Open Secrets: The Explosive Memoirs of an Indian Intelligence Officer (71 page)

However, the process applied in Delhi had vastly opened up new challenges almost all over India and in neighbouring Nepal and Bangladesh. The ISI had succeeded in casting classical intelligence network in almost all the States of India and had built up impressive operational bases in Nepal and Bangladesh. In addition to the classical intelligence gathering operations the ISI had initiated the process of ‘Islamisation’ of vulnerable sections of the Indian Muslims by establishing network that spanned India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. The concept of ‘Islamic Jihad’ was injected effectively into the contorted psyche of a section of fundamentalist Muslims. In this task the ISI was ably aided by jihadist
mujahideen
organisations, which had spawned out of Pakistani madrasas, and special tanjim operated training camps run in collaboration with the ISI. Some elements of the Al Qaeda and organisations affiliated to it were also drafted in to assist the process of ‘militarisation’ of the indigenous Islamist forces in India, Nepal and Bangladesh.

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My initiative to sensitise and reorganise the Pakistan counter-intelligence units of the IB in the states received mixed cooperation from the subsidiary units. Political intelligence is the bread and butter for most of subsidiary units except units operating in disturbed North Eastern States, Punjab and Kashmir. The Southern State of Tamil Nadu, rocked by the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi had woken up to the reality of threats from the LTTE and its international linkages. But other subsidiary units were not interested in diverting their resources to strengthen the counter-intelligence units. The concept of counter intelligence was limited to the ghosts of the CIA and in some cases the KGB suspects. Pakistan was no priority for the southern states. By counter terrorism they understood threats from the LTTE. Most of them ignored my arguments that Pakistan had started paying greater attention to the southern peninsula, especially in the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. I lived with the jibes and jokes.

Frequent visits to the subsidiary units and interaction with the officers had yielded significant results in Assam, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. The key unit in Bihar, however, responded slowly in expanding its network inside the State and in Nepal. The West Bengal unit lurched for a while but was finally motivated to wake up to the realities of accelerated ISI operations from Bangladesh and Nepal.

I was disillusioned with the subsidiary units in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. Some of the unit heads ridiculed the idea of looking out for ISI operatives and setting up cells to study the growth of ‘Islamic militancy’ in their respective units. Some even complained against me to senior officers in Delhi and stigmatised me as a ‘Pak-phobic’ officer. Fortunately they did not call me anti-Muslim and a Hindu fundamentalist.

I was steady on my fundamentals. I had convincing proof to substantiate the suspected ISI penetration in some of the defence installations in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra. I had also gathered valuable data on establishment of cells in certain Muslim pockets in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu by the ISI sponsored Pakistani jihadist groups. They had started functioning under the cover of organisations like the Islamic Students Movement of India (SIMI), Al Ummah and Islamic Defence Committees etc. These cells, often independent of each other, had started sending volunteers to Pakistan for training in camps organised by the ISI. Though I was given a short shrift by some of the units in South India I must say that I had succeeded to some extent to make them to listen to me reluctantly and to follow up the studies initiated by my officers. Events after 1992 proved beyond doubt that the southern peninsula had been targeted by the ISI and Al Qaeda and Islamic militancy had started emerging as a potent threat to national security.

Pakistan’s success in Nepal and Bangladesh had paved the highway for smooth transit of ISI’s operational assets and materials to the heartland of India. Bangladeshi Army and intelligence agencies (DGFI, NSI and BDR intelligence units) continued to serve Pakistani interest, especially after the assumption of power by Zia-ur-Rahman, who claimed to be the foster father of Bangladesh.

The initial connectivity with the insurgent groups of North East India was established by the PIB from its Dhaka based stations. But these operations were taken over by the ISI after 1960. The saga of Pakistani and Chinese collaboration with the Naga, Mizo, Meitei, ULFA, Bodo and Tripura insurgents/terrorists has been adequately exposed and partially neutralised. The ISI collaboration with the insurgents included: provision of safe houses in East Pakistan/Bangladesh, training in guerrilla warfare, supply of sophisticated weaponry, travel and banking facilities and establishing linkages with the Chinese authorities in the early sixties and with various Human Rights groups in the west in late nineties. Presently these operations are being implemented in collaboration with the DGFI, NSI and BDR of Bangladesh. Friendly elements in the Bangladesh Armed Forces have not failed to offer adequate assistance to the JIM/JIX operatives.

