Silchar: Intelligence wings of the army, para military forces and Subsidiary intelligence Bureau (SIB) have alerted the states on borderlines about the ever-widening ISI network and its serious ramifications. But, neither the Centre nor the states in question look proactive.
This has only encouraged ISI hand in glove with Al-Qaeda to penetrate deep with sinister designs. Now comes the starling revelation in the book Fulcrum of Evil by M.K. Dhar, former Deputy Director of Intelligence Bureau, about the close proximity of a chief minister of the north-east states to ISI. There is no element of surprise since the vote-bank politics takes precedence over the regional or national interest.
To add teeth to the truth of ISI´s menace, Social Security Board in its latest report to the Union Home Ministry has sounded alarm over the rise of Muslim Ettehad Sangh, Islamic Sangh and Muslim Youth Organisation, which have become active along the Nepal-Bihar-West Bengal borders. These organisations are working as stooges of ISI and terrorists to help them fan out in eastern and north-east India.
Financial assistance to these organisations, SSB says, comes from the Islamic Development Bank of Jeddah and Habib Bank of Pakistan. It has also called into question the mushrooming of mosques and madrasas in the border areas and identified 73 of them having links with anti-India elements.
North East Students Organisation (NESO) frontline leaders recently expressed their deep concern at the ISI-Al-Qaeda sponsored fundamentalist organisations becoming stronger and active in the north-east from their more than 14 branches. Khasi Students´ Union (KSU), a constituent of NESO, has demanded introduction of Inner Line Permit and three-tier identify card scheme to curb massive influx into Meghalaya along with the elements inimical to national security and solidarity.
Intelligence inputs warn of the possibility of a group of Al-Qaeda-trained and ISI-backed Jama-a-tul Mujahideen and Harkat-ul-Jehad terrorists of Bangladesh, striking at soft targets before and during the Assembly polls in April, taking advantage of the vulnerable riverine belts.
Quite shockingly, Kolkata has become the epicentre for shelter and movement of these dreaded operatives. The police diary of West Bengal and Kolkata police of recent months´ records shows the arrest of Maulana Ghulam Yahaya Allah Baksh, an imam of Haj House in Mumbai and a Laskhar-e-Toiba link man, who hails from 24 Parganas district. The imam provided cover to Kashmiri terrorists and their arms and ammunition.
The middle-aged Mohammed Mohsin Hussain Sayeed, picked up from Garden Reach, Kolkata, was found passing on information on the movement of Indian army in the north-east to ISI. He made several trips to the north-eastern states and briefed ISI through e-mail. An ATM card of a Lohore bank was also recovered from his possession.
Animul Haque and a Pakistani Walker nabbed from Pilkhana of Howrah turned out to be ISI agents. Animul was arrested while on his way to Bangladesh to hand over documents and maps about Indian defence interest to a contact there. Walker from Multan transmitted information about the Indian army to a Pakistani defence officer through e-mail and telephone. Besides, two terrorists?Abdul Baki and Mohammed Abu?were hunted down from Basirhat and Hill in north Bengal who were linked with Jaish-e-Mohammed.
If Kolkata becomes the safe haven and transit route for terrorists and ISI operatives, its ominous signal for eastern and north-east India can hardly be ignored.
