South Asia Terrorism Portal
Balochistan: Outcasting outsiders Tushar Ranjan Mohanty Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
On April 23, 2024, at least two people from Punjab were killed by unidentified motorcycle-bone gunmen, in the Dannuk area on the outskirts of Turbat town in Kech District of Balochistan.
On April 12, 2024, gunmen shot dead nine passengers from Punjab riding a bus after checking their identification, on N-40 Regional Corporations Development Highway in the Nushki District of Balochistan. The gunmen had blocked the highway that connects Pakistan and Iran and, when the bus reached the location, they took the nine passengers to the nearby mountain region, where they were shot dead. On April 13, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility and alleged that the victims were Government employees. The outfit reiterated its intention to continue its attacks against what it called “enemy forces,” including uniformed personnel, intelligence officials in plain clothes, and local facilitators, until their demands for the withdrawal of Pakistani forces and recognition of an independent Baloch nation were met.
Some of the other attacks on non-locals in Balochistan in the current year, so far, included:
According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), a total of 270 ‘non-locals’ have been killed in Balochistan since August 26, 2006, (data till April 28, 2024). Of these, 214 were Punjabis. The other non-natives who fell to the ethnic collateral damage included 37 Sindhis. The ethnic identity of the remaining 19 was unspecified.
Most of the Punjabi settler killings were recorded in South Balochistan, which accounts for 174 of the total of 214 killings (principally in Bolan, Kech, Gwadar, Panjgur, Khuzdar, Sibi and Lasbela Districts); and 40 in North Balochistan (mostly in Kalat, Nushki, Quetta and Mustang Districts). The overwhelming concentration of such killings in the South is because of the presence and dominance of Baloch insurgent groups in this region, while the North is dominated by ethnic Pashtun Islamist extremist formations, such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic States; as well as sectarian outfits such as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and Jundullah.
Non-locals, who are thought to be Army collaborators, face the wrath of Baloch insurgents. These ‘non-locals’ allegedly work as spies for Security Forces (SFs), and are also believed to be part of a systematic effort to deny work and benefits to the Baloch population. Baloch insurgent groups such as BLA, Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) and the Balochistan Republican Army (BRA), among others, began to voice anti-outsider, particularly anti-Punjabi, sentiments in their campaigns in the wake of the military action against and killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti, leader of the Bugti tribe and President of the Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP), in a military operation in the Chalgri area of the Bhamboor Hills of Dera Bugti District, on August 26, 2006. Further, many of the ‘outsiders’ are engaged on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects and are targeted because Baloch insurgents fear that CPEC will convert the Baloch people into minorities in their own homeland. Indeed, CPEC projects principally employ workers brought in from outside the province, overwhelmingly from Punjab.
Another reason for the Baloch insurgents targeting these ‘outsiders’ is the ongoing disappearances and extrajudicial killings of Baloch nationals, engineered by Pakistan’s SFs and their proxies. According to the SATP database, of the 4,782 conflict-linked civilian fatalities recorded in Balochistan since 2004 (data till April 28, 2024), at least 1,569 are attributable to one or other terrorist/insurgent outfit. Of these, 509 civilian killings (311 in the South and 198 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 1,008 civilian killings, 925 in the North (mostly in and around Quetta) and 83 in the South. The remaining 3,265 civilian fatalities – 1,875 in the South and 1,390 in the North – remain 'unattributed', and are largely believed to have been the handiwork of the SFs and their death squad proxies.
The ‘outsiders’ have also become collateral to the grouse against CPEC projects in the province. Since the inception of CPEC-related projects in 2013, people associated with these have been targeted as have outsiders in general, as the BLA and other Baloch groups remain convinced that the native Baloch people have been deprived of their land and opportunities, despite the abundant natural resources of the province. According to the Geological Survey of Pakistan, Balochistan has huge deposits of more than 80 mineral resources. The province also accounts for at least 35 per cent of the country’s proven and recoverable gas reserves. Despite this great natural wealth, Balochistan remains an underdeveloped and a poverty-stricken region, with up to 65 per cent of the Baloch population living below the poverty line, according to UNDP.
The flood of planned non-Baloch migrants into the province has also provoked fears of demographic imbalance. Baloch nationalists argue that CPEC is bringing in more Punjabi and other non-Baloch settlers, in what they perceive as a process of ‘neo-colonialism’ by Punjabis in collaboration with China. Shabir Choudhry, a prominent writer and activist based in London, has issued a stark warning regarding the CPEC project, predicting a bleak future for the Baloch people: "The increasing Chinese presence in Balochistan is alarming. According to reports, if their numbers continue to rise at this rate, Baloch could become a minority by 2048."
