Balochistan: Achilles Heel | Maharashtra: Losing Momentum | South Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR), Vol. No. 10.26
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SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 10, No. 26, January 2, 2012

Data and assessments from SAIR can be freely published in any form with credit to the South Asia Intelligence Review of the
South Asia Terrorism Portal


ASSESSMENT


PAKISTAN
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Balochistan: Achilles Heel
Tushar Ranjan Mohanty
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management

At least 16 persons, including women and children, were killed and another 35 were injured in a suicide attack near the residence of tribal elder Shafiq Mengal, son of former acting Chief Minister and Federal Minister Naseer Mengal, on Arbab Karam Khan Road in Quetta, the Provincial capital of Balochistan, on December 30, 2011. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack.

Prior to that, on December 29, 2011, unidentified assailants shot dead a Police surgeon, Baqir Shah, who had played a key role in exposing the extra-judicial killing of five foreigners, including three women, in Quetta. Shah, who reportedly had not been provided any security despite being attacked in the past, had conducted the autopsy of five foreigners, including Russians and Tajiks, who were shot dead by Pakistani Security Forces (SFs) in Quetta on May 17, 2011. The autopsy report had contradicted the Quetta Police Chief Daud Junejo’s claim that the foreigners had not died due to shooting by law enforcement personnel, but because of a blast which they triggered with the help of explosives and suicide vests. Shah’s report revealed that they died from “multiple bullet wounds”. Significantly, while media reports had then claimed that the victims were unarmed and carried no explosives, footage on several TV news channels had shown SF personnel firing a volley of bullets at the foreigners as they lay on the ground near a security check post.

Earlier, three bullet-riddled bodies of Baloch Nationalist Party – Mengal (BNP-M) activists were found in the Zero Point area of Khuzdar District on December 12, 2011. The victims, identified as Bashir Ahmed, Sanaullah Mardoi and Allah Bakhsh Mardoi, had been abducted earlier, on an unspecified date.

Balochistan has for long earned notoriety as the land of extra judicial killings, disappearances, SF high handedness, and repression, as well as a playground for terrorists operating beyond the frontiers of the Country. The Province witnessed 711 fatalities, including 542 civilians, 122 SF personnel and 47 militants in 2011, as against 347 fatalities, comprising of 274 civilians, 59 SF personnel and 14 militants in 2010, according to partial data compiled by the Institute for Conflict Management (ICM, all data till December 31, 2011. These numbers are likely to be underestimates, as access to media and independent observers is severely restricted in Balochistan). Overall fatalities in 2011 thus increased by 104.89 per cent over the preceding year. Incidents of killing rose by 116 per cent, from 150 in 2010 to 321 in 2011. Further, the number of major incidents (each involving three or more fatalities) increased by 152.17 percent, with 58 such incidents recorded in 2011, as against 23 in 2010.

More worryingly, fatalities among civilians increased by almost 97.81 per cent, and at least 123 of 542 civilian killings appeared to be “extra judicial” in nature – that is, executed by state agencies. The victims of these extrajudicial executions were either political activists or people opposing the oppressive nature of governance in the Province.

Annual Fatalities in Balochistan, 2006-2011

Years

Civilians
SF Personnel
Militants
Total

2006

226
82
142
450

2007

124
27
94
245

2008

130
111
107
348

2009

152
88
37
277

2010

274
59
14
347

2011*

542
122
47
711
Source: SATP, *Data till December 31, 2011

Unsurprisingly, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), a non-governmental organisation, in a statement issued on December 9, 2011, observed,

Bodies of at least 225 ‘missing persons’ have been recovered from various parts of the Province since July 2010. The situation is particularly grave for non-Muslims and minority Muslim sects. As many as 80 members of the Shia community have been killed in the Province this year [2011] alone, for no reason other than their religious belief.  HRCP also has serious concern at targeted killing of teachers, intellectuals and non-Baloch ‘settlers’ in Balochistan. The murder of two HRCP activists and three journalists in the Province in 2011 signifies the dangers that those highlighting human rights violations face on a daily basis. It is a matter of grave alarm that 107 new cases of enforced disappearance have been reported in Balochistan in 2011, and the ‘missing persons’ are increasingly turning up dead. It is scandalous that not a single person has been held accountable for these disappearances and killings.