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The JIM has powerful fundamentalist friends in Bangladesh in the Jammat-e-Islami (political ally of the BNP), Islamic Chhatra Shibir (ICS), Islamic Oikyo Jote (third important political force), Al Badr, Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami (HUJI) and Al Qaeda affiliated Al Jihad. In addition to the above, two groups of the Rohingya rebels (Myanmar Arakan Muslims) operate freely in collaboration with the Bangladeshi and Pakistani operatives. The Rohingyas aspire for establishment of an independent Islamic state in the Arakan region of Myanmar.

The ICS is liberally funded by the ISI. The Islamic Chhatra Shibir operates from 6 territorial divisions and over 200 sub-divisions. It is affiliated to the International Islamic Federation of Students Organisation (IIFSO) and has strong fraternal links with the Students Islamic Movement of India SIMI).

The HUJI, with its 20,000 strong contingent is considered to be the strongest ally of the ISI and the Al Qaeda. A large number of HUJI volunteers have been infiltrated in Assam and West Bengal with a view to establishing Islamist modules and to prepare the vulnerable local Muslims for armed struggle. Over years the JIM and JIX have achieved spectacular success in Assam, where over half a dozen militant and Jihadist groups function, often with blessings of civil political groups. It is estimated that the JIM and the JIX have achieved the capability of turning Assam into a volatile communal battlefield.

Bangladeshi HUJI recruits are taken to Pakistan through Nepal and are trained as guerrillas and terrorists. A number of them were assigned to Afghanistan, Bosnia and Chechnya etc operational theatres of the multinational Islamist forces, i.e. the ISI and the Al Qaeda.

Recent reports from South East Asia analysts indicate that Bangladesh had provided safe sanctuary to important Al Qaeda stalwarts like Al Jawahiri. It is estimated there are 5 Al Qaeda camps in Bangladesh in the districts of Sylhet, Chittagong and Komilla. Similarly a number of Jemmah Islamiya operatives of Malaysia and Indonesia and Moro Independent Liberation Army (MILA) had found sanctuary in Bangladesh and they had used Dhaka as transit points to Pakistan and Afghanistan. There are dependable reports that Al Qaeda affiliates among the Rohingya Muslims and Muslim rebels from southern Thailand have found sanctuary in Bangladesh

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The ISI made strategic advances into Nepal between 1985 and 2001. India’s lackadaisical diplomatic relationship with Nepal helped Pakistan in establishing strong diplomatic and economic bonds with the Himalayan Hindu kingdom. That the ISI, especially the JIM and JIX operatives, have been providing support and sustenance to the Sikh terrorists and the Islamist operatives from Kashmir have been proved by several sensational unmasking operations by the security and intelligence operatives of Nepal and India. These included recovery of RDX explosives from the residence of an accredited diplomat, recovery of fake Indian currency and neutralisation of several ISI safe houses in the capital of the kingdom. The June 12, 2001 issue of India Today, a credible weekly, had carried some authentic revelations about ISI activities in Nepal and growing Islamist fundamentalism in the Hindu kingdom. As a former Pakistan hand in the Intelligence Bureau I have intimate knowledge about the rooting and expansion of Pakistan’s influence in Nepal and the use of Nepal territory by the ISI and other ISI and Al Qaeda supported jihadi
tanjims
. A few points will be discussed in the subsequent paragraphs, for which I do not require to quote from any scholar.

It is an acknowledged fact that the NSCN (IM) leaders have lived in Kathmandu over several spells and David Ward, a so-called friend of ‘Naga Vigil’ has used Kathmandu as an operational base. Other terrorist organisations, which have used Nepal as safe bases in Jhapa, Ilam, Tapleganj and Panchthar etc areas, are the ULFA, NDFB, KLO of West Bengal and the NLFT of Tripura.

