Special Emphasis on Terrorism (July – 2013)

Terrorist Activities in Pakistan

Suicide Bombings
At least 35 persons, including a newly-elected Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Imran Mohmand, were killed and over 57 others were injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a funeral prayer in Shah Zaman Qala village of Shergarh town in Mardan District, on June 18, reports Daily Times. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Bomb Blasts
At least five Policemen, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Khan Bahadar, were killed in a roadside bomb blast in the Poran subdivision of Shangla District on May 27, reports Dawn.

At least three persons were killed and 14 others were injured when a bomb attached to a motorcycle exploded in the Imamia Colony in Peshawar on May 28, reports Dawn. “The explosives were planted in a motorcycle detonated by remote control,” Assistant Superintendent of Police Ismail Karak said. Another police officer said most of the people living in the area belonged to the Shia community which appeared to be the target of the attack.

Separately, a member of Mingora Peace Committee was killed and six others were injured when a roadside bomb went off, reports Daily Times. According to Police, the incident took place in the Beshbanar area of Swat District where the vehicle of a local member of the peace committee, Jaja Mian, was attacked with a bomb. As a result, Barkat Ali, the son of Jaja Mian, was killed on the spot and six others were hurt.

A man was killed when a powerful bomb exploded in Peshawar city on May 31, reports Daily Times. According to Police, the incident occurred in Masogujar village where a bomb planted by the roadside exploded with a huge bang. As a result, a passerby, identified as Nadeem Khan, was killed instantly. Police said the bomb was a timed device meant to create fear in the area.

A roadside bomb attack targeting Police in Peshawar on June 6 killed two officers and wounded three others, reports Daily Times. The Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded when the officers were on a routine patrol in the Daudzai suburb of Peshawar, killing two of them on spot.

An army officer, identified as Lieutenant Colonel Sajid, was killed in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in the Maidan area of Tirah valley in Khyber Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), on June 12, reports The News. The sources said the officer was supervising a clearance operation in Maidan area near the border of the Kurram Agency when an IED planted at the roadside exploded near him and killed him on the spot.

At least 24 people, including 14 female students, four nurses and at least three Frontier Corps (FC) personnel along with Quetta Deputy Commissioner, identified as Abdul Mansoor Khan and two others were killed and 27 injured when unidentified terrorists blew up a bus of Sardar Bahadur Khan (SBK) Women University, followed by another blast inside the Bolan Medical College hospital in Quetta on June 15, reports The Daily Times. Quetta CCPO Mir Zubair confirmed that a remote-controlled device was planted inside the bus when it was inside the parking lot of the university. At around 7pm, the third blast was heard from the BMC Complex. It was suspected to be a suicide attack.

Targeted Killings
At least seven persons were killed in separate incidents in Karachi on May 26, reports The News. Amir Farooqi alias Ali, a member of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), was shot dead by four unidentified assailants outside his house in Block-A of North Nazimabad.

Separately, an activist of the Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jama’at (ASWJ), identified as Doctor Hanif was shot dead, while his wife was injured by unidentified assailants near Rimsha Morr in New Karachi area.

In another incident, Shaukat Ali Chandio (35) was shot dead in the Sherpao Colony of Quaidabad. Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Quaidabad Ghulam Nabi said that the victim was the resident of Jumma Gabol Goth in Shah Latif and originated from Larkana in Sindh.

In a separate incident, a body of one Mohammed Tariq Jameel (20) was found lying near the Airports Security Force (ASF) ground in the Airport Police remits.

Also, two dead bodies of unidentified persons were found lying in some bushes near Konkar Nadi in the Gadap City Police limits.

At least four persons were killed in separate incidents in Karachi on May 27, reports The News. A Shia person, identified as Haider Abbas (35) was shot dead by unidentified assailants near the Nishan-e-Haider Chowk. A passerby named Jumma also suffered bullet wounds in the attack. The Police said that the victim, who worked at a private firm, was murdered in a sectarian attack.

Separately, a tutor was killed, while another man was injured when two unidentified assailants opened fire at them outside the Thanvi Masjid in the Lines Area after Maghrib prayers.

In another incident, Haji Ali Murad (40) was shot dead near the Rasheedabad Market in the Baldia town.

Also, Muhammad Saleem was killed by unidentified assailants near Kharadar General Hospital in the Baghdadi area.

Meanwhile, a senior official of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, identified as Munawar Imam, was injured in an armed attack on Kashmir Road, reports Dawn.

At least ten persons, including a lawyer and his two sons, were killed in separate incidents in Karachi on May 28, reports Daily Times.

A security personnel, identified as Qadir Jan, was killed and another Muhammad Ashraf, was injured in an ambush on Levies check-post in Khuzdar area of Kech District, on May 28, reports Daily Times.

Moreover, the local administration found three bodies lying in desolated areas in the same District. Police said that two bodies were found from the Pasni Cross, while another body was found from Josak Bazaar.

At least eight persons, including three Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) members, were killed in separate incidents in Karachi on May 29, reports The News. Sarfaraz Ahmed, an MQM member, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in the Gol Market of Nazimabad area.

Two people were gunned down while dead bodies of two others were recovered in Karachi city on May 31, reports Daily Times. A worker of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was shot dead in a targeted attack at Sachal Goth within the limits of Sachal Police Station. The deceased identified as Ghulam Haider (35) worked at a petrol pump as a security guard.

Meanwhile, a man was gunned down at Shah Faisal Chowk in Orangi Town within the jurisdiction of Pakistan Bazaar Police Station. The victim, Asif Akbar (24) was shot and killed by two armed riders. Police informed that deceased was a fruit-vendor by profession and the motive behind his killing is unknown.

Separately, Police recovered an unidentified body of a young man from Lines Area. Officials said that the victim was shot multiple times and initial investigation suggests he was killed after being kidnapped. Another young man was found dead near Lal Masjid in Gulbahar area.

At least nine people were killed in separate acts of violence in Karachi on June 2, reports The Nation.

A bullet-riddled body of a man was found near from Lyari River within the remits of Rizvia Police Station in Karachi on June 3, reports Daily Times. The deceased was identified as Waheed Lateef (38). Police said unidentified culprits abducted the victim from somewhere and later dumped his body at an abandoned place after torture.

Three persons, including a woman, were killed while two Government officers of Jaffarabad District went missing mysteriously in separate incidents, on June 5, reports Daily Times. Unidentified armed assailants opened fire in Goth Alladad of Dera Allahyar city in Jaffarabad District, killing two people, including a woman. The deceased were identified as Imam Khatoon and Zafarullah.

In another incident, an accused, namely Dada, was killed after exchange of fire between security personnel and armed assailants in RD 238 area of Jaffarabad District.

Four people were shot dead in separate incidents of violence while two dead bodies were also recovered from Karachi on June 6, reports Daily Times.

At least four people sustained injuries in Karachi in separate incidents of violence on June 7, reports The News. Unidentified men opened fire on Banaras Bridge, injuring two persons. One of them was identified as Bashi (25), while the identity of the 30-year-old second injured was not ascertained. In another incident, 20-year-old Shahzeb, was wounded near Abul Hassan Ispahani Road after firing from unidentified men. Separately, a 25-year-old man was injured near Lyari Expressway in Surjani Town. He was identified as Bilal.

At least 11 persons were killed in separate incidents in Karachi on June 9, reports Dawn. Three Policemen were killed by unidentified assailants in Patel Para area.

A Balochistan National Party- Mangal (BNP-M) worker Haji Ali Akbar Mosyani, was killed in Arbab Complex area in Khuzdar city of same District, on June 11, reports Daily Times.

Meanwhile, unidentified assailants killed former tehsil (revenue unit) president of BNP-M Javid Baranzai on Sultan Ibrahim Road in Khuzdar city.

A Shia doctor, identified as Dr Shakir Hussain, was injured and his gunman was killed when militants in Police uniform tried to abduct him near Syed Anwar Medical Plaza of Dabgari Gardens in the jurisdiction of East Cantonment Police Station in Peshawar on June 11. Station House Officer (SHO) East Cantt Muhammad Wali told The Express Tribune that Dr. Shakir Hussain left his clinic in Dabgari Gardens along with two gunmen and Brother Dr Altaf Hussain in a motorcar. They were intercepted by the militants in Police uniform who tried to disarm them and abduct them near Syed Anwar Medical Plaza. “One terrorist has been gunned down by the guards of Dr. Shakir Hussain while terrorists were able to kill Kamal Hussain, a guard accompanying the doctors. The terrorists also seriously injured Dr. Altaf Hussain, a brother of the Shakir Hussain,” he explained.

At least seven persons, including two activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and a Police Constable, were killed in separate incidents in Karachi on June 12, reports The News. An MQM activist, identified as Muslim Noor Ahmed (30) alias Kallu Banarsi, was shot dead near the Sindh Government Qatar Hospital in Sector 8 of Orangi Town.

Drone Strikes
A United States drone strike on June 7 killed seven militants at Shokhel village of North Waziristan District in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), reports Daily Times. The missiles hit a compound in the village that is known as a stronghold of Taliban and Al Qaeda-linked militants. The US drone fired two missiles targeting the militant compound. The strike came just two days after Nawaz Sharif was sworn in as Prime Minister for a historic third time and asked the US to end its campaign of drone attacks against militants.

Federal Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid on June 9 said that drone attacks are against the independence and sovereignty of the country, reports Daily Times. To a question regarding the strong protest by the Government on the latest drone strike, the information minister said in a Pakistan Radio programme that if the former military ruler had allowed the United State (US) Government to conduct drone strikes inside the country, it was not legal, as he was not a legitimate ruler .“We will have to talk with Americans and inform them of our reservations on these strikes, as the people have strong sentiments against these.” He said that political parties, institutions, intelligentsia and the people of Pakistan had become mature now, and they would focus on common issues, inclining terrorism, extremism, energy crisis, shortage of clean water, education, health and other facilities

Miscellaneous
Two Security Force personnel were injured in a militants attacked on a security checkpost in Janikhel tehsil (revenue unit) of Bannu District, on May 26, reports Daily Times.

Separately, SFs defused a bomb in Karbogha Sharif area of Hangu District.

The Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) averted a possible bid of terrorism by defusing a bomb at Doaba in Orakzai Agency on May 27, reports The News. Assadullah, in charge BDS, said officials of BDS rushed to the spot and found a roadside bomb concealed in a tin of vegetable oil. The officials diffused it successfully. The bomb was of 10 Kg.