Earlier, on September 18, 2011, the Commission had expressed ‘serious concern’ over the increasing number of decomposed bodies of missing persons being recovered from different parts of Balochistan, noting,

Around 188 decomposed dead bodies have so far been dumped in desolate places in different parts of Balochistan since June 4, 2010... Most of the victims were political opponents, students and cream of the society.

A report of the fact-finding mission of the HRCP which visited the Province between May 4 and 7, 2011 had observed,

  • Enforced disappearances continue to be a matter of great concern.
  • It has been noted that dead bodies recovered have had signs of extreme torture.
  • All authority seems to vest with the Security Forces. The civil administration, elected by the people and meant to represent them, appears to have ceded its powers.

Perturbed by the worsening situation, Pakistan’s Chief Justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, on March 2, 2011, remarked that the Government should take practical steps instead of issuing policy statements regarding abduction and targeted killings in Balochistan. Significantly, during the course of the proceedings, Balochistan’s Advocate General Salahuddin Mengal observed,

We are recovering dead bodies day in and day out as the FC [Frontier Constabulary] and Police are lifting people in broad daylight at will, but we are helpless. Who can check the FC? End the burning issue of missing persons first and then blame the Balochistan Government for not controlling law and order.

Regrettably, however, FC Inspector General Major General Ubaidullah Khattak on December 13, 2011, simply dismissed these allegations and claimed that 90 per cent of the missing Baloch persons were involved in criminal activities and had been killed by their own organisations.

Not surprisingly, Sardar Ataullah Mengal, senior leader of the BNP-M, on December 19, 2011, warned that Balochistan would not "remain with" Pakistan if extra-judicial killings of Baloch nationalists and excesses by SFs were not stopped immediately. "Balochistan will not remain with you", Mengal declared, adding that the violence and killings by SFs had taken "Balochistan to the point of no return" and steps had to be taken to engage the youth "who have been driven into the mountains by the Army". Similarly, Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) parliamentarian, Lieutenant General (Retd.) Abdul Qadir Baloch, on February 25, 2011, had alleged that the security agencies were behind the abduction and killing of political workers and national activists in Balochistan.

Baloch insurgents and Pashtun Islamist and sectarian terrorists, meanwhile, retained capabilities to carry out acts of sabotage on a daily basis across the Province. Acts of violence were, crucially, not restricted to a few areas, but occurred in practically every one of the 26 Districts of the Province, including capital Quetta. According to FC data, a total of 1,328 violent incidents took place across the Province in 2011.

Terrorist violence in Balochistan has had a significant sectarian overlay. Balochistan witnessed 89 fatalities in 12 incidents of sectarian violence in 2011. 11 of these occurred in Quetta alone, with 63 persons killed. The remaining incident occurred in Mastung District. In the worst such attack in 2011, 26 Shia pilgrims were shot dead by Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) militants in Taftan, a town that shares border with Iran, in the Ganjidori area of Mastung District, on September 20, 2011.

Separately, Federal Minister of Interior Rehman Malik, on July 13, 2011, disclosed that, over preceding three years, 134 Punjabi-speaking people had been killed in Balochistan.

As in previous years, Islamist terrorists left no stone unturned to attack and disrupt the principal NATO supply lines to Afghanistan, which pass through Balochistan. Partial data compiled by SATP recorded 59 attacks in Balochistan in 2011, on oil tankers and trucks ferrying NATO supplies, marginally down from 66 in 2010. However, the loss of lives in these attacks rose from 12 in 2010 to at least 19 in 2011.

Rising extremism and violence, attacks on NATO convoys, and the arrest of high profile al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists has repeatedly demonstrated the presence of the Quetta Shura and al Qaeda networks in North Balochistan. Since 2009, at least 22 al Qaeda and six Afghan Taliban militants have been arrested in the region. The Pakistan establishment, however, continues to brazenly deny this reality. Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Muhammad Aslam Raisani on August 4, 2011, dismissed media reports about the existence of Quetta Shura or the presence of Mullah Omar or al Qaeda leader Ayman Al Zawahiri in Balochistan. Similarly, Federal Minister of Interior Rehman Malik stated, on June 5, 2011, "The propaganda of the Taliban Quetta Shura is baseless, if anyone has concrete evidence about their claims, it must be shared with Government." And further, "Over 30 raids have been conducted on the presence of Taliban across Balochistan, but they were not found."

