This document provides an assessment of the situation in Balochistan, Pakistan in early 2011. It summarizes that while the Pakistani army chief announced education and employment initiatives for Balochistan, violence continued to escalate. Civilian deaths increased by 80% from 2009 to 2010, with 347 total deaths. The insurgency remained active across 26 districts, targeting both security forces and civilians. The government focused more on crushing Baloch nationalist rebels than addressing their grievances. Exiled Baloch leaders rejected the government's reconciliation package as inadequate. Overall, violence was unlikely to decrease due to Islamabad's reliance on military force over political solutions.

1. SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings January 17, 2011
Assessment: Pakistan
Inaugurating a military college in Sui area of Dera Bugti District, Chief of Army Staff (CoAS)
General Ashfaq Kayani on January 3, 2011, announced the establishment of an ‘education city’ in
the Province; disclosed that 4,268 Baloch students were benefiting from Chamalang Beneficiary
Education Programme, and that the Balochistan Institute of Technical Education, managed by the
Pakistan Army, had already trained 1,673 individuals; that the Gwadar Institute of Technical
Education would also start functioning soon; that the Army would recruit 10,000 Baloch youths by
2012; that 4,000 youths from Balochistan had already been recruited in the Pakistan Army in
October 2010; and that only a strong, stable and thriving Balochistan could make Pakistan
prosperous.
The realities of the ground, however, are far removed from this mirage of shared peace and
prosperity. The very next day, on January 4, a remote controlled bomb hit a school bus carrying
more than 30 children of Frontier Corps (FC) personnel in the Turbat town of Kech District. Five
children and the security in-charge were injured in the blast. On January 5, security agencies
retaliated by dumping the dead bodies of two Baloch youth, Qambar Chakar (25) and Ilyas
Baloch (24), who were allegedly abducted by intelligence sleuths from Turbat town and Ormara in
Makran District, respectively, on November 27, 2010. Chakar was the deputy organiser of the
Shal zone of the Balochistan Students Organisation-Azaad (BSO-A), and Ilyas was a student of
the University of Balochistan. Hospital sources disclosed that each of the victims had been shot
thrice and the bodies bore marks of extensive torture. Earlier, family members of the victims and
BSO-Azad had persistently demanded that Chakar and Ilyas be produced before a court of law if
they had committed any offence. The case is not an exception, but part of an extended
succession of ‘kill and dump’ incidents engineered by intelligence agencies. Indeed, on
December 26, 2010, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) had staged a large
demonstration in Quetta to protest against the recovery of bullet-riddled bodies of ‘missing’
persons in Balochistan and the increasing incidents of targeted killing of political dissidents.
HRCP chairperson Asma Jahangir, on October 5, 2010, had said that HRCP had a list of 198
missing persons and 99 of them had been traced till that date. The US on November 23, 2010,
had expressed serious concern over allegations of extra-judicial killings and human rights
violations in the Province. The unclassified version of the Congressional-mandated report, dated
November 23, published by The New York Times, stated, Significantly, on September 29, 2010, a
video appeared on the internet showing men in Pakistani military uniforms apparently committing
extra-judicial killings of young civilians.
In the meanwhile, violence in Balochistan escalated further through 2010. According to partial
data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), a total of 347 persons, including of 274
civilians, 59 Security Force (SF) personnel and 14 militants, died in 150 incidents of killing in 2010
(all data till December 31). In 2009, 277 persons, including 152 civilians, 88 SF personnel and 37
militants, died in 102 incidents of killing. Thus, while SF and militant fatalities declined by 32.95
per cent and 62.16 per cent, respectively, civilian fatalities recorded an increase of 80.26 per
cent. [These numbers are likely to be underestimates, as access to media and independent
observers is severely restricted in Balochistan].
Annual Fatalities in Balochistan, 2006-2010
Year Civilians SF Militant Total Injured Incidents
Personnel
2010 274 59 14 347 601 325

2. 2009 152 88 37 277 491 364
2008 130 111 107 348 383 397
2007 124 27 94 245 NA NA
2006 226 82 142 450 NA 772
[Data till December 31, 2010]
There was, however, a small decrease in the number of major incidents (resulting in three or
more fatalities), from 28 in 2009, to 23 in 2010. Prominent among the major incidents of 2010
were:
• September 3: At least 65 persons were killed while over 191 were injured after a suicide
bomber blew himself up amidst participants of a rally held to mark the al-Quds Day [an
international day of solidarity with the Palestinian people] in Quetta.
