Terrorist Activities in Pakistan
Suicide Bombings
At least 30 members of the Tableeghi Jamaat were killed and more than 70 were injured in a suicide blast inside the Tableeghi Markaz located on the Takhta Band Road in Mingora city, the headquarters of Swat District on January 10, reports Post Jagran. Some Police Officials initially claimed that the blast was caused by a gas cylinder but Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Malakand Akhtar Hayat later confirmed that it was a terrorist act.
Bomb Blasts
Seven persons were injured, two among them critically, when an explosive device went off in Omarzai area in Charsadda District, reports Dawn. Local sources said that the explosive device was planted along a road leading to Hajiabad locality in Omarzai area. Two real brothers were among the injured. The injured were identified as Anwar Shah, Sajjad Ali and his brother Nowsher Ali, Aizaz, Fazl Rabi, Syed Mudassar Shah and Mohammad.
Three bombs went off in Dodani village of Dadu District of Sindh on December 31 and another one was defused on January 1, reports Dawn. All the bombs were planted in high-tension lines pylons. Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) and the Shaheed Makhdoom Bilawal Police said that they defused a bomb which was planted in a pylon in the village, after three bombs, planted in two other pylons within the same village.
An explosive device went off near the hujra (guest house) of an official of a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Arakh area of Razar tehsil (revenue unit) in Swabi District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on January 6, reports The News. The sources said that unidentified persons had planted two bombs near the main gate of the hujra of Fazal Muhammad in Arakh area and triggered the explosion. The blast damaged the main gate and boundary walls of the structure but didn’t cause any casualty. The sources added the personnel of the bomb disposal unit (BDU) recovered a second bomb and defused it.
A member of a peace committee was killed and another injured in an explosion in Bokhar, remote area of Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency on January 8, reports Daily Times. Unidentified assailants had planted the bomb near the road that exploded, killing a member of peace committee, Imran, and injured another person, identified as Noor Muhammad.
At least 82 persons were killed and over 200 persons were injured in two separate bomb blasts in Quetta on January 10, reports The News. At least 70 people were killed and over 160 injured in an attack targeting Shias at Alamdar Road in Quetta late in the evening. A suicide bomber blew himself up inside a snooker club on Alamdar Road, which has two Shia prayer halls and a sizeable population of Shia Hazaras. Another blast took place outside the snooker club 10 minutes later. The twin blasts resulted in the death of as many as 70 people on the spot, most of them from the Hazara Shia community. Deputy Superintendent Police (DSP), Mujahid Hussain, Station House Officer (SHO), Zafar Ali, Samaa cameraman Imran Sheikh, a reporter of the same channel, Saifur Rehman, and four Edhi volunteers were among those killed. Police experts said that more than 125 kilograms of explosives were used in the blasts. “It was the largest ever bomb to have hit the city,” said an unnamed senior Police Official.
Earlier in the day, a powerful bomb went off under a Security Forces (SF) vehicle at the busy Bacha Khan Chowk. Twelve persons were killed and over 40 others injured.
Targeted Killings
A Police Constable, identified as Amjad Ali was shot dead by two unidentified armed assailants near Rexer Lane in Pak Colony Police Station of Karachi on December 26, reports The News.
Separately, five persons were injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast outside Gul Agha Mosque in Jannat Gul Town, behind Al-Asif Square in Sohrab Goth.
Two personnel of an intelligence agency, identified as Naib Subedar Mohammad Ishaq and Abdul Rehman, were shot dead near Barrach market in Satellite Town of Quetta on December 27, reports Dawn. The personnel were on their way on a motorbike when unidentified assailants, also riding a motorcycle, opened fire on them near Barrach market. The victims had received bullet injuries in their heads.
Separately, two Levies Force personnel, identified as Zaheer Ahmed and Abdul Samad, were injured when unidentified assailants opened fire at their vehicle on Wali Khan Road in Mastung town of same District, reports Daily Times. According to Levies sources, the assailants opened fire at a Levies’ vehicle which was patrolling on Wali Khan Road, and managed to escape from the scene.
Meanwhile, a man, Sadiq Ali, was shot at by unidentified gunmen riding a motorcycle on Toghi Road of Quetta. Police said it was a sectarian attack and it was probing further.
At least three persons, including a Policeman, were shot dead and another was injured by unidentified armed assailants in Garmkan area on the outskirts of Panjgur town of same District on December 28, reports Dawn. The Policeman was identified as Constable Abdul Qadir and the two other persons were vegetable sellers Gul Mohammad and Mohammad Abbas.
Meanwhile, the driver of a container carrying supplies for North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces in Afghanistan was seriously injured when armed assailants attacked him at Quetta-Chaman national highway in Dhadar town of Bolan District.
One person was injured in a hand grenade attack outside the office of the Muhajir Organisation Committee in the Khawaja Ajmer Nagri Police Station in Karachi on December 28, reports The News.
Four persons including a cadre of Sunni Tehreek (ST) were shot dead in different areas of Karachi city (provincial capital of Sindh) on December 29, reports Daily Times. According to details, a ST cadre, identified as Muhammad Akbar, was gunned down at his shop situated in Babar Market, Landhi area falling within the precincts of Landhi Police Station.
At least five persons, including a Muttahida Qaumi Movement activist, were killed and two others were injured in separate incidents in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, on December 31, reports The News. A person, identified as Salahuddin (16), a MQM activist, was shot dead by unidentified armed assailants near the People’s Chowrangi in the Water Pump area.
Separately, a person, Javed Hassan Naqvi (40), was killed by unidentified armed assailants near the Qureshi Market in Orangi Town.
Also, one Mushtaq (40) was shot dead and Nawaz was injured when their milk van was ambushed by unidentified motorcyclists near the Punjab Colony in the Gizri Police Station.
At least four persons were killed and more than 50 others injured when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted in a parked motorcycle exploded near Ayesha Manzil within the precincts of Gulberg Police Station in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, on January 1, reports Daily Times. The remotely-controlled bomb hit the locality after a joint public gathering of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Tehreek-e-Minhaj ul Quran concluded. The victims were identified as Talib Hussain, Rehan Ullah, Tayyab and Hashim.
At least three fishermen, identified as Sikandar, Akhtar and Sheri Jan, were shot dead while one Shafiq was injured by unidentified armed assailants in the Pasni town of Gwadar District on January 1, reports Daily Times.
Separately, an officer of the Balochistan Government, Saifuddin Baloch and his driver, were killed and another man was injured when their car was sprayed with bullets in the Besima area of Kharan District, reports Dawn.
Meanwhile, the warden of Machh jail, Mohammad Ali, who belonged to the Hazara community, was shot dead in Machh bazaar of Bolan District.
Also, Unknown armed assailants shot dead a man, identified as Dost Muhammad, in Manguchar Bazaar area of Kalat District reports The News.
Elsewhere, a truck driver, Allahyar was injured in an attack on National Highway near Dasht area of Mastung District, reports Daily Times. According to Levies Force, a Quetta-bound truck, carrying medicines from Karachi, was on its way when unidentified assailants riding a motorbike opened fire on it.
At least six persons, including two Police guards, were killed in separate incidents of violence in various parts of Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, on January 2, reports Daily Times.
Two twin brothers were targeted on Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai road when they were on the way to University of Karachi (KU) for B.Com examination on Jan 3. Station House Officer (SHO) Jan Khan Niazi said the victims were the residents of Bihar Colony. In another incident, two Police guards lost their lives when they offered resistance during a robbery bid near Banaras Bridge within the jurisdiction of Pirabad Police Station. SHO Faryad Hussain said the deceased, who were identified as Rizwan and Naeem, were Police guards.
Separately, the brother of one Muttahida Qaumi Movement activist, Rameez (20), son of Mohiuddin, was targeted near Usmania Hotel within the precincts of Jamshed Quarters Police Station. SHO Inayatullah Marwat said Rameez was the brother of an MQM activist and might have been killed on the similar ground.
Meanwhile, another man was shot dead near Habib Bank Chowrangi when he was travelling on a flyover in a car within the jurisdiction of SITE-A Police Station.
The bullet-riddled body of a local mosque’s prayer leader was found in the Shahmansoor Mountains of Swabi District on January 3, reports Dawn. The prayer leader, Naseebullah alias Zarbat Khan, belonged to Orakzai Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and he went missing after he offered Asr prayer in his mosque on January 3.
Twelve people lost their lives while several sustained injuries in different incidents of firing and violence in Karachi (Karachi District), the provincial capital of Sindh, on January 4, reports Dawn.
Unidentified militants opened fire and killed four passengers and injured 10 others traveling in Jaffar Express near Kohsar area of Kachhi in Bolan District on January 5, reports Daily Times. Official sources in the Pakistan Railways said that Jaffar Express was on its way to Quetta from Rawalpindi when it was attacked by the unidentified militants in the mountainous area of Bolan.
Eight persons were killed in Karachi (Karachi District) on January 7, reports Daily Times. In an incident of sectarian violence, a person and his minor daughter were killed while his wife and other daughter sustained injuries near Ayesha Manzil within the limits of Gulberg Police Station. Asghar Ilyas (40) and his two-year-old daughter Zainab were shot dead, while his wife Farzana and another minor daughter Dua injured near Ayesha Manzil. Police said that the family was on its way to home when unidentified assailants opened fire on them. According to Police, the victims belonged to Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ).
Another sectarian killing took place in Block 13-D of Gulshan-e-Iqbal within the precincts of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Police Station. Police said Ali Raza Naqvi (26), was going on a motorbike along with his friend Raees when armed men shot him dead near railway track.
Separately, armed assailants shot dead a man on his way to home within Soldier Bazar Police Station. Police said Murtaza Alvani was on his way to home when unidentified assailants targeted him near Bara Board.
Similarly, a truck driver was killed near Northern Bypass within the precincts of Manghopir Police Station. Arif (21) was going to a poultry farm on truck when unidentified assailants intercepted his vehicle and shot him dead.
Meanwhile, the bullet-riddled body of a man was found from Chanasir Goth within the jurisdiction of Mehmoodabad Police Station.
Further, the dead body of an abducted person was found from bushes in Toori Bangash Colony within the limits of Iqbal Market Police Station. Unidentified assailants kidnapped the man and shot him dead. Police said the person could not be identified yet.
In addition, a prayer leader of Deoband community, Maulana Shaukat, succumbed to his injuries during treatment. Police said that unidentified assailants targeted him in new Karachi Sect 5-E within the limits of Bilal Colony Police Station on 31 December, 2012.
Two unidentified armed motorcyclists shot dead vice-president of the Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan Muhammad Shakeel, near Kot Pindi Das area of Sheikhupura town of same District in Punjab on January 7, reports The News. According to Police, the Muhammad Shakeel had been on his way to Lahore when unknown motorcyclists opened fire on him near Kot Pindi Das.
Six persons were killed and five others sustained injuries in three different firing incidents in Balochistan on January 8, reports Daily Times. According to Levies officials, unidentified armed assailants fired indiscriminately at two tankers carrying LPG in Shiehkwasil area in Mastung District. Three people were killed and another was injured in the firing. “The deceased and injured were residents of Punjab,” Levies officials said.
Separately, two people were killed and another was wounded in Pishin (Pishin District). Levies sources said that a vehicle was passing through Pishin Bypass area when armed assailants opened fire on the vehicle killing one person and two injuring two others.
In another incident, Levies force said a person was shot dead by unidentified assailants. However, the incident site was not mentioned.
An Intelligence Agency Official was shot dead by unidentified militants in the Kharotabad area of Quetta (Quetta District) on January 9, reports Daily Times.
Separately, Abdul Aziz, a worker of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP- M), was shot dead by unidentified armed assailants at the Eastern Bypass. The party sources said that deceased was a nephew of the former BNP-M general secretary Habib Jalib.
