Author: Our Bureau
Publication: The Telegraph
Date: November 12, 2002
URL: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1021112/asp/frontpage/story_1376889.asp
Indian intelligence has satellite
pictures of camps located in Bangladesh of militant groups active in the
Northeast and reports suggest Dhaka has already begun a crackdown, rounding
up several activists.
These satellite images cannot, however,
be used as evidence to prove Dhaka's support for militancy in India. They
are generally makeshift huts, which can be quickly dismantled and shifted
to another area, making it difficult to establish that they are training
camps for militants.
As vindication of their stand, enumerated
by deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani last week, intelligence agencies are
citing reports of the recent arrest of 70-odd militants from the northeast
in the border areas of Bangladesh.
These areas were mentioned by the
director-general of the BSF in a list he handed over to his Bangladesh
counterpart within the past fortnight.
The controversy set rolling by Advani's
statement that Bangladesh was harbouring militants operating in the Northeast
refused to die down despite Dhaka's strong denial and summoning of the
Indian high commissioner to lodge a protest.
Two chief ministers from the Northeast
met Advani today to keep up the heat on Dhaka.
This time there are no differences
within the political establishment. Assam's Congress chief minister Tarun
Gogoi dropped a bombshell after the meeting, saying: "Intelligence reports
available with us show that these insurgent groups have become more active
in Bhutan and Bangladesh."
Gogoi also said that in recent months
Pakistan's ISI had stepped up its activities in the border areas of Assam,
backing Advani up on his statement that "al Qaida and ISI activities had
increased" after the Khaleda Zia government took over.
Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar,
who belongs to the CPM, lent his voice to the growing chorus of accusations
against Bangladesh before Khaleda Zia's trip to India next month.
Sarkar, who too met Advani, claimed
that there were 52 camps of separatists operating from Bangladesh.
He said the "identified" camps belonged
to the banned National Liberation Front of Tripura and the All Tripura
Tiger Force.
Tripura has the longest border with
Bangladesh among the northeastern states. "We have good neighbourly relations
with Bangladesh and the government there should not allow its soil to be
used by insurgents and terrorists," Sarkar said.
Chief ministers of northeastern
states, long plagued by insurgency, hope that they have at long last got
the Centre to pay attention to their problems. They believe that with Advani
airing their concerns, Bangladesh will be forced to take action.
Home ministry officials said India's
patience with Bangladesh's "double talk" is running out. Delhi's worries
have been conveyed to Dhaka time and again, but so far Bangladesh has shown
no willingness to fulfil promises made at bilateral meetings.
The officials have been in constant
touch with the northeastern chief ministers and fully endorse their complaint
that militant groups are operating out of Bangladesh.
They say that despite claims by
the Bangladesh government about not allowing its soil to be used for anti-India
activities, the ISI as well as northeastern separatists are finding safe
haven across the border.
The view was subtly conveyed by
Indian high commissioner M.L. Tripathy when he was summoned to the foreign
ministry in Dhaka yesterday. In response to Bangladesh's protests against
Advani's statement, he said: "(Advani) speaks with full sense of responsibility
based on reliable information available to him."