• August 14: Six Punjabi speaking persons were shot dead by assailants riding a
motorcycle, when they were going home from work in the Khilji Colony of Quetta.
• Unidentified assailants singled out Punjabi passengers travelling on a bus, killing 10 and
injuring five others near Quetta.
• June 15: Seven persons, including a tribal elder, were shot dead and two persons were
injured, when their vehicle was ambushed on the RCD Highway in the Surab tehsil
(revenue unit) of Kalat District.
• April 16: A suicide bomber blew himself up in an attack inside the Civil Hospital in Quetta,
the provincial capital, killing 11 persons and injuring 35.
The insurgents, moreover, retained capabilities to carry out acts of sabotage on a daily basis
across the Province. Acts of violence were, crucially, not restricted to a few areas, but occurred in
practically every one of the 26 Districts of the Province, including capital Quetta . Quetta
continues to witness high levels of violence, both by Islamist extremists and Baloch nationalists.
There were 101 militancy-related incidents in Quetta during 2010, as against 73 in 2009, 81 in
2008, 72 in 2007, 75 in 2006, 61 in 2005, 51 in 2004 and 32 in 2003. One principal stream of
violence is engineered by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)-Afghan Taliban-al Qaeda
combine, which continues to disrupt NATO supply lines to Afghanistan, which pass through
Balochistan. Attacks in Balochistan on oil tankers and trucks ferrying NATO supplies to
Afghanistan rose sharply from 14 in 2009 to 66 in 2010. 12 persons lost their lives in these
attacks, while 32 suffered injuries. Media reports on January 1, 2011, indicated that at least 139
oil tanker and containers had been destroyed in Balochistan through 2010. In one such attack,
unidentified militants set ablaze more than 20 NATO supply trucks heading for Afghanistan near
the Akhtarabad terminal in Quetta in the morning of October 6, 2010. Claiming responsibility, TTP
spokesman Azam Tariq said that its cadres carried out an arson attack on NATO tankers in
Pakistan as revenge against a scaled-up US drone strike campaign in the country’s northwest.
On October 9, 2010, when nearly 30 tankers were set ablaze in the Bolan District, TTP warned,
"We accept responsibility for the attacks on the NATO supply trucks and tankers. We will continue
such attacks until the drone strikes are stopped."
Amidst growing attacks on NATO convoys and apprehensions regarding the activities of the
Afghan Taliban’s Quetta Shura, Western media reports in November 2010 indicated that the
United States was seeking to expand the areas inside Balochistan where Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA) drones could operate. US officials were said to be eyeing areas surrounding
Quetta, where the Taliban leadership was believed to be hiding. However, on December 11,
2010, Balochistan Frontier Corps (FC) Inspector General, Major General Ubaidullah Khan,
claimed that no TTP or Quetta Shura Taliban existed in any part of the Province, indicating
continuing collusion between the Pakistani Army and establishment and the Afghan Taliban, and

3. particularly the Quetta Shura, which is widely believed to operate under the protection of
Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence.
The TTP has, moreover, launched repeated suicide attacks against Government establishments
in retaliation against US drone attacks, and Pakistani authorities are consequently trying their
level best to keep the US drones out of Balochistan, in order to appease the extremists.
Significantly, the rebels targeted the Chief Minister (CM) of Balochistan, Nawab Aslam Raisani, in
a suicide attack on December 7, when he narrowly escaped the assassination attempt at a
railway crossing at Saryab Pattak in Quetta. Claiming responsibility for the attack, the Lashkar-e-
Jhangvi al-Alami spokesperson, who introduced himself as Abdullah Jhangvi, phoned the Quetta
Press Club from an unspecified location and vowed to carry out such attacks in the future as well.