In another incident, a person was killed by unidentified assailants in front of Madrassah Darul Uloom, Sariab Road.
Also, unidentified armed assailants shot dead a trader, identified as Manzoor Shah, near Surat Chowk of Khuzdar town (Khuzdar District).
Meanwhile, a dead body was found in Mand area of Kech town (Kech District). The deceased was identified as Abdul Sattar.
At least three persons, including a school Principal, were killed in separate incidents in Karachi (Karachi District) on January 9, reports The News. Syed Ali Haider (55), the owner of the Lal Qilla Grammar School and also the Principal of the same institute was shot dead by two armed assailants outside his residence in Sector 11/A of North Karachi in the Sir Syed Town Police area. Separately, Mahmood Ahmed Barkati (87), a Hakeem and former Union Council (UC) Nazim (secretary) was shot dead by two unidentified assailants, who barged into his clinic near the Taleem-e-Bagh situated in the FB Area. Apart from being a Hakeem, the victim was a noted writer and had authored more than 24 books. He also wrote some 500 columns in different newspapers. Barkati, the Police confirmed, was also a former UC Nazim from the Jamaat-e-Islami. Also, Syed Muhammad Shakeel (35), an MQM activist, was killed near Sector 11-1/2 of Orangi Town in the Iqbal Market Police Jurisdiction.
Unidentified assailants on January 9 shot dead a Shia doctor associated with the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in the Dabgari area of Peshawar reports Daily Times. Riaz Hussain was president of the PPP branch in Kurram Agency (FATA). He was killed as he left his clinic in the Dabgari area and police suggested it was a targeted, sectarian killing.
At least 16 persons, including two activists of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), a supporter of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and eight labourers, were shot dead in separate incidents in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, on January 10, reports The News.
Drone Attacks
Seven militants were killed and three others injured when missiles fired by drones hit a militant compound at Gurbaz town in North Waziristan Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on December 28, reports Dawn. Sources said that six drones fired two missiles each into the house in Shawal area, 65 kilometers to the west of Miranshah near the border with Afghanistan. The dead and the injured are believed to be local militants. Officials said the death toll could increase.
At least eight militants were killed and four others injured on January 8 when US drones fired missiles struck militant compounds in the villages of Haider Khel and Hisokhel, some 25 kilometres east of Miranshah, the main town in the North Waziristan Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), reports Dawn. “US drones fired missiles on two militant compounds. At least eight militants have been killed,” a security official in Miranshah said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The two attacks occurred within an hour, with four militants killed in each compound, the official added. Legal lobby group Reprieve estimates that up to nearly 900 civilians were among the 2,621 to 3,442 people killed by drones in Pakistan since 2004.
At least six militants were killed in United State (US) drones attack in Heso Khel village on the edge of Mir Ali town, around 35 kilometers east of Miranshah town of North Waziristan Agency, on January 10, reports Daily Times. It was the fifth American drone strike reported in Pakistan in a week. Pakistani security officials said US drones fired four missiles – two at a house and another two at a nearby motorbike, killing four militants in the house and two on the bike.
Miscellaneous
More than 400 Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants stormed security checkpoints in Frontier Region (FR) Peshawar FATA late in the night of December 27, killing two Levies personnel and abducting 22 others, reports The News. The militants destroyed two checkposts and also took away weapons, a double cabin pick-up, besides setting a vehicle ablaze. Assistant Political Agent (APA) FR Peshawar Naveed Akbar confirmed the abduction of 22 Levies men by the TTP, who also killed two personnel and injured another. “We had deployed 30 Levies personnel at two checkpoints in the Hassan Khel and Janakor areas of FR Peshawar and 22 of them went missing after the Taliban attack on Wednesday night,” the APA added. ‘Spokesman’ for the Darra Adamkhel chapter of TTP, Mohammad, claimed responsibility for the attacks on the checkpoints and the kidnapping of the Levies soldiers. However, he claimed the kidnapping of 33 Levies personnel, adding that arms and ammunition were also snatched. TTP ‘central spokesman’ Ehsanullah Ehsan also claimed responsibility for the attack and the kidnapping of the security personnel.
Three bullet-riddled bodies of militants were found in Kakary Bagh area in Kurram Agency on December 27, reports Dawn. Local people suspected that the deceased, who belonged to Bagan village, had links with Tehreek-e-Taliban Islami Pakistan, a splinter group of TTP. The deceased were identified as Jamil, Arif and Nabil. The residents of the area said that it was fifth incident of its kind in the area during the last one week.
Separately, a woman was killed and two others were injured when mortar shells fell on two different houses in Bara in Khyber Agency. Local sources said that the wife of Mohammad Ashraf was killed when his house was hit by a mortar shell in Yousuf Talab area of Bara. Two more women were injured in Dro Adda area of Akka khel in a similar incident.
The bullet-riddled bodies of nine Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants were found dumped on the side of the road in Peer Kaley village in North Waziristan Agency on December 31, reports Daily Times. “Unidentified people threw away these nine bodies. No one knows who killed them,” a security official based in Miranshah said. But Ehsanullah Ehsan, TTP spokesman said that all nine were TTP cadres and accused Security Forces (SFs) of killing them. “We are proud of their martyrdom, soon we will take revenge for this killing,” he told from an undisclosed location.
Separately, eight militants were killed as a clash erupted following an attack by SFs on a militant hideout in the Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency. Acting on prior information about the presence of an important militant ‘commander’ and a dozen other militants, the SFs targeted the location and killed eight of them. Army fighter jets pounded the militant hideouts in the Tirah Valley.
Two girl students of a seminary were killed and five others injured when a mortar shell landed outside the institution in Akkakhel area of Bara tehsil (revenue unit) in Khyber Agency on January 1, reports Dawn. The mortar shell fired from an unknown direction fell outside the seminary in Gud Malang locality when the students were leaving the place after attending their classes. The victims were identified as six-year-old daughter of Said Muhammad and seven-year-old daughter of Aziz Khan Zakha khel. Five other girls injured in the incident were identified as daughters of Zar Malik, Manduz Zakha khel and Zakir Khan.
Meanwhile, a civilian worker of the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) was killed and four security men were seriously injured when the vehicle they were travelling in was hit by a remote-controlled bomb near Matches Camp in Miranshah.
Separately, the house of an anti-polio worker was partially damaged in a blast apparently carried out by militants at Vermando Mela in Jamrud tehsil in Khyber Agency. The sources said that militants placed explosives in the backyard of the newly- constructed house of one Ashfaq, who has been working as polio campaigner in the area for last several years, before triggering the explosion. Two rooms and a veranda were destroyed in the explosion, the sources added.
A 16-inch-diameter gas pipeline was blown up in the Pir Koh area of Dera Bugti District in Balochistan on January 2, suspending supply to a purification plant in the area, reports Daily Times. According to reports, explosives were planted underneath the main supply line in the Pir Koh area. However, no casualty was reported.
Meanwhile, unidentified militants abducted a trader from Panjgur District. Police said that Ijaz Ahmad was on his way home when militants abducted him and moved to an undisclosed location.
Twenty militants were killed and 12 others sustained injuries in air strikes carried out by Army warplanes in the Kukikhel area of Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency on January 4, reports The News. The sources said that fighter jet bombed the sanctuaries of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan in Dwatoy and Bragat areas, killing 20 militants and causing injuries to 12 others. The official sources said that ‘commander’ Abdul Wali alias Umar Khalid, designated head of TTP for Tirah valley, was also present in Dwatoy at the time of the attack. Some reports suggested that he was among the dead. However, it couldn’t be verified from independent sources or the TTP due to lack of communication facilities in the Tirah Valley.
The Kuki khel part of the Tirah valley fell to the TTP a few months back after the militant group defeated the Kuki khel Afridi tribal lashkar (tribal militia). The sources said that the ‘commander’ Tariq Afridi-led faction of TTP having bases in the valley had claimed responsibility for the assassination of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Senior Minister Bashir Bilour in Peshawar and also for the killing of 22 kidnapped members of the Levies force in Frontier Region Peshawar. Sources said that TTP cadres had celebrated the death of Bashir Bilour by resorting to festive firing for two hours in Dwatoy and surrounding areas. The fresh airstrikes conducted by the Security Forces (SFs) might be a reaction to the assassination of Bashir Bilour and the deaths of 22 Levies personnel.
At least 17 persons, all believed to be suspected militants, were killed and eight others sustained injuries in three separate US drone attacks in the mountainous Babar area of Ladha subdivision in South Waziristan Agency on January 6, reports The News. According to sources, the drones fired 10 missiles and hit three different compounds of militants located in the remote mountainous Babar area. The compounds were reportedly inhabited by the militants affiliated with Hakimullah Mehsud’s Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and cadres of the Punjabi TTP chapter leader Qari Imran. A cousin of the TTP ‘chief’ Hakimullah Mehsud, Wali Mohammad Toofan, was among the killed militants, adds Dawn. Toofan had been recently elevated to head TTP’s ‘Fidayee wing’ (Suicide wing) after its leader Qari Hussain died in a drone strike.
Three militants and a Police Officer were killed and a Constable was injured in separate incidents of firing in Lakki Marwat District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on January 7, reports Dawn. According to official sources, a Police team headed by District Police Officer (DPO) Mohammad Idrees Khan surrounded a house in Abakhel village after a tip that militants were hiding there. Militants opened fire when Police entered the house, killing the Station House Officer (SHO) Mohammad Ismail and injuring a Constable of the elite force, Zahid Ali. Two militants died when Police retaliated.
Meanwhile, two suspected militants on a motorbike attacked a patrol party of Ghazni khel Police when they signalled them to stop near Balkhi Koroona area. Police opened fire, killing one of the attackers. The other suspect was arrested and seven grenades, four Kalashnikovs and live rounds were recovered from his possession.
PAKISTAN
US drone strikes go down in Pakistan for second consecutive year in a row, says US think tank
The United States (US) drone strikes against Islamist militants decreased in the tribal regions of Pakistan for the second year in a row but intensified in Yemen, The News reported on December 28 quoting figures compiled by a Washington think tank New America Foundation. In Pakistan, 46 strikes were carried out in 2012, compared to 72 in 2011 and 122 in 2010, the New America Foundation said, based on its compilation of reports in international media. The vast majority of the strikes in Pakistan hit in and around the North Waziristan Agency’s headquarter, Miranshah. These strikes, with Reaper or Predator drones, killed between 189 and 308 militants and at least seven civilians. But Yemen saw an equally drastic increase in the clandestine attacks, with strikes against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants rising from 18 in 2011 to 53 in 2012. This “drone war” is officially classified, and the US does not provide any information on the strikes.
TTP ready for peace talks but won’t disarm: TTP Chief
The chief of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Hakimullah Mehsud said that his militia is willing to negotiate with the Government but not disarm, a message delivered in a 40-minute video given to Reuters on December 28. “We believe in dialogue but it should not be frivolous,” Hakimullah Mehsud said. “Asking us to lay down arms is a joke.” In the video, Mehsud sits cradling a rifle next to his deputy, Waliur Rehman. Military officials say there has been a split between the two men but Mehsud said that was propaganda. “Waliur Rehman is sitting with me here and we will be together until death,” said Mehsud, pointing at his companion. “We are against the democratic system because it is un-Islamic,” Mehsud said. “Our war isn’t against any party. It is against the non-Islamic system and anyone who supports it.” Mehsud said in his interview that although he was open to dialogue, the Pakistani Government was to blame for the violence because it broke previous, unspecified deals. “In the past, it is the Pakistani government that broke peace agreements,” he said. “A slave of the US can’t make independent agreements it breaks agreements according to US dictat.” Mehsud said that the TTP would follow the lead of the Afghan Taliban when it came to forming policy after most NATO troops withdraw from Afghanistan in 2014. “We are Afghan Taliban and Afghan Taliban are us,” he said. “We are with them and al Qaeda. We are even willing to get our heads cut off for al Qaeda.”
