Special Emphasis on Terrorism (Aug-2018)

Terrorist Activities in Pakistan

Suicide Bombings
At least 20 persons, including Awami National Party (ANP) leader Haroon Bilour, were killed in a suicide blast which targeted an election gathering of ANP in Yakatoot area of Peshawar in the night of July 10, reports, Dawn. The blast took place when Haroon Bilour, who was contesting elections from PK-78 constituency, arrived at the site where the ANP workers had gathered for a corner meeting. Bilour suffered serious injuries and was shifted to the hospital where he succumbed to his wounds. Peshawar Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Qazi Jameel said that more than 30 people were injured in the explosion. Mohammad Khurasani, the spokesperson of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility of the blast. Haroon Bilour was the son of senior ANP leader Bashir Ahmed Bilour who was killed when a TTP suicide bomber blew himself up in a party meeting in Peshawar on December 22, 2012.

A suicide bomber targeting a political rally of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) on July 13 killed at least 128 people and injured over 200 others in Dringarh village of Mastung District, reports The Express Tribune. Among those slain was the candidate for Province Balochistan 35 (PB -35 (Mastung) Siraj Raisani, whose elder brother Nawab Aslam Raisani had served as the Balochistan Chief Minister (CM) from 2008 to 2013. Provincial Information Minister Malik Khurram Shahzad confirmed the attack was a suicide blast and added that the bomber detonated in the middle of a compound where the political meeting was taking place. Most of the victims were resident of Kanak and Dringarh who had invited Raisani to announce their support for him. “Siraj was attending the corner meeting in Dringarh, was about to step on to the stage to address party workers when the suicide bomber, disguised as a political worker blew himself up,” Mastung District Collector (DC) Qaim Lashari said. According to the bomb disposal squad (BDS), up to 15kg of explosive material was used causing a large number of victims as the corner meeting was packed with people. Islamic State (IS) claimed the responsibility of the attack. Meanwhile, the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) ‘Ghazi force Lal Masjid’ wing in a WhatsApp massage also claimed responsibility for the attack.

A Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate and his driver were killed by a suicide bomber at Kulachi area of Dera Ismail Khan District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on July 22, reports Daily Times. PTI candidate was identified as Ikramullah Gandapur. The deceased was contesting the upcoming polls from PK-99 constituency. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack.

At least 28 persons, including five Policemen and two minors, were killed and 30 injured in a suicide attack near a school area in the Bhosa Mandi area on the Eastern Bypass of Quetta on July 25, reports The Express Tribune. The attack targeted the convoy of Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Abdul Razzaq Cheema, who remained unhurt in the attack while Station House Officer (SHO) Bhosa Mandi succumbed to his injuries. Province Balochistan 31 (PB-31) and National Assembly – 266 (NA-266) fall in this constituency. The causality figure might rise as the story is a developing.

Bomb/IED attacks
Three employees of an oil and gas company were killed and five others injured in a landmine blast in the Toba Nokhani area of Dera Bugti District in Balochistan on July 3, reports Dawn. The victims were doing a survey to explore oil and gas reservoirs in the Dera Bugti area when their vehicle ran over the landmine, said Levies officials. The deceased were identified as Abid Hussain, Akhtar Jan and Zakria Khan. After their funeral at Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) office, the bodies were sent to their native towns in Sindh and Punjab provinces. The injured namely Ali Abbas, Mohammad Waqas, Akmal Khan, Hafeez-ur- Rehman and Sanaullah were being treated at Dera Bugti where their condition was said to be stable.

At least 10 persons were injured in a blast at the election office of a Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) candidate in Razmak tehsil (revenue unit) of North Waziristan District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on July 3, reports Dawn. “A huge explosion happened when I was inaugurating my election office in Razmak city,” Malik Aurangzeb Khan, PTI’s candidate from NA-48 in the region bordering Afghanistan. “At least 10 people were injured in the blast,” he said, adding that he could not confirm the nature of the explosion.

At least seven people including the candidate of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) were injured when a bomb kept at a motor cycle exploded near his convoy in Bannu on July 7, reports Dawn. According to police, the MMA’s candidate from the PK-89 constituency, Sherin Malik was campaigning for elections in Takhti Kheil area of Bannu.

At least two persons were injured in a blast near the election office of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) in Khuzdar town on July 12, reports Dawn. According to Police, unidentified persons targeted the campaign office of Agha Shakeel Durrani, the leader of BAP contesting elections from Khuzdar. The blast was reportedly followed by intense firing. Balochistan Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohsin Butt said terrorists are planning to sabotage election activities in the province.

At least four persons were killed and 32 others were injured in a bomb blast near the convoy of former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister (CM) Akram Khan Durrani in Haved Bazaar of Bannu town in same District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on July 13, reports Dawn. Durrani, who was heading back from an election rally near North Waziristan District, remained safe in the remote-control blast, District Police Officer (DPO), Bannu, Khurram Rasheed said. Durrani who had served as Federal Minister for Housing & Works under Nawaz Sharif Government (2013-18), iscontesting the election on Province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (PK-35) Bannu against Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on a Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) ticket. The attack was claimed by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Targetted Killings
Unidentified assailants shot dead a political activist, Qari Said Ala, from Landi Kotal (Khyber District) on Nasir Bagh Road in Peshawar reports Dawn. Family sources said that Qari Said Alam along with his two other companions was coming from their house near Regi Lalma to Karkhano Market when their car was attacked by unidentified assailants riding on a motorcycle near Nasir Bagh Police Station. He was killed on the spot as he was hit in the head and face, while his companion Fahad was injured in the attack. Said Alam was affiliated with Al-Haj Karawan, a non-political organisation of former Member of National Assembly (MNA) from Khyber Haji Shahji Gul who is contesting the July 25 elections as an independent candidate. He was considered a close aide of Shahji Gul and was running his election campaign. During his recent speeches, he had hinted about the threats he was receiving. He was a theology teacher in a Government school.

Four persons including three Security Force (SF) personnel were killed when an Army protection party escorting polling staff was targeted near Pak-Iran border at Dashtak village of Kech District in Balochistan on July 25, reports The News. According to Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the incident took place in Dashtak area when the military protection party providing security to polling staff of NA-271 was ambushed. Three Army soldiers and a polling staff were killed.

Miscellaneous
According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Security Forces (SFs) on June 28 conducted an intelligence-based operation in Sibi town of same District in Balochistan and arrested five suspected militants, reports Daily Times. Weapons and communication devices were recovered from the militants.

According to Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that Security Forces (SFs) conducted a search operation in Ladha village of Patwelai in South Waziristan District on June 28 and recovered a cache of arms and ammunition, reports The Nation. The recovery includes a huge hoard of anti-tank mines, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), 81 mortar bombs, seven rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), a large quantity of ammunition of 12.7 mm, grenades, detonating cords, and accessories of various weapons.

Meanwhile, the SFs conducted Intelligence-based Operations (IBOs) in Gharlamai area of North Waziristan District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on June 28 and recovered arms, ammunition, and explosives hidden underground.

Security Forces (SFs) on July 1 conducted an Intelligence Based Operation (IBO) in North Waziristan District and recovered a cache of ammunition, The Nation reported on July 2 quoting Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement. In the operation the SFs recovered weapons and ammunition, including rockets, fuses, sub machine and heavy machine guns, ISPR statement further read.

Four militants were killed in a gun battle with Security Forces (SFs) during an operation in the Nallah Ziarat area of Awaran District in Balochistan on July 16, reports Dawn. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the SFs launched the operation on information about the presence of militants in the area. When the SFs reached the area, the militants opened fire on the personnel from their hideouts. A heavy exchange of fire resulted in the death of four militants. Arms and ammunition were also seized from the hideouts.

Meanwhile, SFs foiled a terror attempt and seized a cache of arms and ammunition during intelligence-based operations from the Kalqari Daman and Gazi areas of Sibi District on July 16, reports Dawn.

Separately, SFs seized a cache of arms and ammunition, including eight kilograms explosive materials, 15 detonators and several large and small machine guns, from Eastern Bypass area of Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, reports Dawn.

A Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) candidate for a National Assembly seat from Attock, Sheikh Aftab Ahmed, survived an attack as unidentified assailants opened fire on his vehicle at Kamra area of Attock District in Punjab in the night of July 16, reports Dawn. Sources close to the PML-N candidate said that Mr Ahmed’s car came under attack when he was returning home in Attock city after addressing a corner meeting in connection with his election campaign at Kamra. The attacker fled the scene taking advantage of the darkness.

