China – Knives and explosives were used in an assault on a railway station in Urumqi on the 30 Mar 14 the first bomb attack in the capital of Xinjiang region in 17 years. The attack was carried out soon after the arrival of a train from a mainly Han Chinese province. The bombing was possibly timed to coincide with a visit to the heavily Muslim region by President Xi Jinping, when security was likely to have been heavy. The government blamed the attack on "terrorists", a term it uses to describe Islamist militants and separatists in Xinjiang who have waged a sometimes violent campaign for an independent East Turkestan state - a campaign that has stirred fears that jihadist groups could become active in western China. State media accounts did not say if any other attackers had been killed or captured. Nor did they say if Xi, who was wrapping up his visit, was anywhere near Urumqi at the time. The group will be from the Uyghur’s who currently are after an autonomous state. The problem this group has at the moment is that it is conducting low-level attacks but is obtaining publicity. The fear that the Chinese have is the group is getting publicity. They may have problems with financing and training. If the group signs up to an al-Qaeda ideology then AQ may train and finance them. This would result in enhancing the terrorists ability to target and attack larger targets.
India – Indian democracy has witnessed multiple challenges. Disruption of elections by the rebel groups in the three conflict theatres – Jammu & Kashmir, central India and the north-eastern states of India – is one of them. Unlike the 2004 and 2009 Parliamentary elections, some Islamist extremist groups have planned to disrupt the 2014 elections. Some of them have even been preparing for the last six months or more to disrupt the elections it was reported on the 28 Apr 14.
Pakistan – Islamist militants in Pakistan, referred to as the Pakistani Taliban, have formally ended a 40-day cease-fire that they called to engage in peace talks with the government. The move has raised fears of renewed suicide bombings and terrorist attacks in the country it was reported on the 16 Apr 14. The outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan - a loose alliance of militant groups - began observing the cease-fire on the 1 Mar 14. The ceasefire led to a reduction in militant violence in the country and facilitated one round of direct talks between government negotiators and Taliban leaders. Moreover, authorities recently claimed to have released a group of low-level non-combatant Taliban prisoners to further the peace process. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been pursuing peace negotiations rather than ordering fresh army offensives to tackle years of militant violence that has killed thousands of Pakistanis. Critics oppose peace deals with the Pakistani Taliban, saying the militants resort to such tactics only to gain time to regroup and reorganize their ranks, just as they have done during past agreements.
India – Indian democracy has witnessed multiple challenges. Disruption of elections by the rebel groups in the three conflict theatres – Jammu & Kashmir, central India and the north-eastern states of India – is one of them. Unlike the 2004 and 2009 Parliamentary elections, some Islamist extremist groups have planned to disrupt the 2014 elections. Some of them have even been preparing for the last six months or more to disrupt the elections it was reported on the 28 Apr 14.
Pakistan – Islamist militants in Pakistan, referred to as the Pakistani Taliban, have formally ended a 40-day cease-fire that they called to engage in peace talks with the government. The move has raised fears of renewed suicide bombings and terrorist attacks in the country it was reported on the 16 Apr 14. The outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan - a loose alliance of militant groups - began observing the cease-fire on the 1 Mar 14. The ceasefire led to a reduction in militant violence in the country and facilitated one round of direct talks between government negotiators and Taliban leaders. Moreover, authorities recently claimed to have released a group of low-level non-combatant Taliban prisoners to further the peace process. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been pursuing peace negotiations rather than ordering fresh army offensives to tackle years of militant violence that has killed thousands of Pakistanis. Critics oppose peace deals with the Pakistani Taliban, saying the militants resort to such tactics only to gain time to regroup and reorganize their ranks, just as they have done during past agreements.
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