The Army and Paramilitary Forces on May 28 killed 14 militants and destroyed their three hideouts located in Para chamkani, a central subdivision of Kurram Agency, reports Dawn.

Separately, a soldier was injured after militant ambushed a vehicle of Khyber Rifles near Landi Kotal bazaar in Khyber Agency.

The Army and Paramilitary Forces on May 29 killed 15 militants and destroyed their five hideouts located in Para chamkani area of Kurram Agency, reports Dawn.

Meanwhile, at least six militants, including the deputy ‘chief’ of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Waliur Rehman, were killed in a United State (US) drone strike in Chashma village near Miranshah town of North Waziristan agency, reports Daily Times. The ‘death’ of Rehman, however, was not officially confirmed.

At least 34 militants and three Security Forces (SFs) were killed in gunfight in an area between the tribal Districts of Kurram and Khyber on May 31, reports Daily Times. The fighting took place in the wake of a fresh military push in the Tirah valley in Khyber District, where the military has been targeting Taliban and Lashkar-e-Islam militia threatening the nearby city of Peshawar.

At least 23 suspected militants and two soldiers were killed after clashes in Bara Chamkani area of the Kurram Agency on June 1, reports Daily Times. Five soldiers were also injured during the shootout with militants. Security Forces (SFs) cordoned off the area after the clash.

Two militants were killed and another two captured during an operation carried out by Security Forces (SFs) in Tump area of Turbat District on June 2, reports Dawn. The operation had been carried out in an area close to the border with Iran because of ‘increasing terrorist activities’ there. In the heavy exchange of fire between militants and SFs, two armed men were killed and two others arrested.

Meanwhile, unidentified armed men opened indiscriminate firing at Agriculture colony in Pasni town of Gwadar District killing one man, identified as Barkat Ali, on the spot and seriously wounding Aneel on June 1, reports The Nation. Aneel died later.

In another incident, a man was shot dead in Chaman town of Qilla Abdullah District. The deceased was identified as Janan.

Separately, unidentified people hurled hand grenades on two containers in Dasht area of Mastung District. However, no loss of life and damage to containers was reported. The containers were heading towards Karachi from Afghanistan via Quetta.

Two persons belonging to Bajaur and Mohmand Agencies in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) were shot dead by two unidentified gunmen in the busy Taj Mehal market of Rawalpindi on June 4, reports Dawn. The deceased were identified as Yaquoob Khan and Ajmair Khan.

Five persons, including two militants, were killed and 15 Security Forces (SFs), including an officer, injured in a clash with suspected members of a banned outfit in Kharoatabad area in Quetta on June 6, reports Daily Times. Police backed by personnel of Frontier Corps (FC) raided Kharotabad area of provincial capital following a tip-off that some members of a banned outfit were present in a house. When SFs surrounded the house and asked the accused to surrender, the accused attacked SFs with hand grenades, rockets and heavy weapons. SFs fired back in retaliation due to which five people, including two accused, two women and a child, who were inside the house, were killed.

Meanwhile, Police and another Law Enforcement Agency (LEA) defused a bomb which had been planted under a bridge near Cadet College in Mastung District.

Armed militants opened fire on a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) container and killed its driver at Chaman, the capital of Qilla Abdullah District in Balochistan on June 7, reports Daily Times. Police said four militants on two motorcycles opened fire on the container-truck in the Grid Station area of Chaman. The container was carrying fuel for United States (US) and NATO troops. The militants managed to escape from the spot following the shooting.

At least 35 militants were killed and 15 others injured by Security Forces (SFs) during operations in Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on June 9, reports Daily Times. After the clearance of Muhammadi Top in Kurram Agency, the SFs made significant gains on the nights of the sixth, seventh, and eighth of June, and cleared main areas of Maidan in Tirah Valley. The forces took full control of heights on the central Derastani Ridge that overlooks the entire Maidan and Kuki khel Valley.

Separately, three soldiers were killed and four others were injured in bomb attacks on military convoys in North Waziristan Agency. “A military convoy comprising 35 vehicles was on its way to the northwestern town of Bannu from Razmak when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted along the roadside went off, killing three soldiers,” a local Intelligence Official said.

Meanwhile, unidentified militants attacked a roadside security checkpoint with rocket-propelled grenades on the Razmak-Miranshah road and killed three soldiers and injured another one, reports The News.

At least six persons were killed when militants attacked three NATO containers in Shagai area of Jamrud tehsil (revenue unit) of the Khyber Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), on June 10, reports Dawn. Jaish-e-Osama, a militant outfit, claimed responsibility for the attack.

A dead body of an unidentified person was found along the Sakaran Road of Hub city in Lasbela District on June 12, reports Daily Times.

Meanwhile, another body, identified as that of one Mir Gul, was found in the Gazgai Chowk in Khuzdar city (Khuzdar District).

Elsewhere, unidentified assailants abducted a food controller, Faiz Muhammad, at gunpoint at Ward No. 2 area of Dera Murad Jamali of Naseerabad District.

PAKISTAN

TTP issues fresh threat to kill former President General (Retired) Pervez Musharraf
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan on May 26 issued a fresh threat to assassinate former President General (retired) Pervez Musharraf, currently detained in his palatial farmhouse in Islamabad, over a string of high-profile cases, reports Daily Times. TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan issued a fresh warning in a video message posted on TTP website Umar Media, saying, “Soon we will punish this Satan (devil) to death for his wicked deed”. Musharraf went to the top of the Taliban hit list after ordering the army in 2007 to storm the Red Mosque in Islamabad (Federal capital). The operation left more than 100 people dead and opened the floodgates to militant attacks in Pakistan. From Balochistan to Waziristan, Musharraf threw this country in blood and fire, he is the killer of hundreds of innocent students of Lal Masjid (red Mosque).” Before his arrival in March, the TTP had threatened to kill him for his alliance in the United States (US)-led “war on terror” and attempts to clamp down on militants, when he was in power.

General election a referendum against extremism, says HRSP special report
The Human Rights Society of Pakistan (HRSP) on May 26 in its special report on the general election observes that the elections have marked a referendum against extremism, reports Dawn. The nation has rejected fundamentalism and upheld freedom of thought. The report said the turnout of voters was the highest (55.14 percent) despite the unfavourable environment prevalent before the elections, threats of target killings of candidates and bomb blasts right up to the day of polling. The voters stood in queues at polling booths for long hours. This had even prompted foreign observers to declare that the nation of Pakistan braved the violence and expressed their opinion via ballot papers.

Freelance journalist Shahid Orakzai files petition in Supreme Court to stop parleys with TTP
The Supreme Court was petitioned on May 28 for issuance of a declaration that no person, civil or military, can engage in any contact or negotiation with any Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, an act that is forbidden by Article 256, reports Daily Times. Freelance journalist Shahid Orakzai has filed the petition under Article 184(3) of the constitution, nominating as respondents the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSS) through its chairman and Director General (DG) of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). He requested the court to instruct the DG, ISI to identify the persons who are in contact with the TTP and their mode of communication. “Instruct respondent Chairman to pre-empt any contact/dialogue/negotiations on the territory of Pakistan between the enemy and any politico-religious person/party advocating peace with the enemy”, the applicant pleaded. He further said that respondent JCSC chairman should be instructed to call a meeting of the committee to identify the areas in Pakistan wherein the rebels are threatening the security of the country and report the action to be taken against them. Orakzai contended that the court needed to prevent any move against the constitution that might undermine the security of the country and the discipline of the armed forces of Pakistan.

“The court’s attention is called to the plight of the combatant soldier and his loosening grip on the trigger when he discovers that his blood is now a matter of bargain for the next prime minister of Pakistan. Some judges of this court (who were locked in their homes) may kindly recall their feeling towards their betraying colleagues who joined hands with the military president in November 2007. All betrayals stink alike,” Orakzai remarked. He said that the armed forces had not lost any ground or territory to the rebels nor have they lost the will to fight, and the court could seek their view from JCSC chairman or any other officer mentioned in Article 243. “Having suffered loss of life, they are bewildered by the sudden U-turn in state policy on the war,” he noted. The petitioner also questioned whether the armed forces of Pakistan can propose a truce/ceasefire/end of hostilities to the enemy on the territory of Pakistan. “Whether the armed forces shall uphold the constitution as interpreted by the Supreme Court or by the federal government,” he added.

Karachi’s security to weaken if TTP not confronted, warns an American think tank
An American think tank warned the Pakistani authorities that if they fail to confront the growing influence of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan in Karachi, the militant network will weaken the city’s overall security and stability, on May 28, reports The News. With funding from abroad drying up, TTP is increasingly looking toward generating income from within the country, says the Combating Terrorism Centre in a report on the growing sway of the TTP in Karachi. The study, released last week, identifies the various Taliban factions operating in the city, the neighbourhoods where they hold influence and the various methods of extortion they use.

The Taliban have become more violent over the years after the Pakistani authorities took up anti-terrorism financing measures, resulting in stoppage of funding from abroad. The TTP has now taken to abducting for ransom and bank heists. In the first four months of 2013, 11 bank robberies of $800,000 took place in Karachi alone. And authorities believe most of these robberies are aimed at helping the militant outfit. Following the military operation and drone attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), the militants began moving away in 2009. They found a safe haven in Karachi as a variety of ethnic and linguistic groups in the city made it easier for them to operate clandestinely. More significantly, with about five million Pakhtun already living in the city the militants found sanctuaries in the Pakhtun-majority neighbourhoods. The report says that with Karachi the most feasible choice, the growing presence of militant networks in the metropolitan city is evident. In the early stages of their movement, the militants’ primary purpose was to raise funds as well as rest and recuperate. In June 2012, however, the group began its violent fund raising tactics and increasingly attacked secular politicians and law enforcers.

In Karachi, the militants are organised into three factions: the Mehsuds, the Swat faction and the Mohmand faction. All three groups operate from Pakhtun-dominated neighbourhoods that include Ittehad Town, Manghopir, Kunwari Colony, Pashtunabad, Pipri, Gulshan-e-Buner, Metroville, Pathan Colony, Frontier Colony and the settlements in Sohrab Goth. The Mehsuds are further divided into two organisational groups: one is loyal to TTP chief Hakimullah Mehsud while the second reports to TTP South Waziristan chief Waliur Rehman Mehsud. Both the leaders, however, belong to the Mehsud tribe and have their own militias within the TTP but share the same agenda.