20 Shias killed in bus blast in Balochistan
A car bomb exploded on December 30 near a convoy of buses taking Shia pilgrims to Iran, killing 20 persons and injuring 25, on the RCD Highway in the Dringer area in Mastung District of Balochistan, reports Daily Times. Police said that the blast occurred as the three buses were overtaking a car, site of many sectarian attacks, near the Iranian border. Balochistan Home Secretary, Akbar Durrani said that remote-controlled explosive was used to target the buses. Talking to the media, he denied reports that a suicide bomber attacked the buses. Jaish-e-ul-Islam claimed the responsibility for the Mastung bombing. A Jaish-e-ul-Islam spokesperson, Ghazi Haq Nawaz, said that the attack on pilgrim buses by the “Mujahideen” was in response to an attack on Sunni clerics in Quetta and Karachi. Nawaz asked the Mastung Administration not to help Shias “otherwise it would be their next target”. He also warned CD shop owners in Quetta to destroy all those CDs which contain blasphemous material.
Elsewhere, New York-based Human Rights Watch has noted more than 320 Shias killed year 2012 in Pakistan and said attacks were on the rise. It said the Government’s failure to catch or prosecute attackers suggested it was “indifferent” to the killings. Pakistan has banned several militant groups that openly call for attacks on Shias. Rights groups alleged that some groups have ties to Pakistani Security Agencies. Balochistan is also rife with militancy and home to a regional insurgency which began in 2004.
Police failed to trace a notorious abductor of TTP
Dawn reports, on December 31, 2012, that the Hassanabdal Police failed to trace a notorious abductor, who allegedly “escaped” from Hassan abdal Police Station of Punjab, on October 16, 2012. The abductor allegedly had links with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and was a native of Swat valley, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The abductor was arrested by Hassan abdal Police in connection with abducting and murder of a 21-year-old, who was abducted for ransom, on September 29, 2012, from the village of Pind Mehri, in the limits of the Hassanabdal Police Station. The ransom being demanded was Rs. 25 million. A Police team led by Superintendent of Police (SP) investigations arrested the four-member gang, on October 16, 2012 through mobile phone data.
During interrogation, the gang disclosed that they had killed the boy and thrown his body in a well, near Pind Mehri village, as his relatives had failed to arrange the ransom money.
13 journalists killed in 2012
According to a report of the South Asia Media Commission (SAMC), in 2012, Pakistan remains in the lead with the killing of 13 journalists while South Asia mourns the murder of 25 media persons so far, reports Daily Times. The report of the SAMC, 13 journalists lost their lives in Pakistan followed by five in India, three in Bangladesh and two each in Nepal and Afghanistan in 2012. Last year, 17 journalists were killed in South Asia out of which 12 were Pakistanis. Pakistan had also been the most dangerous country for journalists in 2010 and 2011, according to the reports of international media monitoring organisations.
Pakistan releases four more Afghan Taliban prisoners
Pakistan on December 31 released another four Afghan Taliban prisoners, including former Justice Minister Mullah Nooruddin Turabi, as part of a process designed to kick-start peace efforts, Daily Times quoting a Government official reported on January 1. “Four Taliban prisoners have been released. They include former Taliban justice minister Nooruddin Turabi and ex-governor of Helmand province, Abdul Bari,” the Pakistani official said on condition of anonymity.
Two sources close to the Afghan Taliban in northwestern Pakistan confirmed that four prisoners had been released but said they did not include Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. Baradar was captured in 2010 and Pakistani officials have said in the past that no decision has been taken for his release. Turabi is said to be suffering from poor health. According to the UN website, he was appointed a Taliban military commander in Afghanistan in mid-2009 and was a deputy to Taliban ‘supreme leader’ Mullah Omar. Pakistan in November released at least nine Afghan Talibans, officials added. At follow-up talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Islamabad agreed to release more Taliban prisoners to facilitate efforts to end the 11-year conflict between the Taliban and the Afghan Government.
502 Shias killed across country in 2012, says MWM
According to Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) report published on December 31, as many as 502 Shias, including their leaders, were shot dead in targeted attacks in 2012 in Pakistan, reports Daily Times. It said the year 2012 remained another dangerous year for Shias living in Pakistan. “These 502 deaths have brought miseries. Several modest women were made widows and several children lost their fathers,” it concluded.
The report stated that Balochistan Province ranked first with 156 casualties as far as killings of Shiites is concerned. 145 were shot dead in Sindh followed by 55 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 81 in Punjab, nine in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 56 in Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) – 44 in Parachinar (Kurram Agency) and 12 in Orakzai Agency.
As per details, 136 were killed in Karachi alone, 119 in Quetta, 55 in Gilgit, 44 in Parachinar, 25 in Rawalpindi, 21 in Khanpur, 16 in Dera Ismail Khan, 12 in Orakzai Agency, 29 in Mastung, seven each in Lahore and Mach, six in Sargodha, four in Peshawar, three each in Hangu and Larkana, two each in Faisalabad, Khairpur and Nawabshah, one each in Ali Pur, Chaman, Dadu, Hub, Nowshera, Shahdad Kot and Sialkot.
Terrorists shot dead 42 Shiites in January, 37 in February, 36 in March, 34 in April, 24 in May, 30 in June, 35 in July, 42 in August, 51 in September, 28 in October, 80 in November and 63 in December 2012.
Seven NGO workers shot dead in KP
Seven persons, including six women, working for a non-governmental organisation (NGO), were shot dead at Sher Afzal Kalley area in Swabi District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on January 1, reports Daily Times. An employee for Support with Working Solutions (SWWS) organisation, working on health and education, told Daily Times that the van was on its way from a centre of the NGO when the gunmen ambushed it at Sher Afzal Kalley. The driver of the vehicle carrying the local NGO staff was wounded critically, District Police Officer Abdur Rashid said. “The gunmen were waiting for the NGO staff by the roadside and ambushed their van when it reached there,” said the Police Officer who, however, did not say what the motive of the killing was. Five of the women were teachers, the sixth was a health worker and the man worked as a health technician, officials said. “Four men came on two motorbikes. They attacked their van, a Toyota HiAce. They opened fire to the right and left of the van and fled,” said Abdul Rashid Khan, Swabi Police Chief.
Human bombs killed 5243 in 896 attacks since 2002 in Pakistan
The Pakistani Army establishment’s decision to join hands with the US in its war against terror has made the country suffer 896 deadly incidents of suicide bombings in the past 11 years which have killed 5,243 innocent people and injured 11,221 others between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2012, reports The News. Statistically speaking, the staggering death toll (of 5,243) means that the human bombs were able to kill 476 people every year on average and 40 people each month since 2002. Likewise, Pakistan suffered an average 81 suicide bombings every year and seven attacks a month over the past eleven years. Pakistan had experienced only one suicide bombing before 9/11 when the Egyptian Embassy in Islamabad was targeted. However, over the next 11 years between January 2002 and December 2012, the human bombs let loose a reign of terror in almost every nook and cranny of the country, killing over 5,000 people in almost 900 suicide attacks.
Blast injures five students in Peshawar University
Five students received minor injuries slightly when an explosive device went off at University of Peshawar (UoP) in Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on January 2, reports Dawn. About one kilogram of explosives were used in the blast occurred in the conference hall of Institute of Islamic and Arabic Studies, UoP, Campus Police Station House Officer (SHO) Saifullah Afridi said. The blast created panic at UoP as students staged a protest demonstration after the incident, alleging that the campus had become unsafe. The protesting students also demanded suspension of officials at Campus Police Station for their failure to protect students. However, UoP spokesperson claimed that nobody was injured in the blast as the conference hall was empty at the time of explosion. He said that the blast caused damage to the furniture, doors and windows of the hall and a nearby computer laboratory.
Separately, Dera Ismail Khan Police busted the network involved in two bomb attacks on Ashura processions and arrested four top members of the group, The News reported quoting a Senior Police Official said. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Dera Ismail Khan, Qazi Jamilur Rahman told reporters that four persons associated with the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan were arrested and suicide jackets, detonators and explosives and ammunition recovered from their hideouts. Nine people were killed and 26 others wounded in a blast in Thoya Fazil on the ninth of Muharram. The next day another bomb went off in Commissionary Bazaar killing seven people and injuring over 138 others.
Taliban leader Maulvi Nazir among 16 militants killed in two separate US drone strikes in FATA
Taliban leader Maulvi Nazir was among 10 Taliban militants killed in a US-operated drone strike in the South Waziristan Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on January 3, reports Daily Times. The drone targeted the Taliban leader’s moving convoy. “Maulvi Nazir was on his way to Wana from Birmal when the convoy was hit in Sarkundi area (in Birmal tehsil), killing him and nine others,” officials sources said.
Maulvi Nazir is the second top Taliban leader to be killed in a drone strike after Baitullah Mehsud, who was chief of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan when he was killed in 2009. Maulvi Nazir had ‘earned fame’ in spring 2007 when he led a successful uprising against foreign militants in Ahmed zai Wazir-held areas, ousting Uzbek militants along with their local supporters. He linked administration of polio vaccination to cessation of drone strikes and no polio drive could be launched in Ahmed zai Wazir areas since the ban in June 2012.
Security agencies warned the Government of likely backlash from the supporters of Maulvi Nazir. “There may be backlash from a Taliban group and the federal government should direct all provincial capitals to increase vigilance against any threat,” security officials spoke on condition of anonymity.
Anti-polio drive resumes under security cover
Pakistan is providing paramilitary and Police support to polio vaccinations being resumed discreetly in the northwest after a series of attacks on medical workers, Daily Times reported on January 4 quoting officials. UN agencies suspended work on a nationwide campaign to inoculate children against the highly infectious disease after nine health workers were murdered in a string of attacks in the northwest and Karachi in December.
Pakistan is one of only three countries in the world where polio is endemic, but efforts to stamp out the disease have been hampered by resistance from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, which has banned vaccination teams from some areas, and distrust.
Suspected Pakistani Al Qaeda suspect extradited from Britain to US
A suspected Pakistani al Qaeda operative, Abid Naseer, accused of planning attacks in the United States (US), Britain and Norway was on January 3 extradited to the US, the Interior Ministry in London announced, reports Daily Times. Metropolitan Police officers escorted Naseer from Belmarsh Prison to London’s Luton Airport where he was taken into custody by US authorities. “We can confirm that today, January 3, Abid Naseer was extradited to America where he is accused of terrorism offences. His case is now a matter for the US authorities,” a statement from the Home Office said.
The 26-year-old is wanted by the US authorities over allegations that he provided material support to al Qaeda and conspired to use explosives. He was named as a suspect in an alleged transatlantic plot directed by Pakistan-based al Qaeda groups.
Naseer was originally arrested in Britain along with 10 other Pakistani men in 2009 over a suspected bomb plot. But they were released without charge after prosecutors said there was not enough evidence, and ordered to be deported. An immigration judge subsequently ruled that despite Naseer being “an al Qaeda operative who posed and still poses a serious threat”, he could not be returned to Pakistan as his safety could not be guaranteed. In July 2010, Naseer was arrested again on a US arrest warrant. In January 2012, a judge approved Naseer’s extradition to the US. He appealed to the European Court of Human Rights but his case was thrown out in December.