Meanwhile, Islamabad continues to direct the bulk of its initiatives against the Baloch nationalist
rebels. Seeking to crush nationalist rebellion, the Federal Government assigned Police powers to
the FC, a paramilitary force. Federal Minister of the Interior, Rehman Malik, on September 8,
2010, announced that the Federal Government had given the Chief Minister (CM) of Balochistan,
Nawab Aslam Raisani, the authority to award Police powers to the FC to tackle the ‘law and order
situation’ in the Province. He, however, qualified that all raids and actions against militants would
be led by the Police. Malik also announced that every organization whose name bears the word
"liberation" or "lashkar" in Balochistan was banned from the date of his announcement, and their
accounts were frozen. These organizations prominently included the Balochistan Liberation Army
(BLA), Baloch Liberation Front (BLF), Baloch Republican Army (BRP), Lashkar-e-Balochistan
(LB) and Baloch Mussalah Difa Organization (BMDO). He also warned that the Government
would take ‘tougher action’, if necessary, to control the escalating violence and unrest in
Balochistan.
Later, on November 24, 2010, the CM ruled out any possibilities of talks with Baloch militants,
declaring that the ‘public’ had not given him a mandate for that purpose. This reflected a dramatic
shift from the position articulated by the CM and the Balochistan Governor, Nawab Zulfiqar Ali
Magsi, on October 29. 2010, when they offered to engage in dialogue with ‘angry Baloch
elements’, especially the insurgents, and pledged to protect their legitimate rights. At the other
end of Islamabad’s ‘carrot and stick’ policy, in a joint sitting of Parliament on November 24, 2010,
the Federal Government announced a ‘five-tier multi-dimensional special package’ for
Balochistan, combining political, administrative and economic initiatives. The package, named
Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan (beginning of the rights of Balochistan), was presented by the
Pakistan People’s Party Senator, Mian Raza Rabbani, who heads the seven-member
Parliamentary Committee, which finalised the package in consultation with the political leadership
in Parliament and other ‘stakeholders’. The five-tier package envisages the withdrawal of the
Army from Sui, and its replacement by the FC; a fact-finding commission, headed by a retired
judge of the Supreme Court/High Court, to probe into the death of Nawab Akbar Bugti [August 26,
2006]; inquiry by the superior judiciary into the murder of Baloch political workers, including
Ghulam Muhammad Baloch [April 9, 2009], Lala Munir [May 25, 2010], and targeted killings in the
province.
Exiled Baloch leaders, however, summarily rejected the ‘package’ on the grounds that it failed to
address their core problems. Significantly, Talal Bugti, the late Nawab Akbar Bugti’s son and
President of the Jamhoori Watan Party, alleged that the package had been prepared by ‘invisible
forces’ and not by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani’s team or a Parliamentary Committee.
"Our stand remains unchanged that the federating units must be treated as per the 1940 Pakistan
Resolution," he declared, adding, "We don’t believe in dialogue anymore, as it has been
unproductive." Hyrbyair Marri, the London-based leader of the Marri tribe, while opposing any
compromise with the Government, called the package a "mockery and a cruel joke" on the people
of Balochistan, claimed it fell far short of Baloch expectations, and that it was only an exercise in
buying more time. Further, the National Assembly Standing Committee (NASC) on Inter-
Provincial Coordination on January 10, 2011, expressed dissatisfaction over the pace of
implementation of the packages for Balochistan, observing that a lot of work had been done on

4. paper and nothing on the ground. The NASC was, however, informed that, out of 61 proposals in
the package, 15 had been ‘fully implemented’, 12 were in the process of being implemented while
34 proposals were in the ‘middle stages’ of implementation.
Balochistan is rich in mineral wealth, but remains poor because of Islamabad's relentless
exploitation, neglect and excesses. Jumma Khan Marri, president of the Baloch Unity
Organisation, thus observed, Kayani’s rhetoric about a strong, stable and thriving Balochistan is
in stark contrast with the harsh realities of the ground in the Province, and reconcile poorly with
Islamabad’s overwhelming reliance on relentless military suppression, human rights violations
and excesses by intelligence and security agencies. With Islamabad unable to escape the
fruitless cycles of past policies, it remains unlikely that the suppurating wounds inflicted and
constantly renewed in Balochistan will heal, and that violence will approach an end in the
foreseeable future.