In this, Choudhry was reiterating Noordin Mengal, a human rights campaigner from the province, who had declared, on March 17, 2017, that, with the influx of outsiders as a result of the CPEC projects, the identity of the Baloch was being threatened. According to the Census 2017, the total population of Balochistan was 12.3 million, and the Baloch population (Balochi language speaking population) had shrunk from 61 per cent of the total to 55.6 per cent over a period of 19 years (since the Census of 1998), in the 21 Districts where the Balochi-speaking population form a majority.
The technical and administrative staff on CPEC projects is overwhelmingly Chinese, and a complex eco-system of Chinese workers and service providers has been established around the CPEC projects. Pakistan currently hosts a sizable Chinese population and the numbers are only slated to grow as the project progresses. Concerns about the demographic transformation of Balochistan have been reiterated since a December 28, 2016, report by the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), which noted that, at the current and projected rate of influx of Chinese nationals into Balochistan, the native population of the area would be outnumbered by 2048.
The Baloch hatred towards outsiders and the Chinese is evident in the BLA statement after the recent attack on the PNS Siddique Naval Airbase in Turbat city on March 26, 2024, which declared that the operation aimed to protect the Baloch coast from ‘occupation and exploitation’, particularly in connection with projects such as the CPEC, and to retaliate against what they describe as the ongoing ‘genocide’ against the Baloch people. The statement also warned China about its involvement in the region, threatening severe attacks on Chinese nationals and projects in Balochistan unless it ceased exploitative activities and support for the Pakistani military. BLA reiterated its call for the withdrawal of Pakistani forces from Balochistan, vowing to continue its attacks until its objectives were achieved.
Despite repeated censure from the Supreme Court, as well as domestic and international human rights organisations, Islamabad persists in its policies of violence, ‘disappearances’ and targeted killings in Balochistan, even as its exploitation of the province’s natural resources persists and the local populations suffer acute neglect and poverty. Under the circumstances, the Baloch nationalist campaign against Pakistani forces, the Chinese and ‘outsiders’ can only continue, and could possibly intensify.
Odisha: Boudh: Emerging challenges Deepak Kumar Nayak Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
On April 25, 2024, two Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres were killed in an encounter during a search operation in the Parhel Reserve Forest area of Boudh District. Following a tip-off about the presence of 40 to 50 ultras, personnel of the Special Operations Group (SOG), an elite commando unit of the Odisha Police, launched a search operation in the Parhel Reserve Forest early in the morning of April 25. The extremists opened fire after spotting the SF contingent. Director of intelligence, Soumendra Priyadarshi, disclosed that the bodies of two Maoist cadres were recovered after the encounter. The Police revealed, further, that the deceased were identified as Sunil and Santu, both party members, and both belonging to the 8th Company of Maoists. Sunil was originally from Sukma and Santu from Bijapur in Chhattisgarh. The Police recovered arms, grenades, and other incriminating articles from the incident site, and a Maoist camp was reportedly destroyed by them.
This is the first and only fatal incident reported in the district since March 6, 2000, when South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), started compiling data on Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-related incidents in India.
Moreover, the district had not seen any Maoist-linked incident of violence prior to 2024. 2024 has, however, already recorded two incidents of explosion:
February 15: At least two SOG troopers were injured when a landmine planted by Maoists exploded during a combing operation inside Nalikumpha Forest in Boudh District. Around 30 troopers were combing the area on a tip-off that movements of Maoist cadres were noticed in the area.
January 5: At least three SOG troopers were injured when an Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), suspected to have been planted by the Maoist, exploded during a combing operation in the Badepanga Forests bordering Boudh-Kandhamal in the Boudh District.
Also, of the three incidents of arms recoveries reported in the district so far, two were reported in 2023 and one in 2024. These included:
January 17, 2024: A CPI-Maoist camp was neutralized and a explosive materials and ammunition were seized by Security Forces (SFs) following an exchange of fire with a group of Maoists in the Budhakhol Forest area in Boudh District.
December 16, 2023: A dozen IEDs and other items were seized from a CPI-Maoist camp during a two-day-long Search and Combing Operation (CASO) in Nalikumpha Forest under Manamunda Police limits in Boudh District. According to reports, around 30 to 40 Maoists of the ‘KKBN (Kandhamal–Kalahandi–Boudh-Nayagarh) division’ were there in this camp.