However, the arrest in Quetta of senior al Qaeda leader, Younis al-Mauritani, believed to have been responsible for planning attacks in the US, Europe and Australia, along with two other “senior al Qaeda operatives”, Abdul Ghaffar Al Shami aka Bachar Chama and Messara Al Shami aka Mujahid Amino in a joint raid by the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and the FC, disclosed on September 5, 2011, proves the hypocrisy of the Pakistani claims.

The lackadaisical approach of the Pakistani establishment has evidently emboldened the extremists. While the number of SF personnel killed in 2010 stood at 59, it has increased considerably to 120 in 2011. At least 28 people were killed and over 60 injured in two suicide attacks targeting the residence of the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the FC, Brigadier Farrukh Shehzad, in Quetta on September 7, 2011. The attacks targeted and wounded the DIG, whose Force was involved in the arrest of Younis al-Mauritani and two other al Qaeda operatives in Quetta, in an operation announced on September 5, 2011.

The quantum jump in violence can be attributed to the rising desperation among the Baloch nationals. Despite Balochistan’s natural resource wealth (including the country’s largest deposits of coal and copper, as well as copious quantities of other minerals), Balochistan is Pakistan's poorest province, with 45 per cent of the population living below the poverty line. There is rising resentment in the Province over the fact that, despite the annual revenue of USD 1.4 billion that the Province’s gas output generates, the Federal Government remits only USD 116 million in royalties back to the Province.

Baloch nationalist Insurgent groups, on the other hand, continued to sabotage economic infrastructure, mostly gas pipelines. According to the SATP database, 2011 recorded at least 52 incidents of attack on gas infrastructure, as against just three in 2010. At least 170 such incidents have been recorded since January 1, 2005. Significantly, the insurgents involved in these attacks focus on targeting the economic interests of the Provincial and Federal Governments, rather than causing loss of life. Of the 711 fatalities recorded in the Province in 2011, Baloch insurgents are confirmed to have been involved in the killing of 69 civilians and 43 SF personnel. The material losses inflicted by the Baloch insurgents, however, are very substantial. The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) Balochistan General Manager Mohammad Haroon had noted, on February 14, 2011, “Last year [2010], the SSGC suffered a loss of over PKR 100 million due to targeted attacks on gas pipelines. The company has suffered an equivalent loss this year [2011] too, as attacks have picked up.”

Meanwhile, the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan (initiation of the rights of Balochistan) package which was approved by the Parliament on November 23, 2009, acknowledging the widespread deprivation and neglect that prevailed in Balochistan, failed to deliver. The package, included six constitutional, five political, 16 administrative and 34 economic proposals, and set a three-years implementation period. It has, however, so far succeeded in ‘delivering’ just 34 of the 61 proposals – though even for these the actual benefits accruing to the people are questionable. The Federal and Provincial Governments are, moreover, yet to initiate several mega-projects that are part of the reforms package.

Another ground for resentment is the Government’s policy of compensation to victims of violence. On June 28, 2011, the Supreme Court was informed that PKR 400,000 was being paid by the Balochistan Government as compensation to heirs of common citizens who fell victim to bomb blasts, target killings or sectarian violence, compared to PKR two million paid to the heirs of deceased SF personnel. The Court, expectedly, asked the Federal and Provincial Governments to consider removing the discrepancy by enhancing, to a reasonable level, the amount of compensation for common citizens arguing, “Is a common citizen a lesser species?”

Islamabad has sought to pacify the Baloch by offering peace talks with the nationalist rebels. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, on June 5, 2011, stated that the Government was ready for ‘political dialogue’ with estranged Baloch leaders, in the larger national interest. Again, on October 11, 2011, he declared that the Government wanted reconciliation and remained prepared to hold talks with “dissident Baloch brethren” to find an amicable solution to the issues of Balochistan. The Baloch, however, appear to have lost faith in the establishment. Balochistan BNP-M chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal, on July 15, 2011, had noted that the Government was neither strong enough nor serious enough to resolve the Balochistan issue. He added, further, that announcements of packages, and the formation of jirgas and committees, were aimed at deceiving the Baloch people.

Islamabad’s policy of encouraging Islamist extremists, while using brute force against those demanding genuine rights and redressal of long standing grievances, can only lead to a continuing blood bath in the resource rich Province, creating more trouble for the increasingly crippled national economy. Peace can only remain elusive in Balochistan as long as Islamabad’s duplicity persists.