Although the TTP influence in Karachi is alarming, the city will “not fall” to the Taliban, as the city is home to the most powerful secular elements in the country as well as progressive political parties – the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Awami National Party (ANP).

Al Qaeda weakening in Pakistan, says US report
An American report has said the core elements of Al Qaeda in Pakistan are headed for defeat but stressed that the network’s various affiliates continue to pose severe threats to the US. The State Department’s ‘Country Reports on Terrorism’ for 2012 left unchanged the US list of ‘state sponsors of terrorism’. Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria remained on that blacklist, although Iran was singled out as the worst offender and Syria was taken to task for the crackdown on opponents of President Bashar Assad’s regime.

The annual report’s ‘strategic assessment’ said that Al Qaeda’s Pakistan-based core group continued to weaken as its leaders increasingly fought for survival. But it said that leadership losses with the core had driven Al Qaeda affiliates to become more independent by setting their own agendas and targets and raising money on their own, primarily through kidnapping and other crimes. Because of this, the assessment noted that the US must defend itself from a “more decentralised and geographically dispersed terrorist threat” that had made it more difficult to successfully disrupt plots in some places.

“Though the (Al Qaeda) core is on a path to defeat, and its two most dangerous affiliates have suffered serious setbacks, tumultuous events in the Middle East and North Africa have complicated the counter-terrorism picture,” it said, pointing out Libya and Yemen in particular.

While terrorist attacks occurred in 85 countries last year, 55 per cent of the attacks and 62 percent of the fatalities took place in just three countries: Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan, the State Department said.

The report said there were 6,771 terrorist attacks in 2012, killing 11,098 people. More than 1,280 people were kidnapped or taken hostage. The report alleged that 2012 was “notable in demonstrating a marked resurgence of Iran’s state sponsorship of terrorism”.

The report covers events in 2012 and does not include such incidents as the Boston Marathon bombings in the United States or last week’s brutal killing of a British soldier on a London street.—Agencies

PTI MPA shot dead in KP
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Fareed Khan, was shot dead in his home District of Hangu on June 3, reports Daily Times. Eyewitnesses said MPA Fareed Khan was fired at by a motorcyclist in Gunjanabad area of Hangu city and he died on the spot.

Army opens war games codenamed Azm-i-Nau IV
The Pakistan Army started on June 3 war games codenamed Azm-i-Nau (New Resolve) IV to update its readiness strategy for dealing with the complex security threat environment, reports Dawn. A military spokesman said, “This Army War Game is the culmination of the series of such exercises and aims at validation and crystallization of operational plans prepared in view of the emerging threat environment. The two-week war games would, therefore, be based on generic scenarios covering the full spectrum of known and potential threats. The objective of the war games is to assess military tactics, techniques and procedures and to explore strategies for joint operations with other services.”

Pakistan is and will remain major player in the final outcome in Afghanistan, says CNAS report
Pakistan is and will remain a major player in the final outcome in Afghanistan, said Centre for a New American Security (CNAS), an American think-tank, in its report released on May 31, The Times of India reported on June 1. “The truth is still this: Pakistan is, and will remain, a major player in the final outcome in Afghanistan, and Washington’s approach in this situation should be to continue to work on interpersonal relationships among key leaders, as well as coordination and cooperation along borders where enemies of one country or the other often cross,” the report has said.

“These things should be done in tandem with Afghan leaders at every step. Beyond that, measures towards deeper economic integration may be possible with Pakistan (such as a free trade accord or aid for a regional energy sector) – provided that Islamabad takes significant and effective steps to restrain the Afghan Taliban operating from sanctuaries on its soil,” the report added. “Realistically, this agenda may not yield great fruit by the end of 2014, but it is still the right way to play for the long run,” said the 16-page report.

PML Chief Nawaz Sharif sworn in as Prime Minister for third time
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Chief Nawaz Sharif was sworn in as Prime Minister for the third term on June 5, reports Daily Times. Some 244 members of the total 320 present in the Lower House of the Parliament endorsed Nawaz Sharif for the next chief executive of the country, before he took oath of his office from President Asif Ali Zardari.

In his maiden speech to the lawmakers, Nawaz pledged to tackle Pakistan’s ‘jungle of problems’, as he reaffirmed commitment of his Government to restore law and order, check poverty, bridle burgeoning national debt and weed out rampant corruption. However, he made it clear that he had no ‘magic wand’ to resolve all issues overnight. He told lawmakers that all these goals could only be achieved if all political forces get united and strive to put the country on road to prosperity. He invited all the political parties to share his party’s national agenda for steering the country out of crises.

Sharif also callied for an end to American drone strikes in tribal areas.

“Unfortunate that Sindh govt is making no marked efforts to counter terrorism in Karachi, says MQM Deputy Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui
Deputy Convener of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, on June 6 officially said it was unfortunate that Sindh Government is making no marked efforts to counter terrorism, reports Daily Times. Speaking at a press conference, Siddiqui said that party workers were bearing the brunt of increasing terrorism in Karachi city. “Eight of our workers are missing and we have no idea where they are,” he said. He implored the Government and the Chief Justice to take notice of missing party workers. He claimed that Lyari town of Karachi is no longer in control of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), but has become the hub of criminals. He asked the Sindh Government to stop supporting Peoples’ Aman Committee (PAC) which he claimed was responsible for the killing of MQM party workers. Siddiqui said that the country is running on the revenues generated from Karachi, and if it is left at the mercy of criminals, it will be disastrous for the whole country. The rise in extremism and target killings could lead to the situation of 1971, he added.

BNP-N workers want their leaders to quit assemblies
Members of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) belonging to Mastung District on June 8 advised their party’s newly elected members of national and provincial assemblies to resign from their seats in protest against the alleged rigging in May 11 elections, reports Dawn. BNP-M leaders these days are visiting different Districts to ask the party’s workers and sympathisers whether it’s elected members in the assemblies should remain part of the system or quit their seats. The BNP-M leader said the process of getting feedbacks of party workers on the results of May 11 elections would be completed by June 28 after which a final decision of the party in this regards would be announced at a public meeting to be organised in Quetta (Quetta District), the provincial capital of Balochistan on June 30.

PTI submits resolution in NA against drone attacks
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on June10 submitted a resolution against drone attacks in the National Assembly (NA), terming them a blatant violation of the country’s sovereignty and urging the Government to respond militarily against such strikes, reports Daily Times. The copy of resolution indicates that drone attacks conducted earlier by the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and now by the Pentagon through direct missiles fired on Pakistani territory are a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty.

The resolution stated that the NA seeks to remind the Government of its obligations on the drones issue in view of the April 2013 judgement of the Peshawar High Court on a writ petition in which the court decided, inter alia: “Under the Constitution of Pakistan, 1973 particularly Article 199 thereof put this court under tremendous obligation to safeguard & protect the life & property of the citizen of Pakistan and any person for the time being in Pakistan, being fundamental rights.”

The resolution said that the United State (US) drone attacks violate the Geneva Conventions (1949). It notes that drones do not even provide the suspects a chance to surrender and any person having characteristics of a militant are targeted by signature strikes, without confirming the identity of the suspect.

KP Police ready to replace army in Swat, says provincial Police chief Ihsan Ghani
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police are capable of maintaining law and order situation in Swat and other Districts of the Malakand division if the Security Forces (SFs) are withdrawn from the region, says provincial Police ‘chief’ Ihsan Ghani on June 11, reports Dawn. He was talking to reporters after launching website of the provincial Police department at the central Police office. He said the website would ensure effective communication between Police, press and public to improve Policing in the province. Talking about militant violence, the Police chief said: “The situation in Peshawar is more challenging because the district is surrounded by tribal regions. However, the police have controlled the situation and put the militants now on the defensive,” claimed Mr Ghani. He said the traditional ‘thana’ culture would be changed in consultation with stakeholders to bring a positive change in officials’ behaviour to curb crimes. “We will soon hold a workshop attended by politicians, media persons, students, lawyers, retired judges, bureaucrats, women and other professionals to seek their input in setting up model police stations,” he said.

REGIONAL

Bangladesh – Internal Dynamics

Bangladesh won’t harbour anti-Indian outfits
Director General of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Major General Aziz Ahmed, on May 25 asserted that Bangladesh was not harbouring any militant outfits which were engaged in armed conflict against India, reports The Shillong Times. Ahmed reiterated that Bangladesh would not allow the use of its territory for insurgency activities against India. The BGB official also expressed his view that the situation has improved and BGB will always cooperate with the Border Security Force (BSF) to guard the international borders in a more effective manner.

Reacting to a query about the handing over of United Liberation Front of Asom leader Anup Chetia to India, the BGB chief said that the Bangladesh Government cannot take any decision with regards to his extradition since the matter was being handled by a court of law.

Policeman injured in a crude bomb blast during hartal in Dhaka
Two crude bombs were hurled at the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) compound in Dhaka, leaving a Police constable, Ratan Kumar Dutta, injured during the day long Hartal (general strike) called by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led 18 party alliance on May 29, reports Daily Star.

BNP-led 18-party alliance Hartal supporters also set ablaze and vandalised more than 60 vehicles at different parts of the country, including the capital Dhaka, Chittagong & Narayanganj during the daylong Hartal. The opposition called the hartal demanding withdrawal of the cases against BNP Senior Vice-chairman, Tarique Rahman.

RAB arrested wife of GMF Chief with pistol and two bullets from Dhaka city
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested Sahida Khatun, wife of outlawed Gono Mukti Fouz (GMF) Chief Aminul Islam Mukul, with a pistol and two bullets from Dhaka city’s Kalabagan area on May 31, reports The Daily Star. RAB-2 Deputy Commander Major Anwarul Haq Choudhury told that Sahida was involved in the outlawed party’s activities.

Four policemen injured in Chapai nawabganj District
Jamaat-e-Islami-Islami Chatra Shibir (JeI/ ICS) activists on June 2 hurled cocktails and brick chips on Policemen, leaving at least four Policemen injured, during the half day hartal (general strike) in Shibtala area in the Chapainawabganj District, reports Daily Star. The hartal was called by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led 18-party alliance to protest arrest of JeI leader, Keramat Ali of Shibganj on June 1. Jamaat-Shibir activists also exploded 15 to 20 cocktail bombs.