Security Forces (SFs) on July 17 apprehended five alleged terrorists and their facilitators during search operations, launched under Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad, across Punjab, reports The Express Tribune. Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Punjab Rangers, Police and intelligence agencies carried out raids in different parts of the province and arrested five suspected terrorists and their facilitators. The search operations were carried out in Attock, Sialkot, Lahore, Mianwali and Faisalabad. The five men were arrested from Dera Ghazi Khan. SFs also nabbed 24 suspects along with illegal weapons in Lahore.

Levies personnel found four mutilated bodies of unidentified persons in the Prom area of Panjgur District of Balochistan, close to the Pak-Iran border, on July 18, reports Dawn. Levies officials said a shepherd had informed them about the bodies lying in the mountainous area. The corpses were shifted to Panjgur district hospital. “The bodies were lying in one grave and are very old, beyond recognition,” a senior Levies officer said.

A worker Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Rehmat Ali, got injured in the night of July 18 in a firing incident at the PTI office near Daud Chowrangi in Quaidabad area of Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, reports Daily Times. The authorities claimed that the shooter, Anwar Ali, belonged to the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and succeeded to escape. A submachine gun and two magazines were recovered from the site of the incident, Police informed.

Customs authorities seized a cache of arms from a truck at Torkham border crossing on Pak-Afghan border in Khyber District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on July 16, reports Dawn. Officials said that a truck carrying fresh vegetables and steel scrap had arrived at the border point from Afghanistan and was parked at the customs terminal for customs clearance. The customs staff during examination spotted some arms packed in gunny bags concealed in hidden cavities of the vehicle. Officials said that upon opening of the bags, they found 305 repeater guns which they immediately seized. Driver of the vehicle managed to escape while his assistant was taken into custody and the vehicle was also impounded.

A Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) candidate for a National Assembly seat from Attock, Sheikh Aftab Ahmed, survived an attack as unidentified assailants opened fire on his vehicle at Kamra area of Attock District in Punjab in the night of July 16, reports Dawn. Sources close to the PML-N candidate said that Mr. Ahmed’s car came under attack when he was returning home in Attock city after addressing a corner meeting in connection with his election campaign at Kamra. The attacker fled the scene taking advantage of the darkness.

The house of a senior leader of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), Abdul Ghafoor Hoat, was attacked by unidentified assailants in Gwadar town of same District in Balochistan on July 17, reports Dawn. According to sources, Abdul Ghafoor Hoat was inside the house when unidentified assailants fired shots at his house. However, Abdul Ghafoor Hoat and other people in the house remained unhurt in the attack.

A worker Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Rehmat Ali, got injured in the night of July 18 in a firing incident at the PTI office near Daud Chowrangi in Quaidabad area of Karachi, reports Daily Times. The authorities claimed that the shooter, Anwar Ali, belonged to the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and succeeded to escape. A submachine gun and two magazines were recovered from the site of the incident, Police informed.

Security Forces (SFs) on July 20 claimed of killing Mufti Hidayatullah, the purported mastermind of the Mastung suicide blast and Balochistan chapter chief of Islamic States (IS), in an encounter in Kalat District of Balochistan, reports The Express Tribune. SFs sources said that they conducted a search operation on intelligence reports in Kalat where the clash occurred in which Mufti Hidayatullah and two of his associates were killed. Security officials maintained that Hidayatullah had dropped the man who carried out the Mastung blast, Hafeez Nawaz, at the rally of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP).

Separately, a blast on Mall Road of Chaman town in Qilla Abdullah District on July 20 left at least five persons injured and nearby shops and cars damaged, reports Dawn. Chaman Station House Officer Gul Muhammad said a vehicle belonging to a law enforcement agency (LEA) was the target of the blast. According to administration officials, the blast was caused by a remote-controlled motorcycle bomb parked at the side of the ride. The bomb was detonated when the LEAs’ vehicle passed by. The impact of the blast broke the windows of nearby shops and vehicles.

The Frontier Corps (FC) on July 24 arrested three suspected militants belonging to banned outfits from different areas of Dera Bugti, Sui and Chaman of Balochistan as it foiled terror bid to disrupt peaceful conduct of General elections on July 25, reports The Express Tribune. “FC official statement said that one prepared improvised explosive device (IED) was recovered which was destroyed in Situ. Moreover, a cache of explosives, arms and ammunition were also recovered. The recovered items included: explosives weighing six kilogrammes, huge quantity of 120mm and 81mm, mortar bombs, RPG-7 rockets, hand grenades, Kalakof, sub-machine gun (SMG), pistol alongside huge quantity of ammunition, 255 rounds of sniper rifle, large number of fuses used in preparation of IEDs and accessories of 14.5 gun and China light machine gun (LMG).

PAKISTAN

Civil Hospital surgeon among four linked with TTP arrested in Karachi
The Sindh Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on June 27 arrested four suspects, including a government doctor, for their alleged involvement in helping and treating militants linked with the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), reports Dawn. CTD Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Junaid Ahmed Shaikh said that the Police arrested Dr. Abdul Rehman, an orthopedic surgeon at the Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, and Mufti Malik Rizwan in Gulshan-i-Iqbal when they were collecting donations in a mosque. “The held suspects were generating funds for the banned TTP,” he claimed. “They had got militancy training from Afghanistan.” He said Rehman was a qualified doctor and an “active” TTP worker. He had completed his MBBS from a medical university in Bahawalpur and later he specialised in orthopedics. “He has remained involved in secretly treating wounded terrorists and was arrested after constant monitoring,” the SSP added.

Meanwhile, the CTD arrested two suspects Hameedullah and Inam Dad in Machhar Colony of Keamari Town in Karachi and recovered two pistols from them on June 27, reports Dawn. “They belong to the TTP’s Wali Mohammed group,” the CTD SSP Junaid Ahmed Shaikh said, adding that they were planning an attack when they were arrested on spy information. Separately, the CTD arrested suspect Shafiquddin alias Kala, said to be associated with the Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi. “Shafiq was involved in a deadly attack on a Rangers team in Korangi on June 6, in which one personnel was killed and two others injured,” said the SSP. “He belonged to the MQM-Haqiqi and was involved in 23 criminal cases in Korangi, SSP added”

TTP denies their involvement in former PM Benazir Bhutto’s assassination
Ikramullah, one of Pakistan’s most-wanted Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants and named as the second suicide bomber of a cell that assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007 has appeared in a Taliban video denying his involvement, Times of India reported on June 26 quoting BBC. Bhutto (54), was assassinated in a bomb-and-gun attack on her car in Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007, as she left an election rally. Ikramullah, who was then about 16 years old, is believed to have been a back-up TTP suicide bomber, who was meant to detonate his explosive vest if the first attacker did not succeed. But officials say he walked away after the other bomber blew himself up. In his first public statement on the case, Ikramullah appears in a video produced by a splinter group of the TTP which was obtained by the BBC. It is believed to have been filmed in eastern Afghanistan, where the terrorists are based. Sitting next to Sheheryar, the group’s commander, Ikramullah repeatedly stated in the video that he was neither “involved” nor “aware of” the plot to kill Bhutto. Sheheryar, however, claimed that the TTP were not involved in the attack, and blamed it on the country’s then military ruler Pervez Musharraf and intelligence services. “Attempts to link Ikramullah to the killing of Benazir is the work of the infidel media and apostates,” Sheheryar said.

China asks international community to recognize Pakistan’s sacrifices in war on terror
China on June 29 urged the international community to give full recognition to the great efforts and sacrifices by the Pakistani Government and people in fight against terrorism, reports The Nation. This was stated by Chinese Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Lu Kang during a regular briefing in Beijing. Responding to a question regarding the listing of Pakistan on the Global Funding Terrorism Watch List by the FATF meeting, he said Pakistan’s efforts in combating terrorism, under its very difficult conditions, have recognized not only in China but also many other countries of the international community. He stressed that all parties will treat Pakistan’s counter-terrorism efforts objectively and impartially, instead of relying on criticism and pressure. The spokesperson said in recent years, Pakistan has actively taken measures to strengthen financial supervision and crack down on terrorist financing and made important progress.

PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s convoy attacked during political rally in Karachi
Hundreds of protesters pelted stones and smashed the windows of vehicles of convoy of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari who has been leading a political rally in Bihar Colony of Lyari Town in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, on July 1, reports The News. At least two PPP workers have been injured in the attack. Bilawal’s convoy remains stuck in the area for half an hour as Police and PPP worker are unable to diffuse the situation. “Under a planned conspiracy, attempts are being made to defame Lyari,” a PPP candidate said. Yousaf Baloch, a central PPP leader, said that the protest was being held by his party’s old opponents.

COAS confirms death sentences of 12 ‘hardcore terrorists’
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, on July 2, confirmed death sentences of 12 ‘hardcore terrorists’, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), reports Daily Times. The army chief also ratified prison terms awarded to six other convicts, the ISPR said in a statement, adding the convicts were involved in attacks on civilians, armed forces and law enforcement agencies. These terrorists were also involved in an attack on central Imambargah in Parachinar, Kurram Agency, the statement read. The terrorists were also involved in killing of 34 people including 26 civilians, eight armed forces and frontier constabulary personnel, as well as injuring 133 others. Arms and explosives were also recovered from their possession. Meanwhile, six others were awarded life imprisonment. A civilian, Ehsan Ullah, also tried by special military court, was found not guilty and was acquitted.

US drone killed senio TTP leader Omar Rehman in Afghanistan
A senior Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Omar Rehman, also known as Ustad Fateh, was killed on July 3 when United States (US) drone targeted a compound n Shultan District of Kunar Province in Afghanistan, reports Daily Times. Sources said Omar Rehman was scheduled to visit the house of a TTP leader Ahmad Swati, when the US drone fired two missiles on the building at 10am. There was no independent confirmation of the report. A source of the Taliban splinter group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) also confirmed the drone attack but did not say whether or not it killed the Taliban leader. Fateh, a bomb-making expert, was among the few strong candidates to replace Fazlullah but the TTP leaders elected Mufti Noor Wali alias Abu Mansoor Asim. He was among the senior Taliban commanders, who had dodged thousands of troops in Swat to escape, and later appeared in Afghanistan. He was also associated with Jaish-e-Mohammad and was once arrested in connection with an attack on former President General Pervez Musharraf in 2003.

NACTA warns about terrorist attacks on politicians
Director of the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) Obaid Farooq warned on July 3 that terrorists could target top leaders of political parties during their election campaigns, reports Dawn. “We have received as many as 12 threat alerts which are about leadership of political parties, including the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and six personalities can be targeted during election,” Obaid Farooq said while briefing a sub-committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior. The committee, headed by PML-N Senator Javed Abbasi, has been constituted to look into security arrangements for the July 25 General Elections and officials of law enforcement agencies provided to different personalities.

Border posts to be upgraded under FATF rules
Pakistan on July 10 decided to upgrade its systems at border posts and ensure better coordination among its agencies to address the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)’s concerns regarding smuggling of currency by terrorist groups operating along the border with Afghanistan, reports The Express Tribune. The decisions to ensure effective implementation of the currency regulation regimes and plug administrative lacunas were taken during a meeting held in Q-Block the seat of the Finance Ministry. The cross-border movement of currency by the UN-designated groups like the Haqqani network, Taliban and criminals were among the four key areas of concerns that became the base for placing Pakistan on the grey list maintained by the FATF. The monitoring report by the International Cooperation Review Group of the Asia Pacific Group listed the cross-border smuggling of the currency as one of four key areas of concerns. The report stated that “terrorist groups operating in Pakistan are able to continue financing themselves with little difficulty”. However, Pakistan denies the allegations.

Former PM Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz sent to Adiala Jail upon returning to country
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) team arrested convicted Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz upon their arrival at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab, on July 13, reports The Express Tribune. After being taken into custody, the ousted Prime Minister (PM) and his daughter were flown to Islamabad airport through a special aircraft from where they were shifted to the Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail. Earlier, a plane carrying Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz along with several party leaders arrived at the Allama Iqbal International Airport at 8:50 pm. Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif led a rally from Lohari Gate to the Allama Iqbal International airport to welcome the ousted PM and his daughter. Moreover, many incidents of brawl between Police and PML-N workers took place in different areas of the District. According to reports, three Policemen were injured in a clash at Ravi toll plaza.

Sharif’s decided to return home following the NAB’s verdict in the Avenfield properties reference which sentenced Nawaz Sharif to 10 years in jail. Maryam Nawaz was sentenced to 7 years while her husband, Captain (Retd) Muhammad Safdar, was handed one-year jail term in the verdict. The Sharif family has been told by their lawyers that possibility of getting any relief in the sentence would be very difficult, if they fail to come to Pakistan within the 10-day deadline for filing appeal. Captain (Retd) Muhammad Safdar was already shifted to Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail after NAB presented him before the accountability court.

Protest held against banned outfits in Karachi
Dozens of people from different civil society organisations on July 16 staged a demonstration outside the Election Commission of Pakistan’s office protesting against its decision of allowing banned outfits to contest polls with difference names, reports Dawn. Mohammad Ali, Khalid Rao, Asad Zaidi, Waleed Mehmood Sheikh and Asad Gokal leading the protest said removing proscribed persons’ names from the Fourth Schedule just 21 days before the election and lifting the ban on terrorist outfits raised many eyebrows. They added that the banned organisations were involved in several killings and other criminal activities.

Meanwhile, ex-chairman of Senate(upper house of Parliament) and incumbent Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Raza Rabbani on July 16 lashed out at State authorities over their alleged failure to protect candidates and the public ahead of the July 25 elections, while taking aim at policies they said have “allowed” extremist ideologies to permeate society, reports Dawn. In a scathing speech, Rabbani said the duty to protect citizens was the state’s while pointing out that the caretaker set-up was the existing state.

Ansar-ul Sharia has formed alliance with TTP, LeJ to target politicians, says CTD
Three banned outfits the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Ansar-ul Sharia Pakistan (ASP) and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) have developed a nexus to target political leadership in Karachi to “sabotage forthcoming elections and trigger destabilization in the country”, said Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Junaid Ahmed Sheikh on July 18, reports Dawn. “The ASP, TTP and LeJ have developed a sort of alliance to redouble their capability and capacity for terrorism as they sustained heavy losses during the ongoing targeted operation against them in the city,” said SSP Junaid Ahmed Sheikh. He said this emerged during initial interrogation of four held suspects Mohammed Jawad, Abu Bakar, Mohammad Ibrahim and Mohammed Fahad.

No direct role of Army in July 25 General elections, DG ISPR tells Senate committee
The Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor on July 19, reiterating his stance from a press conference held earlier this month, rejected the notion that the Army have any direct role in how the July 25 elections will unfold, reports Dawn. Speaking at the special session of the Senate Standing Committee on Interior, DG ISPR clarified that the Army personnel are only following the Election Commission of Pakistan’s instructions. “There were some rumours that army personnel had been issued ‘different’ orders this is completely baseless,” he said. “We do not have any link with the elections; we are only working on the election commission’s directives to improve the law and order situation. We do not have a direct role in polls.” Major General Ghafoor then elaborated the election duty assigned to army personnel, saying: “The armed forces have always lent support to civil institutions. The security situation is being improved in the entire country to hold elections. “Three hundred and seventy-one thousand army soldiers will be deployed at the countrywide polling stations. The army is also performing its duty at the printing press [for ballots].”

REGIONAL

Bangladesh – Internal Dynamics

JMB militant prime accused of freethinking writer and murder case killed in Munshiganj District
Abdur Rahman (34), a militant of Jama’at-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and the prime accused of freethinking writer and publisher Shahjahan Bachchu murder case was killed in a gunfight with Police at Khashmahal Baluchar in Munshiganj District of Dhaka Division on June 28, reports The Independent. Three Policemen were injured during the ‘gunfight’. Shahjahan Bachchu (60), an outspoken proponent of secular principles and owner of a publishing house ‘Bishaka Prokashoni’, was gunned down in his ancestral village Kakaldi in the District on June 11-evening.

Three JMB militants arrested in Chapai Nawabganj District
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested three militants of Jama’at-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) at Chotigram village in Chapai Nawabganj District of Rajshahi Division on June 28, reports The Daily Star. The arrestees are Harunur Rashid (48), Abdur Rahman (56) and Golam Azam (39). Rab raided a guava orchard in the area and arrested the trio when they were holding a clandestine meeting there. The elite force also recovered six books on jihad from their possession.

