Subject: South Asia Daily: ISIS Recruit Returns to India; Suicide Blast Kills 9 at Afghan Funeral; IDEAS Exhibition Begins in Karachi
From: "Foreign Policy" <[email-masked]>
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Date: Mon, 1 Dec 2014 08:25:59 -0500 (EST)

ISIS Recruit Returns to India; Suicide Blast Kills 9 at Afghan Funeral; IDEAS Exhibition Begins in Karachi

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ISIS Recruit Returns to India; Suicide Blast Kills 9 at Afghan Funeral; IDEAS Exhibition Begins in Karachi

ISIS Recruit Returns to India; Suicide Blast Kills 9 at Afghan Funeral; IDEAS Exhibition Begins in Karachi

 <p>  <i>&nbsp;</i><b style="font-size: 1.135em; line-height: 1.7em"><i>India</i></b>  </p><br><p>  <i>ISIS recruit returns to India</i>  </p><br><p>  An Indian court  remanded ISIS recruit Areeb Majeed, who allegedly went to fight for the Islamic  State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), to the custody of the National Investigation  Agency (?NIA, a federal agency that combats terror in India) on Saturday (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBFJA84f7 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">Indian  Express</a>,<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBFPA023d style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">  Economic Times</a>,<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBFWA1433 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">  NDTV</a>,<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBFcAe7f2 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">  WSJ</a>). Majeed, a 23-year-old engineering student from Mumbai, traveled to  Iraq in May with three other friends on a religious pilgrimage, but never  returned. After reaching Iraq, Majeed -- in a letter to his parents --  reportedly said he was joining the militant group. In July, Majeed's father, a  doctor, met Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh seeking action against the  people who had radicalized his son.  </p><br><p>  After Majeed was  injured while fighting for ISIS, he made his way to a relief camp in Turkey and  called his parents for help. Majeed's father reached out to the NIA, who  facilitated Majeed's return to India on Friday. A NIA official said: "Majeed  was grilled for several hours on Sunday, after which he revealed the names of  his handlers and the local contacts who radicalized him and his three other  friends here, and helped them fly to Iraq. We are verifying his claims and are  trying to locate these local contacts" (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBFiAb646 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">DNA</a>).  </p><br><p>  <i>Indian PM supports Bangladesh land swap</i>  </p><br><p>  Indian Prime  Minister Narendra Modi, in a speech in the northeastern state of Assam on  Sunday, said he will support a land transfer agreement with Bangladesh, to  address illegal immigration from the country and security issues in Assam (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBFmA218f style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">BBC</a>,<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBFsAf089 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">  Indian Express</a>,<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBFwA6406 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">  NDTV</a>). According to the land swap deal, India and Bangladesh will resolve  their border issues by exchanging more than 100 small enclaves in each other's territories.  Although Modi's predecessor, Manmohan Singh, signed the deal in 2011, the  Indian parliament has not yet ratified it. Modi's party, the Bharatiya Janata  Party (BJP), had strongly opposed it as it will result in Assam losing  territory.  </p><br><p>  Modi said: "The  land swap deal will be beneficial. It might seem to be an immediate loss for  Assam, but it will serve security interests in the long term and help solve the  problem of Bangladeshi migrants" (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBFzAbdc8 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">Hindustan  Times</a>). Local groups in Assam were quick to react to Modi's comments, and  Atul Bora, the president of Asom Gana Parishad -- &nbsp;a state political party  in Assam -- said: "The people of Assam clearly remember that while Narendra  Modi had gone on record saying he was opposed to land transfer to Bangladesh,  the BJP had even called a bandh [political protest] to protest the then prime  minister Manmohan Singh's pact with [Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh] Hasina...  This announcement of Modi has once again vindicated our stand that there is no  basic difference between BJP and Congress in relation to their outlook on  Assam" (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBF4A7f9c style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">Indian  Express</a>).  </p><br><p>  <i>&nbsp;</i><i>-- Neeli Shah</i>  </p><br><p>  <b>Afghanistan </b>  </p><br><p>  <i>Suicide blast kills 9  at funeral in northern Afghanistan</i>  </p><br><p>  At least nine people, including two local policemen, were  killed and 20 others injured in a suicide attack on a tribal chief's funeral in  Baghlan province on Monday (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBF_A3aa0 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">Pajhwok</a>,  <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBGCA0a17 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">BBC</a>, <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBGIA7c3c style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">AJE</a>).&nbsp; Aminullah Amarkhil, the police chief in  Baghlan province, told Agence France Presse that the suicide bomber was on foot  when he detonated his explosives and the targets were probably a number of  high-ranking police officials and provincial council members who were attending  the funeral (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBGQAe647 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">AFP</a>).  </p><br><p>  <i>Ghani fires most of  his cabinet</i>  </p><br><p>  On Sunday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fired most of the  ministers in his cabinet, who were all holdovers from former President Hamid  Karzai's administration (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBGWA8ef0 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">NYT</a>).