Author: Chandan Nandy
Publication: The Hindustan Times
Date: February 18, 2003
Within Bangladesh, the Pakistani
ISI and Dhaka's Directorate General of Forces' Intelligence (DGFI) work
as 'cousins': complimenting and supplementing each other in espionage and
intelligence operations against India.
There is no doubt that Bangladesh
figures high on the agenda of Indian intelligence outfits. Of late, security
agencies have been trying to cozy up to the Begum Khaleda Zia regime. But
the recent border stand-off over illegal Bangladeshi immigrants has been
a setback.
Indian intelligence operatives have
been able to identify the ISI-DGFI collaboration at several levels.
The agency runs 17 "safe houses"
in Dhaka alone - such is the depth of the ISI's presence in Bangladesh.
Some of these are located in posh areas such as Banani and Gulshan and
others in Dhaka's Segunbagicha and Shantinagar localities.
The ISI has a four-member core team
headed by its Dhaka station chief. He is under the diplomatic cover of
First Secretary (Consular) and is popularly known as ''Honda Saheb''.
The kingpin of ISI operations in
Bangladesh is someone known to Indian agencies as 'Ahmed Mustakeen', he
reportedly owns a restaurant on Dhaka's Jail Road.
Of late, what has stunned Indian
intelligence is the "resurfacing" of ISI "resident" agent, Choudhury Dabiruddin
Ahmed Siddiqui, who, just before the 1971 Indo-Pak war, was nabbed by the
Intelligence Bureau in Indian territory.
At that time, Siddiqui had disclosed
that he was in contact with ISI chief Hameed Gul. Before being sent back
to Dhaka in May 1972, Siddiqui told his IB captors that he was willing
to "work" for India in Pakistan, a request that was turned down.
Indian agencies believe that since
his repatriation to Dhaka - where he served a jail term - he resumed working
for Pak intelligence.
Siddiqui is now believed to be in
close touch with the Ulfa which had leased five of its trawlers to the
two companies.