Top clerics were not there during final assault on Lal Masjid in Islamabad, reveal testimonies of witnesses
Testimonies of 50 of the 294 witnesses recorded in the past four days by the one-man judicial commission, headed by Justice Shehzado Sheikh, inquiring into the July 3-11, 2007, operation that killed 103 people, including family members of Maulana Abdul Aziz, head cleric of the mosque, teachers and students of the seminaries and 10 security personnel, revealed that the top clerics of the Lal Masjid (Red Mosque) in Islamabad and several key functionaries of Jamia Hafsa and Jamia Faridia, the two seminaries attached to it, were either not present in the mosque or had left it before the military launched its final assault on July 10, 2007, Dawn reported on January 4 .
Asiya Hameed, a teacher of Jamia Hafsa and custodian of the record of the girl’s seminary, was among the 16 witnesses who recorded their statements with the commission on January 3. “Since I was not in the madrassa during the operation, I don’t know the exact details,” she said when asked by Justice Shehzado Sheikh of the Federal Shariat Court, whether she had the record of the girls who were on rolls, or went missing during the operation. She said her uncle had taken her away from the mosque complex, where the girl’s seminary operated, on July 3, 2007, the day the operation began. When she rejoined Jamia Hafsa, she said, she did not find the record, which security agencies might have taken away. Maulana Aziz, who also acted as principal of Jamia Faridia located in Sector E-7, had similarly told the commission in his testimony on December 31 that he could not compile the record of the students killed or went missing in the operation as he was arrested when he came out of the mosque on July 4, 2007, the day after the army laid siege to the mosque.
40 drone strikes claimed 255 lives in NWA in 2012
At least 255 lives were lost in 40 strikes by the CIA-operated drones while 54 people sustained injuries in various parts of North Waziristan Agency (NWA) in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in 2012, Daily Times reported on January 7. The US drones carried out at least 40 strikes in North Waziristan and fired 123 missiles at various targets. Along with some known foreign and local militants, innocent tribal people including women and children were also killed in these attacks. Another 54 persons, mostly women and children up to 15 years of age, were injured in the drone attacks. Most of the injured were maimed for life.
5,047 people killed and another 5,688 were injured in 2,217 attacks in 2012 across Pakistan, says PIPS report
The annual report by the Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies (PIPS), released on January 4, stated that 5,047 people were killed and another 5,688 were injured in 2,217 attacks in 2012, reports Daily Times. Comparatively, in 2011, there were 2,895 such attacks and 7,107 consequent fatalities.
Karachi, Quetta, Kurram Agency and Gilgit were the hardest hit, witnessing more than 85 percent of all terrorist incidents in 2012, while the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan emerged as a major actor responsible for the prevalent instability. Balochistan remained the focal point of nationalist insurgency and sectarian violence, witnessing 474 terrorist attacks, the highest for any region. The TTP-infested and militancy-hit KP and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) remained second and third most volatile regions, with 456 and 388 terrorist attacks reported, respectively. Meanwhile, 187 terrorist attacks were reported in Karachi and 28 in other parts of Sindh 26 in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) 17 in Punjab and one in Islamabad.
The country witnessed a 53 percent increase in sectarian violence. Non-sectarian attacks, on the other hand, decreased by 20 percent. The number of suicide attacks across the country fell by 27 percent.
Meanwhile, the US drone strikes and the consequent killings also recorded a 40 percent decrease. The number of cross-border attacks and clashes decreased from 84 in 2011 to 79 in 2012. However, the casualties in these attacks increased by 25 percent. “Most of the cross-border attacks and clashes (70%) were reported from Pakistan’s western border with Afghanistan, including attacks reportedly carried out by militants of the TTP’s Swat chapter hiding in Afghanistan’s Kunar and Nuristan provinces,” said the PIPS report.
2012 deadliest year in Karachi for two decades, says report
Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, saw its deadliest year in two decades in 2012, with around 2,000 persons killed in violence linked to ethnic and political tensions, Daily Times reported January 8. According to the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee, 2,124 people were killed in Karachi in 2012, the worst year since records began nearly 20 years ago. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) says 1,800 people died in targeted killings in the first nine months of 2012. In 2011, it put the number at 1,000, which was then the deadliest in 16 years. Police insist killings related to ethnic and sectarian disputes accounted for only 20 percent of the murders, but rights activists say a shortage of law enforcement officers is part of the problem. “Karachi is becoming a city where controlling violence is becoming increasingly difficult because of an insufficient police force, which is less than 30,000 for around 18 million people,” says Zohra Yusuf, HRCP chairwoman.
Karachi, a business centre with a population of 18 million, accounts for 20 percent of GDP, 57 percent of tax revenue and elects 33 lawmakers to the Federal Parliament. Karachi has all the ingredients of an explosive cocktail – gang warfare, land grabbings, drugs, extremism, political rivalries, ethnic tensions, extreme poverty and a mushrooming population owing to migration.
REGIONAL
Bangladesh –Internal Dynamics
39 HuT cadres arrested in Dhaka
Law enforcers on December 29, arrested 39 cadres of banned Islamist outfit Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT) following a clash in Jatiya Press Club of Dhaka city, reports Daily Star. Witnesses said around 200 HuT cadres brought out a procession before the Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) building (opposite to the Jatiya Press Club) on Topkhana Road around noon. When Police intercepted the procession, HuT cadres launched attack on the law enforcers, prompting them to fire at least five tear gas canisters and six rubber bullets.
One person arrested along with arms and ammunition in Bandarban District
Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) arrested one person, identified as Nizam Uddin and recovered two hand made arms and four bullets in Lama sub-district of Bandarban District on December 29, reports Daily Star.
30 persons injured in JeI-ICS clash with Police in capital city of Dhaka
At least 30 persons were injured as participants in a procession of Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS) on January 2, clashed with Police, blasted cocktails, threw brick chips and vandalised vehicles on Dhaka city’s DIT road, according to Daily Star. The injured included passengers of the vehicles and pedestrians.
The JeI-ICS cadres brought out the procession demanding release of JeI leaders being tried on War Crimes charges.
Meanwhile, JeI Majlis-e-Shura (the highest decision making body) member and its former lawmaker Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher was arrested at Malibagh Chowdhurypara in capital city of Dhaka.
Chief of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Intelligence Wing Lieutenant Colonel Ziaul Ahsan said, “Taher was detained around 7:00pm in connection with plotting a conspiracy against the government, exploding bombs at the Secretariat, torching of buses and attacks on policemen at places in the capital…”
Five policemen injured in an attack by JeI-ICS cadres in Jessore District
Activists of Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS) attacked Policemen at Monirampur in Jessore town of Jessore District, leaving five Policemen injured on January 4, reports Daily Star. The incident happened at Gangra intersection when a Police team went there to disperse a procession of JeI-ICS cadres who were equipped with sticks and brickbats. In the meantime, Police arrested two JeI-ICS cadres, Faruq Hossain and Ismail Hossain from the spot.
In another incident, Police arrested four JeI-ICS cadres from Palbari intersection of Jessore town for allegedly holding a secret meeting to conduct subversive activities.
Elsewhere in the District, RAB recovered 11 bombs and a gun from Bhaberber village under Benapole Port Police Station. No one was arrested in this connection.
Chiefs of ATTF and NLFT arrested in Dhaka
Security Forces (SFs) in Bangladesh have reportedly arrested two top militants, All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) ‘chief’ Ranjit Debbarma and National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) ‘chief’ Biswamohan Debbarma from Dhaka (Dhaka District) in December 2012, according to The Times of India. Police intelligence officials in Agartala (Tripura) on January 4 said Ranjit was arrested from a posh location in Dhaka on December 30 and Biswamohan on December 23 last from nearby areas. Both the militant leaders were arrested by Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). The RAB members, after receiving specific information, surrounded the flats in Dhaka and arrested the militant leaders, a source said.
According to reports, they have been living in Dhaka for the past two decades. Their arrest comes mere months after Indian Border Security Force (BSF) submitted a list of militant hideouts to Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB).
Bombs explode in front of BNP office
Four people were detained after an equal number of handmade crude bombs were reportedly detonated on the street in front of the BNP headquarters on Sunday, January 6 as a countrywide strike called by the 18-Party Alliance was underway. Several youths on board motorcycles detonated four bombs in front of the BNP central office at around 2pm, the Additional Deputy Commissioner of the Motijheel Zone, Mehedi Hasan told bdnews24.com.
He said the law enforcers detained four persons in connection with the explosions after conducting raids in the alleys near the BNP office. The BNP-led 18-Party Alliance is trying to has called for a countrywide strike to protest against the latest hike in fuel prices. Tight security was put in place in the areas surrounding the BNP office since morning.
Two militants and one financier arrested in Bangladesh
Police arrested two members of Hizb-ut Tawhid (HT), an Islamist outfit in Shaheed Satu Hall area of Chapainawabganj District on January 9, reports The Daily Star. The arrested militants were identified as Mohammad Bipul (20) and Abdul Jabbar (26). Police arrested Bipul and Jabbar while they were distributing leaflets on jihad (Islamic uprising). Police also seized the leaflets and some calendars from them.
Meanwhile, Police arrested a businessman, Akram Hossain (48), the owner of ‘Image Carton Factory’ in Adamjee Export Processing Zone in Narayanganj District on January 9 on charges of funding Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) and its associate student front Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS), reports The New Age.
Arms factory unearthed in Chittagong
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) unearthed an illegal arms factory and arrested seven militants with some firearms at Bhagaban Tila in Sitakunda sub-District of Chittagong District where two terrorist groups, “Yakub Bahini” and “Sadek Bahini”, were holding clandestine meetings on January 10, reports The Daily Star. The arrested militants are identified as Sadek, Kashem, Nur Islam, Badsha, Osman, Jashim, and Al-Amin Sagar. The recovered arms include seven light guns, one single barrel gun, one revolver, six cartridges, and five machetes.
Separately, Police arrested a regional leader of the outlawed outfit Purba Bangla Communist Party Red Flag faction from Nandanpur village of Pabna District on January 9. The arrestee was identified as Asadul Islam alias Asad.
JeI leader Mujibur Rahman arrested for attacking Police
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested Mujibur Rahman, assistant secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), on January 13 from Zero Point area of Khulna city in Khulna District in a case accusing him of attacking Police in Rajshahi District during the hartal called by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led opposition on January 6, reports The Daily Star.
India – Internal Dynamics
Abduction and extortion on the rise in Assam: State Crime Records Bureau
Assam has witnessed a steady increase in kidnapping and extortion cases over the past few years. According to the latest figures compiled by the State Crime Records Bureau, there has been a spurt in kidnapping and extortion cases in the state since 2004, The Telegraph reports on December 26.
The total number of abduction cases registered in different Police Stations across Assam has gone up from 1,659 in 2004 to 3,785 in 2011. This year (2012) up to October, altogether 3,229 kidnapping cases have been registered so far and it is likely to cross last year’s figure by the end of the year. The crime figures for November are still under compilation.
Like kidnapping, extortion cases have also shown a rising trend. Compared to 388 extortion cases registered in 2004, the figure has jumped to 992 in 2011. Till 2012, October 879 extortion cases have been registered in the state.
Things have reached such a stage that even legislators are not being spared by the extortionists. Many MLAs, from different political parties, have reportedly received extortion demand from the United Liberation Front of Assam -Anti-Talks Faction in the past few months. The legislators who received extortion demands are Bolin Chetia from Sadiya Assembly constituency, Rupjyoti Kurmi from Mariani, Debabrata Saikia from Nazira and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Doomdooma constituency, Dilip Maran. They were all allegedly asked to pay INR 20,00,000 each.
Most of the kidnappings and extortions are taking place in Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, the four BTAD Districts and in their adjoining areas.
In addition, the number of breach of trust cases registered was 802 in 2009, 992 in 2010, 933 in 2011 and 1,060 up to October, 2012. Similarly, the number of cheating cases registered was 1,098 in 2009, 1,326 in 2010, 1,453 in 2011 and 1,404 up to October, 2012.
