Author:
Publication: Deccan Chronicle
Date: June 18, 2002
The government has identified 65
centres in nine States in the country where the Pakistan's ISI has
established a formidable network and pumping about Rs 75 lakh per month
-- a separate package for the Jammu and Kashmir militants which ranges
between Rs 1.25 crore and 1.60 crore per month - to the small militant
groups and organisations for their operation in India.
Besides the informers of lower strata,
about 10,000 strong ISI armed men have taken shelter in all the nine States
including Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharastra, Gujarat, Jharkhand,
West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala and allegedly indulged in smuggling
of arms and ammunitions, foreign currencies, contrabands, narcotics and
hawala.
Revealing this, a recent report
on the operation of ISI and funding to militant organisations -prepared
after the Gheelani episode states, "At least nine major organisations and
about 27 small groups are working for ISI in the country. Besides receiving
funds from ISI, the small groups are also getting financial assistance
from over dozen USA, UK, Malaysia, UAE and Pakistan based organisations
through hawala channel."
Estimating that "since 1995, over
Rs 60 crore were funded by ISI and about Rs 36 crore by other organisations
based in abroad for militancy and extremism in India," a highly placed
sources in the Home Ministry said that in Uttar Pradesh, the ISI has established
formidable net work in Muzaffarnagar, Shaharanpur, Bijnor, Morada, Bareily,
Kanpur, Varanasi, Azamgarh, while Kolkata, Mushidabad, Dinajpour, Siliguri
in West Bengal. In Bihar and Jharkhand states, the ministry has listed
Siwan, Darbhanga, Madhubani, Purnea, Kishanganj, Katihar, Gaya, Hazaribagh,
Giridih, Patna, Sitamarhi, Jamshedpur district as major ISI prone areas.
According to report, two districts
- Mumbai and Thane - have been identified in Maharashtra followed by three
each in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu - Ahmedabad, Saurashtra and Kutch, Coimbatore,
Trichy and Madurai and one each in Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad, and Kerala
- Thiruvananthapuram. During the past three years, the ISI have also expanded
in Bangalore, sources said adding "these centres also act as support bases
for primary logistics."
Without disclosing the names of
other JK and North-East states leaders, who were allegedly beneficiaries
of the ISI and other foreign-based organisation's funds, the MHA sources
said: "The enforcement agencies are investigating the matter."
"Besides equipping themselves with
sophisticated arms and ammunition - heavy machine guns, 120 mm mortars,
rocket launchers sniper rifles, night vision devise - the funds were also
utilised for providing intelligence, interception and monitoring of communications.
It states: "In J&K, the most
powerful militant organisation is Hezb-ul-Mujahedin. The other major groups
include Harakat-ul Ansar, Al Umar, Al Barq, Muslim Janbaz Force and Lashkar-e
Toiba. Hundreds of fighters from Afghanistan and other Muslim nations have
also joined the militant groups."
Quoting a joint intelligence committee
report, the MHA sources said: "It is estimated that ISI is funding Rs 1.25
crore to Rs 1.60 crore per month for militancy in J&K," adding that
"Jamaat-e-Islam Hind is a major ally of the ISI, which acts as recruiters
in Nepal, India and Bangladesh."
Maintaining that besides ISI training
camps near international boarders in J&K and its adjoining states,
the report further said: "They are also operating training camps near Bangladesh
border where members of separatist groups of the north-eastern states including
the National Socialist Council of Nagaland, People's Liberation Army, Ulfa,
and North East Students Organisation."