BNP announces to hold demonstration in Dhaka city demanding ‘unconditional’ release of Khaleda Zia
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on July 6 announced to hold demonstration at thanas (Police Station) in Dhaka city on July 8 demanding ‘unconditional’ release of the party’s imprisoned chairperson Khaleda Zia and her proper medical treatment, reports New Age. The demonstration was announced as Dhaka Metropolitan Police did not give permission to hold rally on July 7 in front of the party central office at Nayapaltan for Khaleda’s release and her proper treatment. BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the fresh programme of demonstration at a news briefing at the party central office.

Ansar Al Islam media wing ‘coordinator’ arrested in Manikganj District
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on July 11 arrested the media wing ‘coordinator’ of militant outfit Ansar Al Islam in Kashimpur Irta village of Manikganj District in Dhaka Division, reports The Daily Star. The arrestee Mohammad Ishak Khan (32) used to recruit members and inspire youths towards extremism through his writing.

‘Non-political and external force’ is now running the country, says BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on July 16 said that the current Government’s activities give an impression that a ‘non-political and external force’ is now running the country, reports New Age. “I find no similarity between the current Awami League and the pre-1971 Awami League. Once it had struggled for the independence, democracy and people’s rights, but now it has become the most repressive party. It seems to me the country is now run by a non-political and external force from outside Bangladesh,” he said.

India – Internal Dynamics

Two AR troopers injured in ambush in Nagaland
Suspected National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) militants ambushed an Assam Rifles (AR) convoy which was en route to Kiphire town from Meluri in Phek District of Nagaland, reports Morung Express. The militants exploded two Improvised Explosive Device (IEDs), targeting the convoy. Two AR troopers were was injured in the incident. NSCN-K leader Isak Sumi in a message stated that Naga Army led United National Liberation Front of West South East Asia (UNLFWESA) demolition trainees set up IED ambush on Indian Security Forces”.

Police inciting tribal against ultras, says Maoist letter recovered in Odisha
Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres have accused the Police of inciting tribals of the Malkangiri District against them by putting up fake posters in the name of Adivasi Manch and the Adivasi Sangh at different places in Malkangiri District of Odisha, reports Odishapost on June 29. The Police are engaging the surrendered Maoists as ‘Police informers’ to quell the Maoist movement. They also alleged that torture was being resorted to on the villagers who refused to cooperate with the Police in such attempts. Instead of rehabilitating the surrendered Maoists, under the existing Government policy for surrendered Maoists, the Police are using them against the CPI-Maoist. Such acts would not yield any result, says the recovered Maoist letter.

Naga political talks sans integration will be futile, states NSCN-IM
National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) on July 1 stated that issue of integration of “all the Naga territories is an integral part of the ongoing Indo-Naga political dialogue, reports Assam Tribune. NSCN-IM stated that ’Naga territories which have been kept apart arbitrarily and indiscriminately by the British in the first place and then further divided between Burma (now Myanmar) and India under Nehru without the knowledge and consent of the Naga people is totally unacceptable’. NSCN-IM also stated that now, after 21 years of negotiations, India and Naga people are prepared to finalise the political dialogue to its logical conclusion and resolve the oldest political problem in entire South East Asia. Any attempt, at this crucial juncture, to undermine or disturb the peace process without being able to make head or tail of the negotiation shall no longer be tolerated’.

Islamic State claimed recent attack on Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan, says report
The Islamic State (IS) outfit on July 2 claimed the responsibility of a suicide bombing attack in Eastern Afghanistan on July 1 that killed at least 19 people, mostly Sikhs and Hindus, reports The Tribune. Reportedly, Avtar Singh Khalsa a long-time leader of the Sikh community in Afghanistan, was also among those killed. Another 20 people were wounded.

Daughter of ULFA leader speaks against Citizenship Amendment bill in UNHRC
Bonnya Barua, daughter of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) ‘general secretary’ Anup Chetia, spoke against the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016, on July 4 at the 38th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, reports Scroll. She stated that if passed, would reduce the indigenous communities of Assam to minority groups. She spoke on behalf of the Indigenous Forum of Assam, a platform of around 30 organisations representing the state’s indigenous communities. Barua is a member of the forum while her father is its convener. The Citizenship Amendment Bill aims to make crucial changes to the Citizenship Act of 1955. If passed, it would make undocumented immigrants Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains and Parsis from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh eligible for citizenship. It would also ease the terms for naturalization of individuals from these groups. Several groups in Assam have objected to the proposed amendments.

NC accuses Government of running state affairs in arbitrary way
The main opposition Nepali Congress (NC) on July 5 accused the Government of running the state affairs in an arbitrary way, reports Republica. The party said the Government’s recent moves such as revocation of several appointments and other decisions of the erstwhile Government headed by NC’s Sher Bahadur Deuba were aimed at weakening the democratic system. NC Spokesman Bishwa Prakash Sharma said “The decisions taken by the previous government were taken by a government elected by parliament. Also, those decisions taken during the time when the election code of conduct was in effect were taken only after taking permission from the Election Commission. This is not a matter of any individual or an appointment. This is an issue of an established legal process. In this case, the government has breached the law, which is serious.”

Maldives signed Power-deal with Pakistan; raised concerns for India, says report
In a bitter-locked political situation between the Maldives and India, the former [Maldives] signed a capacity-building agreement in power sector with Pakistan, reports The Times of India on July 7. The officials of the Maldives State electricity company Stelco had visited Pakistan last week [date unspecified] and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in “institution building” activities. The MoU between the Maldives and Pakistan is unclear for Indian officials as all the major projects of Stelco are being handled by Chinese companies. “Given its shaky financial situation, Pakistan cannot do much to help the Maldives financially. But Maldives’ President Yameen is trying his best to reduce Indian footprint and bring in elements hostile to India to undermine Indian influence in the Maldives,” said an unnamed Indian official. Indian officials do believe that the presence of Pakistani officials in the Maldives will see as the development of covert Intelligence modules which will target India. The fear is that this might complicate the Security situation in the Maldives which is struggling to check radicalisation in its own country.

Four cadres of new terror outfit arrested in West Bengal
Four cadres of a new terror outfit named as Greater Coochbehar Liberation organisation (GCLO) were arrested by Crime Investigation Department (CID) in Naxalbari of Silguri District of West Bengal, reports Decaan Chronicle on July 8. The suspected terrorists are identified as Nirmal Roy, Kandarpa Das, Ratan Adhikary and Dipi Prasad Roy. Nirmal Roy had posted on social media that he had initiated a new terrorist organisation namely Greater Coochbehar Liberation organisation (GCLO). CID started keeping track and used a decoy to invite him for a meeting.

Former IAF cook arrested for possessing ‘secret information’ in Uttar Pradesh
A former cook Shashikant Jha at the Indian Air Force (IAF) Officer’s mess based in Gorakhpur has been arrested on July 7, with the possession of confidential information related to the ‘take-off’ schedule of the IAF’s fighter planes based in Air Force Station Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, reports NDTV. Shashikant who is a native of Banka District in Bihar was caught by the IAF officials and was later handed-over to the Police for the investigation, said Inspector Pradeep Shukla of Shahpur Police Station in Gorakhpur. The interrogation revealed that Shashikant worked at Officer’s mess as cook till September 2017 and used to note down the secret information while over-hearing the Officer’s conversation. He [Shashikant] had not ‘entry pass’ to enter the Air Force colony from where he was caught by the Air Force security personnel, said unnamed Police official.

PFI join hands with Maoist-linked groups in Jharkhand
Islamist outfit Popular Front of India (PFI), which is accused of having links with terror groups, has joined hands with organisations linked to Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) to target the Government in Jharkhand, reports Swarajya on July 8. According to a report by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA), Committee for Release of Political Prisoners (CRPP) secretary, Rona Wilson, who was recently arrested, met officials and ministers in Jharkhand along with a woman identified as Vasantha Kumari, asking them to lift the ban imposed on the PFI and Maoist affiliate, Mazdoor Sangathan Samiti (MSS).There is a growing convergence between Maoist affiliates and the PFI following bans imposed by Jharkhand on the MSS, CPI-Maoist front and PFI. Consequently, both aides have echoed each others’ causes and in the process, says the report sent by the UMHA to the Jharkhand Government. The UHMA report says that the convergence between the Maoists and PFI is not new and that the two have come together in the past. The UMHA has asked the Government of Jharkhand to monitor the activities of the two groups closely. The state government had banned PFI, formed as a successor to the National Development Front (NDF).