Assessment: India
In their last major outrage of 2010 in Maharashtra, at least four Security Force (SF) personnel
were killed and seven were injured when Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres
triggered a powerful landmine blast near Umanoor Hill on the Alapalli-Sironcha Road in
Gadchiroli District on December 21, 2010. Data compiled by the Institute for Conflict Management
indicates that Maharashtra witnessed at least 40 fatalities, including 22 civilians, 15 SF personnel
and three Naxalites (Left Wing Extremists) in 21 incidents of killing in 2010. On first sight, this
appears to suggest a significant improvement over the previous year: there were 87 fatalities,
including 52 SFs, 23 militants and 12 civilians in 22 such incidents in 2009. Overall fatalities,
thus, almost halved, giving a false indication that Maoist violence was on a decline. Closer
scrutiny, however, shows that civilian fatalities rose from 12 to 22. Fatalities among the Maoists
fell to an eighth of their 2009 figure, from 23 to 3, while SF fatalities declined by a factor of almost
three and a half, from 52 to 15. These figures suggest an escalation of Maoist depredations, even
while the SFs fail to engage effectively with the rebels. Reports from the field, in fact, indicate that
the Maoists are extending their areas of activity, even as the SFs withdraw into a defensive
posture, failing to engage proactively.
Fatalities in Left Wing Extremism: 2005-2010
Year Civilian SF Naxals Total
2005 2 17 8 27
2006 13 3 33 49
2007 9 2 8 19
2008 2 5 7 14
2009 12 52 23 87
2010 22 15 3 40
[Data: Till December 31, 2010]
In addition to the December 21 incident, the State witnessed another two major incidents
(resulting in three or more fatalities) in 2010. These included:
October 8: Seven persons, including two schoolchildren and three Indo-Tibetan Border Police
(ITBP) personnel, were killed in two encounters with the CPI-Maoist in the in the Sawargaon
forest area of Gadchiroli District along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border.
October 4: A land mine blast triggered by the cadres of the CPI-Maoist killed Central Reserve
Police Force (CRPF). Inspector Nevrutti Yadav, two Sub-Inspectors of the District Police –

5. Shashikant More and Mahendra Kumar Nalkul – and a constable each from the CRPF and the
District Police, at Perimili in Gadchiroli. The Maoists managed to decamp with their weapons.
In 2010, incidents of killing were reported from just two Districts – Gadchiroli (39) and Bhandara
(1) – out of a total of 35 Districts in the State. 2009 had also seen fatalities in two Districts –
Gadchiroli (86) and Gonda (1). The State witnessed a total 51 Maoist-related incidents, including
incidents of killing, spread across seven Districts through 2010. Again, Gadchiroli topped the list
with 40, followed by Chandrapur and Gondia (3 each), Nagpur (2), Amravati, Bhandara and
Mumbai City (1). The number of such incidents stood at 36 in 2009 – Gadchiroli (30), Gondia (3),
Chandrapur, Mumbai City and Nagpur (1 each).
Fatalities in Gadchiroli District: 2005-2010
Year Incidents Civilians SFs Extremists Total
2005 5 2 15 4 21
2006 20 13 3 34 50
2007 31 7 2 8 17
2008 17 4 5 5 14
2009 30 11 52 23 86
2010 45 21 15 3 39
[Data: Till December 31, 2010]
Gadchiroli clearly remains the epicentre of Maoist violence in Maharashtra. Describing the
security situation in the District during his visit, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram admitted,
on December 29, 2010, that the Naxalites retained the capacity to attack "at will". Earlier,
speaking in the State Assembly, State Home Minister R.R. Patil stated that a large number of
armed Naxalites were active in Gadchiroli District, and were ‘waging a war’ against state power.
He disclosed that the Union Government had provided four CRPF Battalions for the District, apart
from a contingent of the ITBP. Significantly, on February 14, 2010, Union Home Secretary G.K.