Surrendered Maoists to snoop on the ex-comrades in W. Bengal
West Bengal State Government will utilise the surrendered Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres for snooping on their former comrades, reports The Indian Express on December 27. Since 2010, 38 Maoists have surrendered in the State and five of them in recent months and the process of finalising their rehabilitation process is still on. Out of the remaining 33, except for Suchitra Mahato, 32 have got jobs as Home Guards (HGs) in the Department of Disaster Management, who will be, as per rule, put under the service of the Superintendent of Police (SP) of the Districts they belong to. The HGs will be deployed in the three Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected Districts of West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura and will be paid INR 310 a day. Their training will begin from January 1 next year. A top official of the Home Department told “Some of the surrendered Maoists have special skills like working for photo shops and we are thinking of inducting them in our Intelligence Branch. We have special plans for them. In fact, we will use them according to their skills.” The State Government is recruiting them under a special category. The minimum educational qualification of Class X pass out and the age bar of 35 have been relaxed in a few of the cases to get the surrendered Maoists back to the mainstream. The surrendered Maoists have also been receiving monthly stipend of INR 2,000, a cash sun of INR. 15 million deposited in their banks accounts and also incentives for the weapons they have surrendered as part of the surrender package announced by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government.
Maoist’s lone female Central leader killed
A senior Communist Party of India-(CPI-Maoist) leader and the lone female member of the Central Committee of the Maoists, Narmada Ka is believed to have been killed in an encounter, near Hiker village, bordering Abujhmad of Chhattisgarh, in South Gadchiroli recently, reports Hindustan Times on December 27. According to reports, the Maoists attacked a Police party on December 4 last in Hiker jungle under Aheri tehsil (revenue unit) of Gadchiroli District, during a routine patrolling. The Police party retaliated and a woman Maoist was killed while four-five other Maoists were injured in the fierce hour-long firing, informed Mohd Suvez Haq, the Superintendent of Police (SP), Gadchiroli District. He further added “The Maoists managed to carry the body and fled the scene.” The intelligence sources identified the women Maoist killed in the encounter as Narmada. “We also hear about it from our sources. Now we are waiting for the confirmation from the Maoist”, he said. Narmadakka (46) was appointed as Divisional Secretary of South Gadchiroli Division a few years ago after the death of Shivanna. She was later elevated as Chief of the women wing of Maoists and subsequently as Central Committee member.
Trader shot at in Assam
Suspected Karbi People’s Liberation Tiger on December 26 shot at and injured a businessman in Sariahjan Kathalguri near the Karbi Anglong-Golaghat inter-district border, reports The Telegraph.
In another incident, Suspected Bru militants abducted a Gram Panchayat (Village Level Self Governing institute) president’s husband from Bazaricherra locality in Karimganj District, reports Times of India.
Six helipads to be constructed to counter Maoists in Andhra
To eliminate the Communist Party of India-Maoist influence in the Visakha Agency and to facilitate the safe transit of VVIPs, the Andhra Pradesh State Government sanctioned INR 2.4 million to construct six helipads in the District, reports The Times of India on December 29. Apart from the transit of Z-category VVIPs, the helipads will also be used for swift deployment of Security Force (SF) personnel in the sensitive areas. Addressing the Press on December 28, Superintendent of Police (SP) (Visakha Rural) G. Srinivas said that the State Government sanctioned INR 400,000 each for the construction of six helipads in the Visakha Agency and the District Police Department would be building the helipads in Maoist infested areas such as Seeleru, GK Veedhi, Chintapalli, G Madugula, Araku and Koyyuru. Commenting on the anti-insurgency activity, the SP said there had been a drastic 70 per cent decline in extremist cases related to the Maoist menace. Sixteen cases of extremist activity, including the murders of a head constable Kuna Appanna and a villager Sindri Batro of Koyyuru, were reported in 2012, while the number of such cases was 17 and 41 in 2011 and 2010 respectively. The Police had tasted success in arresting 11 Under Ground (UG) Maoist cadres along with arms without any bloodshed. This apart, the Police was successful in arresting 161 people, including 11 UG cadre, 40 militia members and 105 Maoists sympathisers, he said. A total of 326 Maoists sympathisers, including 8 UG cadres surrendered in 2012. The number of arrested and surrendered Maoists was very high this year as compared to that of the previous years 77 in 2010 and 178 in 2011. The Rural SP pointed out that as per their records only 25 UG cadres and about 40 militia members are operating in the Visakha agency area.
3 GNLA militants arrested in Meghalaya
Security Forces (SFs) on December 29 arrested three militants, including a woman, belonging to Garo National Liberation Army from Karaigora area of South West Khasi Hills District, reports The Shillong Times. The arrested trio was identified as M Sangma, Chota N Sangma and Rot N Mena Sangma. SFs recovered a 0.22 mm revolver and six GNLA demand notes from the trio.
Maoists kill Sarpanch in Chhattisgarh
A Sarpanch (head of Gram Panchayat, village level local self-government institution) of Mankeli village in Bijapur District, identified as Budhram (45), was allegedly stabbed to death by Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres in Nayapara locality of Bijapur District headquarter on January 2, reports daily.bhaskar.com. According to Police, a group of four Maoists, dressed in school uniforms, attacked Budharam when he was taking a walk outside his house in Bijapur town. Budhram had shifted to Bijapur from Mankeli after Salwa Judum (anti-Maoist vigilante group), a movement aimed at countering Maoists in the region, was started there.
Maoists kill two former cadres in Jharkhand
Two men, who quit the ranks of the Communist Party of India-Maoist recently, were shot dead by the Maoists in Garhwa District of Jharkhand, on January 3, reports The Business Standard. A group of Maoists dragged, Jokhan Kharwar, out of his house at Kasmar village in Ramkanda block and shot him dead, said Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Sarwan Kumar. The Maoists also shot dead Ashok Thakur at Chinia of the same District, the DSP added. He further said, “Kharwar and Thakur were members of separate firing squads of the CPI-Maoist and recently broke away from them.”
Maoists helped Mamta Banerjee win West Bengal assembly elections
Rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) Member of Parliament (MP) Kabir Suman on January 4 claimed that Communist Party of India-Maoist helped Mamata Banerjee win West Bengal assembly elections in 2011, reports Hindustan Times. Outlining TMC’s close relations with the Maoists, Suman said slain Maoist leader Koteshwar Rao alias Kishenji had told his men to “hold aloft the Trinamool flag” to oust the Left Front government. The Trinamool has been denying the allegation, levelled earlier by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-Marxist) and more recently by Suman himself. He said without the help of Maoists, TMC would not have won a single assembly seat in West Midnapore. “Maoists were part of the Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee (BUPC) [committee for resisting forcible land acquisition]. Agitations in Nandigram, Singur and Lalgarh were responsible for the regime change. Santosh Rana, a Naxal, and his comrades campaigned for me in Jadavpur (in 2009).” In Nandigram, the TMC led the BUPC, which was opposing former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s plans to acquire about 14,000 acres for an SEZ.
Additional SP, two constables injured in IED blast
An Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) and two constables were injured when an improvised explosive device (IED), planted inside a bag by the Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres, blew off near Dabnahi, about 130 Kms away from the state capital, in Gariaband District of Chhattisgarh, reports The Times of India. “Additional SP R K Minj and two constables were injured when they tried to open a zippered canvas bag found near a road, blocked by the Naxalites [Left Wing Extremists] by felling trees early in the morning”, a Police spokesman said.
Later para-military Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) forces rushed and carried out a search in the area to found another bag bomb. CRPF’s bomb disposal squad diffused the bomb.
Seized letters indicate Maoists in touch with BJD and Congress leaders in Odisha
Letters seized from Communist Party of India-Maoist ‘commander’ Ghasi alias Chenda Bhushanam, who was arrested in April 2011, indicate that Maoists were in touch with at least a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) and Member of Parliament (MP) of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Pottangi Congress MLA, reports The Indian Express on January 7. Two letters written in Odia, seized from him, indicate that Maoists were in touch with Koraput MP Jayaram Pangi and Koraput MLA Raghuram Padal apart from Congress MLA Ramachandra Kadam. This is the first documentary evidence of correspondence between Maoists and elected Odisha leaders. The letters were seized from Ghasi and produced in a trial court as part of the seizure list. Ghasi (46) has over 100 cases against his name and is considered a top ‘commander’ of the Andhra Orissa Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC), who carried a reward of INR one million on his head.
Seven CRPF troopers and two Maoists killed in Jharkhand
Seven Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers were killed and 12 critically injured in an encounter with the Communist Party of India-(Maoist) cadres at Karmatiya forests of Latehar District of Jharkhand on January 7, reports The Times of India. Two Maoists were also killed, the Police said quoting villagers.
Hundreds of Maoists ambushed 200-odd troopers patrolling the forest around 10.30am, in what is being seen as a possible retaliation to ‘Operation Anaconda-II’ in Saranda forests. In the gun-battle, which went on for more than eight hours, several Police personnel were critically injured, two of whom belong to Jharkhand Jaguar. The encounter ended around 8 pm. Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Palamu range, Praveen Singh confirmed the deaths. Six companies of CRPF and two of Jharkhand Jaguar were combing the Karmatiya jungles when the ambush took place.
According to Jharkhand Police figures, a total of 24 persons were killed in Latehar in 2011 by the Maoists.
The Indian Express, however, reported that one Jharkhand Jaguar Special Task Force Policeman was shot dead by Maoists and three CRPF troopers were missing. The Maoist group involved in the encounter is believed to have been headed by Arvind, an important leader thought to be holed up in the area for the past 25 days. The CRPF had been camping there since December 20, 2012, to try and capture him. The encounter, named ‘Operation Saamna’, involved about 220 CRPF and some Jharkhand Police personnel. Officials claimed at least four Maoists were killed, but no bodies have been recovered.
Maoist attack toll climbs to 15 in Jharkhand
Acceding to The Times of India, a woman was leading the attack on Security Force (SF) personnel at Karmatiya forest in Latehar District of Jharkhand that killed 11 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers on January 7. Two Maoists were also killed in return fire on January 7 and 16 SF personnel were injured. The Maoists on January 8 killed two civilians taking the death toll to 15. Combing operation was intensified following the second attack. The two civilians were killed and one critically injured when bombs exploded on Tuesday afternoon during search for more bodies inside the forest, said Latehar Superintendent of Police (SP) Kranti Kumar Garhdeshi. The Maoists had planted the bombs inside the dead bodies, which were ripped to pieces the moment the search team tried to recover them. The Latehar SP said the civilians were killed while they were accompanying Police personnel.
Around 300 CRPF and Jharkhand Jaguar personnel treaded deep into the Karmatiya jungles, about 250 km from Ranchi as part of a combing operation when Maoists started indiscriminate firing from tree tops and hills. Over 600 Maoists, led by senior leaders, were present in the Latehar jungles and around 30 of them have been injured. CPI-Maoist central committee member Arvind was the leader behind the attacks, said Police sources. Many of the Maoists were dressed like SF personnel.
Maoists had placed bomb inside dead CRPF trooper’s body in Jharkhand, says report
Doctors conducting the autopsy of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers killed in the Communist Party of India-Maoist ambush in Latehar District on January 7, found a 2.75 kg unexploded improvised explosive device (IED) stitched inside the abdomen of a trooper, reports The Times of India. Dr. Binay Kumar of Ranchi Institute of Medical Sciences’ said, “Apart from the IED, detonator batteries and a small solar panel were fished out from the abdomen.”
