasanna Ranatunga on November 26 said that former President Maithripala Sirisena is fully responsible for the Easter Sunday attack and legal action should be taken against him. "The former president ruined the party and is trying to destroy the current government too. He should be fully responsible for the Easter Sunday attack," Minister Ranatunga said. Colombo Page, November 25, 2021. Daily Mirror, November 27, 2021.

TNA requests US and India to jointly push for political solution in island nation: Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has requested the US and India to jointly push for a political solution in the island nation. A delegation led by TNA Jaffna legislator M. A. Sumanthiran, with senior legal experts K. Kanag-Isvaran and Nirmala Chandrahaasan, conveyed this at a recent meeting with US State Department officials in Washington DC. Ada Derana News, November 27, 2021.