Pillai had claimed, "Once the full complements of Forces come, we should be able to clear
Gadchiroli of all Naxal elements within one year." Reports indicate increasing local support for the
Maoists, though State Home Minister Patil, on July 8, 2010, responding to a query about the
impact of a bandh (general shut down) called by the Maoists in the State insisted, "Only tehsils
like Dhanora in Gadchiroli witnessed some support for the bandh." On May 20, Patil had claimed
that the Naxalite movement was being funded by a section of the cash-rich mining industry. He
suggested that the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence identify the sources of such funding from
companies working in Naxal-hit areas. Meanwhile, a Press communiqué of CPI-Maoist’s
Maharashtra State Rajya Committee (MSRC), circulated in Gadchiroli in support of the December
1, 2010, Vidarbha bandh called by the Vidarbha Rajya Sangram Samiti (Vidarbha State Struggle
Committee) , focused on the widening economic rift between Vidarbha and Western Maharashtra.
The Maoists alleged that the State Government was favouring the growth of Western
Maharashtra at the cost of the progressively impoverished Vidarbha region. The pamphlet, written
in Marathi and signed by ‘Comrades’ Kosa, ‘secretary’ of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal
Committee, and Sahayadri, ‘secretary’ of MRSC, emphasised that the approval of the 32,000 MW
thermal power project in Vidarbha would lead to environmental degradation and mass
displacement. The rebels also alleged that the SFs were targeting students and innocent young
girls in the name of action against Naxalites. The neglected Vidharbha region is the principal
prospective recruitment ground for the Maoists in Maharashtra.
However, K.P. Raghuvanshi, Additional Director General (Law and Order), insists that the
Naxalites were trying to increase their cadre strength principally through coercion: "The people
are now disillusioned with them and no one joins them voluntarily anymore. Most of the recruits in

6. recent times have been roped in through intimidation, threats or blackmail." Raghuvanshi added
that the State Police and Central Paramilitary Forces (CPMFs) had been carrying out area
domination operations in Naxalite-affected areas: "The Central Reserve Police Force, Special
Operation Group, C-60 commandoes and CoBRA [Combat Battalion against Resolute Action]
commandoes are all part of the operation." The SFs did manage to arrest 50 Maoists, including
three ‘State Committee’ members and one ‘zonal commander’, in 13 incidents of arrest in 2010.
In one such incident, on December 28, six Maoists, including a couple, were arrested from
Gondia and Chandrapur Districts. They included two Maoist ‘State Committee’ members. In
addition, at least 10 Maoists surrendered through 2010, six of them on Republic Day (January 26,
2010). A February 17, 2010, report, citing official sources, claimed that a total of 319 Maoist
cadres had laid down their arms before authorities in the Gadchiroli District since the initiation of
he Government’s surrender scheme in August 2005. Police recovered 81 rifles, mostly .303s and
self loading rifles, ammunition and explosives, as well as Maoist literature, from the surrendered
cadres. On December 5, 2010, Police seized Maoist literature inciting people to take up arms
against the State in protest against ‘injustice’ and highlighting the ‘failures of the Government’ on
various fronts. Sources indicated that at least 12 pamphlets of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla
Army (PLGA), the military wing of the CPI-Maoist, were recovered in the Ganeshpeth area of
Nagpur. The pamphlets appealed particularly to the younger generation to join the organisation,
urging that armed struggle was the only way to end injustice. The pamphlets, issued by the North
Gadchiroli-Gondia border committee of the Maharashtra unit of the organisation, further stated
that people should help the Maoists destroy the Police intelligence network and strengthen the
Maoist intelligence mechanism.
The Maharashtra and Union Governments made significant allocations in their attempt to improve
security in the Maoist affected areas. On February 23, 2010, State Finance Minister Sunil Tatkare
announced a quadruple hike, from INR 173 million in financial year 2009-10 to INR 700.3 million
for 2010-11, in the development allocation for the worst Maoist-affected Gadchiroli District. More
funds were made available to the Maoist affected regions by the Union Government. State Home
Minister Patil, on May 21, disclosed that the Union Government had sanctioned INR 3.7 billion for
roads in Gondia and Gadchiroli Districts. Gadchiroli was to receive INR 3.03 billion for 32 major
road works (313 kilometres), while the remaining allocation was for six major roads in Gondia.
