By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan –

At least seven people were killed in a suicide bombing on Wednesday in the Dera Ghazi Khan district of Punjab Province in Pakistan. Several other people were wounded in the attack.

The bombing was carried out at the office of lawmaker Sardar Amjad Farooq Khan Khosa, who leads the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz political party. Mr. Khosa was in Islamabad at the time of the bombing, but some of his junior officials and supporters were meeting at his office and were killed.

Police believe that a suicide bomber approached Mr. Khosa’s office on foot, but witnesses have reported that two attackers drove into his office on motorcycles and detonated the bomb.

While the motive for the attack remains unclear, authorities believe that the attack was carried out by the Pakistani Taliban because they have previously taken credit for similar attacks. District Police Chief Ghulam Mubashir Maken stated that the attack could have been made in retaliation for the recent killing of Malik Ishaq, a former leader of anti-Shiite militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. Mr. Ishaq was killed by Pakistani security forces in July.

Mr. Khosa told the New York Times that he did not know what the motive behind the bombing could be and that he had not received any threats from militant groups. He also stated that he had no disputes with anyone. Mr. Khosa has condemned the attack and has stated that while many of his close political workers were killed during the bombing, he and his party will not abandon their battle against terrorism.

Last year, Pakistan began a campaign against the Pakistani Taliban and other terrorist groups. Overall, while the campaign has been successful in decreasing violence in Pakistan, there have still been attacks such as the killing of Punjab’s home minister, Shuja Khanzada, earlier this year. Mr. Khanzada was meeting with people in his constituency office in Punjab when he and seventeen others were killed by a suicide bomber.

The bombing comes at the start of Muharram, a holy month in the Islamic calendar which has been marked by terrorist attacks in years past. In the past decade, tens of thousands of people in Pakistan have been killed in attacks initiated by local and al-Qaida-linked foreign Islamic militant groups.

 

For more information, please see:

The Guardian – Seven Killed in Suspected Suicide Bombing at Pakistan MP’s Office – 14 October 2015

Khaleej Times – Bomb Blast Targeting Lawmaker Kills 7 in Pakistan – October 14 2015

Newsweek Pakistan – Bomb Kills Five in Taunsa – 14 October 2015

The New York Times – Suicide Attack at Lawmaker’s Office in Pakistan Kills at Least 7 – 14 October 2015

Pakistan Today – Blast at MNA’s political office in DG Khan, Seven Killed, Several Wounded – 14 October 2015

U.S. News and World Report – Police: Suicide Bombing Targeting Ruling Party Lawmaker Kills 7 in Central Pakistan – 14 October 2015

 

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar –

Myanmar will hold national elections on November 8^th as scheduled, contrary to an announcement on Tuesday that the elections would potentially be postponed. The leader of Myanmar’s Union Election Commission, U Tin Aye, announced the potential postponement to representatives of Myanmar’s ten biggest political parties on Tuesday morning.

Mr. Aye stated that the possible postponement was due to severe flooding in parts of Myanmar, and that the effects of the flooding could make it difficult for some areas to accommodate voters. Myanmar’s national law permits the election commission to postpone or cancel elections in areas affected by natural disasters or security problems.

The Union Election Commission has stated that it reviewed statements from committee members about the pros and cons of postponing the election and that it decided to hold the election on the already scheduled date of November 8^th.

The possible postponement came at a time when Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace laureate and leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD), is gaining increasing support. In responding to the possible postponement of this year’s election, the NLD has said that it believes the postponement was an attempt by the government to thwart its chances of winning the election.

The upcoming national elections will be the first time since 1990 that parties will be allowed to freely challenge the military’s control in Myanmar. In the 1990 election, the NLD won 80% of the legislative seats, but the then-ruling military regime refused to hand over power to the party. The military sent the NLD’s leaders in prison and placed Ms. Suu Kyi under house arrest for fifteen years.

Ms. Suu Kyi stated last week that she plans to lead Myanmar if the NLD wins the November elections, in spite of a ban on her serving as president. Under a constitutional provision, Ms. Suu Kyi may not hold the presidential office because she has two foreign children.

Myanmar’s current governing party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party, is nominally civilian run but military-backed and is made up mostly of former military generals. The USDP is led by President Thein Sein and took power in 2011 after years of military dictatorial rule.