Earlier, the Maoists had placed a bomb beneath the body of another dead CRPF trooper which had exploded killing three civilians while the body was being recovered. So far the bodies of nine CRPF troopers, one Jharkhand Jaguar, and four civilian have been recovered from the encounter site with one dead body of a villager being found on January 10. CRPF too inflicted casualties on Maoists with eight deaths, including a woman. However, no bodies were found as the Maoists carried them back.
Meanwhile, grenades and ammunition made in Pakistan were among the items recovered from the site of the Maoist attack in Jharkhand, sources said. Sources said a couple of grenades, pieces of blasted grenades and fired cases of bullets recovered from Latehar in Jharkhand have clear markings to show that they were manufactured in Pakistan. It is for the first time that ammunition with Pakistani markings have been recovered from Maoists. In the past, some Chinese ammunition have been recovered.
Further, Maoists on January 10 warned Security Forces (SFs) against using innocent villagers as human shields and asked them to working for the civil society instead of being used by the State which is working for corporate houses, a press communique issued by the Maoists said.
Hindu fanatics behind several sensational cases, says Union Minister of Home Affairs Sushilkumar Shinde
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA), while releasing its monthly report on January 10, revealed that alleged Hindu fanatics arrested by National Investigation Agency (NIA) had not only confessed to having executed blasts such as those in Samjhauta Express (February 18, 2007), Hyderabad’s (Andhra Pradesh) Mecca Masjid (May 18, 2007) and Malegaon in Maharashtra (September 8, 2006 and September 29, 2008) but also owned up to some sensation murders and shooting incidents.
Union Minister of Home Affairs, Sushilkumar Shinde told that the four accused persons (Rajender Chaudhary, Manohar Singh, Dhan Singh and Tej Ram) were involved in incidents of bomb blast at Malegaon, Samjhauta Express and Mecca Masjid.
He added, “During interrogation, the accused persons have admitted to their roles in three undetected sensational old crimes namely shooting and injuring a lady nun (Leena) in Narwar police station of Ujjain (MP), throwing of grenades at a mosque in Jammu on January 9, 2004 in which two persons had died and 15 others were injured, firing at SAR Geelani in New Delhi (an acquitted accused of Parliament attack case) in February 2005, killing of Muzeeb Lala, a Pathan in Ujjain (MP) and killing of Ramesh Ninama (a key witness in the murder case of Pyar Singh Ninama of Indore)”.
Monthly Fatalities
The following deaths, related to ongoing insurgencies and acts of terrorism, occurred during the period Dec 26, 2012 to Jan 25, 2013:
| Civilian | Indian Security personnel | Militant | Total | |
| Assam | 00 | 00 | 07 | 07 |
| Manipur | 03 | 00 | 02 | 05 |
| Meghalaya | 01 | 00 | 01 | 02 |
| Nagaland | 01 | 00 | 02 | 03 |
| Left wing | 09 | 01 | 12 | 22 |
| Total | 14 | 01 | 24 | 39 |
Nepal – Internal Dynamics
Nepali Congress leader found dead
A village committee president affiliated to Nepali Congress (NC) has been found dead near the Ramri River in Duli Village Development Committee (VDC) of the Rukum District on December 31, reports Republica. The dead has been identified as Kabiram Khatri, 53, a resident of Duli VDC. According to Deputy Superintendent of Police (Rukum) Rajendra Prasad Bhatta, Khatri had gone missing since December 27. “He had been missing for four days and now we have found his dead body near the river,” said Bhatta.
NC believes that Khatri was murdered by Maoist cadres in an act of revenge. “Cadres belonging to the two parties had engaged in a brawl during a local fair on December 16 after which both had filed complaints at Rukum District Police Office. Khatri’s death must have been a fall out of that incident,” said Man Bahadur Nepali, Rukum District Committee president of NC.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai on December 31 reiterated that he was not an obstacle but a means to resolving the present political crisis, Nepal News reported. Bhattarai was quoted as saying by the state-owned news agency RSS, “I have my resignation letter in my pocket and I am ready to resign as soon as the parties forge a consensus”. He, however, said that his resignation alone would not give an outlet to the country in absence of a consensus among the political parties. Emphasizing on the need of holding elections to the Constituent Assembly (CA) in May after forming a government of national consensus by the second week of January, he urged the parties not to push the country into a quagmire of uncertainty for their petty interest. Bhattarai pointed out the need for a consensus among the parties in arms during and after the 12-point agreement in order to institutionalize the gains of the people’s movement.
CPN-Maoist-Baidya chairman Mohan Baidya threatens to take up arms once again
The chairman of Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist-Baidya (CPN-Maoist-Baidya) Mohan Baidya on December 31 threatened to take up arms once again, reports Telegraph Nepal. He said, “The political parties that are at the helm of the state affairs have been a total failure. They are fighting for their share in the power structure. As they continue to ignore the public plight and the genuine demands raised by our party it will compel our party to grab weapons once again”.
Meanwhile, the commissions constituted by the ruling Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist to investigate the sources of property amassed by party leaders and commanders of the then People´s Liberation Army (PLA) despite several extensions of their deadlines are yet to submit the reports, Republica on January 1 reports. As reported earlier, a committee led by Posta Bahadur Bogati was formed to investigate the alleged misuse of the funds released by the Government for the former combatants and another committee to look into the financial irregularities in the party was formed under Amik Sherchan.
Civil society leader could be made PM, suggests UCPN-M chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal
The Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda on January 3, suggested to President Ram Baran Yadav to pick an independent civil society leader with a political background as the new Prime Minister since there was no consensus candidate among the parties, reports Republica. The suggestion was made a day before the president’s sixth deadline for finding a consensus prime ministerial candidate expires.
Meanwhile, Nepali Congress (NC) has rejected the proposal calling it yet another ploy to prolong the stay in power and defer fresh Constituent Assembly (CA) polls now scheduled by mid-May. Sita Gurung, a central working committee (CWC) member, said that such a move would not only destroy party system but also leave the current deadlock unresolved.
New ID issued to former PLA combatants earlier disqualified by UNMIN
The Government on January 4 issued new identity cards to former People’s Liberation Army (PLA) combatants, who were earlier disqualified by the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) during army integration process, reports Republica. The new ID cards identify the disqualified combatants as “UNMIN discharged”. As reported earlier, about 300 ‘disqualified’ PLA combatants have been staging sit-in protest UCPN-M headquarters in Paris Danda (Okhaldhunga District) and Koteshwor (Kathmandu District), with demands including removal of the ‘disqualified’ tag.
Separately, the political parties failed to agree on a common Prime Minister candidate for the consensus government to hold fresh Constituent Assembly (CA) polls as the deadline expired on January 4. The parties are expected to plead for more time. As reported earlier, this is the seventh extension of deadline for the parties to form a national consensus government.
Armed CPN-Maoist cadres vandalized Nepal Derivative Exchange office
Armed group of about 10 persons belonging to Mohan Baidya-led Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist – Baidya) vandalized the corporate office of Nepal Derivative Exchange (NDEX) at Tinkune (Kathmandu District) on January 4, reports myrepublica.com. According to NDEX, the group had been demanding the derivative and commodity exchange market to pay hefty amount as donation. The group also scattered pamphlets of CPN-Maoist Publicity Committee before leaving the office. NDEX has demanded the Government to take stringent action against the attackers.
Meanwhile, CPN-Maoist chairman Mohan Baidya said that his party does not have the policy of forceful donation collection. He said, “We, however, welcome voluntary donations.”
Government ready to amend TRC ordinance: Dy PM Narayan Kaji Shrestha
Deputy Prime Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha on January 8 said the Government is ready to make necessary amendments to the provisions of the Truth and Reconciliation (TRC) ordinance — currently pending at the Office of the President — for setting up transitional justice mechanisms, reports The Himalayan Times. Shrestha said no general or blanket amnesty will be offered to those who had committed crimes of rights violation during the decade-long insurgency. The issue of transitional justice mechanisms has come to the fore following the arrest of Nepali Army Colonel Kumar Lama in London.
Meanwhile, the seventh general convention of the Mohan Baidya led Communist Party of Nepal- Baidya (CPN-Maoist-Baidya) is starting from January 9 (today) in Kathmandu, reports Nepalnews.com. Around 2,000 leaders, activists and representatives from across the country and abroad will participate in the convention that will hold deliberations on the political report to be presented by Chairman Mohan Baidya. Representatives from migrant state committees (India), international state committees (Europe) including communist leaders from Canada, the Philippines and Democratic Republic of Korea are taking part in the convention and closed session.
3500 UCPN-M candidates defect
The Mohan Baidya-led Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist-Baidya) has claimed that as many as 3,500 cadres of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist from across the country have joined it, Nepalnews.com reported von January 10. CPN-Maoist-Baidya general secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa welcomed some of them at a programme organised at the party’s central office on January 8. Some of the new entrants are District-level leaders of the UCPN-M.
Separately, the general convention of the newly formed CPN-Maoist-Baidya party kicked off in the Kathmandu on January 9, reports Myrepublica.com. This is the party’s first general convention following its split from the UCPN-M in June 2012, the 7th in the history of the party and its mother party, and the first in 21 years. Altogether 1,200 representatives, 400 observers, 300 volunteers and 100 cultural artists are participating in the convention. The five-day convention will conclude on January 13. Representatives of fraternal communist parties from 11 countries including USA, India, Turkey and Canada, who were also present, expressed their good wishes and solidarity. Addressing the opening session of the 7th General Convention at Khula Manch, Chairman Mohan Baidya declared that fresh constituent assembly (CA) elections were not possible in the present context and blamed the major parties for the existing political scenario.
Maoist paper proposes democratisation of Nepal Army
A political document endorsed by the ruling Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist general convention organizing committee on January 12 has proposed forming a national army by developing People’s Liberation Army (PLA) as a professional army and democratizing Nepal Army, reports myrepublica.com. The political document reads, “The national army will be formed through dignified integration of PLA and democratization of NA”. A total of 1,442 former Maoist combatants have currently been undergoing trainings in various NA barracks.
Meanwhile, chairman of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M), Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda, in a political document has proposed reviving parallel government at the local level. The government will comprise former members of People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Young Communist League (YCL) and sister wings. The then CPN (Maoist) had run the parallel government during the decade-long insurgency that came to an end in 2006.
Sri Lanka – Internal Dynamics
Sri Lanka no longer under UN Security Council review
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict has decided that children in armed conflict are no longer an issue in Sri Lanka, reports Colombo Page on December 27. The Working Group has adopted the ‘Draft Conclusions on the situation of children and armed conflict in Sri Lanka’ on December 19, 2012, thereby closing the dossier on Sri Lanka in the Security Council.
Meanwhile, United National Party (UNP) MP Jayalath Jayawardena with the Ven. Dambara Amila Thera and Mannar Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Rayappu Joseph are to visit the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam detainees at the Welikada prisons, Welikada (Colombo) on December 28 (today) to provide them with a Christmas treat.
Further, several Tamil political parties in Sri Lanka say that they are only opposed to moves at colonization that are aimed at changing the demographic patterns. Democratic People’s Front (DPF) Leader Mano Ganesan has said the parties opposed and would continue to oppose only the planned colonization projects. Also Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran agreed with Ganeshan saying that the Tamil parties opposed moves to change the demographic pattern.
Separately, two men extradited to United States (US) from Canada on charges of supporting LTTE, that has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States (US) were ordered to be held without bond during an appearance in Federal District Court in Brooklyn on December 27, reports Daily Mirror.
Government ready to talk power devolution with TNA, says Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva
The Sri Lankan Government is ready at any time to hold talks with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), said leader of the House and Irrigation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, Colombo Page reported on December 31. The Minister was responding to the allegation made by the TNA that the Government was not serious about talks with the TNA.