Two BSF troopers killed in a Maoist blast in Chhattisgarh
Two Border Security Force (BSF) troopers identified as Santosh Laxman and Vijay Nand Nayak, both natives of Karnataka, were killed in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast triggered by Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres in the forest of Tadbauli village under Chhote Bethiya Police Station limits in Kanker District of Chhattisgarh on July 9, reports The Pioneer. A team of the BSF’s 121 battalion was out on an area domination operation on motorcycles. When the team was passing through a dirt track near Tadbauli, the motorcycle was blown away in the blast carried out by CPI-Maoist cadres using an IED hidden underground. The BSF jawans were seriously injured and died while being taken out of the forest, said Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) (Anti-Naxal Operation), Sundarraj P.

AR trooper killed in Manipur
A trooper of Assam Rifles (AR) identified as Ningthoujam Subash Singh was killed in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack by Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) near Skip village of Kamjong District, reports The Telegraph. The militants exploded two IEDs and fired up on the patrolling party of AR. E-Pao further adds that at least three AR troopers were wounded in the incident. Nagaland Post adds that PLA in an email stated that the attack was carried out by PLA militants under its ‘tactical command’.

India protested the pro-Khalistani campaign in the United Kingdom, says report
The pro-Khalistan campaign Referendum 2020 was launched in London, United Kingdom (UK) on July 12, to determine if Sikhs shall have an independent State Khalistan, reports The Times of India. The announcement of the campaign made by the Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) a pro-Khalistan organisation was welcomed with a ‘sharp reaction’ from the Indian government. The Indian government has seen the reports regarding this and the matter has been taken up with the UK government. We [Indian government] have also issued a demarche to them. In response, we expect that the UK government would not allow any group whose intentions is to spread hatred and to impact the bilateral relations of India and UK, said the Ministry of External Affairs’ Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar. However, the campaign had called for a “Referendum 2020” which gives nearly 30 million Sikhs globally (including India) a chance to vote for the creation of an independent sovereign State the Khalistan, claimed SFJ.

Meanwhile on July 13 a senior UK govt official said that government of the United Kingdom (UK) has no plans to ban a pro-Khalistan campaign “Referendum 2020” organised by the Sikh separatist groups-based in UK as long as it stays within the limits of the law and remains non-violent, reports The Tribune.

Two CoBRA personnel injured in a Maoist spike trap in Chhattisgarh
Two personnel of the CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), were injured in a Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) spike trap during an area domination operation in forest patch near Tarrem village in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh on July 25, reports NDTV. The two injured CoBRA personnel, sub-inspector and constable sustained minor injuries.

Monthly Fatalities

The following casualties, related to ongoing insurgencies and acts of terrorism occurred
during the period June 26, 2018 to July 25, 2018:

	Civilian	Indian Security Personnel	Militant	Total
Arunachal P	02	00	00	02
Manipur	03	01	00	04
Left wing	12	06	24	42
Total	17	07	24	48

Nepal – Internal Dynamics

40 Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal leaders and cadres arrested in Kathmandu
Police on July 2 arrested 40 leaders and cadres of Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal from different places of Kathmandu, reports The Himalayan Times. Police said the arrests were made after they received information that the party’s cadres and leaders were planning some suspicious activities. According to Police, the arrested were also involved in violent activities in the past.

Meanwhile, the Parliament on July 2 endorsed a bill to replace a two-month old ordinance to extend the terms of two transitional justice bodies Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP), reports Republica. The replacement bill was endorsed by the National Assembly on June 29. With the passage of the bill the terms of the two bodies has been formally extended till February 2019. Responding to the concerns of lawmakers, Law Minister Sher Bahadur Tamang said that a new concept in transitional justice is under discussion to wind up the existing transitional justice mechanisms. The Government plans to bring a new bill to this effect soon.

Nepal war crime laws risk sparing worst offenders: rights groups
Nepal’s legal efforts to deliver justice to victims of its bloody civil war do not meet international standards and risk letting the worst offenders go unpunished, rights groups warned on Sunday, July 8. The latest draft legislation to address wartime abuses still makes it difficult to prosecute serious crimes, Human Rights Watch and the International Commission of Jurists said in a joint statement. The tiny Himalayan nation has been rebuked for repeated delays in implementing a peace process more than a decade after fighting with Maoist rebels ended in 2006.

In 2015, the Supreme Court of Nepal ruled that laws passed by the government to remedy war-era grievances did not meet international scrutiny. But a fresh amendment currently under consultation has done little to close these loopholes, rights groups said.

Crimes like torture and enforced disappearances remain undefined, meaning major offenders may slip through the cracks. A provision in the proposed legislation for community service as an alternative punishment to prison time has riled campaigners who say it amounts to impunity.

Rights groups say both commissions have been hamstrung by a lack of funding and political will, and just a handful of cases have appeared before a court.

More than 17,000 people were killed, 1,300 disappeared and thousands displaced during the war which ended with a peace deal between Maoist insurgents and government forces. The pact also heralded the end of the Hindu monarchy, which was abolished after the former rebels won power in Nepal’s first post-war national elections.

Sri Lanka – Internal Dynamics

Tamil Nadu Police arrest Sri Lankan man near Rameswaram with cache of ammunition
Tamil Nadu Police have arrested a Sri Lankan man on June 27 at Uchipuli Valangapuri coast near Rameswaram with a cache of ammunition while two others have escaped into a nearby forest, reports Colombo Page. The Sri Lankan, identified as Sagaya Stephen from Thalaimannar was seen moving around in suspicious circumstances near the coast last night along with two others when he was arrested. The two others managed to escape into a nearby forest. According to the Police, the trio had come from Thalaimannar by a fiberglass boat, and the Police also seized the boat which was fitted with a Suzuki engine. Investigations are continuing to find out why the trio had come to the coastal town.

Meanwhile, Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran and other Tamil MPs opposed the Government’s decision to deploy Army personnel to reconstruct abandoned tanks in Vavuniya was opposed by the when the matter was discussed at June 26’s Vavuniya District Development Committee meeting, reports Daily Mirror. The meeting was presided by Industries and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen with the participation of Deputy Minister Kader Masthan, Mr. Wigneswaran, TNA MPs, provincial councillors, Vavuniya GA Somaratne Widanapathirana and security officials.

Government gazettes Reparations Office Bill
The Bill to provide for the establishment of the Office for Reparations has been gazetted by the Government, reports Daily News on June 29. The Bill, published under the orders of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will be presented in Parliament for the First Reading shortly. The Bill provides for the provision of individual and collective reparations for aggrieved persons. As per the Bill, “aggrieved persons” mean persons who have suffered a violation of human rights or humanitarian law, their relatives and missing persons. The scope of the legislation is not limited to the conflict in the North and the East, but also “any political unrest or civil disturbance, systematic gross violations of the rights of individuals, groups or communities of people of Sri Lanka, and enforced disappearances”. The Rehabilitation of Persons, Properties and Industries Authority Act, No.29 of 1987 will be repealed by the new Bill. The Office for Reparations shall consist of five members appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Constitutional Council (CC). In the event of the President failing to make the necessary appointments within a period of 14 days of receiving the recommendations, the persons recommended by the CC will be deemed to have been appointed as the members. The Office of Missing Persons can send recommendations on reparations to be made to aggrieved persons to the Office for Reparations. The proposed Reparations Office also can directly receive applications for reparations from aggrieved persons or their representatives. The new office will be responsible in deciding the criteria for eligibility for aggrieved persons to obtain reparations and/or financial compensation, the quantum of reparations, and which body has to pay them. Implementation of such policies on reparations and guidelines is subject to the approval by the Cabinet.

There is huge need of reorganization of LTTE in North and East, says State Minister of Child Affairs Vijayakala Maheswaran
State Minister of Child Affairs Vijayakala Maheswaran on July 2 addressing the ‘Janapathi Nila Mehewara’ event at the Weerasingham Hall in Jaffna District said there is a huge need of reorganization of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the North and East, reports Daily Mirror. “Now we remember how we lived before May 18, 2009. In the present conditions our main intention is to bring back the LTTE if we want to live, if we want to walk freely, if we need our children to attend schools and return back. We do not know what development they have done in our area. But I only thank the Government for one good thing and that is to release and return our lands to us. Other than that the Government had done nothing to us,” she said. She also said being a minister in the present administration there is a limit that she can speak against their leader but had to cross the limit on some occasions.