INDIA
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Maharashtra: Losing Momentum
Deepak Kumar Nayak
Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management

Protesting against the killing of Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) politburo member Mallojula Koteswara Rao alias Kishanji (on November 24, 2011, in West Bengal), around 150 Maoists in the Gadchiroli District of Maharashtra State, set ablaze the Vairagadh gram panchayat (village level local self-government institution) office on November 29. During the attack, the Maoists took control of the stage at the local drama festival, the famous Jharipatti Theatre and raised slogans hailing Kishanji, and appealed to the people to observe the 'Bharat Bandh' (all India shut down strike) scheduled for December 4 and 5, 2011. On November 27, 2011, the Maoists had set ablaze another two gram panchayat office – at Malewada and Khobramenda – in the District. The Maoists also triggered a blast and partly destroyed the gram panchayat building at Mispri in Gondia District in the night of December 2, and set ablaze another gram panchayat at Piparkhari in Deori tehsil (revenue unit) in the District on December 3.

Maharashtra has recorded a rise in Maoist violence in 2011, with 92 incidents recorded by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) database, as against 51 incidents recorded in 2010. This gives Maharashtra the dubious distinction of being one of just two States – the other being Jharkhand – which have bucked the overall trend of declining Maoist violence across India in 2011, as compared to 2010. According to partial data compiled by the SATP, 34 civilians, 10 Security Force (SF) personnel and 25 Maoists were killed in 2011, as compared to 22 civilians, 15 SF personnel and three Maoists being killed in 2010.

Fatalities in LWE/ CPI-Maoist Violence in Maharashtra: 2005 - 2011

Years

Civilians
Security Force Personnel
LWE/ CPI-Maoists
Total

2005

2
17
8
27

2006

13
3
33
49

2007

9
2
8
19

2008

2
5
7
14

2009

12
52
23
87

2010

22
15
3
40

2011*

34
10
25
69
Total
94
104
107
305
Source: SATP, *Data till December 31, 2011

Incidents of killing were reported from three Districts – Gadchiroli (67), Gondia (one) and Nagpur (one) – in the State in 2011, while fatalities had been reported from two Districts – Gadchiroli (39) and Bhandara (one) – in 2010. The distinctive feature of killings in Maharashtra in 2011 was the dramatic rise in both civilian and insurgent fatalities. There had been an abrupt spike in SF fatalities in Maharashtra in 2009, but these losses have diminished sharply since, largely as a result of avoidance of confrontation with the Maoists. The high casualty figure among Maoists in 2011, as compared to an insignificant three in 2010, would, on first sight, suggest a dramatic augmentation of operations. Unfortunately, the figure fails to inspire confidence; of the 25 Maoist fatalities claimed by the Police, only two bodies were recovered. This is in line with the experience in 2009, when a similarly high 23 Maoist fatalities had been claimed, but just three bodies were recovered.

In addition to the incidents of killing, the Maoists opened fire at Police Stations on two occasions – Phulbodi Gatta Police Station in Dhanora tehsil on December 24, 2011, and Laheri Police Station, under Bhamragarh Division in the District on February 5, 2011, both in the Gadchiroli District. No such incident of attack on a Police Station had been recorded in 2010.

Maharashtra also witnessed at least six incidents of explosion in 2011, as against four in 2010. 10 incidents of arson were reported in 2011 as against five in 2010. Further, five incidents of abduction were reported in 2011 as against one in 2010. The number of Maoist attacks involving more than 50 cadres and militia stood at four in 2011, as against to two in 2010. Similarly, nine incidents of Maoists targeting economic assets were reported in 2010, increasing to 16 in 2011, according to SATP data. Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) data, however, records only three incidents of Maoists targeting economic assets in 2011 [as on November 14], as against 10 in 2010, 12 in 2009 and 10 in 2008.

