HVK Archives: ISI active in Calcutta, says Bengal GoC
ISI active in Calcutta, says Bengal GoC - The Indian Express
Santanu Banerjee
()
December 9, 1998
Title: ISI active in Calcutta, says Bengal GoC
Author: Santanu Banerjee
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: December 9, 1998
The "Army intelligence has reports about the existence of
Pakistan's ISI agents in Calcutta," General Officer Commanding,
Bengal Area, Major General O S Lohchab disclosed here on Monday
afternoon.
Addressing a press conference, Major General Lohchab said: "We
have information about the presence of ISI agents in Calcutta and
our intelligence department is probing further into the
information." When asked if the Army intelligence had alerted the
state government, the Major General said: "we have our routine
exchange of information."
The Bengal Area GoC, who was addressing a press conference as a
curtain raiser to the exhibition on seized arms from Jammu and
Kashmir and the Northeast which will be held here from December 9
at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, said: "After the ISI failed in
Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, it is likely to devote all its
attention to the North-East."
He said: "We have evidence of ISI operation centres in
Bangladesh."
When told that the Bangladesh Government had been denying such
reports, Major General Lohchab said: "The Army is aware of such
denials but we have evidence of existence of such bases in
Bangladesh."
Saying that the "border districts of West Bengal eventually
become the target area for carrying out coordinations between
different militant outfits operating in Assam and other North-
Eastern states and the ISI," Major General felt: "Both the people
and the political leaders of these areas have to be very cautious
about such ISI designs."
During the press conference, a part of awareness campaign by the
Army on the 'Pakistan's low cost proxy war' in Indian cities, the
GoC Bengal Area however said "No anti-insurgency operations could
yield any permanent solution unless there is economic
development."
Elaborating his point, he said: "The Army's anti-insurgency
campaigns are likely to get more teeth if such campaigns get the
backing of economic development in the affected areas."
"As for example, in Jammu and Kashmir ISI's fortune began
dwindling after it began losing its local support bases and that
is the reason why they are sending more foreign mercenaries in
the area."
Flanked by other senior officers, he said: "With fall in the
local support, Pakistan is trying to convert the low cost proxy
war into a high-tech one."
He said they had already started using high-tech weapons with
more damaging potentials and such high-tech networks could be
effectively managed by less number of people and they have a
ready availability of foreign mercenaries who could carry out
their designs."
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