MANTRAYA BRIEF#18: 04 AUGUST 2016 An icon retires: Whither anti-AFSPA agitation? Bibhu Prasad Routray – Abstract Irom Sharmila’s decision to end her 16 year old fast demanding scrapping of the controversial AFSPA does raise several uncomfortable questions regarding the organisation of civil rights movements in conflict ridden states. – “The quality of a leader is […]
MANTRAYA BRIEF#17: 04 JULY 2016 Whats in a name? Unscrambling the Dhaka terror strike Bibhu Prasad Routray – Abstract Whether global or local jihad consumed the lives of the Bangladeshis and foreigners on 1 July 2016 is irrelevant. An effective counter-terrorism response is about the state’s demonstrated inclination to provide a honest assessment of the challenge […]
MANTRAYA BRIEF#16: 13 JUNE 2016 Pakistan: Sharif Contestations Anand Arni – Abstract In Pakistan, the Sharifs- Prime Minister Nawaz and Army Chief Raheel have tried to outmanoeuvre each other. While many would expect the civilian government to be subdued almost instantly in a country where the military dictates terms, Nawaz’s own tactics have helped him to […]
MANTRAYA BRIEF#15: 1 JUNE 2016 Pakistan Army: Martial Race or National Army V. Vidya Lakshmi – Abstract The kind of influence Pakistan’s army enjoys in the country has few parallels. However, notwithstanding its primacy, it remains an ‘ethnically imbalanced’ army and not a ‘national army’. With a deeply entrenched concept of ‘martial race’, modernity is an […]
MANTRAYA BRIEF#14: 26 MAY 2016 Profile: Abdul Rehman Rauf of Jaish-e-Mohammad Partha Chakraborty Abstract Abdul Rehman Rauf is the second in command in the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM)’s power hierarchy and is arguably the most important person in charge of taking key decisions in the outfit. He has played key role in several terrorist attacks carried […]
MANTRAYA BRIEF#13: 05 MARCH 2016 CPI-Maoist’s continuing potency Bibhu Prasad Routray – Abstract Killing of 16 civilians in the worst massacre since 2013 and another three security force personnel in Chhattisgarh by the CPI-Maoist brings back attention on the potency of a declining extremism. The state’s continued achievements in neutralising its cadres does not appear […]
MANTRAYA BRIEF#12: 04 January 2016 Bangladesh’s Ansarullah Bangla Team Surya Valliappan Krishna – Abstract Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) has emerged as a radical Islamist group with a limited operational objective of targeting secular bloggers in Bangladesh. However, behind its attacks on and killings of these bloggers, is its larger intent of establishing Islamic rule in the […]
MANTRAYA BRIEF#11: 1 DECEMBER 2015 Afghanistan: Reversing Losses? V. Vidya Lakshmi – Abstract Recurrent insurgent attacks and rising civilian fatalities in Afghanistan raise questions on the capacities of ANSF. The US decision to revise the withdrawal plan in the wake of the Kunduz attack has indicated the gaps in the strategic and tactical capacities of ANA […]
MANTRAYA BRIEF#10: 24 SEPTEMBER 2015 Profile: Mirza Shadaab Beg of Indian Mujahideen Bibhu Prasad Routray & Manoj Kumar Panigrahi – – Mirza Shadaab Beg alias Engineer was born in Raja ka Quila under Kotwali Police circle in Uttar Pradesh state’s Azamgarh district. Son of Mirza Ahatesham Beg, Shadaab pursued engineering prior to his joining the […]
MANTRAYA BRIEF#09: 15 AUGUST 2015 Maldives: Footprints of the Islamic State Surya Valliappan Krishna – Abstract Muslim majority Maldives is becoming a prime recruiting ground for the Islamic State. Over 200 Maldivians have joined the Islamic State. Political instability at home has allowed the Islamists to push their anti-democracy and pro-Islamist agenda. And the official […]