Myanmar’s government has pledged to honor the results of the election, but critics among the current government’s opposition are distrustful of the military’s continued influence in the current government.

Election monitors and international organizations including the European Union and U.S groups such as the Carter Center are assisting Myanmar in its preparation for the upcoming elections.

 

For more information, please see:

 The Guardian – Hours After Proposed Delay, Myanmar Says Elections to be Held on Time – 13 October 2015

The New York Times – Myanmar Government Seeks to Calm Fears of Election Postponement – 13 October 2015

Voice of America – No Delay to Myanmar Elections – 13 October 2015

The Wall Street Journal – Myanmar Says Election Will go Ahead as Planned – 13 October 2015

 

 

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 

DHAKA, Bangladesh—

A Baptist pastor survived a murder attempt on Monday, after he invited three men who expressed interest in religion into his home.

Reverend Luke Sarker, the pastor of Faith Bible Church in Pabna, a district in northwest Bangladesh, is a Bangladeshi that recently converted to Christianity. In September, he met with two men to discuss religion and their interest in converting to Christianity.

The men then requested a second meeting with Reverend Sarker for Monday and came to his home along with a third man. During their meeting with Reverend Sarker, his wife left the room. The three men then attacked him Reverend Sarker and attempted to slit his throat with a knife. When Reverend Sarker cried out for help, his wife and neighbors rushed to his aid. His attackers then fled and police later found a motorbike near the home. Reverend Sarker’s wounds from the knife attack were not serious.

Police have arrested a member of Islami Chhatra Shibir, which is the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, a political party that opposes Bangladesh’s current government. The member, Obaidul Islam, was detained for questioning after police raided his home in Pabna. According to a local police chief, Rezaul Karim, police also arrested a local businessman and an activist for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, another opposing political party and a key ally of Jamaat-e-Islami.

This attack comes after last week’s murders of two foreigners living in Bangladesh. One, an Italian aid worker employed in Dhaka, and the other, a Japanese famrer residing in northern Bangladesh, were shot to death. According to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors the websites of radical Islamic groups, the Islamic State declared responsibility for their deaths. There has been no independent confirmation that the Islamic State was responsible for the killings.

The Bangladesh government, led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has rejected the Islamic State’s claim and has instead blamed the attacks on the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami. The Bangladesh government believes that through the attacks, the opposition groups are attempting to destabilize the country. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party denied involvement in the attacks.

There have also recently been a series of attacks against secular bloggers in Bangladesh, whose population is predominantly Muslim. This year, four secular bloggers were hacked to death. Extremist Islamic groups are believed to be behind the attacks.

 

For more information, please see:

Headlines and Global News (HNGN) – Christian Pastor Escapes Murder Attempt in Northwest Bangladesh, Police Arrest Suspect – 7 October 2015

Associated Press – Christian Pastor Survives Knife Attack at Home in Bangladesh – 6 October 2015

BBC – Bangladesh Pastor Survives Knife Attack – 6 October 2015

New York Times – Baptist Pastor in Bangladesh Survives Knife Attack – 6 October 2015

 

 

 

 

 

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

SEOUL, South Korea –

North Korea has released and deported South Korean student Joo Won-moon after detaining him for six months. Mr. Joo was caught crossing the North Korea-China border in April and was arrested for what North Korea called a serious violation of its laws. Upon Mr. Joo’s release, North Korea stated that it deported him as a humanitarian measure.

On Monday, Mr. Joo was handed over to South Korean officials at Panmunjom, a village on the border of North and South Korea. The South Korean government has stated that its National Intelligence Service will investigate Mr. Joo’s act of crossing into North Korea. Mr. Joo’s crossing into North Korea was a violation of South Korea’s national security law, which forbids unapproved travel to the North.

Mr. Joo is a permanent citizen of the United States and attends New York University. At the time of his detainment, Mr. Joo was taking a semester off from NYU and had traveled to North Korea after trying unsuccessfully to find employment in California.

Mr. Joo states that he was treated well by North Korean officials during his detainment. He recently appeared in front of North Korean state media and gave a statement saying that he had not been allowed to contact his family but wanted them to know that he was healthy. In his media appearance, Mr. Joo also acknowledged that he had entered the country illegally and read from a speech praising North Korea and its government.