A total of 92 Maoist-related incidents, including incidents of killing, were reported from 11 Districts [Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Gondia, Mumbai Suburban, Nagpur, Nandurbar, Nashik, Pune, Thane, Wardha, and Yavatmal] in Maharashtra, through 2011, as compared to a total of 51 such incidents reported from seven Districts [Amravati, Bhandara, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Gondia, Mumbai City and Nagpur] in 2010. According to MHA data, as on November 14, the State had witnessed 92 incidents in the current year. Replying to a question regarding Maoist activity in the State, the MHA informed the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament), on December 13, 2011, that the Maoists were active in Gadchiroli, Gondia and Chandrapur Districts and had plans to expand their movement to Nagpur, Wardha, Bhandara, Mumbai, Nasik, Pune and Yavatmal Districts. On another occasion replying to a question in Lok Sabha on November 22, 2011, the MHA had stated that, while Maoist activities were reported from seven Districts in the State in 2011, the figure was four for both 2010 and 2009, and six in 2008. On October 15, 2011, Maharashtra Home Minister R. R. Patil had claimed, "It [Naxalism or Left Wing Extremism] is [alive] only in Gadchiroli and Gondia [Districts]." He added that Naxalism had been curbed in Nanded, Chandrapur and Yavatmal Districts.

The year 2011 also witnessed five major incidents (each resulting in three or more fatalities) during the period. These included:

August 20: One Havaldar (Head Constable) of the State Police and two troopers of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) were killed when Maoist cadres fired at a patrol party in Makadchuha village in Gadchiroli District. One woman Maoist dalam (squad) commander of the Chatgaon dalam identified as Raneeta alias Ramko Hichami (35) was also killed in retaliatory firing.

July 17: A group of CPI-Maoist cadres reportedly killed three persons, including a Sarpanch (village head) in Korchi Taluka (revenue sub-division) in Gadchiroli District. The victims were identified as Motiram Katenge (50), Sarpanch of Dabri village, Sudhakar Koreti (40) and Paharsinh Kumre (55), were killed in Bijepar village, and their bodies were dumped in the neighbouring Mohgaon Tola village.

May 19: Two Special Police Officers (SPOs) and one constable were killed in an exchange of fire between C-60 [the Maharashtra Police counter-insurgency commando unit] teams  and the Maoists in Gadchiroli District. Two C-60 teams on a search operation from Tadgao post in Gadchiroli were attacked by Maoists. Rahul Sheth, Gadchiroli Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Operations, stated, "Around eight to 10 Naxals were killed. But their colleagues took away their bodies with them... the Naxals ran away with all their weapons."

May 5: A landmine blast triggered by CPI-Maoist cadres killed six persons of a family, including a five-year-old boy, on the Gadchiroli-Rajnandgaon Road near Tavitola village in the Dhanora Police Station limits in Gadchiroli District. The Naxalites (Left Wing Extremists) are learnt to have followed up the blast with constant firing on the victims.

April 19: Superintendent of Police (SP) Viresh Prabhu confirmed the death of a top CPI-Maoist leader Nagesh alias Shankar Tukka Pungati (38), 'commander-in-chief' of the North Gadchiroli-Gondia Division, along with two other Maoist cadres, on the basis of Maoist pamphlets recovered from Malewada Village in Kurkheda Taluk in Gadchiroli District in Maharashtra. Nagesh was killed along with two other Maoist cadres in a fierce encounter in the forests of Khobramendha near Malewada village under the Wadsa Division of Gadchiroli District.

In the wake of increased CPI-Maoist activities in the State and surrounding areas, the Maharashtra Government has upgraded the rank of the Anti-Naxal Operations (ANO) chief to better counter the rebel threat. The upgradation - from the existing Deputy Inspector General of Police to Additional Director General of Police - was announced on May 23, 2011.

Earlier, on February 1, 2011, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, made an urgent plea for central assistance for its ongoing modernization of the Police Force, in view of the State's rapid urbanization and the insurgent and terrorist threats the State was facing. Speaking at the Conference of Chief Ministers on Internal Security in New Delhi, Chavan noted, while detailing his State's security plans, that Maharashtra had added 14,395 Policemen and 1,109 officers to its Police Force in 2010, besides an additional 2,355 personnel in the Naxal-affected Gadchiroli District and its surroundings. He said that the proposed 'Alpha Hawks Academy' coming up at Nagpur, to be operational some time in 2012, would impart specialized training to the Police in anti-Naxal operations and jungle warfare. Chavan sought central funding to the tune of INR 220 million to complete and commission the Academy.