In addition, Police recovered two live cocktails from in front of PTI and Shibtala area, said Bazlur Rashid, officer-in-charge (OC) at Sadar Police Station. Police also detained three pickets from the area.

Meanwhile, Police arrested a total 28 activists, belonging to BNP, JeI and ICS, from different areas of the Noakhali District on June 1-2.

Mosques and academic institutions failed to play their part in creating awareness against militancy, observes national committee
Most mosques and academic institutions have failed to play their part in creating awareness against militancy, observed the national committee on resisting militancy on June 4, reports Daily Star.

In the middle of 2012, the Government prepared a model speech promoting social awareness against militancy. The national committee asked the authorities of academic institutions and private universities to deliver the speech every weekday before the national anthem and imams of mosques before every Juma (Friday prayers), according to home ministry sources. At the meeting, an intelligence agency reported that recently it had conducted an investigation on 1,84,885 mosques across the country and found only 20,021 mosques delivering the model speech before Juma. The madrasa authorities neither deliver the speech nor do they play the national anthem before classes.

UK govt asked to take steps on court order on BNP Senior Vice-Chairman, Tarique Rahman
Bangladesh High Commission in London has requested the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office to take measures regarding the outstanding warrant of arrest against Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman, reports Daily Star.

A Dhaka court on May 26 issued an arrest warrant for Tarique, elder son of BNP chief Khaleda Zia, in connection with a money laundering case after the Anti-Corruption Commission had sought permission to bring him back with the help of Interpol.

AL leader sustains injury in Rajbari
An Awami League (AL) leader of Daulatdia Union Parishad sustained injuries in an attack allegedly by terrorists at Daulatdia Bazaar of Rajbari District on June 9 reports, The Independent. The victim, identified as Muhamad Nurul Islam Mandol (45), was President of Daulatdia Union of Awami League.

Meanwhile, unidentified assailants hurled crude bombs at the house of Information Minister Hasanul Haque Inu in Darus Salam area of Mirpur in Dhaka city. The house suffered “heavy damage” in the explosion, but no one was injured. The Information Minister, while speaking on different private television channels, blamed Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS), for the attack.

Parliament enacts ‘Children Bill’ that provides capital punishment if children used in terrorism
Parliament has enacted the ‘Children Bill, 2013’, on June 16 that provides for capital punishment if children are used in terrorist acts, reports New Age. The bill was passed by voice vote after the Social Welfare Minister, Enamul Huq Mostafa Shahid, proposed it. The Children Act says: ‘If any person, irrespective of being really responsible for or caretaker of a child, use him in any terrorist act mentioned in the article-6 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2009, he himself will be considered the perpetrator of the terrorist act. And he will be condemned to the punishment mentioned in that article.’ The article-6 of the Anti-Terrorism Act provides for death penalty or life term or maximum 20 years and minimum four years in jail. The law also forbids arrest of any child below 9 years of age. If any children above 9 years is arrested or detained, he or she cannot be handcuffed, it says.

Meanwhile, terming the formation of International Crimes Tribunals (ICTs) politically motivated, Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) Member of Parliament (MP) ANM Shamsul Islam on June 16 told Parliament that the Government is trying to kill his party’s top leaders using the judiciary in the name of trial of crimes against humanity, reports UNBconnect. Shamsul alleged that the tribunal illegally meted out death sentence to Delwar Hossain Saydee for the crimes of a notorious Delwar Shikder Razakar. He also alleged that the Government has revived a 42-year-old settled issue like war crimes to weaken the opposition alliance and make the country free from Islamic leadership.

Unidentified miscreants kill ICS leader in Habiganj District
A local leader of Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS), the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), was killed by some miscreants in Puran Munsefi residential area of Habiganj District on June 17, reports New Age. The deceased was identified as Mahibur Rahman Chowdhury (38), vice-president of ward no 9 ICS unit of Habiganj Municipality.

Meanwhile, at least 10 crude bombs were detonated inside room 133 at Fazle Rabbi Hall in Dhaka Medical College (DMC) on June 17, reports Dhaka Tribune. No casualties were reported. Following the explosions, Police recovered a huge quantity of potassium, 30 rolls of scotch tape, five containers used for making bombs, five kilograms of stones’ powder and other materials used for bomb-making from the room, belonging to Mahmudul Hasan Sumon who was recently removed from his post of organising secretary of DMC unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), the student wing of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), and was expelled from the wing.

India – Internal Dynamics

Maoists kill tribal police officer in Odisha
Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres killed a tribal Special Police Officer (SPO), Kanhu Charan Madhi (25), in Malkangiri District, on May 24, after he did not heed to their threat to quit his job, reports The Economic Times. A group of about 20 cadres attacked the house of the SPO at Kattakonda village in Kalimela area around mid-night and shot him dead.

Dal Khalsa writes to EU ambassador to save KLF convicted militant Devender Pal Singh Bhullar
Sikh organization Dal Khalsa has sent a ‘memo’ to the European Union (EU) for intervention on the issue and to save Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) militant Devender Pal Singh Bhullar, who was awarded death sentence for killing nine persons and injuring 17 others in Delhi in a bomb attack on September 11, 1993, reports The Times of India on May 26.

The ‘memo’ sent by Dal Khalsa to the New Delhi based EU ambassador reads, “We seek the active intervention of the European Union in exerting diplomatic pressure and raising humanitarian concerns to stop the execution of death sentence of Professor Davinder Pal Singh Bhullar, who is on death row and whose sentence has been confirmed by the Supreme Court of India in April, despite original conviction based on confession before police, no corroboration of evidence of any kind, split judgment of the Supreme Court in upholding the sentence of capital punishment, inordinate delay in carrying out the sentence as well as ignoring the mental status of the accused.”

ANVC-B of Meghalaya now has women’s armed wing to ‘fight’ crime against women, says report
Nagaland Post reports that the Breakaway faction of the A’chik National Volunteers Council has raised a women’s militant wing to ‘fight’ crime against women. “We are Garo women joining the ANVC (B) to be safe. Many women are raped outside, but the ANVC (B) is safe for women and we are trained to defend ourselves from men,” said Silan Ginchi Marak, the women’s ‘military wing chief’ of ANVC-B on May 25. The women rebels, numbering around 300, are located in two undisclosed camps at Garo Hills in western Meghalaya. Meghalaya Government statistics reveal that in 2012, 236 crimes were reported against women, of which 158 were rapes.

Ginchi Marak also revealed that the United Achik Liberation Army (UALA) leader, Norrok alias Singbirth Marak is determined to kill them but she asserted that the cadres are ready to fight Norrok’s men, ‘though neither the police nor the Government is helping them’, adds The Shillong Times. In an earlier statement, the ANVC-B had made it clear that Norrok was a coward aiming to kill ANVC-B women cadres.

Meanwhile,the Meghalaya State Women’s Commission (MSWC), on May 26, expressed concern over recent reports of women joining the militant outfits in the State. Terming it as a dangerous trend, the MSWC urged the women to return to the mainstream. Reacting to the reports of ANVC-B training women cadres, the chairperson of the commission, Theilin Phanbuh said, “It is a dangerous trend for the young women, mostly teenagers to join the militant groups to fight crimes against women.”

Separately, concerned over the rise in kidnapping cases in the mineral rich East Jaintia Hills District, Dorbar Shnong (village level council) of Ladrymbai B, Ladrymbai Datsimpein, Ladrymbai Dongwah and Ladrymbai Khliehdupon held a meeting recently and decided to issues directives to all ‘outsiders’ to get themselves registered with the respective Dorbar Shnong, according to a report of May 27.

PLFI cadres kill two in Jharkhand
Two persons were killed by Peoples Liberation Front of India (PLFI) cadres on May 27 after branding one of them as a Police informer in Khunti District, reports samaylive.com. PLFI is a breakaway faction of the CPI-Maoist. District Superintendent of Police (SP) M Tamilvanan said the cadres fired indiscriminately on Bhushan Singh and Tibu Singh at Tirla village under Karra Police Station, killing them on the spot. Bhusan, a contractor, was accused of being the Police informer while Tibu was sitting beside him when the extremists attacked them.

BSF trooper injured in IED blast
A Border Security Force (BSF) trooper was injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast on May 28 triggered by Communist Party of India-Maoist in Kanker District, reports The Business Standard. The incident took place between Konde and Chhindpal village when the Security Forces (SFs) were on an anti-mining operation in Badgaon Police Station area of the District, a senior Police official said. The trooper stepped on a landmine in the region triggering the blast.

Maoists claim responsibility for attack on Congress convoy in Chhattisgarh
The Communist Party of India-Maoist on May 28 claimed responsibility for the May 25 attack on a convoy of Congress leaders in Darbha ghati area of Sukma District in Chhattisgarh, reports The Times of India. The Maoists sent a four-page letter and an audio clipping to the media, claiming they were behind the attack in which 28 people including top Congress state leaders were killed. The letter carries the signature of a Maoists spokesperson from Dandakaranya. As per the letter, a team of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) carried out the attack. It further states that senior Congress leaders Mahendra Karma, Nand Kumar Patel and VC Shukla were the main targets of the attack. The attack left Karma and Patel dead, while Shukla was critically injured and is undergoing treatment at a Gurgaon hospital.

The Maoists claimed that their purpose was to “punish” Mahendra Karma who had launched the anti-Naxal armed movement Salwa Judum. The Reds blamed Nand Kumar Patel for giving a go ahead to Operation Green Hunt and letting paramilitary forces join anti-Naxal operations when he served as the State home minister. The Maoists also made seven demands in the letter, calling for the withdrawal of paramilitary forces from Dandakaranya and an end to Operation Green Hunt. Naxals also sought the release of arrested Maoists and “innocent” tribals from prison unconditionally.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is, meanwhile, probing the attack and surveyed the site of May 25 Maoist attack. Further, the Defence Ministry meanwhile ruled out any Army role in fighting the Maoists and the Union Home Ministry asked the troubled states to review politicians’ security.