The Minister told The Island newspaper that the Government had not decided on any amendments to the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. If any amendments to change the 13th Amendment are needed they will have to be discussed at the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) proposed to solve the ethnic question, the Minister said. As reported earlier, the Government has appointed the PSC to arrive at a consensus on a political solution with all parties represented in the parliament. The TNA has earlier said that the party would not participate in the PSC as it would be another “time-buying tactic” of the government. “If the PSC has the intention of thrashing out a solution and has an agenda for (arriving at a political solution), we are ready to consider it. But, we are not ready to get cheated again,” the TNA leader R. Sampanthan had said when he met India’s External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna in New Delhi in October. The Tamil party is yet to name its representatives to the PSC.
UN expert condemns move to oust Sri Lanka’s chief justice
A United Nations expert on Monday, Dec 31 criticised Sri Lanka’s move to impeach its chief justice, saying it was part of a pattern of attacks on lawyers and a bid to stop judges carrying out their work independently of politicians.
Parliament could vote next month to impeach Shirani Bandaranayake, the first woman to head Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court, after she was found guilty by a parliamentary panel of financial irregularities and a failure to declare assets. The case risks a destabilising clash between President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government and the judiciary. Opposition parties have withdrawn from the process, saying it was unfair.
Gabriela Knaul, UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, said the case against Bandaranayake was part of a pattern of attacks and threats against members of the judiciary and lawyers and interference in their work. “The recent steps taken by the executive and legislative towards impeaching the chief justice appear to be the culminating point of a series of attacks against the judiciary for asserting its independence,” Knaul said in a statement.
“It is of high concern to me that the procedure for the removal of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is extremely politicized and characterized by lack of transparency, lack of clarity in the proceedings, as well as lack of respect for the fundamental guarantees of due process and fair trial,” she said. A parliamentary impeachment panel found Bandaranayake guilty on three counts earlier this month.—Reuters
Sri Lanka to release another batch of rehabilitated ex-LTTE cadres
The Ministry of Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms has made arrangement to release another batch of former combatants of the defeated terror organization, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to the society, reports Colombo Page on January 9. The office of Commissioner General of Rehabilitation, Brigadier Darshana Hettiarachchi has taken measures to integrate the former LTTE cadres who have completed the rehabilitation program at the Maradamadu and Poonthottam rehabilitation centers in Vavuniya District. The Ministry will release another 313 rehabilitated cadres in Vavuniya District on January 13 to coincide with the upcoming Hindu harvest festival of Thai Pongal. The Government has introduced a scheme through a State Bank to provide loans up to a maximum of SLR 250,000 to the 10,375 rehabilitated cadres for self-employment purposes. The former LTTE cadres undergoing rehabilitation receive vocational training during their rehabilitation program to learn skills that could find them employment once they are reintegrated into the society.
Meanwhile, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said Sri Lanka’s Security Forces (SFs) fought the separatist terrorists and liberated the country not for their personal gain but for the yet unborn future generation. Addressing a national conference as the chief guest in Colombo, President Rajapaksa asserted that no one will be allowed to snatch away the freedom of the people and the democratic rights gained through the sacrifice of lives by the valiant soldiers. The President stressed that the Government is not prepared to reverse the massive development programme being implemented as a free and sovereign nation.
National Security website hacked
The official website of Sri Lanka’ Media Center for National Security (MCNS) has been hacked and defaced on January 16 by a hacker, known as Game Over, reports Colombo Page. The hacker has not only defaced the site at nationalsecurity.lk, but redirected it to another site and gained access to the server, taking away and leaking hundreds of login information of the site users. Earlier, a hacker collective called Bangladesh Grey Hat Hackers (BGHH) had targeted 22 sub-domain websites under one domain belonging to the North Central Provincial Council.
INTERNATIONAL
Iraqis block trade routes as protest against Maliki
Tens of thousands of Sunni Muslims blocked Iraq’s main trade route to neighbouring Syria and Jordan in a fourth day of demonstrations on Wednesday, Dec 26 against Shi’ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
The massive show of force marks an escalation in protests that erupted last week after troops detained the bodyguards of Sunni Finance Minister Rafaie Esawi, threatening to plunge Iraq deeper into political turmoil.
Another smaller protest was held in the city of Samarra in the predominantly Sunni province of Salahuddin, next to Anbar.The move against Esawi’s guards came hours after President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd who has mediated among Sunni, Shi’ite and Kurdish factions, left for Germany for treatment for a stroke that could end his steadying influence over Iraqi politics.—Reuters
UAE busts plotters call
Security forces in the United Arab Emirates have arrested a cell of UAE and Saudi Arabian citizens which was planning to carry out militant attacks in both countries and other states, the official news agency WAM said.
The U.S.-allied UAE, a federation of seven emirates and a major oil exporter that has supported Western counter-terrorism efforts in the region, has been spared any attack by al Qaeda and other insurgency groups.
But some of its emirates have seen a rise in Islamist sentiment in recent years, and Dubai, a business and tourism hub and cosmopolitan city that attracts many Westerners, could make an attractive target for Islamist militants, analysts say.
Those arrested had acquired materials and equipment for use in what WAM called terrorist operations. “The security authorities in the UAE, in coordination with the related security parties in Saudi Arabia.—Reuters
New Israeli right-wing leader worries Netanyahu
The charismatic new leader of Israel’s Jewish religious right is siphoning a large chunk of votes from the prime minister’s party, according to polls ahead of Jan. 22 elections, and if the trend continues, the high-tech millionaire and former commando could emerge as a powerful voice opposing Palestinian statehood. Though Naftali Bennett, the 40-year-old son of American immigrants, is a classic religious hard-liner, comfortable in the settlements he champions, he has been able to draw on his military and entrepreneurial background to widen his appeal to secular circles as well. His sprawling, modern home in Raanana, an upscale suburb of Tel Aviv, is far from the barren hilltops of the West Bank settlers who form the backbone of his support.
Polls show his Jewish Home party becoming the third-largest in the upcoming parliament, behind Netanyahu’s Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu bloc and the centrist Labor.
US shuts embassy in Central African Republic
The State Department has closed its embassy in the Central African Republic and ordered the ambassador and his diplomatic team to leave the country as rebels there continue to advance and violence escalates, U.S. officials said Thursday, Dec 27. State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said the U.S. Embassy had temporarily suspended operations, but not diplomatic relations with the country. Shortly after announcing the evacuation Thursday, the State Department warned U.S. citizens against travel to the Central African Republic, saying it could not “provide protection or routine consular services to U.S. citizens” and urging Americans who have decided to stay to “review their personal security situation and seriously consider departing” on commercial flights. Four days earlier, the State Department had issued a warning recommending against travel to the country and authorizing its non-emergency personnel in Bangui to leave. U.S. officials said about 40 people were evacuated on an U.S. Air Force plane bound for Kenya. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the details of the operation.
The departure of Ambassador Laurence Wohlers and his staff comes as the president of the Central African Republic on Thursday urgently called on France and other foreign powers to help his government fend off rebels who are quickly seizing territory and approaching this capital city, but French officials declined to offer any military assistance. Rebels have seized at least 10 towns across the sparsely populated north, and residents in the capital of 600,000 people fear insurgents could attack at any time.
Nigeria says destroys bomb factory, kills five gunmen
The Nigerian army said soldiers killed five “suspected terrorists” and destroyed a bomb making factory on Thursday, Dec 27 in the northern city of Kaduna where the Islamist sect Boko Haram is active. Kaduna, in the mainly Muslim north, has been the target of several attacks by Boko Haram since the group’s low-level insurgency intensified over two years ago. An Army spokesman said seven rifles, detonating cord, remote detonating switches and IED materials were found and destroyed. Boko Haram has killed hundreds this year in a campaign to impose Islamic sharia law in northern Nigeria. The sect is the biggest threat to stability in Africa’s biggest oil exporter.
In its stronghold in the far northeast city of Maiduguri, seven people were murdered by unidentified attackers on Wednesday, a police spokesman said. A witness said he saw the seven dead bodies, all with their throats cut. Gunmen killed six people at a church in the northeast town of Potiskum on Tuesday, the third year running that Christmas services have come under deadly attack. But Boko Haram is not the only threat in northern Nigeria. Islamist group Ansaru, known to have ties with Boko Haram, has risen in prominence in recent weeks. It claimed an attack on a major police barracks in the capital Abuja last month, where it said hundreds of prisoners were released.
Russia hopeful of negotiated Syria crisis
Russia said on Saturday, Dec 29 that a negotiated solution to the conflict in Syria is still possible but the international mediator struggling to end 21 months of bloodshed warned of “hell” unless a deal is struck. Sergei Lavrov and Lakhdar Brahimi announced no major new initiatives after talks in Moscow and their remarks underscored the obstacles the U.N.-Arab League envoy faces in bringing about a solution.
Lavrov, whose country has blocked Western and Arab efforts in the U.N. Security Council to put pressure on Assad, repeated that Assad’s exit must not be a precondition for a political process, saying such demands were “wrong” and counterproductive. He said the refusal of the Syrian opposition National Coalition to talk to the Syrian leadership was a “dead-end position”, and criticised the coalition leader for rebuffing an invitation for talks with Russia.—Reuters
3 militants killed in Yemen drone attack
At least three al Qaeda-linked militants were killed in the southern Yemeni province of al-Bayda late on Sunday, Dec 30 in an apparent drone strike, government and tribal sources said. Dozens of suspected militants including al Qaeda members have been killed in recent months, many in strikes by pilotless aircraft, as the Yemeni government pursues a US-backed effort to counter Islamist fighters mostly operating in the south. The state news agency, Saba, reported that the militants were “elements of al Qaeda.” A defense ministry website said the slain militants included a man it described as a senior al Qaeda operative named Saleh Mohammed al-Ameri.
Yemen’s stability is a leading security concern of the United States and Gulf Arab allies because of its strategic position next to top oil exporter Saudi Arabia and shipping lanes, and because it is home to one of the most active wings of the al Qaeda network. There has been an uptick in the past week in aerial attacks on al Qaeda in southern provinces, where the group exploited anti-government protests last year to seize swathes of territory before being driven out by a military offensive in June.
Two suspected al Qaeda-linked insurgents were killed in a drone strike in eastern Hadramout province on Friday, a local security official said. On December 24, at least five people were killed in two drone strikes in Hadramout and al Bayda provinces in the first such strikes in almost two months.—Reuters
Iran test-fires missiles near Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s navy says it has test-fired a range of weapons during ongoing maneuvers near the Strait of Hormuz, the passageway for one-fifth of the world’s oil supply. The Monday (Dec 31) report by the official IRNA news agency quotes exercise spokesman Adm. Amir Rastgari as saying the Iranian-made air defense system Raad, or Thunder, was among the weapons tested.
Iran says the system fires missiles with a range of 50 kilometers (30 miles), capable of hitting targets at 22,000 meters (75,000 feet). He said torpedoes and underwater and surface-to-surface rockets were also successfully tested.
The drill began Friday and ends Wednesday. It’s one of a number of exercises Iran holds annually. Iran has in the past said it might close the strait over Western sanctions, but has not made such threats recently.—AP
Attack on Libyan church building kills two
An explosion on Monday, December 31 at a building belonging to a Coptic church in western Libya killed two Egyptian men and wounded two others, a military spokesman said. Attackers threw a homemade bomb at an administration building belonging to the Egyptian Coptic church in Dafniya, close to the western city of Misrata, said Ibrahim Rajab of Misrata military council.
The Egyptian consul in the city, Tareq Dahrouj, said he had visited the church and the building where the two church workers were killed early on Monday. “The explosion seems like it was very strong and I have started making my investigations with Misrata officials,” he said.