Again on August 11, he stated that, "The Centre has, in principal, approved aid of INR 5.8 billion
for infrastructural facilities in Gadchiroli and Gondia Districts." As 2010 approached an end, on
December 15, the State Government announced a package of INR 6.54 Billion for the Naxal-hit
Gadchiroli District for its ‘overall development’.
To increase the strength of the fighting Force, the State Government had announced, on January
29, 2010, that it would recruit 2,300 Police personnel, specifically for the security of the Gadchiroli
District. On May 22, 2010, State Home Minister Patil disclosed that the Police recruitment drive in
Gadchiroli and Gondia had received ‘tremendous response’, with some 30,000 applying for 8,000
vacancies advertised. Of the candidates, 18,000 were from Gadchiroli. According to the
Gadchiroli Police website, however, a total of just 981 Police personnel were selected in 2010.
However, in order to strengthen the strike Force, on June 7, 2010, the first batch of the specially
formed and trained ‘Alpha Hawks’ anti-Naxal unit was deployed in Gadchiroli, Gondia,
Chandrapur and Bhandara Districts. On May 21, moreover, the Maharashtra Home Department
proposed a compulsory two years’ services for all Government officials in CPI-Maoist-affected
areas, taking serious cognizance of the general reluctance to work there. Significantly, about 30
per cent of all posts were vacant in Gadchiroli District, and officials refused to go there, citing lack
of security. On February 8, 2010, in its bid to modernise the Police Force, the Maharashtra
Government decided to formulate its "arms policy" within the next seven days, against the
backdrop of the growing threat of terrorism and LWE. It eventually took almost four months for the
Government to announce this new arms policy, on June 4, 2010, according to which the Police
Force was to be equipped with sophisticated weapons, including imported firearms. The policy
seeks to equip the Police Force with modern pistols, assault rifles, sub machine guns, rocket
launchers, Light Machine Guns and sniper rifles. The Government made funds available on
priority basis for procuring arms and ammunition. The State Home Minister R. R. Patil added that

7. the Department would review the policy after three years. The policy would also be applicable to
the State Reserve Police. The policy, however, remains principally on paper, with necessary
acquisitions still mired in bureaucratic red tape. Indeed, according to official documents put
together by the Union Home Ministry, Maharashtra is among the seven States that have fared
poorly in modernising their Police Forces. Maharashtra was labelled as "poor performing state" as
it failed to use the funds allocated by the Centre for upgrading the Police and intelligence
apparatus, and for failing to submit its utilisation certificates (UCs) for funds spent. As a result,
Maharashtra was denied additional allocations, and its "funds have been diverted to other
responsive states." The report further indicated that the ‘poor performance’ States had outdated
and obsolete weapons and even the extremist-prone Police Stations are often not supplied with
modern weapons. Even where such Police Stations are supplied with modern weapons, Police
personnel are not trained for their use. The Police communication network in such States does
not function efficiently, they do not have enough vehicles and their forensic laboratories lack
proper infrastructure.
Significantly during his visit to Gadchiroli, Union Home Minister Chidambaram had asked senior
Policemen about the long-pending proposal to set up 10 additional Police Posts in the District, but
received no satisfactory answer. Maharashtra has a Police population ratio of 155 policemen per
100,000 population (significantly higher than the national average of 128), but still lacks the
wherewithal to combat the Maoist menace. The broad orientation of the establishment in
Maharashtra towards the Maoist menace remains confused, with excessive emphasis on
developmental expenditure on projects that simply cannot be implemented in the absence of
dramatically improved security. The security sector, on the other hand, continues to suffer from
massive deficits and an evident loss of direction, resulting in augmenting Maoist consolidation
and expansion.
News Briefs
Weekly Fatalities: Major Conflicts in South Asia
January 10-16, 2011
Security Force
Civilians Terrorists/Insurgents Total
Personnel
BANGLADESH
Left-wing 0 0 2 2
Extremism
INDIA
Jammu and 0 0 1 1
Kashmir
Left-wing
Extremism
Chhattisgarh 0 1 0 1
Jharkhand 1 0 0 1
Odisha 0 0 2 2
West Bengal 2 0 0 2
Total (INDIA) 3 1 3 7
PAKISTAN
Balochistan 6 3 0 9
FATA 9 4 44 57

8. Khyber 10 26 2 38
Pakhtunkhwa
Sindh 2 0 0 2
Total (PAKISTAN) 27 33 46 106
Provisional data compiled from English language media sources.