Another Times of India report says Maoists who planned the Darbha massacre picked their spot well as investigations have revealed that the reason why the ambush site was not sanitized ahead of a Congress leaders’ convoy passing through the area was because of a thinly spread out force. The force deployed in the area is capable of covering not more than 10km but was tasked with covering 25km. There are only two companies of the force in the region stationed at a distance of 25 km – one at Darbha and the other at Tongpal. On May 25, the handful of Security Force personnel — about 50 — guarding Congress leaders found themselves far outnumbered and outgunned by a contingent of 200-250 Maoists who fired a hail of bullets leading to 28 deaths, including eight security men. The policemen fought until all their ammunition was exhausted.

Deccan Herald reports a six-member delegation led by the Union home secretary and accompanied by the director-general of the Intelligence Bureau will go to Chhattisgarh on May 28 to review the anti-Maoist strategy. The Centre has also decided to send another 2,000 paramilitary personnel drawn from the CRPF and the Border Security Force to augment the 32,000 already present in the state to tackle the Maoists.

Bad governance cause for rising militancy in Northeast, says former Governor of Assam
The Shillong Times reports on June 3 that former Governor of Assam, Lieutenant General (retired) SK Sinha has attributed prevalence of militancy and lack of development and influx in the Northeast states as a result of bad governance. Stating that bad governance has brought upon itself troubles from various sectors, Sinha said that the growth and development of the north eastern region is hampered by bad governance, the ill effects of which is militancy and influx.

Sihna observed, “Bureaucracy has collapsed, judiciary is collapsing, police has collapsed and the army is not doing too well in particular with cases of scam and extra judiciary killings, some of which even landed in the Supreme Court.” Highlighting on the solutions to these problems, Sinha drew his attention to the Assam stating that since Assam is the gateway to the north east, it is the key solution to many problems like influx and Assam should be taken as a lesson for the north east. “Key to the solution is how we handle Assam as its population is twice the population of the north east state put together and strategically it is the heart of northeast,” he added.

Maoists avoiding use of cellphones
Realising that cellphones are turning out to be their Achilles’ heel, the Communist Party of India-Maoist cadres have now resorted to the ancient mode of communication – letters written in code words, says a top-level CIF ( Counter Insurgency Force) officer in West Bengal, reports The Times of India. Though the Security Forces (SF) are not ready to divulge details of the words they have been successful in decoding, a top-level CIF officer said the Maoist use words like ‘ilish maach’ (hisha fish) for human target and ‘trainer awaz’ (sound of the train) to indicate firing by the SFs. Further, Maoists are are frequently changing their codes and strategy. ‘Ilish maach’ three months back meant ‘human target’. But now the same word might stand for something else. “Initially, the letters seemed very irrelevant but gradually we came to understand that all the letters are written in code languages. We could decode some of them,” an officer involved in anti-Maoist operation said.

When asked about recent position of the rebels in Bengal after the Chhattisgarh massacre, a senior officer said: “Undoubtedly, there are some movements in Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore but the movements are not that strong. In fact, they are more into building organisation than countering the state force now. They are trying to avoid any kind of confrontation unless they are forced to do so”

Maoists attack police team in Chhattisgarh
Police managed to thwart an attack by Communist Party of India-Maoist in Chhattisgarh’s Rajnandgaon District on June 5, which ended with the fleeing Maoists leaving behind weapons and other supplies, reports The Hindu. Security Force (SF) personnel, who reported no damage or injuries, could not arrest any of those involved in the attack. It is suspected that at least a couple of Maoists had sustained injuries. Three rifles, some supplies and items of daily use were recovered from the spot. The incident occurred when a joint team of Police forces from the Districts of Rajnandgaon, Balod and Kanker was conducting a combing operation in the jungles of Durki hills in the Khadgaon Police Station area, Rajnandgaon SP Sanjeev Shukla told Press Trust of India. The combing operations were on for the past four days, he said.

Meanwhile, a weak database of Chhattisgarh Police on Maoist ‘commanders’ in the area have stalled investigations of National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the May 25 ambush in which 30 persons, including three senior Congress leaders, were killed Sukma District. Sources said that NIA has sought fresh photos of key suspects, including Ramana alias Ramalu Srinivas, chief of CPI-Maoist Dandakaranya special zonal committee, and Vinod, Ganpati, Jaganna and Savitri, but to no avail. They have got pictures of a few, but they are too old to be of any use, an official said.

GNLA cadres set ablaze Shillong-bound bus in Meghalaya
The Shillong Times reports that a Shillong (East Khasi Hills District) bound Meghalaya Transport Corporation (MTC) bus was set ablaze by suspected armed Garo National Liberation Army cadres in North Garo Hills District on June 5. It was at around 7.40 am that five to six suspected GNLA militants stopped the MTC bus coming from Tura at Dingrepa, nine kilometres from Bajengdoba in North Garo Hills and gave just four minutes for the passengers, mostly students, to come out of the vehicle. The militants fired in the air to force the occupants out of the bus and then set it ablaze. Empty cases of ammunition of weapons were recovered from the site after the militants fired in the air.

Police recovered a note of GNLA, written both in English and Garo, which was earlier handed over to the driver. The note, written in the letter pad of GNLA, said that the outfit resorted to violence since the Government was indifferent to its various demands. The GNLA has stepped up violence resorting to extortion and kidnapping in parts of Garo Hills. The militant outfit is on an extortion spree in Garo Hills even targeting the Government servants including Block Development Officers (BDOs) and doctors.

ANVC-B threatens to go back to the jungle if Police do not disclose their ‘chairman’s’ where abouts
The Shillong Times reports that the Breakaway faction of Achik National Volunteer Council cadres are in a state of disarray after their ‘chairman’ Rimpu Marak went ‘missing’ following a Police raid, threatening to go back to the jungle if the Police do not release their ‘chairman’ within 24 hours. In a statement issued on June 8, Doang Shira, the ‘publicity secretary’ of ANVC-B said that their ‘chairman’ has been ‘missing’ since June 5, when the Special Operation team (SOT) and other Police personnel raided a place at Babupara in West Garo Hills District between 3pm to 4pm.

According to the ‘publicity secretary’, before the incident took place, the ‘chairman’ was with two ANVC-B cadres. “After the incident, no one has seen our chairman and nobody has been able to make any contacts with him,” the ANVC-B statement said. The ‘publicity secretary’ claimed that two of their cadres were eyewitnesses to the raid carried out by the Police, but they couldn’t say anything further on what happened to the ‘chairman’ and how he disappeared from the spot.

Meanwhile, the State Police has denied any role into the alleged disappearance of ANVC-B ‘chairman’ Rimpu Marak, as claimed by the outfit. The District administration has also denied having any information on the arrest of the ANVC-B leader.

Struggle for Bodoland will continue
The All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU), which observed the 26^th Bodoland Martyrs’ Day on June 12 at Kalaigaon in Udalguri District of Assam, said it was determined to continue its struggle for a separate state of Bodoland, reports The Telegraph. ABSU urged the Central Government to take an inclusive policy decision on creation of smaller states and warned of a rigorous movement if New Delhi took an isolated decision on Telangana (Andhra Pradesh).

Addressing the gathering, ABSU ‘president’, Promod Boro said, “The struggle for Bodoland is still on. There is no question of stopping our fight for Bodoland till it is achieved. We have every right to get a separate state. Bodoland will be a reality. The government is trying to crush the Bodos’ fight for separate state through various means but ABSU is determined and we will continue with our struggle come what may.

Monthly Fatalities
The following deaths related to ongoing insurgencies and acts of terrorism occurred during the period May 26 to June 25, 2013:

	Civilian	Indian Security Personnel	Militant	Total
Assam	04	00	03	07
Meghalaya	02	00	01	03
Nagaland	01	00	00	01
Manipur	03	00	01	04
Left wing	14	05	15	34
Total	24	05	20	49

Nepal – Internal Dynamics
Looking for an alternative to the Khila Raj Regmi-led electoral government would lead to another ‘political disaster in the country, warns UCPN-M Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal

Chairman of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda on May 28 warned that looking for an alternative to the Khila Raj Regmi-led electoral government would lead to another ‘political disaster’ in the country, reports Republica. Dahal said, “It is sad and unfortunate that the same parties that signed the 11-point agreement and 25-point ordinance should be looking for an alternative to the current government.” This is not the time to be looking for an alternative to the Regmi-led government, but a time to cooperate among each other for fixing the date for fresh elections, he added.

Dahal claimed that a date for the Constituent Assembly (CA) election would be announced on May 29 (today) so that the poll could be held in the third week of November. “An agreement has been reached with the chairman to hold the fresh CA election by that time,” he said, referring to his meeting with Chairman of the Interim Election Council Khil Raj Regmi earlier in the day. Dahal said he found the government working seriously towards announcing the date for the fresh election. “Once the poll date is announced, an environment for election will be created automatically,” he further said, adding that a date for the fresh election would be announced at the earliest.

Dahal also said that though the UCPN-M does not have any reservations even if a 10 percent threshold is mandated for election under the proportional representation system, his party opposes any such threshold with a view to ensuring adequate representation of the smaller parties. He also clarified that his party has not backtracked from the previous agreement to limit the number of seats in the upcoming CA to 491.

Nepal and India agrees to share intelligence to curb terrorism
India and Nepal on June 1 agreed to exchange information to combat terrorism and curb criminal activities like human and drug trafficking and smuggling of Fake Indian Currency Note (FICN) across their open border, reports The Times of India. During the annual Home Secretary-level talks between Home Secretary R.K. Singh and Nepalese counterpart Navin Kumar Ghimire held in Kathmandu (Capital of Nepal) both sides agreed to increase vigilance and cooperation in border areas. Both parties agreed to renovate and reconstruct dilapidated border pillars and to strengthen capacity of Armed Police Force of Nepal and to expand India’s Seema Suraksha Bal (SSB) to curb cross-border criminal activities.

FDF issues 7 day ultimatum
Accusing the present Government of diluting political agendas, the Federal Democratic Forum (FDF), an alliance of two Madheshi and five Janajati parties, has threatened to take to the streets, if their concerns are not addressed within a week, MyRepublica reported on June 6. Chairman of Madhesi People’s Rights Forum (MPRF) Upendra Yadav said, “If the Interim Election Council addresses our concerns within the given deadline, it will create environment conducive to polls. If it fails to do so, we will announce breakdown of talks with the present government and take to the streets.”