Libya has small communities of Egyptians, Greeks and Italians who account for most of the Christian minority in the predominantly Islamic country. Libya’s new rulers have struggled to impose their authority on a myriad of armed groups, who helped oust dictator Muammar Gaddafi last year but have yet to lay down their arms. Monday’s attack was the first major assault on a Christian target since the revolution.—AP
Bombs kill 23 in Iraq
At least 23 people were killed and 87 wounded in attacks across Iraq on Monday, Dec 31 police said, underlining sectarian and ethnic divisions that threaten to further destabilize the country a year after US troops left. Tensions between Shi’ite, Kurdish and Sunni factions in Iraq’s power-sharing government have been on the rise this year. Militants strike almost daily and have staged at least one big attack a month.
The latest violence followed more than a week of protests against Shi’ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki by thousands of people from the minority Sunni community. No group claimed responsibility for any of Monday’s attacks, which targeted government officials, police patrols and members of both the Sunni and Shi’ite communities.
Foreign agendas fuel Iraq protests: Maliki
In a televised interview late, Maliki said there were foreign agendas behind the protests, which he described as “unconstitutional”. Iraq’s prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, has warned he will not tolerate Sunni anti-government rallies indefinitely, but made a concession to their demands by promising to free some women prisoners. Thousands of Sunnis have been taking to the streets of Iraq for more than a week in protest against Maliki, whom they accuse of discriminating against their sect and being under the sway of their non-Arab Shi’ite neighbour Iran. The incident has once more threatened to plunge a delicate power-sharing deal into turmoil, just as President Jalal Talabani, a moderating influence, is in Germany for medical care after suffering a stroke. The cradle of the protests is Anbar province, a Sunni stronghold in western Iraq, where demonstrators are blocking a key highway to Jordan and Syria. In a televised interview late on Monday, Maliki said there were foreign agendas behind the protests, which he described as “unconstitutional”. “I say to those who follow these agendas: Don’t think it’s difficult for the government to take measures against you or to re-open the road and put an end to this matter,” Maliki said. “We have been very patient with you, but don’t expect this issue to be open-ended.” The protesters are demanding an end to what they see as the marginalisation of the Sunni minority, who dominated Iraq until the U.S.-led invasion of 2003 toppled Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein. They want Maliki to abolish anti-terrorism laws that they say he has used to pursue political rivals such as the Sunni vice president, Tareq al-Hashemi, who fled after being accused of running death squads and was sentenced to death in absentia. Sunni anger was re-ignited when Maliki evoked memories of that incident by detaining the bodyguards of his Sunni finance minister, Rafaie al-Esawi, hours after Talabani was flown out. Leading Sunni cleric Khaled al-Mullah, a participant in negotiations between the protesters and the government, said Maliki had acceded to one Sunni demand. “In our first meeting with Prime Minister Maliki, he promised us that he will write a special pardon for all women who have criminal charges,” Mullah said. He put the number of female prisoners in Iraqi jails at 920, and said around 700 of them would be eligible for release.—Reuters
Man charged with spying for Israel in Yemen
A man with Yemeni and Israeli identity documents has been charged in Yemen with spying for Israel, official sources said on Friday, January 4, 2013. The defense ministry’s newspaper said the man was arrested three weeks ago in the city of Taiz after a period of surveillance. Citing a judicial source, it identified him as Ibrahim al-Dharahi, a 24-year-old computer engineer.
Dharani was charged with working for the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. His case will be referred to the criminal court in the port city of Aden the coming days, the source told the September 26 newspaper. “The man carried two ID cards – one Yemeni, one Israeli,” a security official in Aden told Reuters, declining to be named. The newspaper report said Dharahi had travelled to Israel and several Arab countries.
In Jerusalem, Yigal Palmor, spokesman for Israel’s Foreign Ministry, said: “We have no knowledge at all of this matter.”—Reuters
Man held as Philippines probes deadly gun rampage
A man accused of helping a Philippine gunman kill seven people and wound 12 others has been detained as police investigate the motive for the drug-fuelled rampage, officials said Saturday, Jan 5. Witnesses told police the arrested suspect helped reload a semi-automatic pistol as the gunman, later shot dead by police, went house to house in search of people to attack at a slum neighbourhood in Kawit town outside Manila.
Police arrested John Paul Lopez in Imus town near Kawit late Saturday, hours after gunman Rolando Bae was killed in a firefight with police, national police spokesman Chief Superintendent Generoso Cerbo said. “We are investigating the level of his involvement, but definitely he faces criminal charges,” Cerbo said of the alleged accomplice.
Lopez said Bae forced him at gunpoint to load the clip of the .45-calibre pistol between the shootings, Cerbo told AFP. “If that is proven false, he would be charged with many murders,” Cerbo added. Juanito Victor Remulla, the governor of Cavite province where Kawit is situated, said relatives led police to Lopez. Remulla also said in an interview on local radio that the authorities doubted the suspect’s version of events. “He changed the clip three or four times as Bae broke into houses.—AFP
Gunmen kill 10 in northwest Nigeria
Gunmen shot or hacked to death about 10 people during a raid on two neighbouring villages in Nigeria’s remote north-western state of Zamfara, police said on Sunday, January 6 in an area plagued by Islamist militancy and lawlessness. The motive for the attack late on Saturday on the villages of Makera and Usu was not known, police said. It was also unclear whether militant Islamist sect Boko Haram or a criminal gang were behind it.
Zamfara police spokesman Hassan Usman Talba said by telephone from the scene the prime suspects were gangs of Fulani herdsman but that police were still investigating. The Fulani’s semi-nomadic, cattle-herding way of life has led to decades of conflict with farming communities across central and northern Nigeria that often erupts into violence.
The focus of Nigeria’s Islamist insurgency has been north-eastern Borno state and surrounding areas, but a military crackdown this year has pushed it into several states further south and west, including Zamfara. Analysts say the insurgency has also brought a breakdown of law and order across the north, creating opportunities for armed gangs and ethnic militias with scores to settle.
Islamist militancy and associated insecurity are the biggest threats to stability in Africa’s main oil exporter. Boko Haram, which is loosely based on the Afghan Taliban, killed hundreds last year in a campaign to impose sharia, or Islamic law. Nigeria’s more than 160 million people are split roughly equally between Christians and Muslims.—Reuters
Kuwaiti forces disperse protesters with stun grenades
Security forces used stun grenades to disperse hundreds of opposition activists trying to stage a march in Kuwait on Sunday, January 6 as part of a series of protests against what they see as a rubber-stamp parliament, and made several arrests. Protest marches have grown more frequent in the US-allied oil producer since the opposition boycotted a parliamentary election on December 1 over changes to voting laws that they saw as an attempt to favor pro-government candidates.
Witnesses said between 200 and 300 people had barely gathered in an affluent suburb of Kuwait City late on Sunday when security forces ordered them to disperse because their rally was not licensed. One witness said that when the men and women moved to the middle of the road and began chanting, security forces attacked them with smoke bombs and stun grenades.
The security forces chased the demonstrators into side streets and arrested about 20 people, including a former MP, according to his Twitter account. “I saw about a dozen people being arrested,” one witness told Reuters.
The last, opposition-dominated parliament collapsed in February. With the opposition boycotting last month’s election, the sixth since mid-2006, more than half the 50 lawmakers in the new National Assembly are newcomers to parliamentary politics.
Difference on Iran sanctions
As has been well documented, not everyone is so pleased that President Obama nominated former Senate colleague Chuck Hagel, a Republican, as the next secretary of defence. Some of that has to do with Iran sanctions. Groups like the Republican Jewish Coalition and the Emergency Committee for Israel have noted that Hagel opposed them repeatedly when he was a senator – a big no-no among Israel hawks.
ECI, meanwhile, has blasted Hagel for opposing military action against Iran as irresponsible. Iran sanctions came up during the presidential race last year, as Mitt Romney and Republicans blasted Obama for going the multilateral route, eschewing U.S.-originated unilateral sanctions and instead gathering international support. While one might assume that Hagel falls neatly in line with this Obama sanctions paradigm – multilateral good, unilateral less effective – it’s worth noting that Hagel found himself on the opposite side of Iran-sanctions bills from Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and new secretary of state nominee John Kerry. A few notable instances, pointed out to ABC News by an Iran-sanctions expert: Hagel did not cosponsor the Iran Counter-Proliferation Act of 2007, which urged the president to designate the Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group; 72 senators, including Obama, Biden, and Kerry, cosponsored the bill. In July 2001, the Senate overwhelmingly extended the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act, which requires the president to “penalize” foreign companies that invest more than $20 million in Iran’s energy sector. The extension passed 96-2. Hagel voted against it along with Republican Sen. Richard Lugar, who later enjoyed a good relationship with Obama as ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Biden and Kerry both voted for it. In August 2008, Hagel opposed the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act in the Senate Banking Committee, as it passed on a 19 – 2 vote. With Hagel no longer in the Senate, the measure passed 99-0 in 2010. Kerry voted for it, and Obama signed it that year.
Women, children among 100 killed by Syrian forces
More than 100 people including women and children were killed by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on January 15 in Homs, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Thursday. The Britain-based group said some of the 106 victims were burned in their homes and others were either shot or stabbed when pro-Assad forces stormed Basatin al-Hasawiya, a impoverished district of the central Syrian city.
Reuters cannot independently confirm reports due to reporting restrictions in Syria. “The Observatory has the names of 14 members of one family, including three children, and information on other families who were completely killed, including one of 32 people,” Rami Abdelrahman, head of the Observatory, told Reuters.
“This needs to be investigated by the United Nations,” said Abdelrahman, who reports on atrocities committed by both sides of the 22-month-old conflict.—Reuters
IAEA-Iran talks fail, agree on next meeting
U.N. nuclear inspectors returned from Iran on Friday, January 18 without securing an agreement to investigate suspected atom bomb research, they said after two days of talks in Tehran. Herman Nackaerts, deputy director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said his inspectors had not been granted the access they have long sought to a military site and that further talks had been scheduled for February 12.
The absence of a breakthrough was a new setback for diplomatic efforts to allay international concerns over Tehran’s atomic ambitions and avert the threat of a new Middle East war. The IAEA, whose mission is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, has been trying for a year to negotiate a so-called structured approach with Iran giving the inspectors access to sites, officials and documents for their long-stalled inquiry.
At the centre of its concerns, the IAEA wants access to the Parchin military complex southeast of Tehran where it believes explosives tests relevant for nuclear weapons development may have taken place, something Iran denies.
Current Threat Levels:
| City/ Region | Threat | Level |
| Islamabad | Level 2 | ** |
| Karachi | Level 2 | ** |
| Lahore | Level 2 | ** |
| Punjab | Level 2 | ** |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | Level 3 | *** |
| Peshawar | Level 2 | ** |
| Quetta | Level 2 | ** |
| Upper Balochistan | Level 3 | *** |
| Lower Balochistan | Level 2 | ** |
| Upper / Rural Sindh | Level 2 | ** |
| Gilgit and Northern areas | Level 3 | *** |
| Tribal areas, close to Afghan border | Level 3 | *** |
Index to Threat Level Perceptions
Threat Level 1 *
Indicates there is no threat to foreigners although there may be isolated incidents involving petty crime. No security precautions are required
Threat Level 2 **
Indicates there is no specific threat to foreigners; however because of the overall general law & order situation, some security precautions are advised if traveling.
Threat Level 3 ***
Indicates that law and order situation is cause for concern and travel should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. Level dictates that foreigners should rehearse plans for evacuation.
Threat Level 4 ****
Indicates complete breakdown of civil administration and law & order leading to anarchy. All foreigners advised to remain indoors and confined to their own city. Families and staff not required to be evacuated retaining only a skeleton staff.
Threat Level 5 *****
Indicates complete breakdown of law and order, enemy action/hostilities, invasion /occupation by enemy.
