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Special Correspondent
The Economic Times
June 26, 1999
Title: Started of on development now completing ISI agenda Author: Special Correspondent Publication: The Economic Times Date: June 26, 1999 Insurgent groups operating in Assam, especially Ulfa, are being used by Pakistan's' Inter Services Intelligence agency for gathering information on troops movement from Assam, stated Lt Gen. D B Shekatkar, GOC 4 Corps here last night. Gen. Shekatkar, a veteran of Jammu and Kashmir, while talking to the media last night informed that the militant groups which had at one time started their agitation for lack of development and against illegal migrants are to-day sold in the hands of agencies like 1 SI for their survival. The beneficiaries of such actions he said are definitely not the people of Assam. He said they have specific information that ULFA which has been talking in the same tune as ISI on Kargil issue has been passing on information to Pakistan agencies on troops movement from many places in Assam which include Guwahati, Bongaigaon, Kokrajhar, Dhubri and Nalbari to destinations in Pakistan and Bangladesh at Karachi, Lahore, Sialkot and Narowar. The General said the conversation in most cases is in corrupted Urdu and they are already in the process of apprehending some key people in this racket. Ale also informed that some experts in this field have already arrived in Guwahati to help them in this matter. Gen. Shekatkar said they have positive information that about fifteen days ago there was a meeting of some of the militant groups in North Mayanmar in the camps of NSCN (Khaplang) where the United Liberation Front of Assam and NDFB both were present and a representative of Kachin Independent Army a rebel group of Mayanmar was also present. He said though they have some in-put that this meeting was arranged by ISI but so far there is no conclusive proof of it but it is after this meeting that the militants have started passing the information to the ISI. Talking about the explosion at the New Jalpaiguri railway station he said though the army has intercepted some conversation between Siliguri and Nepal but they can not say that it was responsible for the blast. He also appreciated the sea change in the attitude of the people of the state, which he said is largely due to the media and the killings of innocents by the insurgent groups in the state. This is only adding to the frustration of these militant groups and their actions out of frustration like killing of innocents and acting as spies of Pakistan is driving them away from the people of the state thus bringing their credibility graph further down. When asked if the army has any proof or knowledge about United Liberation Front of Assam and the Bodo militants shifting their camps from Bhutan after the authorities their have told them to leave the country, the General said so far they have no clear information of large scale shifting though there are reports trickling in about some small groups shifting to areas in Arunachal Pradesh. He said it is learnt that during the meeting in Mayanmar ULFA had offered money to NSCN (K) so that they could be given some sort of shelter there in case they have to vacate camps in the Kingdom. He informed that there are reports of the two Bodo militant groups i.e. the NDFB and the BLT joining hands but because of the basic differences in their ideology this can not last longer. But when asked if this handshake is against the Santhal groups, which are gaining strength, he said they have no such information. Talking about the Chinese border where they recently had a flag meeting with their counterparts he said the Line of Actual Control with China is absolutely peaceful and there is no concern at the movement.
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