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Recent incidents on the India-Bangladesh
border have once again brought into focus the feverish efforts by Pakistan
to up the ante in India's Eastern region, which includes Bengal, Cooch-Behar
and the seven north-eastern states, through Bangladesh, where the ISI has
multiplied its presence ever since the Bangladesh National Party (BNP)
came into power.
The illegal entry of Bangladeshi
nationals into India dates back to the period before its liberation, when
the Punjabi-dominated Pakistani martial-law administration in erstwhile
East Pakistan began a ruthless suppression of the Bengalis. This led to
a massive refugee problem which convinced Mrs Indira Gandhi to take military
action, which resulted in the third India-Pakistan war of December 1971
and also the creation of a new nation. But the problem of illegal entry
has only increased since then. Pakistan, since 1947, has maintained a single-point
agenda of India-bashing and war-mongering, with no priority whatsoever
to develop warm relations.
Meanwhile, in Pakistan and its Eastern part, populations proliferated with the former, as did all kinds of weaponry, not to mention the spread of terrorism by twisting religious interpretations out of shape. So, while suppression of a section of its people failed earlier, "weaning" them away from their rich cultural roots towards fundamentalism and intolerance became the Pakistani agenda since the early 1970s. With the BNP's return to power, this effort is in full swing. An important part of this game-plan, in place since 1991, was to establish a substantial ISI foothold in India's North-East with the help of ULFA and other groups.
The human dimension of the problem is that with burgeoning population and unemployment in Bangladesh, and vast labour opportunities in India, Bangladeshis are driven to cross over for livelihood. However, ever since Pakistan mended its distant fences with Bangladesh, it has tried to use migrant Bangladeshi workers for its own nefarious designs against India.
Distinguished columnist and an authority on Bangladesh affairs, Mr Hiranmay Karlekar, during a discussion, explained: "It is not just a question of infiltration, it is being used as a cover for sending in agents with the specific aim of preparing an extensive infrastructure, in the East and the North-East, for terrorist activities which include perpetuation of ghastly attacks like the one on the American Centre at Kolkata on 22 January, 2002. Also we should not forget that Syed Abu Nasir, who was caught in June 1999 in Delhi, is a Bangladeshi who had come with a group to blow up the US Embassy in the Capital as well as another US Consulate in the country. That is why Bangladesh is opposed to India's efforts to prevent infiltration."
Mr Karlekar further elaborated that Pakistan plans to take advantage of US's preoccupation with Iraq by orchestrating a joint action in which it pushes in a fresh wave of terrorists across the Line of Control in Jammu & Kashmir this summer after the snow melts, while Bangladesh steps-up infiltration of migrants all along its border with India. He also mentioned a list of 88 insurgents, including Sanjit Dev Barman of the ATTF and Paresh Barua and Anup Chetia of ULFA, who are presently in Bangladesh, which was conveyed to Dhaka during the India- Bangladesh joint working group's last meet.
According to highly placed sources of the Ministry of External Affairs, Dhaka has been quite intransigent on the issue of illegal migrants entering or staying in India, or for that matter, the entry or presence of Al Qaeda men who incidentally met India's North-East insurgent leaders. While India's diplomatic relations with Pakistan have touched an all-time low, with Bangladesh they have deteriorated considerably in the recent past.
Over the years, a number of politicians in India have viewed the clusters of illegal Bangladeshi migrants as ideal vote-banks. Many were dished ration cards, which for an Indian citizen can be quite cumbersome. The problem has has grown so serious that Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani insisted on a hard line. What was seen as the first of incidents in Mankachar, Meghalaya, in 2001, was also indicative of how situation on the India-Bangladesh border could erupt, causing a pronounced downswing in bilaterals.
The Indian Government needs to increase
the strength of the Border Security Force (BSF). With that we need to combine
a change of mindset - a determined effort to take hard measures and tighten
the security of the entire region. Any compromise on security will have
grave long-term consequences. India cannot be taken for granted and the
cost of doing so will have to be made prohibitive. This must be unambiguously
and most convincingly conveyed on the ground and through diplomatic channels.
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