Meanwhile, speaking at the first ever United Nations High-Level Conference of Heads of Counter Terrorism Agencies of Member States at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on June 28, Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army Major General W.B.D.P. Fernando said Sri Lanka, as a country that had experienced first-hand the suffering of its people due to terrorism, emphasized that a key pillar of counter-terrorism is prevention and addressing the root causes of conflict, reports Colombo Page. He noted that counter terrorism is as much about military strategy and intelligence as it is about winning hearts and minds.

No room will be allowed to resuscitate LTTE, says Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe stressing that a comprehensive investigation will be conducted in to the statement made by the State Minister Vijayakala Maheswaran told Parliament that no room will be allowed to resuscitate the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), reports Colombo Page on July 4. He told Parliament that the United National Party (UNP) and the Government are committed to protect the unitary status and territorial integrity of the country. The Prime Minister said that soon after learning about the controversial statement made by the State Minister Vijayakala Maheswaran he inquired about the situation.

Meanwhile, beleaguered State Minister of Child Affairs Vijayakala Maheswaran on July 5 decided to resign from her post temporarily, reports Colombo Page. State Minister and UNP Jaffna District MP Vijayakala Maheswaran said that she accepts that her statement was wrong according to the oath she has taken as a Minister of the Government. Accordingly Vijayakala Maheswaran told that she decided to resign from the post of State Minister until an inquiry was carried out regarding the irresponsible statement she made.

Separately, according to the Policy Development Office (PDO) of the Prime Minister’s Office the Government is seeking the involvement of civilian organizations to institute a civilian led reintegration program, reports Colombo Page on July 4. Rehabilitation process aimed at reintegrating the former LTTE leaders, members, and collaborators into the community has been managed by the Military so far. The main objective of the program is to provide the civilian support for rehabilitation of people affected by violence. As an initial step, PDO has created a comprehensive database of 12,080 rehabilitated ex-combatants in Northern and Eastern Provinces, based on information obtained from the Bureau of the Commissioner General of Rehabilitation. This was followed by newspaper advertisements in English and Tamil inviting community organizations to participate in a civilian led reintegration program. Following an evaluation, six Partner Organizations namely Sareeram, SLCDF, Sri Lanka YMCA, Sevalanka Foundation, Centre for Child Development, ZOA Sri Lanka are currently participating in the program. These partner organizations are registered Civil Society organizations recommended by District Authorities. These organizations are presently engaged in a need assessment to find the actual needs and the current status of rehabilitated individuals affected by violence. So far, the need assessment has covered 26 percent of Grama Niladhari divisions in the Northern Province and 56 percent in Eastern Province.

Sri Lanka to hang drug criminals
Sri Lanka announced on Wednesday, July 11 it would start hanging drug criminals, ending a near-half century moratorium on capital punishment as officials promised to “replicate the success” of the Philippines drug war.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte´s brutal war on drugs since coming to power in 2016 has left thousands of people dead and prompted allegations of crimes against humanity. Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena told the cabinet he “was ready to sign the death warrants” of repeat drug offenders and deploy the military to tackle drug crime, a government spokesman said on Wednesday.

Sri Lanka has commuted death sentences for serious crimes to life in prison since 1976, when the last execution took place. Senaratne said there were 19 drug offenders whose death sentences had been commuted to life. It was not clear if they would be hanged under the government´s policy shift.

Amnesty International responded swiftly urging Colombo not to press ahead. “Sri Lanka must pull back from any plans to implement the death penalty and preserve its longstanding positive record on shunning this cruel and irreversible punishment,” the London-based rights group said in a statement.

But Sri Lankan authorities say a tougher approach is needed to combat what they say is an increase in drug-related crime. Senaratne cited a case this week where a convicted drug dealer, whose death sentence was commuted to life, had arranged the import of 100 kilograms of heroin from behind bars.

Government launches long-term development plan in Eastern Province
Government on July 11 launched the long-term development plan for the Eastern port city of Trincomalee and surrounding cities in the island’s Eastern Province, reports Colombo Page. The long-term plan to develop the port city under the theme “Eastern gateway to Sri Lanka by 2050” was presented to the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at Temple Trees. Under this project, Trincomalee will be developed as the main export center for the Bay of Bengal region with eco-friendly industrial zones, agricultural zones and tourism. Highways, transport, education, health and other facilities are planned to be built and it is envisaged to generate more than a million new jobs.

INTERNATIONAL

Nine killed in twin bomb attack in Afrin
At least nine people were killed Wednesday, June 27 in twin bomb attacks in Afrin, a flashpoint town in northwestern Syria held by Ankara-backed rebels, a monitor said.

Turkish forces and their rebel allies seized Afrin in March from the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which pledged an insurgency to take back the town.

On Wednesday, twin bombings left five civilians and four rebels dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor.

No group claimed Wednesday’s attacks, but a senior rebel commander contacted by AFP accused a “cell” of Kurdish fighters.

Syria’s conflict erupted in March 2011 with protests against President Bashar al-Assad.

Turkey-backed fighters opposed to Assad’s rule intervened directly in northern Syria in 2016 to help rebels battle both the Islamic State group and the YPG.

The fighting for Afrin began in January and saw tens of thousands of people flee the northwestern town and surrounding enclave.

Since capturing it, Turkish officials have pledged to continue east to seize more towns from the YPG. More than 350,000 people have died and millions have been displaced by violence in Syria.

Nikki Haley tells India to ‘rethink’ Iran ties
The US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley on Thursday, June 28 urged India to reconsider its ties to Iran, one of its key energy suppliers, as fresh US sanctions on buyers of Iranian oil loom.

Washington has stepped up pressure on major Iranian customers to stop importing its oil, warning no trading partner will be exempt from new economic sanctions when they bite from November 4. India imports the overwhelming majority of its oil and Iran is the third-largest supplier to the nation of 1.25 billion.

Haley said she understood India “can’t change its relationship with Iran in a day” but said she used a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi to encourage a reassessment. “I also think for the future of India, and the future of being able to get resources and who they’re dependent on, I would encourage them to rethink their relationship with Iran,” she told broadcaster NDTV after an address in New Delhi.

US President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Iran nuclear deal last month, re-imposing sanctions that had been suspended in return for curbs on Tehran’s nuclear programme. US officials said Washington would be asking major Iranian customers to reduce their oil imports to zero, and warned no exemptions would be made when the sanctions were enforced. Before the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six major powers, various buyers of Iranian oil including India had waivers or exemptions to US sanctions.

India’s foreign ministry said on Thursday however that the Islamic republic was a “very traditional partner” that enjoyed “historical, civilisational linkages” to India.

“She has her views, and ours views on Iran are very clear,” said ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar of Haley, whose two-day visit to India also included visits to holy sites in the Indian capital. “We will take all necessary steps, including engagement with relevant stakeholders to ensure our energy security.”

Egypt says 10 militants killed in raids, two arrested
Ten suspected Islamic militants were killed and two arrested in police raids across Egypt as they hunted down the perpetrators of a deadly car bomb attack, the interior ministry said on Thursday, June 28.

It said those targeted were members of Hasam, a Jihadist group which the authorities have linked to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. They were allegedly involved in a March 24 car bombing on the eve of elections targeting a security chief for Alexandria in northern Egypt that killed two policemen.

Six militants were killed and a weapons cache unearthed as security forces raided a hideout in Beheira province, northwest of Cairo, the ministry said. It said a suspect was arrested in a residential apartment in Alexandria where arms and explosives were also seized.

A shootout in Assiut province, south of Cairo, left four other suspects dead, it said, adding that a Hasam member who had allegedly acquired the car used in the Alexandria attack was also arrested. The ministry’s statement did not specify when the raids and arrests took place.

UN releases first ever report on human rights violations in Kashmir
The UN has released the first-ever report on documented human rights violations in the Indian held Kashmir and demanded an international probe into it. The UN report has called for an independent, international investigation into human rights abuses in the Valley. Observers have termed it a watershed moment, an unprecedented development, a unique instant. The report was released by the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. It covered developments in the Indian-held state of Jammu and Kashmir from June 2016 to April 2018.

