ISI's Links with Northeast Insurgent groups

Pakistan’s links with North East insurgent groups date back to early 50s. In 1956 Zhukuto Sema, the Self-Styled (SS) Director of Intelligence of Naga Federal Government (NFG) visited Pakistan on the invitation of the Pak Government to explore the possibility of a visit by Zaphu Phizo, President of Naga National Council (NNC). Phizo escaped to East Pakistan in 1957 and sought Pakistan’s recognition of Nagaland and help in raising the issue of its independence in the UN. However, he soon realised that Pakistan’s political posture was mainly to prop Nagas as a source of trouble to India rather than any sympathy for the Naga cause.

Pakistan advised Phizo to go to UK and to raise the Naga issue from there as the dispute between the Nagas and the Indian Government arose as a result of British rule. The Pakistan Government arranged everything for his journey and promised to give moral support and military aid in the form of arms and training in return for concessions which Pakistan was to receive as and when the Nagas achieve their independence. After reaching this understanding with Pakistan, Phizo left Karachi on March 7, 1960 for London via Zurich and asked his followers to go to East Pakistan for arms and training. NNC cadres took military training with special emphasis on handling of bombs, firing 2" mortars, explosives for sabotage, jungle warfare and night operations in camps at Rangamati Ruma, Bandarban, Ukhia, Alikadam and other places in the CHTs. Simultaneously, Pakistan Government also lent moral support to the NNC. On October 7, 1962 Pakistan Foreign Minister, Mohd. Ali spoke in favour of the Naga cause condemning atrocities committed by ISFs in Nagaland.

Later on, Pakistan also gave assistance to the Mizo National Front (MNF). The MNF was allowed to set up training camps in the CHTs and liaison offices in Dhaka and Chittagong. After the creation of Bangladesh in 1971, MNF cadres were forced into Myanmar. In 1972, the Pakistani Consul visited Laldenga in Arakan from Rangoon, who arranged travel documents under assumed names for Laldenga and his close aides. This group flew to Karachi via Rangoon. Onhis arrival in Karachi, Laldenga was given a warm reception and accorded VIP treatment till he left for UK in 1975.

Pakistan Radio broadcasting and press propaganda also played virulently the same incendiary role. On August 23, 1967, Radio Pakistan carried a vitriolic attack on India – "Our struggle for freedom has its impact on other areas also. Today the Bharati Nagas are following in our footsteps. These Naga nationalists are fighting against the colonial power of Bharat as the Kashmiris are doing". Pakistan Government not only set up a liaison cell for contact and giving encouragement to the Nagas and Mizos but also rendered them the facilities to contact foreign missions in Dhaka and to travel to other countries for furtherance of their goal. On return from China, the underground Brigadier Thinuoselie, was sent to East Pakistan in late 1968 to finalise arrangements for training of NNC cadres.

The Chinese opened a guerrilla-training centre for Nagas, Mizos, Kukis and Meiteis. A small airstrip was also constructed near Rangamati in the CHTs to train them in air operations. Despite strong diplomatic demarches from India, Pakistan denied any links with these groups. However, the truth was exposed when some of the rebel Nagas and Mizos including General Thinsullie and his deputy, Brigadier ‘Nidilo" along with some Mizos surrendered to the Indian Army on December 22, 1971 in Dhaka. The bulk of the NNC and MNF cadres disappeared in the CHTs.

The creation of Bangladesh did not deter Pakistan from its nefarious activities targeted against India. Pak ISI is encouraging various North East Insurgent groups and Islamic Fundamentalist Organisations in order to use them for its missions to destabilise North East India. Pakistani diplomatic missions in Dhaka and Kathmandu are engaged in coordinating ISI activities targeted against India.

The Pak High Commission in Dhaka is the nerve centre of ISI activities. Pak ISI officials engage in networking from the High Commission and co-ordinate activities of agents in different fields. ISI agents in BD have also played a leading role in helping and consolidating the Islam Pasand and anti-Awami League forces.

The Pak ISI penetrated fundamentalist groups in BD like Jamaat-e-Islami (JEI) and Harkat-ul-Jehad-al-Islami (HUJAI-BD). It provides funds and guidance to these groups to expand Pak influence in BD as well as to foment anti-India sentiments. On the political front, during the Awami League government, opposition leaders of the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) along with fringe Islamic groupings like the Jatiya Ganatrantrik Party (JAGPA) were also consistently cultivated. Now with the BNP assuming power, these activities of ISI are expected to gain momentum.