INDIA
Intelligence alert on pre-poll Maoist strikes in West Bengal: Intelligence officials have sent specific
inputs to camps-in-charge under various Police Stations in West Midnapore District about an
impending attack by cadres of the Communist party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) and People’s
Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA). The report added, "Large numbers of arms and
ammunition have been collected by (CPI-Maoist)/ PCPA and Sidhu Kanu Gana Militia supporters
as well as criminals and miscreants supported by various political parties." Times of India,
January 15, 2011.
NDFB-ATF declares unilateral cease-fire for six months in Assam: Ranjan Daimary, the arrested
‘chairman’ of the anti-talks faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB-ATF), on
January 10 declared a unilateral cease-fire for six months. Daimary said that in the intervening
period they would not indulge in any act of violence and cease hostilities. He said their decision to
declare a unilateral ceasefire had been conveyed to the Union Government. Within hours of the
declaration, Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) chief Hagrama Mohilary sought suspension of
operations against NDFB-ATF. Telegraph India, January 11, 2011.
Centre to cut paramilitary in Jammu and Kashmir by 25 percent, says Union Home Minister G. K.
Pillai: The Union Home Secretary G. K. Pillai on January 14 said that Union Government is
panning to reduce the presence of paramilitary forces in populated areas of Jammu and Kashmir
(J&K) by 25 percent over the next 12 months as a confidence-building measure (CBM). "As a
CBM in J&K, the strength of the security forces would come down by 25%. We would like to
reduce it as soon as possible depending on the ground situation," Pillai said. Times of India,
January 15, 2011.
Government to pump in INR 5.8 billion to fight Maoists: The Central Government is pumping in
INR 5.8 billion under the non-plan security-related expenditure scheme (SRE), a special security
scheme which would include strengthening road connectivity and recruiting 12,000 more Special
Police Officers (SPOs) to boost its fighting power against the Communist Party of India-Maoist
(CPI-Maoist) in mineral-rich central and eastern India. The Government has decided to raise the
number of its focus Districts to 60 from the current 35. The new focus Districts, according to the
sources, are in West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh. Over INR 2 billion has already been released
under SRE. Hindustan Times, January 14, 2011.
Bihar to hire 11, 000 Policemen every year: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on January 15 said that
the State would recruit 10,000 constables and 1,000 sub-inspectors every year till the Police-
Population Ratio in the State matches the National Average. "We would clear the backlog of
recruitments," he added. Times of India, January 16, 2011.
New training centre not for combating Naxals, says Army Chief: Army has asked the Government
to finalise "Rules of Engagement" as it gets ready to open a new training facility in Chhattisgarh,
but denied the move is linked to combating Naxalites [Left Wing Extremism] in the State. "We
have deliberately stayed out of any commitment to tackle Left Wing Extremism, except for giving
advice or training," Chief of Army Staff General V.K. Singh said. The Hindu, January 16, 2010.

9. NEPAL
Maoists ready to take bold steps, says UCPN-M chairman Prachanda: The chairman of the
Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda said
on January 10 that his party is prepared to hand over the command control of cantonments to the
Prime Minister-led Special Committee overseeing the Maoist combatants before United Nations
Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) scheduled departure on January 15. He outlined three steps that
would ensure a smooth transition before UNMIN wraps up. The steps include organising a special
ceremony to formally mark the transfer of the chain of command to the Special Committee, the
regrouping of combatants into two different categories (those opting for integration and those
opting for rehabilitation), and finalising the norms and modalities for integration. Kantipur Daily,
January 11, 2011.
UCPN-M and Government agreed to replace UNMIN with a six-member committee: The
caretaker Government and the Unified Communist party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) on January
14 agreed to form a six-member mechanism comprising three members each from the Army
Integration Special Committee (AISC) and its Secretariat to carry out all the activities of the
United Nations’ Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) after its departure. Prime Minister Madhav Kumar
Nepal and UCPN-M chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda singed a three-point
agreement in a bid to assure the outgoing UNMIN that the remaining tasks of the ongoing peace
process would be effectively handled in its absence. Nepal News, January 15, 2011.