Among other recommendations, the report asked the authorities in India to fully respect India’s international human rights law obligations in Indian Administered Kashmir; urgently repeal the Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act, 1990; and, in the meantime, immediately remove the requirement for prior central government permission to prosecute security forces personnel accused of human rights violations in civilian courts; establish independent, impartial and credible investigations to probe all civilian killings which have occurred since July 2016, as well as obstruction of medical services during the 2016 unrest, arson attacks against schools and incidents of excessive use of force by security forces including serious injuries caused by the use of the pellet-firing shotguns; investigate all deaths that have occurred in the context of security operations in Jammu and Kashmir following the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court of India; provide reparations and rehabilitation to all individuals injured and the family of those killed in the context of security operations; investigate and prosecute all cases of sexual violence allegedly perpetrated by state and non-state actors, and provide reparations to victims.

Bringing the issue vividly to the surface, it said, “Any resolution to the political situation in Kashmir should entail a commitment to ending the cycles of violence and accountability for past and current human rights violations.” It also sought to address the past and ongoing human rights violations on an urgent basis.

Iraq executes 12 after PM calls for speedy executions
Iraq put to death 12 people convicted of terrorism hours after Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi called for speedy executions in response to the kidnapping and killing of eight members of the security forces, the government said on Friday, June 29.

Late on Thursday Abadi had ordered “just retribution” through faster executions of all those on death row for terrorism convictions who had exhausted their appeals. “Based on the orders of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, executions were carried out on Thursday of 12 convicted terrorists who have received final verdicts,” a government spokesman said in a statement.

Security forces on Wednesday found the bodies of eight men mutilated and rigged with explosives, two days after a deadline set by their Islamic State kidnappers expired. The militants had kidnapped members of Iraq’s security forces and showed six of them in a video posted online on Saturday, threatening to kill them within three days if the government did not release female prisoners.

An interior ministry spokesman said autopsies showed the men were killed before the deadline expired and that the video was Islamic State propaganda. Iraq’s top cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who rarely comments on political issues, weighed in on the kidnapping which has been a heated topic in Iraq this week and has dominated local media coverage.

The country’s leaders should focus on defeating Islamic State and not the results of a May parliamentary election, he said in a Friday prayers sermon delivered by a representative in the holy city of Karbala, where several of the slain men came from.

DPRK making more nuclear bomb fuel despite talks: US
US intelligence agencies believe North Korea has increased production of fuel for nuclear weapons at multiple secret sites in recent months and may try to hide these while seeking concessions in nuclear talks with the United States, NBC News quoted US officials as saying.

In a report on Friday, June 29 the network said what it described as the latest US intelligence assessment appeared to go counter to sentiments expressed by President Donald Trump, who tweeted after an unprecedented June 12 summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that “there is no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea.

The network cited US officials as saying that the intelligence assessment concludes that North Korea has more than one secret nuclear site in addition to its known nuclear fuel production facility at Yongbyon. “There is absolutely unequivocal evidence that they are trying to deceive the US,” NBC quoted one official as saying.

The CIA declined to comment on the NBC report. The State Department said it could not confirm it and did not comment on matters of intelligence. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Suicide bombing wounds 19 in Iraq
A suicide bombing on Sunday, July 1 targeting a warehouse in Kirkuk where ballot boxes from Iraq’s May elections were stored wounded 19 people, days before a vote recount, a security source said. “Nine policemen, six members of a counter-terrorist unit and four civilians were wounded when a car bomb driven by a suicide bomber exploded at the main gate of the warehouse,” the source said.

The building was damaged by the blast but the ballot boxes were unaffected, said Rakan al-Juburi, the governor of Kirkuk north of Baghdad. Iraq’s supreme court has ordered a manual vote recount in polling stations where results from the May legislative elections were contested following allegations of fraud.

The ballot was won by populist cleric Moqtada Sadr’s electoral alliance with Communists, as long-time political figures were pushed out by voters seeking change in a country mired in conflict and corruption.

Drone shot down in Yemen
Coalition forces supporting the Yemeni government shot down a rebel drone on Thursday, July 5 over their military base in the southern city of Aden, a source in the Saudi-led alliance said.

The Iran-allied Huthi insurgents claimed via their Al-Masirah TV to have “successfully” targeted the Brega military base in Aden with a drone.

They said it was the first time they had targeted the coalition in the port city, where President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi’s government has its headquarters.

A source with the Saudi-led alliance told AFP by telephone that its forces had “shot down an unmanned drone over a coalition base” in Aden.

It follows the launch last month of a major offensive by pro-government forces to retake the port city of Hodeida, a key aid gateway on Yemen’s west coast held by the rebels since 2014.

Turkish police detain two Brits over ‘terror propaganda’
Anti-terror police have detained two Britons of Iraqi origin at an airport in southwest Turkey on charges of spreading terror propaganda for outlawed Kurdish militants, media reported on Friday, July 6.

Two brothers identified as Ayman Barzan and Hariam Barzan were held on Thursday at Dalaman airport after they were interviewed by anti-terror risk analysis police over their “suspicious behaviours”, the DHA private news agency reported.

Police later checked their social media accounts where they allegedly disseminated propaganda in favour of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia, DHA said.

Turkey considers the YPG as the Syrian branch of the PKK which has waged a bloody insurgency against the state since 1984 and is blacklisted as a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies.

The two brothers, who were detained by police, were later placed by a local court in pre-trial detention, DHA said.

Iran executes eight over deadly IS attacks in Tehran
Iran has executed eight people convicted over two deadly attacks claimed by the Islamic State group in Tehran last year, the judiciary’s news agency said on Saturday, July 7.

The Iranian men were convicted of collaborating directly with the IS Jihadists who carried out the attacks on June 7, 2017, Mizan Online reported.

“They supported them financially and procured arms, while being informed of the aims and the intentions of the terrorist group,” the agency said.

It did not specify when the executions took place, but the Tasnim news agency said the sentences were carried out on Saturday.

IS claimed responsibility for the dual attack on Iran’s parliament and the shrine of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini that killed 17 people and wounded dozens.

The assault was the first and only claimed by the Islamic State group in Tehran.

Iran was targeted for supporting Iraqi and Syrian authorities in their fight against IS and other Jihadist groups.

Syria car bomb kills 18
A car bombing in eastern Syria on Friday, July 6 killed at least 18 people including 11 members of a US-backed force that has fought the Islamic State group, a war monitor said.

“A car bomb went off in front of the Syrian Democratic Forces’ base in Al-Bsayra town in the eastern Deir Ezzor countryside,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

It killed “a commander and ten other personnel, as well as seven civilians, including three children,” he said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, but IS has claimed similar attacks in the past.

IS in 2014 declared a cross-border “caliphate” in Syria and neighbouring Iraq, but has since lost most of its territory to various military offensives.

In Deir Ezzor province, the Jihadists have been pushed back by two separate offensives: one by the SDF along the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, and another by Syrian regime forces on the western bank. Despite its losses, IS still maintains a presence in villages in the Deir Ezzor’s east.

Top Islamist cleric ‘detained by Saudi authorities’
Saudi Arabia has detained a prominent Islamist scholar, activists said on Thursday, July 12 in a widening crackdown on dissent in the ultra-conservative kingdom, which is undergoing sweeping economic and social reforms. Rights campaigners and online activists said Sheikh Safar al-Hawali, a Sunni Islamist scholar and leading figure in Saudi Arabia’s Islamic Sahwa reformist movement, had been taken into custody.

They did not give further details about the case of the scholar, who has pushed a line of anti-Americanism and Islamic rule. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, named heir to the throne in June 2017, has spearheaded a string of reforms over the past year aimed at improving his country’s image and economy. The changes have coincided with a widening crackdown on all forms of opposition.

Authorities last month arrested a number of prominent women’s rights campaigners, just days before the kingdom ended a decades-long ban on women driving. Hawali was jailed in the 1990s for opposing his country’s ties to US troops leading a military operation to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait.

In 1993, he was banned from public speaking and dismissed from his academic posts along with prominent cleric Sheikh Salman al-Awda. While no charges were pressed, the two were accused of aiming to incite civil disobedience. They were arrested again in 1994 but soon released.

Saudi Arabia intercepts Yemen rebel missile
Saudi Arabia on Saturday, July 14 intercepted a missile fired from rebel-held territory in neighbouring Yemen, where a Riyadh-led coalition is fighting the insurgents, state media said.

A coalition statement published by the state-run SPA news agency said the ballistic missile had been fired from the northern Yemeni province of Saada towards the southern Saudi city of Najran. No casualties were reported.

The Iran-backed Huthis have ramped up missile attacks against Saudi Arabia in recent months, which Riyadh usually says it intercepts.