According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, Maharashtra had a Police Population ratio of 164 per 100,000, as on December 31, 2010, as against an all India average of 133. As on October 14, 2011, four CRPF, one Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) and one C-60 commando battalion had been posted, along with 3,000 District Police Force, in the Naxal-affected areas of the State.

The SFs managed to arrest 56 LWE cadres in 2011, as against 57 in 2010. The significant arrests in 2011 included Anjali Sontakke alias Angela alias Kavita alias Sunita Patil alias Iskara alias Rama, the alleged Golden Corridor Committee (GCC) ‘secretary’ of the CPI-Maoist, from Thane District on April 25. Anjali is the wife of Deepak Teltumbde, ‘secretary’ of the CPI-Maoist State Committee for North Gadchiroli, Gondia and Balaghat Division.  On April 26, Sushma Ramteke alias Shraddah Gurav alias Arti (27), another top woman cadre of the GCC was arrested from a rented apartment in Talaopali area in Thane District. Mayuri Bhagat alias Jenny (23), Jyothi Chorghe (19) and Anuradha Sonule (23) were arrested from Pune on April 27, 2011; Siddharth Bhosale alias Jeeva (24), an aide to Sonule, was arrested from Chandawa area in Nashik District in the night of April 28. The arrest of these six cadres exposed the ‘Golden Corridor Committee’ which had been formed by the Maoists to target students and labourers in the industrial areas – such as Pune, Mumbai, Thane and Nashik – Gujarat and Maharashtra.

A shift in the Maoist strategy, increasingly targeting urban areas, had also been noticed. Revelations by 15 Maoists arrested by Maharashtra’s Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS) in Thane and Pune between April 25 and May 12, 2011, indicated a strong effort to push forward the objectives of the Maoist ‘Urban Perspective’ document.

During an operation in April 2011, security agencies recovered crucial Maoist documents, along with a ‘pan-Vidarbha plan’ for the vistar or expansion of the Maoist influence across Maharashtra’s vast and most backward region. The Maoists are said to have formed a V-dalam to extend the movement across Vidarbha in the State’s east, bordering Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. The Vidarbha region comprises 11 Districts – Amravati, Akola, Bhandara, Buldhana, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Gondiya, Nagpur, Wardha, Washim and Yavatmal. Media reports indicated that the resurgence of the LWE movement in Gondia was the result of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) taking over the reins of both Gadchiroli and Gondia.

The Maoists have also stepped up targeting of their former cadres, who have deserted or surrendered. 22 rebels surrendered in 2011, as against 10 in 2010, eight in 2009 and one in 2008. The rebels eliminated Mangal Singh Korchami alias Diwakar, former ‘commander’ of the Tippagarh dalam and ‘secretary’ of the North Gadchiroli Division of the DKSZC in Nagpur on April 19. Police sources indicate that Diwakar wanted to start a separate outfit. Again, in the night of September 20, 2011, the Maoists abducted and later shot dead Ranu alias Kiran Pusali (30) and his wife Jaswanda alias Devli (25), former cadres of the outfit, who laid down their arms on May 17, 2010, in the Dhanora tehsil.

In an effort to boost the strength of the SFs, the Gadchiroli Police received five new mine-proof vehicles (MPVs) with improved features for effective anti-Naxalite operations, on September 4, 2011. Further, to beef up Security arrangements in the Vidarbha region, the Centre agreed to bear the expenses of a helicopter to be deployed for surveillance and rescue operations. The helicopter was to be stationed in Nagpur and its expenses would be borne by the Union Government.

At a review meeting with officials from the Maoist-affected Gadchiroli and Gondia Districts in Mumbai on November 15, 2011, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram expressed concern over the increasing civilian casualties in Naxalite violence in Gadchiroli, and observed that these demonstrated Maoist dominance in the area. He asked the Gadchiroli Police to step up area domination to curb Maoist violence against civilians. Chidambaram also expressed unhappiness over the slow progress in the construction of infrastructure facilities for the Central Paramilitary Forces (CPMF). He also announced at the meeting that fund allocation for the Integrated Action Plan for Naxal-affected Districts from the next financial year would be done for Administrative Blocks as units, not Districts.

Maharashtra had registered a decline in Maoist violence in 2010, as compared to 2009, largely as a result of the avoidance of confrontation by the SFs. A further loss of momentum in SF operations has now resulted in an increase in Maoist activities and influence in the State – though this remains below the 2009 level. This can give no measure of satisfaction to the Administration, or to State Forces, and an operational escalation will become inevitable in the proximate future.