November 21, 2023: The Security Forces (SFs) neutralized a Maoist camp and seized arms and ammunition, following an exchange of fire with the Maoists in Ravaneswar Forest area in Boudh District. The SFs also recovered women's clothes, condoms, contraceptive pills, and pregnancy test kits from the camp.
Meanwhile, though no arrests have been made in the district yet, three Naxalites [Left Wing Extremists], have surrendered since 2000. Significantly, on February 6, 2024, two women CPI-Maoist cadres, identified as Manisha Thati and Champa Koram, laid down their arms before the Police in Boudh District, to join the mainstream. Thati and Koram, both residents of the Bijapur District in Chhattisgarh, were associated with the ‘Mahanadi Area Committee’ of the ‘Kandhamal-Kalahandi-Boudh-Nayagarh (KKBN) division’ of the CPI-Maoist. Inspector General of Police (IGP), Southern Range, Jai Narayan Pankaj, disclosed that they were tasked with reactivating the North-South corridor from Jharkhand to Chhattisgarh through south-central Odisha. They had been working in the CPI-Maoist organisation since 2018 and were involved in several violent incidents both in Chhattisgarh and Odisha. The other surrender took place on October 9, 2015, when a woman Maoist from Chhattisgarh, Jyoti Madkami alias Susmita, an ‘area committee member (ACM)’ of the ‘KKBN division’ of the CPI-Maoist, carrying an INR 400,000 reward on her head, surrendered before the Police in Boudh District.
The Boudh District is located in the central region of Odisha and is bounded by the Mahanadi River and Angul District on its north, Kandhamal District on its south, Nayagarh District in the East and Tel River and Subarnapur District in the West. Boudh is spread over an area of 3,098 square kilometres and was part of the undivided Phulbani district till early April 1993. The present Boudh District comprises one Sub-Division (Boudh); three tehsils (Boudh, Harbhanga, and Kantamal); and three Community Development Blocks (Boudh, Kantamal and Harbhanga). The district headquarters is situated at Boudh. Out of three blocks, two blocks have plain lands and one block has got mixture of plain and hilly ranges. Further, the total forest cover area of the district is 1,277.17 square kilometres, which is 41.22 per cent of total geographical area of the district, is difficult to access and offers decisive tactical advantages to the extremists, making Boudh an ideal spot for a rebel safe haven.
The Maoists have allegedly tried to use strategically located Boudh District as a buffer or transit zone to extend their activities in the state. Boudh District is surrounded by Kandhamal, Nayagarh, Angul, Subarnapur, Sambalpur, and Bolangir Districts, each of which has a Maoist presence. Most important, Boudh District is the link between the western and southern parts of Odisha.
As early as February 10, 2013, reports of Maoists trying to regroup in the district had emerged, following some Maoist posters found pasted on a hume pipe along National Highway-57 near Sahajpal village under Baunsini Police Station limits in Boudh District. Significantly, with Boudh strategically located – connecting Sambalpur, Angul, Phulbani, Nayagarh, Bolangir and Sonepur – the Maoists have long been planning to set up a base in the district. However, then Boudh Superintendent of Police (SP), P. Bhawani Shankar Mishra, had ignored such reports, claiming that the poster was the handiwork of some ‘mischievous elements.’
Later, on May 5, 2014, security operations against the Maoists were carried out for four days with the support of the Nayagarh District Police, especially in the Harbhanga Police Station area in Boudh District. The operations were also carried out in the Gania and Banigochha areas of the adjoining Nayagarh District. The Maoists were found to be using Boudh as a buffer or transit zone to carry out their disruptive activities in the district and adjoining areas.
Meanwhile, the state government is trying to further strengthen intelligence-gathering mechanisms so that anti-Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) operations could be further intensified in the affected areas, with a special focus on Boudh. Significantly, on December 19, 2023, while inaugurating the ‘strategy conference’ on LWE, former Director General of Police (DGP) Sunil Kumar Bansal stated that Boudh, Kandhamal, and Kalahandi districts had emerged as the new flash points of Naxalite activities. He emphasised greater focus on these regions. Further, Police sources accepted that Naxalites were using the Boudh-Kandhamal-Kalahandi corridor so that the ultras in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand remained connected.