The Maoist movement in Nepal has come to notice for strengthening its linkages with the MCC, PW groups in West Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. The Left-Extremist movement in India, which continues to afflict Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra, are steadily developing linkages with the Nepal Maoists. In fact, the Coordination Committee of the Maoist Parties and Organisations (CCOMPOSA) was formed in a formal meeting between the Maoists of Nepal, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Some recent reports suggest that the JIM and the JIX are pumping in financial resources and weapons to help the Maoists with a view to install a more friendly government and to psychologically de-Hinduise the staunchly Hindu population. Reports of clandestine meetings between the Nepal Maoist leaders like C.P.Gujurel (foreign affairs), Krishna Bahadur Mahara (chief of armed group) and Hisila Yani and ISI operatives in Karachi, Dhaka and Patna are required to be treated with utmost care. The linkages of the Nepal Maoists and the Indian MCC and the PW with the Sendero Luminiso of Peru and Revolutionary International Movement (RIM), which enjoys Chinese backing, requires deeper probe by the security and intelligence organisations.

The allegations of complicity and collaboration between a section of Nepali politicians and bureaucrats with the Inter Services Intelligence are not without substance. The Indian intelligence community have some tangible evidences that the ISI is using some influential Nepali figures to augment their operations against India and to develop firmer grip on the kingdom.

Some Pakistani banking and financial institutes operating from Kathmandu have also been used for funding the Indian terrorist groups, especially the Sikh, Kashmiri, ULFA, Bodo and Kamtapuri (West Bengal) rebel groups. A Pakistani construction company selected for road construction in Pokhara area had successfully infiltrated the Indian ex-army men living in the neighbouring villages for priming some of them as vital intelligence assets. Similar other contracts awarded to Pakistani companies have been infiltrated by the ISI.

The most significant incursion made by the ISI is amongst the growing Muslim population in Nepal Terai area. The latest census figures indicate that growth of Hindu population has gone down by 6%, whereas the Muslim population in the southern part of the country bordering India has shown an astounding growth of over 15%. Besides progressive procreation there has been liberal influx from India and Bangladesh

Growth of population has been accompanied by mushrooming of madrasas (250). Institutions and organisations like Jamia Mohammadia (Tulsipur), Jamia Sirajul-Uloom (Boundhiyar), Jamaitul Banatun Salehat, Jamia Ittehad-e-Millat and Darul-Uloom-Fazi-e-Rahmaniya etc have taken up the task of spreading radical Islamism. There are confirmed reports of regular visits to these bordering Muslim villages by Kathmandu based diplomats of Pakistan and other Islamic nations. These institutions and madrasas receive generous funds from Pakistan, Indian Islamic Institutions, Saudi Arabia and other Islamic countries. Recently some units of the HUJI of Bangladesh have taken root in the Muslim inhabited Terai areas of Nepal. Rapid demographic changes along India Bangladesh and Indo-Nepal borders are intricately linked with the Islamist terrorist activities and growing collaboration between the terrorists and the crime cartels.

Over last one decade about 300 Nepali Muslim students had earned scholarship to undergo religious studies in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Not very many students have joined the institutes of Islamic studies in India, simply because scholarships to carry out religious studies come from Pakistan, Saudi and Iran based organisations. These students, on return are supposed to preach pure Wahabi Sunni tenets in the local madrasas and to work as linkmen to the jihadi
tanjims
in Pakistan. Neither India nor Nepal has carried out census of such
talibs
(students) trained in Pakistan and their suspected linkages with the jihadi
tanjims
.

Besides the above-motioned organisations Nepal Islamic Yuva Sangha, Jamat-e-Islami Nepal (1990), Nepal Muslim Seva Samiti, Jammat-e-Millat-e-Islam, Nepal Muslim Ittehad Association, Muslim Democratic Welfare Association, Jammat-e-Ahle-Hadis are actively involved in promoting ‘talibinisation’ of the madrasas and forging links with SIMI and HUJI as well as with organisations like Markaz-Al-Dawa-Al-Irshad and Harkat-ul-
Mujahideen
.

It may be recalled that the key planners of the hijacking of IC 814 from Kathmandu to Kandahar received clandestine support from the HUJI and Pak Embassy based operatives. Nepal, indeed, like Bangladesh has emerged as a launching pad for the JIM and JIX operations against India. Linkages of the Jais-e-Muhammad leaders with the former Taliban regime of Afghanistan, ISI and Al Qaeda have been well chronicled by the Indian and United States’ intelligence and investigation agencies.