The alliance has also demanded resignation of Khil Raj Regmi, the Chairman of Interim Election Council, from the post of Chief Justice saying that a single person cannot hold the posts both as the head of the government and the judiciary as it is against the democratic norms and values, principle of separation for powers and constitutional checks and balances.

Curfew imposed in Jumla District after violent clash between the cadres of NC and CPN-Maoist-Baidya
District Administration Office of Jumla District clamped curfew in Jumla headquarters since 8.30 pm of June 11 till 5 pm of June 12 owing to a violent clash between the cadres of Nepali Congress (NC) and Mohan Baidya-led Communist Party Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist-Baidya), reports Kantipuronline.com. The local administration clamped curfew to contain chaos seen in market areas and adjoining places after personal dispute between NC supporter Ghanshyam Thapa and Manoj Budha Magar of CPN-Maoist-Baidya took political turn. The administration has even directed Security Forces (SFs) to fire gunshots if necessary to contain the situation during the curfew period.

Meanwhile, High Level Political Committee (HLPC) Coordinator Jhala Nath Khanal on June 11 formally requested Chairman of Interim Election Council of Ministers Khil Raj Regmi to bring the ordinances related to Constituent Assembly (CA) elections by evaluating the suggestions of the political parties, reports The Himalayan Times. After the major political parties failed to agree on some prickly issues, including the threshold system, the HLPC had decided on June 10 to let the Government decide their fate. Khanal said after meeting Regmi that the parties would accept the Government’s decision on the disputed issues, including the threshold.

Two people including army soldier injured
Two people, including a Nepal Army (NA) soldier, were injured as unidentified gunmen opened fire at Janakpur city in Dhanusa District on June 16, reports Nepalnews.com. The motorcycle-borne gunmen shot at Shailendra Mandal (28) and NA soldier Bikash Kumar Singh (23) while they were having tea at a local eatery. Local media reported that an underground armed outfit Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha (Rajan Mukti) has said it carried out the attack. However, the group has not clarified why it attacked the duo.

Sri Lanka – Internal Dynamics

Army to remove camps in Jaffna and to establish an Army colony
Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya told The Divaina that only three camps would be kept in the Jaffna peninsula and the rest of the camps would be withdrawn, Colombo Page reported on May 25. The lands where the camps are presently established would be returned to the legal owners, the Army Commander said.

He also said that the withdrawn camps are to be relocated in the Army colony. Plans are afoot to set up a new Army colony in Jaffna peninsula. The new Army colony will be established in the Palaly area where the defense forces headquarters and the airport is situated. The Kankesanthurai naval harbor will also be established in the colony. The government has decided to acquire 6,381 hectares of the land in Jaffna that is now being used as High Security Zones (HSZs) permanently and to pay compensation to the owners of the land. The government has allocated SLR 400 million to pay the land owners. According to the government, the lands in the HSZs of Weligamam North in the Palaly and Kankasanthurai (KKS) areas are to be acquired for the expansion of the Palaly airport and the KKS harbor.

The Army Commander further said that the maintenance of law and order in relation to civil administration of the areas released for civilian activity would be the sole responsibility of the Police.

Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva and Leader of the Sri Lanka Delegation to the 23rd session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) Ravinatha Aryasinha said on May 27 that the government has established a mechanism to ensure the right of information to the relatives of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam suspects, Daily News reported. Aryasinha said that a centralized comprehensive database of detainees established by the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) of the Police with units operating around the clock in Colombo, Vavuniya and Boosa enables the Next of Kin (NoK) to receive details about those who are released from detention. Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative added that information is provided to the Next of Kin of the detainees only because they have requested that such information is not made public due to privacy concerns. “Upto now, around 3,220 inquiries have been made by the relatives to the TID alone. Of the 2,729 complaints recorded, investigations into 1,628 investigations have been completed while investigations into 1,101 investigations were in progress as of February 2013”, he said. Aryasinghe added that a special committee has been appointed to look into the cases where suspects remain in custody pending indictment. “In order to file cases against the suspects that remain in remand custody pending indictment, a special committee has been appointed to look into their cases,” he added. He further added that the scope of this committee is to review and advise further course of action to be taken against these suspects, including the possibility of release of suspects following rehabilitation.

Sri Lanka’s economic development closely linked to reconciliation: President
Addressing the opening ceremony of the Global Services Forum Beijing Summit in Beijing (China), President Mahinda Rajapaksa on May 29 explained how Sri Lanka’s economic development initiatives are closely linked to the reconciliation process undertaken by his administration, reports Daily News. “Many leaders across the world acknowledge that economic disparities are a source for internal conflicts. Aware of this fact, we in Sri Lanka are working hard to ensure that all the citizens of our country get equal economic opportunities.”

Meanwhile, Tissa Attanayake, General Secretary of main opposition United National Party (UNP), criticized Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s statement on the holding of provincial council elections in Northern Province, Colombo Page reported on May 29. Attanayake observed that Rajapaksa has breached the role of a public servant by stating that holding the Northern Provincial Council election would pose a threat to national security. Explaining that public officials are prohibited to make statements regarding policy matters, Attanayake said it was up to the government in power to make such statements and that Rajapaksa’s comment is a violation of the code of conducts that govern public servants.

Northern people fear terrorism and want Army to stay, says Vanni Security Forces Commander Major General Boniface Perera
Vanni Security Forces Commander and Officer-in-Charge of Displaced Persons Major General Boniface Perera has said that civilians living in the Northern Province do not want the Army to be removed from the Northern Province, Daily News reported on May 30. “The people do not want the Army to be removed from the Northern Province as they think they will have to face another appalling situation similar to what they experienced during the war period,” he added. The civilians are dealing with the Army in a very friendly manner. The Sri Lanka Army has already become one of the main contributors of the development process in the Northern Province. Civilians in the North want to assist development by joining with the Army, Major General Perera said.

The government has already resettled war affected persons in the Northern Province and it has given priority to the Northern Province development projects. In such a situation, certain elements such as the Udayan newspaper and other organizations are trying to divide Sri Lanka again. “They are working according to an agenda of the Tamil Diaspora. People who failed to win the Eelam war through terrorism are now trying to win it by dividing Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims by publishing such articles which arouse communal hatred,” Major General Perera said.

Major General Perera was reacting to an article published in Udayan on May 26 in which the newspaper questioned why the government acquires public lands privately if 14 army camps out of 17 in Jaffna are to be shifted to the Palali High Security Zone. Commenting specifically on this report, Perera said: “When we look at these facts we can clearly see that these allegations are baseless. We have never acquired any land in the Northern Province after 2009. If anyone says someone has acquired public lands in the Northern Province after defeating terrorism and if they are ready to give information on who had done it and when and where, we are ready investigate into the incident,” he said.

Buddhist monks commemorate 26^th Anniversary of LTTE massacre of 31 in Ampara District
Hundreds of Buddhist monks in Colombo on June 2 commemorated the massacre of 33 Buddhist monks in Aranthalawa area of Ampara District of Eastern Province by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on June 2, 1987, reports Colombo Page. LTTE brutally hacked to death and shot 33 Buddhist monks, most of them novice monks as young as 8 years old when they were in a bus heading to Kandy city of Central Province.

Meanwhile, President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Badulla District of Uva Province on June 2 said that recalling atrocities perpetrated by LTTE terrorists in the past was not intended to sow seeds of hatred in society, but to ensure that such a gruesome period will not be repeated in the future, reports Daily News. He said “We should tell the younger generation that the country faced such a gruesome period in the past in order to avert such situations in the future through forging closer and amicable ties between communities.”

Three LTTE cadres suspected of blowing up a train 17 years ago get prison sentences
Colombo High Court on June 4 sentenced three Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam cadres suspected of blowing up a train 17 years ago killing 66 people, reports Colombo Page. Colombo High Court Judge Kumudini Wickremasinghe sentenced two of the suspects – Saverimuttu Loganathan and Robert Maxillan to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment while the female suspect, Siththira enam Thirumagal alias Ramani to five years of rigorous imprisonment. The suspects were accused of placing two bombs in two carriages of a highly crowded train and detonating it while stopped at the Dehiwala station in Colombo on July 24, 1996. The attack killed 66 people and injured over 400 people.

Meanwhile, the Government decided on June 4 to appoint the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) proposed some time ago to work out political proposals for the resolution of the national question, reports Daily Mirror. The decision was taken at a meeting with the leaders of the ruling party’s allies. The PSC proposed some time back could not be appointed because the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) declined to participate in it. However, it was decided at the meeting chaired by President Mahinda Rajapaksa that it would be appointed whether or not all parties agreed to participate in it. Accordingly, the Government will consult Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa to take the necessary steps in this respect.

Dangerous to hold NPC elections with land and Police powers as TNA still harbors separatist line, says Deputy Minister of Investment Promotion Faizer Mustapha
Faizer Mustapha, the Deputy Minister of Investment Promotion, on June 12 said that it is dangerous to hold election to the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) with land and Police powers since the major Tamil party, Tamil National Alliance (TNA), still harbors a separatist line, reports Colombo Page. The Deputy Minister joined by Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) Batticaloa organizer, Arun Thambimuttu, told the media that the provinces did not need land and Police powers. Mustapha and Thambimuttu said the provincial council system was a white elephant and land and Police powers allocated to the provinces under the 13^th Amendment should be repealed before the NPC election. According to Mustapha, if Police powers were granted to the provincial councils it would interfere with the independence of the Police.

Meanwhile, leader of Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) and Senior Cabinet Minister Tissa Vitharana on June 12 said that 13^th Amendment to the Constitution needs to be changed, reports Daily News. The Minister said the shortcomings in the Amendment should not be a reason to postpone the NPC election to be held in September. He maintained, although the 13^th Amendment needs change, any modification to it is not a prerequisite to hold elections in the North. He said, “Shortcomings in the 13^th Amendment to the Constitution can be addressed through consensus arrived at by political representatives of all the political parties represented in Parliament. President Mahinda Rajapaksa promised to do it through a proposed Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) process.”

Keep close watch on LTTE activities in Germany: External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris
External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris, during his bilateral discussions in Berlin with Dr. Guido Westerwelle, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany on June 14 urged Germany to keep a close watch on the several Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam front organisations in Germany, breaching the European Union proscription, reports Daily Mirror. The Minister said according to information available to Sri Lankan authorities, there were a substantial number of schools operating in Germany by these groups for propaganda and fund raising purposes.