Meanwhile, the Odisha Police planned to procure six high-tech drones to carry out surveillance in Naxalite-affected districts such as Boudh, Malkangiri, Koraput, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Nuapada, and Rayagada, especially for the ongoing Parliamentary Elections of 2024, to keep a close vigil on Naxalite movement. The drones will give security agencies a boost, particularly in view of the possibility that the Maoists may try to carry out demonstrative acts of violence to make their presence felt and boost the morale of the rank and file during the election process. It may be noted that, Boudh will be going to vote on May 25, 2024.
According to a March 22, 2024, report, nearly four years after Boudh District was identified as a Naxal-free district, the Centre has re-included the region as Maoist-affected following a resurgence of rebel activities in the area over the past few months. The state government recently sent a proposal to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) to include Boudh under the Centre-sponsored security-related expenditure (SRE) scheme, which is exclusively meant for capacity building and infrastructure development in Maoist-affected districts of the country. Significantly, Boudh along with Koraput and Bargarh (which have also witnessed similar increase in Maoist activities in recent times) have been categorised as districts of ‘legacy and thrust’. According to an unnamed senior Police official, these districts have a legacy of LWE presence and therefore, the Centre’s support to such states is required for consolidating the state’s position. Continued support in respect of security and development measures for some more time is consequently necessary.
Following the containment of Maoist activities in Odisha over recent years, the rebels have been struggling to find a safe haven. This is where Boudh District fits in, with all its strategic centrality. The residual capacities of the Maoist are sufficient to undermine plans to establish an enduring peace in the district, as well as the state at large. Sustained SF operations and a determined push to take developmental and administrative activities deep into hitherto marginalized regions is, consequently, necessary.
Weekly Fatalities: Major Conflicts in South Asia April 22-28, 2024
Civilians
Security Force Personnel
NS
Total
AFGHANISTAN
BANGLADESH
CHT
INDIA
Chhattisgarh
Jammu & Kashmir
Manipur
Odisha
INDIA (Total)
PAKISTAN
Balochistan
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Punjab
PAKISTAN (Total)
Total (South Asia)
List of banned outfits sees first update since 2020 as the number goes up to 79: The number of proscribed outfits has swelled to 79 after the first addition in the list of terrorist organisations in four years. The latest addition to the list, the Zainebiyoun Brigade (ZB), is a militant group which was designated by the United State State Department as a terrorist organisation in 2019. The decision to ban Zainebiyoun Brigade was notified after escalation of tensions with Iran in January and implemented on March 29. Dawn, April 24, 2024.
Islamabad Police establishes special protection unit for the security of Chinese nationals: The Islamabad Police has established a Special Protection Unit for the security of Chinese nationals. 50 more Policemen were deployed in this Special Protection Unit. A total of 140 personnel will work in this unit, said Police. The Khorasan Diary, April 23, 2024.
US '2023 Country Reports' finds Pakistan's human rights situation unchanged: The United States (US) State Department's latest "2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices," issued on April 22, indicates no significant improvement in Pakistan's human rights situation over the past year. The report accuses the Pakistan Government of engaging in intimidation and reprisals against individuals abroad, including civil society activists, human rights defenders, and journalists. According to the report, Pakistan is responsible for substantial human rights abuses, such as arbitrary and extrajudicial killings, torture, inhumane treatment, and life-threatening prison conditions. The Balochistan Post, April 27, 2024.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government puts forward proposal to engage in negotiations with TTP: The Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on April 25 once again put forward the proposal to engage in negotiations with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). "We must consider the possibility of dialogue if terrorists are willing to renounce terrorism. The situation must be approached realistically. Lives are being lost on both sides, and the only way to halt this is to pursue peaceful means. This does not imply any form of surrender to the terrorists. Talks will only proceed if they agree to respect the Pakistani state and constitution. Members of the TTP have been in contact with me, discussing their issues. At times, when the TTP has issues with the Pakistan army, they communicate it through me," stated Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, Advisor to the Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Information and Public Relations. The Khorasan Diary, April 27, 2024.
TTP 'leader' accuses Pakistan of deceiving Balochistan in the name of Islam: Shahin Baloch, a 'leader' of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) accused Pakistan of forcibly integrating Balochistan into the country under the guise of Islam. Despite 74 years passing, Balochistan continues to be deprived of all basic amenities. Shahin Baloch claimed that after seizing all resources of Balochistan, the rulers in Islamabad are callously enriching themselves while Balochistan languishes in poverty. The Balochistan Post, April 23, 2024. .
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.
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