&nbsp; Ghani, who shares power with CEO Abdullah  Abdullah, promised to form a new government within 45 days after his election  -- a marker that was passed on Nov. 13. Some believed that disagreements  between Ghani and Abdullah led to the delay in choosing a new cabinet, although  by agreement the cabinet appointments were to be divided "equitably" between  the two leaders (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBGcA99ed style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">NYT</a>).  </p><br><p>  <i>Kabul police chief's  offer to resign rejected</i>  </p><br><p>  Gen. Zahir Zahir, the Kabul police chief, offered his  resignation on Sunday in light of the worsening recent bombings in Afghanistan's  capital city (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBGWA8ef0 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">NYT</a>).  A dozen high-profile attacks over the past month have raised questions about  the ability of local security forces to protect the city after NATO concludes  its combat mission at the end of this year (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBGhA8d89 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">Post</a>,  <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBGnA55e7 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">VOA</a>).&nbsp; The most recent spate of bombings began three  weeks ago with an assassination attempt on Gen. Zahir at police headquarters,  but the suicide bomber failed to reach the general's office. Since then, a  female lawmaker, a British embassy vehicle, a foreign development group, and an  aid group's guesthouse have all been targeted (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBGwA1738 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">WSJ</a>,  <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBG5A2c86 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">M&amp;G</a>).  However, Zahir was reportedly reinstated "on the request of high ranking  officials," according to his spokesman, who told Agence France Presse that he  would continue his duties "in order to avoid disruption of security affairs" (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBHAA522f style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">BBC</a>).   </p><br><p>  The attacks have not been limited to Kabul. On Friday,  Taliban militants overran an Afghan National Army outpost in Helmand province  and killed as many as 14 soldiers in one of the deadliest attacks on Afghan  soldiers this year (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBHFA3b72 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">NYT</a>).  According to Pakistan's <i>Express Tribune</i>, Afghan President Ashraf  Ghani has resumed negotiations with the Taliban under U.N. supervision (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBHKA9585 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">ET</a>).  </p><br><p>  <b>Pakistan</b>  </p><br><p>  <i>IDEAs exhibition kicks  off</i>  </p><br><p>  The 8th International Defense Exhibition and Seminar, one of  the major defense exhibitions in the region, began on Monday at Karachi's Expo  Center. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated the exhibition,  saying that Pakistan is committed to providing its defenders with all the  necessary resources and noting that the counrty is developing sophisticated  defense systems (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBHQA4ad0 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">ET</a>).&nbsp; Minister for Defense Production Rana Tanveer  Hussain said that the 88 delegations from 47 countries participating in the  exhibition will benefit from each other's knowledge and experience and that it  is a platform for establishing business relationships. Many local commuters in  Karachi were stuck in traffic for hours due to roadblocks by security officials  (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBHYAffb1 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">ET</a>).  </p><br><p>  <i>Gen. Sharif, John  Kerry discuss regional security</i>  </p><br><p>  Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif and  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry discussed regional security issues in  Washington at a 4:30 a.m. meeting on Monday (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBHcA779d style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">ET</a>,  <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBHkAc522 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">Nation</a>).  According to the <i>Express Tribune</i>,  Kerry acknowledged Pakistan's role in fighting terrorism and praised the  country's army for its professionalism. Gen. Sharif is wrapping up his two-week  visit to the United States, which was aimed at boosting relations between the two  countries.   </p><br><p>  <i>Pakistan won't be  paralyzed by Imran Khan</i>  </p><br><p>  Syed Khurshid Shah , leader of the opposition in Pakistan's National  Assembly, told reporters outside the Parliament House in Islamabad on Monday  that Pakistan will not be paralyzed by Imran Khan's call to shut down the  country (<a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c721dct.1ygk/VHxsMUmOy0ETCBHqAa460 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">Dawn</a>).  Imran Khan, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf  (PTI) chairman, has been demanding the prime minister's resignation and a probe  into the 2013 elections, alleging that they were rigged. He promised to a crowd  of nearly 100,000 supporters last week&nbsp;  that they would methodically paralyze Pakistan by Dec. 16 by shutting  down major cities, including Lahore, Faisalabad, Karachi,. Shah's remark to  reporters was the first reaction by the opposition leader to Khan's call. After  Shah's statement, official sources told Dawn that Sharif decided to resume dialogue  with PTI members.  </p><br><p>  <i>--Emily Schneider</i>  </p><br><p>  <i>Edited by Peter Bergen</i>  </p><br><p>  <i style="font-size: 1.135em; line-height: 1.7em">&nbsp;</i>  </p><br> 

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