Meanwhile, Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Rajitha Senaratne addressing a press briefing held in Colombo on June 14 said that he was ready to sacrifice his cabinet portfolio to stop further reducing the powers devolved to the provinces through the 13^th Amendment to the Constitution, reports Colombo Page. The Minister said that he would not change his position on the 13^th Amendment. He further said that the Government would be defeated before the international forces unless it fails to stop the moves to further curtail the powers of the provincial councils. The Minister also rejected the proposals for a referendum on the 13^th Amendment to the Constitution.

Further, the Central Committee of Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the main coalition party of ruling alliance on June 13 decided to hold the elections in September for three provincial councils. The Government will schedule elections in September for the Northern Provincial Council, Northwestern Provincial Council and the Central Provincial Council. SLFP Central Committee that met under the auspices of party leader President Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed three committees to handle the party organizational work in the three provincial councils. The committee for the Northern Provincial Council is headed by the secretary of the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Minister Susil Prema Jayantha while UPFA Vice Secretary Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva will head the committee for the Central Provincial Council. The committee for the Northwestern Provincial Council is headed by General Secretary of SLFP Minister Maithripala Sirisena.

INTERNATIONAL

Iran fields ‘massive’ number of missile launchers
Iran has fielded a “massive” number of new long-range missile launchers, state TV reported Sunday, May 26.

The new weapon components delivered to Iranian military units would allow them to “crush the enemy” with the mass simultaneous fire of long-range surface-to-surface missiles, Defence Minister Gen. Ahmad Vahidi was quoted as saying.

TV showed footage of him inspecting two dozen launch trucks without missiles at an outdoor site. The report did not specify the type of missile that would be fired, nor more details on the number of launchers deployed.

Some of Iran’s surface-to-surface missiles are estimated to have ranges of over 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles), capable of hitting its arch-foe Israel and the U.S. bases in the region.

Vahidi did not specify who was the “enemy” and said Iran would never start a war.

Iran considers both the United States and Israel as enemies. Both have not ruled out a military option against Iran’s nuclear facilities, which the West suspects are aimed at weapons development. Iran denies the charge. From time to time Iran announces military achievements that cannot be independently verified. Facing a Western military embargo, Iran is pursuing a program for military self-sufficiency, producing weapons ranging from light submarines and jet fighters to torpedoes and missiles.—AP

Rockets hit Hezbollah heartland in Beirut
Four people were wounded on Sunday, May 26 when two rockets exploded in the Hezbollah heartland of south Beirut, a Lebanese security source said. It was the first time the Lebanese capital’s southern suburbs have been targeted during the two-year-old conflict in neighbouring Syria, where Hezbollah has thrown its military might into the regime’s fight against rebels seeking to topple President Bashar al-Assad.

Sunday’s blasts came just hours after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed “victory” in Syria. Nasrallah said Hezbollah would always stand by its ally Assad and his regime, stressing that its own interests were at stake.

Both rockets hit the Al-Shayyah area of Beirut.

The security source said the four wounded in the showroom were all Syrian workers. An AFP journalist said the second rocket hit an apartment block and caused widespread damage but no casualties.

The fighting in Lebanon has already spilled over into the country’s second city, the northern port of Tripoli, where 30 people have been killed in a week of clashes between pro-Assad Alawites and pro-rebel Sunni Muslims. Most of the fighting in Tripoli has been between residents of the Sunni district of Bab el-Tabbaneh and Alawite residents of Jabal Mohsen. The rebels battling the Syrian regime are mainly Sunnis. Assad belongs to the Alawite sect which is an offshoot of Shia Islam.

Fight against terrorism: UK’s Muslim groups urge consultation
Leading British Islamic groups have urged the government to consult Muslims over plans for combating extremism, warning that knee-jerk policies risk exacerbating the problem and damaging social cohesion.

The home affairs minister, Theresa May, has proposed a series of measures to address the radicalisation of Muslims, including new controls on the internet and the banning of groups preaching hate.

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB)—which described the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich, south-east London, last week as “a horrific instance of extremism”—said that while a new and effective strategy was needed, it must not be rushed through at the expense of British Muslims or society at large.

The MCB also argued that Muslims were not alone in the scrutiny they were receiving in the wake of the Woolwich killing: the media and the state security services also had questions to answer. Not only had Muslims “declared loudly and clearly that this murder was not in our name”, said the MCB, the council had also spoken out against the former leader of banned Islamic group Al Muhajiroun, Anjem Choudary, for “stoking sectarian tension on the streets of Britain” and expressed exasperation that “his extremism is given a platform and airtime”.

In a pointed reference to concerns over what the security services knew about those suspected of killing Rigby, the council added: “Details of this murder and the motivation of the assailants are still emerging. Questions will no doubt be asked about how these individuals arrived at their most destructive point and why; worries will be expressed about how they slipped through the net of the security services while within their radar.” Calling for leadership in combating “the challenge of civic apathy” and increase political engagement, the MCB also reminded the government of its duty to fight the rightwing extremists.

Threat to blow up PIA plane: Bail plea of two rejected
A judge has denied bail to two British nationals of Pakistani origin who allegedly threatened to blow up a PIA plane flying from Lahore to Manchester.

Tayyab Subhani, 30, and Mohammed Safdar, 41, were arrested on Friday, May 25 after their PIA flight was diverted to London’s Stansted Airport with a Royal Air Force fighter jet in tow.

The pair appeared on Monday, May 27 at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court in eastern England charged with endangering the operation of an aircraft. They spoke only to confirm their names and addresses but their lawyers said they would deny the charge. They are expected back in court on Aug 5 to make a formal plea.

Safdar, a father-of-three, and Subhani, both were remanded in custody.

Wave of attacks kills 58 in Iraq
Attacks in the Baghdad area and northern Iraq killed 58 people on Monday, May 27 the latest in a wave of violence that has raised fears of a return to sectarian conflict in the country. The unrest, including bombings in Baghdad that mainly targeted Shia areas, comes at a time of heightened tensions in Iraq, with the Sunni minority accusing the government of marginalising and targeting their community.

With the new attacks, nearly 1,000 people have been killed in Iraq in less than two months — a bloody wave of unrest Iraqi authorities have so far failed to stem. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the latest attacks, but Sunni militants linked to Al Qaeda often set off coordinated explosions, in particular targeting Shiites whom they regard as apostates, in a bid to foster tensions and undermine confidence in the security forces.

More than a dozen bombings in and around Baghdad killed at least 55 people and wounded 187, security and medical officials said.

Two of the blasts, both involving vehicles rigged with explosives, went off near used car dealerships in Habibiyah, destroying dozens of cars as Iraq’s national football team were playing Liberia in a friendly at Shaab stadium a short distance away. After the second explosion, fans watching the match erupted into screams of “La ilaha ila Allah”, or “There is no God, but God,” an AFP journalist at the stadium said, and many tried to look over the stadium’s outer wall to see where the blasts had taken place.

The areas of northern Iraq where the attacks occurred are home to substantial populations of Sunni Arabs, the community that has for months held demonstrations against alleged government targeting and discrimination. Analysts say government policies that have disenfranchised minority community, coupled with authorities’ refusal to make any major concessions to the protesters, have given militant groups fuel and room to maneuvers among the disillusioned community.

IAEA not hopeful of finding anything at Iran’s N-plant
The UN atomic agency’s chief inspector said on Wednesday, May 29 that it may now not find any evidence of nuclear weapons research at Iran’s Parchin base because of a clean-up by Tehran, according to diplomats. The comments from Herman Nackaerts came as he showed member states of the International Atomic Energy Agency new satellite imagery of the military site near Tehran at a closed-door briefing in Vienna, the envoys said.

Nackaerts “said that they can find evidence of nuclear material but he also said that it was possible they might not because of the clean-up,” one diplomat from a non-western country on condition of anonymity.

Another two diplomats said this was the first time that Nackaerts, who is retiring in September, had said this.

Previously the IAEA has said that work seen from space at Parchin, including moving large quantities of earth, has “seriously undermined (its) ability to conduct effective verification.” The agency says that these “extensive activities” began in January 2012 — after seven years of virtually no activity — in and around a building containing a “large containment vessel” it had identified the previous March. It still wants to visit, however, believing it may still be able to find evidence of nuclear materials, and experts believe removing radioactive traces is impossible.

“The chances of wiping out all traces are slim,” one senior western diplomat said earlier this week.

Information that the IAEA says was provided to it by member states indicated that Iran used the vessel for “hydrodynamic experiments”, which would be “strong indicators of possible nuclear weapon development”.

Iran denies ever having conducted nuclear weapons research, including at Parchin, and says that as a non-nuclear site the IAEA has no right to demand inspections there. It is also highly sensitive to allowing outsiders access to a military base. It also says that the agency visited twice in 2005 and that evidence of any clean-up is “childish”, but the IAEA says more information made available to it since then makes it wants to go back. The allegations concerning Parchin form part of a major report issued by the IAEA in November 2011 summarising information of suspected nuclear weapons research that it had been given.

Iran complains that most of the IAEA’s findings are based on intelligence from the likes of the CIA and Israel’s Mossad, intelligence that it complains it has not been allowed to see. It says it will only agree to grant access to Parchin as part of a “structured approach” deal covering all issues, but IAEA head Yukiya Amano called in March on Iran to let it into Parchin without waiting for this wider accord.

All govts hack secret data, says official
Using the Internet to spy and steal sensitive data is standard practice by all countries, according to the security chief of controversial Chinese telecoms giant Huawei. The comments published on Wednesday, May 29 follow allegations that Chinese hackers gained access to secret designs for a slew of sophisticated US weapons programmes, and stole the blueprints for Australia’s new intelligence agency headquarters. John Suffolk, a former chief information officer with the British government and now head of security operations at Huawei, said he was not surprised by claims of international hacking.

“Governments have always done that,” he told the Australian Financial Review, adding that the “harsh reality is every government around the world has a similar strap-line for their security agencies”.

“Some people say that spying is the second-oldest profession, where people have tried to get information off us for somebody else, so I don’t think anyone is surprised that any government around the world is trying to find out what other governments around the world are doing.

“Governments have to really focus on what quiet steps they’re going to take, accepting no government will really trust 100 percent another government, regardless of the laws, the policies and procedures,” he added.