Earlier this month a five-year-old child was wounded when the rebels fired a rocket at the southern Jizan province, Saudi authorities said at the time.

In 2014, the Huthis overran the Yemeni capital and seized control of much of northern Yemen as well as a string of ports on the Red Sea.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other allies intervened in the conflict between Yemen’s government and rebels in March 2015, aiming to push back the Huthis and restore the internationally recognised government to power.

Nearly 10,000 people have been killed in the Yemen conflict since the 2015 intervention, 2,200 of them children. The war has pushed the long-impoverished country to the brink of famine.

Boko Haram overruns Nigeria military base
Boko Haram jihadists overran a military base in northeast Nigeria after a ferocious firefight, security sources said on Sunday, July 15 the second major assault on the country’s forces in two days.

The militants invaded a base holding hundreds of soldiers in Yobe state where they abducted over 100 girls from a school earlier this year in an hours-long onslaught on Saturday night, a military source told AFP on condition of anonymity. The attack took place after Boko Haram fighters ambushed a military convoy in neighbouring Borno state on Friday, highlighting the tenuous hold Nigerian forces have on the remote region despite claims from Muhammadu Buhari’s government the country is in a “post-conflict stabilisation phase”.

A leader of a local anti-jihadist militia said that the soldiers sustained casualties, but was unable to give a toll, attributing the attack to the Abu-Mus’ab Al-Barnawi faction of Boko Haram, which is known for targeting Nigerian forces.

Iran ‘preparing’ to enrich if nuclear deal fails
Iran is ready to boost its uranium enrichment to higher levels if talks fail with Europe on salvaging the nuclear deal, a top official said on Tuesday, July 17.

“We have of course adopted some measures in order to prepare the ground for eventually increasing the level of enrichment if it is needed and if the negotiations with the Europeans fail,” Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman and vice-president of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation, told a news conference in Tehran.

“We are of course continuing to carry out and implement our obligations based on the JCPOA,” he said, referring to the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers that put strict limits on its atomic programme in return for sanctions relief.

“But at the same time, taking every scenario into consideration, we are preparing ourselves,” he added. The United States announced in May that it was abandoning the 2015 agreement and reimposing nuclear-related sanctions, threatening global companies with heavy penalties if they continue to operate in Iran.

In a bid to save the accord, the EU and European parties to the deal Britain, France and Germany presented a series of economic “guarantees” to Iran this month, but these were judged “insufficient” by Tehran. Negotiations are continuing, and foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said on Monday they could last several “weeks”, according to state television.

In June, in a bid to mount pressure on the Europeans, Iran announced a plan to increase its uranium enrichment capacity with new centrifuges in the event that the agreement collapses, while still denying any desire to build a nuclear weapon. Under the 2015 agreement, Iran can only enrich uranium to 3.67 percent far below the roughly 90-percent level needed for nuclear weapons.

Nine injured in attack on bus in Germany
Nine people were injured on Friday, July 20 in an attack by a man wielding a knife on a bus in northern Germany, officials said on Friday, although his motive remained unclear. The packed bus was heading in the direction of Travemuende, a popular beach destination close to the city of Luebeck, when a man pulled a weapon on passengers, local media Luebecker Nachrichten reported, quoting an unnamed witness. The bus driver immediately stopped the vehicle, allowing passengers to escape, the daily said on its website.

An unnamed female passenger on the bus said one of those injured had only just given up his seat to an elderly woman, “when the perpetrator stabbed him in the chest”. A police car which happened to be close by arrived at the scene quickly, allowing officers to detain the assailant, added the report.

Confirming that a man went at fellow passengers on the bus with a knife, Luebeck chief prosecutor Ursula Hingst added: “We will not release information on the identity of the man nor the motive of the act.”

Police from the state of Schleswig-Holstein meanwhile said on Twitter that “people were injured. No one was killed. The perpetrator was overpowered and is now in police custody.” According to Luebecker Nachrichten, the attacker is an Iranian man in his mid-30s. While neither the motive nor full identity of the perpetrator have been established, Germany has been on high alert after several deadly Islamist extremist attacks.

10 Iran Revolutionary Guards killed in border clash
At least 10 members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards were killed when insurgents attacked one of their bases along the border with Iraq, the force said in a statement on Saturday, July 21.

The attack happened on Friday night in the village of Dari, in the Marivan district of Iran’s northwestern Kurdistan region.

“The attack by the evil rebels and terrorists against a revolutionary border post and the explosion of a munitions depot caused the martyrdom of 10 fighters,” the Guards’ ground forces division said in the statement.

There was some confusion over the announcement, as the statement listed 11 names of “martyred” soldiers. It added that “several terrorists” had also been killed and injured in the clash.

Somalia’s al Shabaab says it storms military base, kills 27 troops
Al Shabaab fighters detonated a suicide car bomb before storming a military base in the south of Somalia on Monday, July 23 and killing 27 soldiers, the militant group said, its second strike on the base in as many months.

Fighting broke out between al Shabaab and the national army shortly afterwards, resulting in the army killing 87 militants, assistant information minister Aden Isak Ali told a state news agency SONNA on Monday.

The attack, whose blast was heard by residents of a nearby town, follows a strike last month by al Shabaab on the base in Baar Sanguni, about 50 km (31 miles) from the port city of Kismayu, that wounded seven soldiers.

The group is battling to topple the central government and impose its rule based on its own strict interpretation of Islam’s sharia law. It has killed thousands of Somalis and hundreds of civilians across East Africa in a decade-long insurgency.

“We first attacked the base with a suicide car bomb and then stormed,” said Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab’s spokesman for military operations. “We killed 27 soldiers and took the base. Some soldiers fled into the jungles. “The military sent reinforcements to the base following the reports of an explosion and heavy fighting after the rebel attack.

Suicide attack kills two in south Yemen
Two people were killed on Tuesday, July 24 and six, including a security commander loyal to Yemen’s government, wounded in a suicide attack in Aden, a security source said.

The attacker blew himself up while riding a motorbike near a vehicle carrying the commander of a battalion of UAE-backed forces, the source told AFP. The explosion killed a female passerby and a soldier driving the vehicle that was carrying the commander, who was among four wounded passengers, the source said.

Two civilians were also wounded, added the source, who is loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognised government. A doctor in Aden confirmed the toll of two dead and six wounded to AFP.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack in the southern city. Nearly 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen’s conflict since 2015, when Saudi Arabia, UAE and other countries joined the government’s fight against the Iran-backed Huthi rebels. Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has flourished in the chaos of the civil war, especially in the south of the country.

Government should demilitarize North as gesture of reconciliation, says UN Special Rapporteur Ben Emmerson
United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur Ben Emmerson in his report released on July 23 said Government should demilitarize North as gesture of reconciliation, reports Daily Mirror. In his report, which is based on findings of the mission to Sri Lanka from July 10-14, 2017, the Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism Ben Emmerson said he was particularly concerned about the ‘very large and imposing’ presence of the military in the North. “While the Rapporteur understands that the military undertakes important re-construction work in that part of the country, he is also conscious of the highly symbolic value of its presence. The pervasive lack of accountability for the war crimes that were perpetrated during the war, the climate of impunity that prevails within the security sector, the overwhelming economic weight of the military, its involvement in civilian activities, as well as the overwhelmingly Sinhalese Nationality within the military all contribute to perpetuating the resentment and disenfranchisement felt by the Tamil community as a whole,” the report said.

Meanwhile, Commanding General of the US Army Pacific (USARPAC) General Robert B. Brown on July 24 commended the present Sri Lankan Government’s reconciliation program which aims to enhance the harmony among different communities, reports Colombo Page. General Robert B. Brown, who is leading a USARPAC delegation to Sri Lanka at the invitation of Sri Lanka Army Commander Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake, made this remark when he called on President Maithripala Sirisena at the President’s Office.

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 References

Threat Level 1 *

No threat to foreigners although there may be isolated incidents involving petty crime. No security precautions are required.

Threat Level 2 **

No specific threat to foreigners, however because of the overall general law & order situation, some security precautions are advised, especially if traveling.

Threat Level 3 ***

Indicates that law and order situation is cause for concern and travel should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. Foreigners should rehearse plans for evacuation.

Threat Level 4 ****

Indicates complete breakdown of civil administration and law and order leading to possible anarchy. All foreigners 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.

Special Emphasis on Terrorism (Aug-2018)

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