Similarly, the ISI has also made extensive inroads into various Muslim Fundamentalist Organisations operating in the North East including the Students Islamic Movement of India, The Muslim Volunteer Force, The Islamic Revolutionary Army of Manipur, The Muslim United Liberation Front and The Muslim Liberation Tigers of Assam.

ISI operatives, in association with Bangladesh Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) continue to provide assistance to various Indian insurgent groups present in BD. In this connection, Mainuddin, Minister in BD Mission in Bangkok was noticed to be associating actively with functionaries of the NSCN(I/M) like Ningkhan Shimray (NSCN-I/M’s main arms procurer and Commander of its "Alee Command") and Luingam Luithui (Secretary General of Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact).

The arrest of four Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HUM) terrorists by Assam Police in Guwahati on 31.7.1999 and their interrogation revealed the nefarious ISI designs to aggravate the volatile situation in North East in general and Assam in particular by inducting Islamic insurgents belonging to Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Harkat-ul-Jehad-al-Islami, Laskar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Al Badr into India. These Islamic terrorists actively assisted the Indian insurgent groups/terrorists in planning and executing sabotage activities like the devastating bomb explosion at Jalpaiguri Railway Station during mid-1999.

Another incident of ISI support to NSCN(I/M) came to light on January 19, 2000 when NSCN(I/M) General Secretary Th.Muivah was apprehended at Bangkok airport. He was returning from Karachi on Thai Airways flight, travellingon a South Korean passport under the name of "Hwan Soo Chung" and was accompanied by Ningkhang Shimray.

The visit of Muivah to Karachi along with Ningkhang Shimray, the NSCN(I/M)’s main arms procurer is extremely significant. They had visited Pakistan to inspect a consignment of arms that had been offered by the Pak ISI to escalate militancy levels in the North East to those prevailing in Jammu and Kashmir. Muivah’s trip to Pakistan followed a visit by an NSCN (I/M)delegation, led by Lt. Col. Joshua in September, 1999. The delegation had included a group, which was trained in use of electronic equipment and guerrilla warfare by Pakistan. Muivah had been in constant communication with the ISI through the Pak Defence Advisor in Dhaka, Brig. Gulam Mohd. Mohtarem since 1997. His visit to Pakistan (January, 2000) was primarily to meet former ISI Chief, Lt. Gen. Gulam Ahmed.

Significantly, Ranjan Daimary, Chairman, National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) was also scheduled to visit Pakistan during this period. Daimary was arrested and detained by Bangladesh authorities from January 16-21, 2000 in Dhaka. His visit to Pakistan along with Muivah would obviously suggest Pak efforts to co-ordinate activities of various North East insurgent groups. ULFA C-in-C Paresh Barua, who had visited Pakistan on earlier occasions, was again reported to have visited the country during March 2000 on a fake passport in the name of Kamaruzzman Khan. A Pakistani High Commission Official in Dhaka ostensibly arranged the visit.

Paresh Barua, acting at the behest of the ISI, engineered the killing of over 100 civilians (Bihari, Rajasthani, Nepalese and Bhutanese citizens) in Assam during Nov. and Dec. 2000 by Assam Tiger Force (ATF). The ATF was nothing but a front organization to mislead the people of Assam.

The ISI hand was witnessed in Manipur where the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) has launched a fresh offensive by resorting to killings of non-Manipuris. At least 15 non-Manipuri (mainly Bihari labourers) have been killed in the State and the responsibility claimed by a fictitious and non-existent group called "Asiatic Socialist Front". The Asiatic Socialist Front has issued anultimatum to all non-Manipuris to leave the State by August 31, 2001. The emergence of the Asiatic Socialist Front is reminiscent of "Assam Tiger Force", a fictitious nomenclature adopted by ULFA for killing of non-Assamese in the later part of 2000. It also indicates PLA’s involvement with the Pak-ISI, which, has resorted to similar tactics of creating non-existent insurgent outfits in Punjab and Kashmir to confuse the intelligence agencies.

Most of the insurgent groups’ leaders are in possession of travel documents (forged or otherwise) of Bangladeshi origin. Some of these have been prepared with the active assistance of ISI operatives in Bangladesh.

These revelations have now firmly established that the North East insurgent groups had strong links with the Pak ISI for a long time and their cadres had received training in handling weapons/guerrilla warfare both in Pakistan and Bangladesh through Pak ISI/army officers. The leaders were also being tutored by ISI officers to internationalise the Naga issue and in the art of psychological warfare.

Source: Govenment of India