Northeast militants eye Bangladesh for safe haven amid political shift

Guwahati, Mar 28: Are the militants of the North East region trying to re-establish bases in Bangladesh by taking advantage of the present situation? According to information available with the security agencies, this looks very much possible.

Security sources told The Assam Tribune that the present caretaker regime in Bangladesh is very soft towards any anti-India force, and by reducing the sentence of the United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) Chief Paresh Baruah, the government has given a clear signal that militants are welcome in that country.

According to intelligence inputs, an ULFA (I) team visited Bangladesh, but it is not clear whom they met. During the Awami League regime, the militants of the North East did not dare to visit Bangladesh. At the same time, officials of Pakistan's

ISI visited Bangladesh twice after the new regime took over, and it is apparent that Dhaka is trying to get closer to Islamabad. However, it is still not known whether the ULFA(1) members managed to meet the ISI officers in Bangladesh. In the past, ISI officers came into contact with the ULFA leadership in Bangladesh, and a team of the militant group was taken to Pakistan for training.

Sources pointed out that at present, the militants of the Northeast, including ULFA(I), have bases only in Myanmar. But from Myanmar, the ULFA (I) members can only reach out to the areas having borders with Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. Moreover, the ULFA(1) members require the help of Naga insurgent groups to come to Assam from Myanmar. But if the ULFA(1) manages to re-establish bases in Bangladesh, it will be easier for them to reach different parts of Assam, as it is not possible to guard every inch of the Indo-Bangla border because of the tough terrain.

It may be mentioned here that the Awami League government in Bangladesh played a major role in improving the overall law and order situation in the Northeast. That government nabbed and handed over leaders of various militant outfits, including ULFA and National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB), to India. Since then, the militants of the Northeast did not have any base in Bangladesh. However, the recent development raises apprehension of the militants of the region re-establishing bases in Bangladesh, which will add a new security concern for the region.

By

R Dutta Choudhury