Confirming a Washington Post story, US officials said on Tuesday that Chinese hackers had breached networks containing designs for an array of advanced US weapons projects, from stealth-fighter jets to missile defence systems.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said documents taken in a cyber hit on the spy headquarters included cable layouts for the security and communications systems, its floor plan and its server locations.—AFP

Emergency in Kyrgyzstan after demos turn violent
Kyrgyzstan declared on Friday, May 31 a state of emergency after bloody clashes between security forces and protestors over the arrests of dozens of demonstrators who cut off power to a Canadian-owned gold mine they want nationalised.

Prosecutors said that 92 people were arrested when security forces moved in to disperse the protest over the Kumtor mine, retake control of an electrical substation and dismantle their tents. But this in turn sparked a new protest on Friday morning as thousands of locals began a march to call for the release of those detained, clashing with security forces who fired tear gas and rubber bullets.

At least 55 people, including a dozen members of the security forces, were wounded, the health ministry said in a statement. The protestors then marched again on the Tamga substation and without resistance again switched off the power.

The protestors are demanding the nationalisation of the Kumtor mine which has been wholly owned by the Canadian mining group Centerra Gold since it started operations in 1997. Kyrgyzstan President Almazbek Atambayev on Friday declared a state of emergency in the Dzheti-Ogyzsky district of the northern Issyk Kul region where the mine and electrical substation are located. The state of emergency will last until June 10 and a curfew will last from 9 pm to 6 am local time, the presidency said.

Hundreds of people late Thursday stormed the local substation that supplies the high-altitude mine and cut off the electricity. Centerra Gold said its production at the mine, which is one of resource-poor Kyrgyzstan’s biggest assets, has been temporarily halted as a result.

Attack on US in ‘everyone’s reach’, says Al Qaeda leader
Al Qaeda’s military chief in Yemen warned Americans in an audio message posted online on Sunday, June 2 that the Boston bombings revealed a fragile security as he urged Muslims to defend their religion. Qassim al-Rimi, the military chief of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, said making bombs such as the ones used in the twin blasts in Boston in April, is within “everyone’s reach”.

“The Boston events… and the poisoned letters (sent to the White House), regardless of who is behind them, show that your security is no longer under control, and that attacks on you have taken off and cannot be stopped,” he said, in the message entitled: “A letter to the American people.” “Every day you will be hit by the unexpected and your leaders will not be able to defend you,” warned the man whose organisation is considered by Washington the world’s most dangerous Al Qaeda branch.

Rimi said the killing of Al Qaeda’s founder Osama bin Laden in May 2011 and top Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki in September 2011, had not ended the struggle. To the Muslims in the United States, he said: “We encourage you to carry on with this way, be steadfast in your religion. Carry out your obligations, defend your religion and follow in the footsteps of those who supported their religion and Ummah (Muslim nation) while they are in their enemy’s den,” he said.

Two brothers, 19-year-old Dzhokhar and 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev, are accused of being behind the April 15 attack near the finish line of the Boston Marathon that killed three people and wounded more than 260. Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed in a shootout with police, and Dzhokhar was captured and taken into custody after an extensive manhunt.

Court bans Iran’s state-owned newspaper
Iranian media say that a court has imposed a six-month publishing ban on a state-owned newspaper for its allegedly false reporting. The semi-official Mehr news agency reported on Sunday, June 2 the suspension of IRAN, which is under the administration of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and is seen to express views close to his.

The semi-official Fars also reported the ban. The agencies did not say which report triggered the ban. Calls to IRAN were not immediately returned.

Conservative hard-liners who control many state institutions have been hammering at Ahmadinejad and his allies ahead of the June election, which decides on the president’s successor. Ahmadinejad fell out with conservatives in 2011, after he challenged the authority of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters.

14 travellers shot dead in Iraq
Gunmen ambushed a group of travellers at a fake checkpoint at a remote desert site in western Iraq on Wednesday, June 5 and killed at least 14 of them, according to Iraqi officials, in what appeared to be the latest blow in sectarian violence gripping the country. The gunmen, apparently looking for Shiites to kill, struck near the town of Nukhaib.

The town, near the site of a deadly 2011 ambush, sits at a desert crossroads west of the holy city of Karbala.

The assailants manning the fake highway checkpoint checked the identities of travellers, presumably to identify their sect based on their names, according to officials.

Police said they found blood-stained IDs on the ground identifying some of the dead as coming from Karbala, 100kms south of Baghdad.

Officials said the 14 victims of Wednesday’s attack were shot in the head. They said the dead included police and soldiers, as well as civilian residents of the overwhelmingly Shiite Karbala.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information to reporters.

US security agency collecting phone records of millions
The National Security Agency (NSA) of the United States is currently collecting the telephone records of millions of customers of Verizon, one of the country’s largest telecoms providers, under a top secret court order issued in April. The order requires Verizon on an “ongoing, daily basis” to give the NSA information on all telephone calls in its systems, both within the US and between the US and other countries.

The document shows for the first time that under the Obama administration the communication records of millions of US citizens are being collected indiscriminately and in bulk – regardless of whether they are suspected of any wrongdoing. The secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (Fisa) granted the order to the FBI on April 25, giving the government unlimited authority to obtain the data for a specified three-month period ending on July 19.

Under the terms of the blanket order, the numbers of both parties on a call are handed over, as is location data, call duration, unique identifiers, and the time and duration of all calls. The contents of the conversation itself are not covered. The disclosure is likely to reignite a long-standing debate in the US over the proper extent of the government’s domestic spying powers.

Under the Bush administration, officials in security agencies had disclosed to reporters the large-scale collection of call records data by the NSA, but this is the first time significant and top-secret documents have revealed the continuation of the practice on a massive scale under President Obama.

The unlimited nature of the records being handed over to the NSA is extremely unusual. Fisa court orders typically direct the production of records pertaining to a specific named target who is suspected of being an agent of a terrorist group or foreign state, or a finite set of individually named targets.

The court order expressly bars Verizon from disclosing to the public either the existence of the FBI’s request for its customers’ records, or the court order itself. The order, signed by Judge Roger Vinson, compels Verizon to produce to the NSA electronic copies of “all call detail records or ‘telephony metadata’ created by Verizon for communications between the United States and abroad” or “wholly within the United States, including local telephone calls”.

It is not known whether Verizon is the only cell-phone provider to be targeted with such an order, although previous reporting has suggested the NSA has collected cell records from all major mobile networks. It is also unclear from the leaked document whether the three-month order was a one-off, or the latest in a series of similar orders.

Obama’s drone policy not clear: UN expert
A UN human rights expert who has constantly decried US drone attacks inside Pakistan said on Friday, June 7 that President Obama’s speech on counter-terrorism needs to be further understood to clear a transparency gap. Ben Emmerson, wrapping up a visit to Washington, said in a press statement that some important questions remain unanswered. “I will be engaging with the (Obama) administration over the coming months in an effort to further narrow the transparency gap. I very much hope that this engagement will bear fruit, and I will be reporting the results of the process in due course to the UN General Assembly.”

In his speech at the NDU last month, Obama said that as part of a realignment of counter-terrorism policy, he would curtail the use of drones, recommit to closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and seek new limits on his own war power. He said the speech was a critical document mapping out the parameters of US counter-terrorism policy going forward, and is to be welcomed as “a significant step towards greater transparency and accountability.”

Four arrested over blaze at London Islamic school
Four teenagers have been arrested in connection with a fire at an Islamic boarding school in London, police said on Monday, June 9 as they stepped up patrols around Muslim sites in the capital. The blaze was the second suspicious fire at an Islamic institution in London following the brutal May 22 killing of a soldier near his barracks in Woolwich. Two converts to Islam have been charged with the murder. A blaze was reported late on Saturday at the Darul Uloom Islamic High School in the southeast London suburb of Chislehurst.

Two people aged 18 and two aged 17 were arrested on suspicion of arson late on Sunday and taken to a south London police station. They remained in custody on Monday.

The fire caused minor damage to a building at the #3,000-a-year ($4,650, 3,500 euros) school and some 128 pupils and staff were evacuated.

Two people were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation but did not need to go to hospital.

Police say there has been a rise in “Islamophobic crime” since soldier Lee Rigby was hacked to death.

Egypt cuts ties with Syrian govt
Egypt’s Islamist president announced on Saturday, June 15 that he was cutting off diplomatic relations with Syria and closing Damascus’ embassy in Cairo, decisions made amid growing calls from hard-line Sunni clerics in Egypt and elsewhere to launch a “holy war” against Syria’s embattled regime.

Mohammed Morsi told thousands of supporters at a rally in Cairo that his government was also withdrawing the Egyptian charge d’affaires from Damascus. He called on Lebanon’s Hezbollah to leave Syria, where the Iranian-backed Shiite militant group has been fighting alongside troops loyal to embattled President Bashar Assad against the mostly Sunni rebels. Assad’s regime, he said, will have no place in the future of Syria after committing what Morsi called “horrors” against its people.

Morsi’s address, particularly his call on Hezbollah to leave Syria, and the fiery rhetoric used by well-known Muslim clerics this weekend point to the increasing perception of the Syrian conflict as sectarian. At least 93,000 people have been killed since turmoil there began more than two years ago.

The rally that Morsi addressed on Saturday was called for by hardline Islamists loyal to the Egyptian president to show solidarity with the people of Syria. Morsi addressed the rally after several hardline Islamist clerics spoke, all of whom called on him to do everything he could to help the Syrian rebels. Those attending the rally, about 20,000, chanted for solidarity with the Syrians, but occasionally deviated to shout slogans in support of Morsi.

The Egyptian president picked up a flag of the Syrian revolution and another of Egypt and waved them to the crowd as he entered the indoor stadium in a Cairo suburb.

Morsi also used the occasion to warn his opponents at home against the use of violence in mass protests planned for June 30, the anniversary of his assumption to power. Before he spoke, one hardline cleric, Mohammed Abdel-Maqsoud, recited an often repeated Muslim prayer against the “enemies” of God and Islam but used it to refer to the June 30 protesters.

The climate in the Cairo indoor stadium where the rally was held appeared to further entrench the division of Egypt into two camps: one led by Morsi, his Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist groups, and the other grouping the secular and liberal opposition together with moderate Muslims, minority Christians and a large percentage of women.

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.