In an interview with CNN in May, Mr. Joo stated that he had hoped to improve relations between North and South Korea with his act of crossing the China-North Korea border. Mr. Joo told CNN that he had hoped that some great event would happen and that it would hopefully have a positive effect on the relationship between North and South Korea, but that he was not sure at the time what great event his actions could lead to.

North Korea currently has three other South Koreans detained for crimes of espionage. South Korea states that the charges against them are “groundless”. While South Korea welcomes Mr. Joo’s release, the South Korean Unification Ministry has called for North Korea to free the three detained South Koreans as well.

North Korea is also holding a Korean-Canadian pastor who has confessed to crimes aimed at overthrowing the state, according to North Korea’s state media.

North and South Korea came to an agreement in August to improve ties after a period of heightened conflict. One of their attempts at improving ties is to allow families separated since the Korean War to temporarily reunite with their family members later this month.

 

For more information, please see:

Associated Press – North Korea Releases Detained South Korean Student – 5 October 2015

CNN – North Korea Releases NYU Student – 5 October 2015

International Business Times – North Korea to Release Detained New York University Student – 5 October 2015

NPR – North Korea Releases Detained NYU Student to South Korea – 5 October 2015

New York Times – N.Y.U. Student Detained in North Korea Is Released, South Says – 5 October 2015

 

Reuters – North Korea Frees South Korean Student Held Since April — 5 October 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Christine Khamis

Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 

KABUL, Afghanistan –

On Monday, Taliban militants captured Kunduz, a provincial capital in Afghanistan. Afghan military forces regained the center of Kunduz on Thursday, but Taliban soldiers still remain in other areas of the city.

Kunduz, a city of 300,000, was taken over by the Taliban before dawn on Monday, taking Afghan troops and police by surprise. The Taliban occupied Kunduz for three days before retreating as Afghan forces regained control of the city center.

The Taliban has been accused of committing extrajudicial killings and other atrocities including rape and torture against civilians during its three-day takeover. The militants also looted Kunduz’s banks and military weaponry and set fire to government buildings.

The capture of Kunduz was a victory for the Taliban’s new leader, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, because it is one of the most strategic and wealthy cities in Afghanistan and is the first provincial capital to fall to the Taliban since the U.S. intervened in 2001.

The Deputy Chief of Staff for the Afghan army, Murad Ali Murad, has stated that most Taliban fighters had fled Kunduz, but that some are hiding in the homes of the civilians. A spokesman for the Taliban told Reuters that Taliban forces had retreated to the edges of Kunduz in an effort to surround Afghan and U.S. soldiers.

Thousands of civilians are reported to have fled from Kunduz during the fighting. The number of civilians killed during the fighting in Kunduz is currently unknown. As of Wednesday, around 30 people had been killed and around 340 were wounded.

Hospitals in Kunduz are running low on supplies due to Taliban roadblocks on the route from Kabul to Kunduz. Medical professionals are unable to get to the hospitals due to continued fighting in Kunduz.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which has doctors working in Kunduz, has expressed growing concerns about the welfare of Kunduz citizens and the lack of proper medical supplies and personnel. The ICRC has emergency medical supplies ready to be flown when it is safe to land at Kunduz airport, which has been the staging area for Afghan forces attempting to retake control of the city.

The Taliban has started to gain ground recently, raising the question of whether NATO-trained Afghan security forces are prepared to face the Taliban’s insurgency on their own. NATO forces ended their combat mission in Afghanistan last year, but there are currently around 10,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan who have the role of training, advising, and assisting Afghan security forces.

Before the Taliban regime was overturned by a U.S.-led intervention in 2001, its five-year-long rule over Afghanistan was characterized by acts such as public executions and the denial of rights to women.

 

For more information, please see:

New York Times – U.S. Strikes Positions in Afghanistan as Taliban Gain Momentum – 2 October 2015

Reuters – Afghan Forces Push Into Taliban-Held Kunduz City Amid Fierce Clashes – 2 October 2015

Reuters – Taliban Hold Out in Northern Afghan City, District in Northeast Falls – 2 October 2015

BBC News – Taliban Triumph in Capture of Kuduz – 1 October 2015

CNN – Why the Taliban Takeover of Kunduz is a Big Deal – 29 September 2015