Panel formed to amend House regulations to elect Nepal Prime Minister: The Parliament on
January 13 endorsed the formation of a five-member committee to make necessary preparations
for amendment to the House regulations aimed at starting the new process to elect the Prime
Minister. The Business Advisory Committee had on January 12 decided to form the committee
after Nepali Congress parliamentary leader and the sole prime ministerial candidate, Ram
Chandra Poudel, withdrew his nomination, ending the process that could not elect the Prime
Minister despite 16 rounds of voting. Nepal News, January 14, 2011.
PAKISTAN
44 militants and nine civilians among 57 persons killed during the week in FATA: Six militants
were killed when a vehicle carrying militants hit a landmine in the Mamozai area of Orakzai
Agency in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) on January 15. Security Forces (SFs) shot
dead four militants in a retaliatory firing when a group of militants attacked a security check post
in the Toda Khora area.
SFs killed 11 militants, including foreigners, and injured many others in Chinarak area near
Afghanistan border in Kurram Agency on January 14. Frontier Corps (FC) personnel killed three
militants and injured four others in retaliatory firing when a group of unidentified militants attacked
the FC camp in Bhaidaq of Mohammad Agency with rockets and mortar shells.
Mortar shells fired from across Afghanistan border killed eight persons, including five men and
three women, in Tity Mada Khel village in the North Waziristan Agency (NWA) on January 13.
Seven militants were killed and 10 other militants injured when SFs on January 12 heavily
pounded terrorist hideouts near the Afghanistan border in Orakzai Agency. In addition, five
militants were killed when a US drone targeted a suspected militant compound at Haider Khel
village in Mir Ali tehsil (revenue unit) of NWA. Separately, a US drone strike killed three
suspected militants and injured several others in Mir Ali tehsil of NWA on January 12.
Five militants, including a local ‘commander’, were killed when two rival militant outfits clashed in
Zangi area of Kurram Agency on January 10. Dawn; Daily Times;Tribune; The News, January
11-17, 2011 .
Pakistan defers military offensive against Haqqani Network, says report: Pakistan has indefinitely
postponed a full-scale military offensive against the Haqqani Network in North Waziristan Agency

10. (NWA) of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) because of the freezing winter there that
normally lasts over six months, Express Tribune quoting an unnamed source reported. In the
meantime, US drones will continue to target Taliban sanctuaries in NWA and elsewhere in the
tribal belt as this is the only available option to weaken the militants. Tribune, January 12, 2011.
US patience on North Waziristan Agency running out, warns Vice President Joe Biden: The
United States (US) Vice President Joe Biden on January 12 made it clear that the US patience
was running out with Pakistan’s indecision on military action against militants’ hideouts in North
Waziristan Agency (NWA). Biden, who was in Islamabad on a day-long visit to Pakistan, held
talks with both civilian and military leaders, the existence of militant sanctuaries in Pakistan’s
tribal areas and the radicalisation of Pakistani society. Dawn, January 13, 2011.
National Assembly Standing Committee not satisfied with implementation of Balochistan
package: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) on
January 10 expressed dissatisfaction over the pace of implementation on the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-
Balochistan (beginning of the rights of Balochistan) package with the observation that a lot of
work had been done on paper and nothing on the ground. The committee was told that devolution
of five ministries, including education, social welfare and special education, tourism, culture and
livestock and dairy development, will be completed by the end of the current (January) or
beginning of the next month (February). Daily Times, January 11, 2011.
SRI LANKA
UNHCR expects more Tamil refugees to return in 2011: The United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees in Sri Lanka predicted on January 9 that more refugees and displaced persons
would return to their homes in north Sri Lanka in 2011. According to UNHCR data, in 2010, the
number of refugees it assisted to return to Sri Lanka was 2,054. The UN body places the total
number of internally-displaced persons at 4.39 lakh and refugees at 1.45 lakh. Colombo Page,
January 10, 2011.
Faheem Ul Hasan