NEWS BRIEFS

Weekly Fatalities: Major Conflicts in South Asia
December 26, 2011-January 1, 2012


 

Civilians

Security Force Personnel

Terrorists/Insurgents

Total

INDIA

 

Arunachal Pradesh

0
0
3
3

Manipur

0
0
2
2

Nagaland

0
0
3
3

Left-wing Extremism

 

Bihar

7
0
0
7

Chhattisgarh

5
0
0
5

Jharkhand

2
0
0
2

Karnataka

1
0
0
1

Total (INDIA)

15
0
8
23

PAKISTAN

 

Balochistan

21
6
6
33

FATA

10
3
73
86

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

4
1
2
7

Sindh

5
0
0
5

Total (PAKISTAN)

40
10
81
131
Provisional data compiled from English language media sources.


BANGLADESH

War Crimes trial to go on, says Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on December 30 said that the trial of War Criminals would go on and they must be brought under the trial process. She stated, "The trail will take place whenever and wherever the war criminals will be found and this process will continue". Daily Star, December 31, 2011.

Cabinet endorses final draft of amended Anti-terrorism Act: The Bangladesh Cabinet on December 26 approved the final draft of the Anti-terrorism (amendment) Act, 2011 with a provision of death penalty for getting involved in, supporting or financing militancy and terrorist activities in the country. According to the proposed act, a convict will have to serve a minimum rigorous jail term of three years to a maximum of 20 years, including fine or both depending on the nature of the crime. Daily Star, December 27, 2011.


INDIA

Rise in abduction in the State, says Assam Police: According to Police records, there has been more than 50 per cent increase in abduction cases over the past 10 years in the State. The number of abduction cases registered in 2000 was 1,392. Such cases registered at different Police Stations of the State went up to 2,719 in 2009 and 3,250 in 2010. The figure for the current year until the month of September is 2,887. Telegraph, December 31, 2011.

China increasing presence in PoK, says Army official: China has increased the presence of its military engineers in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK)," Major General K.H. Singh said on December 26. Although the exact number of Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) men and engineers engaged in building infrastructure across the Line of Control (LoC) is not known, their number has increased in recent months, he added. Economictimes; New York Times, December 28, 2011.

JuD Chief Hafiz Saeed motivated the 26/11 attack squad, says NIA charge sheet: According to the charge sheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with November 26, 2008 (also known as 26/11) case Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed motivated the 26/11 attack squad. "Gunshot will feel like a pin prick, blood stains will be like rose petals, and angels will come down to take your souls," said Saeed while motivating the 10 member suicide squad for the attacks, states the charge sheet. Hindustan Times, December 27, 2011.

Year 2011 witnessed historic low level violence in disturbed areas, says Union Home Minister P Chidambaram: Year 2011 witnessed a historic low in the level of violence in disturbed areas like Jammu and Kashmir, the North Eastern States and areas affected by the Naxal [Left Wing Extremism (LWE)] violence, said Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on December 31. In areas affected by Naxalism, 447 civilians and 142 security personnel were killed this year against 718 and 285, respectively, in 2010. In Jammu and Kashmir, 31 civilians and 33 security personnel lost their lives this year against 47 and 69, respectively, in 2010.

Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in its year-end review for 2011 termed it as one of the most successful years in terms of bringing rebel groups to the negotiation table in Assam as well as in other northeastern states. MHA in a statement said, "There has been significant decline in incidents of violent killing of civilians and personnel of the security forces in the northeastern states due to the consistent efforts of the ministry of home affairs. Dialogues and negotiations with underground outfits have been held and suspensions of operation (SoO) have also been signed". Times of India; Telegraph; Business Line, December 31, 2011-January 1, 2012.


NEPAL

All the disputed issues except the state structuring have been resolved in principle, says UCPN-M chairman Prachanda: Emerging from a meeting of the dispute resolution Sub-Committee under the Constitutional Committee (CC) on December 30, Sub-Committee coordinator and Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda said that all the disputed issues except the state structuring had been resolved in principle. "We have resolved most of the contentious issues. Remaining issues will be settled as soon as possible," Prachanda said. Nepal News, December 31, 2011.

Peace process will conclude within couple of days, says Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai: Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai on December 28 claimed that the peace process will be taken to its logical conclusion and constitution will be promulgated within May 27, 2012. He claimed the peace and constitution writing processes disrupted for the last three years was forwarded by the Government led by him. He said the process, which seemed to have been disrupted for few days, has taken pace again. ekantipur, December 29, 2011.


PAKISTAN

73 militants and 10 civilians among 86 persons killed during the week in FATA: 15 militants were killed and five hideouts destroyed when fighter jets blitzed their hideouts in Orakzai Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on January 1. I addition, 12 Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, including one 'commander' Qari Kamran, was killed in the Karmina area in Landikotal town of Khyber Agency.

12 militants were killed and nine others injured when jet fighters pounded their hideouts in Mamozai in Upper Orakzai on December 31.

Six militants were killed and four others were injured when jets bombarded militant hideouts in Garium area of North Waziristan Agency on December 30.

Seven terrorists were killed when Security Forces (SFs) pounded terrorists' positions in Mamozai, Khadizai and Chapar Kali areas of Orakzai Agency on December 28. Also, five suspected terrorists were killed in clashes with SFs in Kurram Agency.

Seven militants of an unidentified outfit were killed when SFs shelled the terrorists' hideouts in the Mamozai and Khadizai areas of Orakzai Agency on December 26. Further, eight suspected militants were killed in shelling by SFs in the ongoing operation in the Musazai and Jogi areas of Kurram Agency. Dawn; Daily Times; The News; Tribune, December 26- January 1, 2012.

21 civilians and six civilians among 33 persons killed during the week in Balochistan: At least 16 persons, including women and children, were killed and 35 others got injured in a suicide attack near the residence of tribal elder Shafiq Mengal, son of former acting Chief Minister and Federal Minister Naseer Mengal, on Arbab Karam Khan Road in in Quetta on December 30.

Five abductors were killed and two Levies personnel got injured during an armed clash in an attempt to rescue four abducted health workers from Malazi and Hailkalzai Basic Health Unit in Pishin District. Dawn; Daily Times; The News; Tribune, December 26- January 1, 2012.

Peace will not prevail without military withdrawal, says JeI leader Asadullah Bhutto: On December 30, Jama'at-e-Islami (JeI) leader Asadullah Bhutto, fearing that Balochistan is on the brink of no return, called for "an end to the unannounced military operation and the role of the [Intelligence] Agencies in the province". The party asked for military leaders, including former President General Pervez Musharraf, to be held accountable in a court of law for the human rights violations in Balochistan. Tribune, December 31, 2011.

Federal Minister for Interior Rehman Malik behind sabotaging peace process in Balochistan, alleges JUI leader Maulana Abdul Wasay: Jama'at Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) leader and Senior Minister Maulana Abdul Wasay on December 28 severely criticized Interior Minister Rehman Malik over his statement about the demolition of unregistered seminaries and has dubbed him a 'dubious character'. The Interior Minister was a non-entity and had been imposed on us, said Wasay in the Balochistan Assembly. Daily Times, December 29, 2011.

Al Qaeda warns of revenge attacks for the killing of its leaders in Pakistan: Al Qaeda on December 26 warned America, Pakistan and Afghanistan of attacks to avenge killing of its influential leader Tehsin bin Ali Abdul Aziz and his two aides in a drone strike in the Azam Warsak area of South Waziristan Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on August 1. A three-page pamphlet in Arabic with Urdu translation on a separate page, issued by Abdul Aalaam Maatafi Haleema (Abu Baseer Al-Tartusi), Amir of Al-Harkatah Alamia Kurdistan Iraq, said the attacks would be carried out in the three countries as they were allies. Dawn, December 27, 2011.


SRI LANKA

SLMC opposes government's decision not to allocate land and Police powers to the Provinces: An ally of Sri Lanka's governing United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), the Sri Lanka Muslin Congress (SLMC) has opposed the Government's decision not to allocate land and Police powers to the Provinces. SLMC Deputy Secretary Nizam Kariyappar observed that the Tamil speaking people in the North and East Provinces were hopeful of power being devolved to the Provinces as promised by President Mahinda Rajapakse at the All Party Representative meeting in 2006. Colombo Page, December 28, 2011.


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.

South Asia Intelligence Review [SAIR]

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K. P. S. Gill

Editor
Dr. Ajai Sahni


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