GUWAHATI, May 2 — A nefarious design has been orchestrated by the Pakistani ISI to bring about a change in the demographic composition of the North East in general and Assam in particular. The design is being implemented by encouraging illegal influx from Bangladesh and propping up fundamentalist militant outfits imbued with a dream of a Islamic homeland.
Security sources told The Assam Tribune here that the infiltration problem in Assam is becoming graver by the day with little signe of any ebb in the flow of Bangladeshis crossing over into India. Most of them head for Assam and West Bengal since it is in these two states that they can merge with the general populace. Moreover, getting hold of documents is easy in Assam, they said. The IMDT Act has also made Assam a magnet for infiltrators.
It may be mentioned here that Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani had recently described the infiltration problem as ‘frightening’. According to estimates, there are well over 20 million illegal Bangladeshis in India, some ten million of them in Assam and West Bengal alone. Bangladesh, of course, has always denied that there were any emigrants from there to India.
Though the sources admit that not all infiltrators are encouraged by the ISI, there is enough evidence to suggest that at least a section of them are being pushed in with definite briefs. One of the crucial roles being played by these infiltrators is to shelter and facilitate the movement of Islamic militants. The recent spurt in the activities of fundamentalist militant outfits in Bangladesh has had its effects in Assam too, the sources said. Cadres of the Harkat-u-Mujahidin, for example, have admitted being sheltered in Bangladesh before being trained in Pakistan to carry out subversive activities in Assam. Islamic hardliners in Bangladesh are also supplying arms and offering logistical support to Muslim militant organisations operating in Assam.
Several militant groups have been set up in Assam and the North East with the aim to establish an Islamic homeland. According to the sources, the ISI is directly supporting the Muslim United Liberation Tigers of Asom (MULTA) to mobilise Muslim youth espousing ‘jehad’. The Bangladesh-based Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami is also trying to gain a foothold in Assam. The outfit is linked with the dreaded al Qaeda.
According to the sources, what is most worrying is the unusual growth of madrassas in the State, especially along the border areas. The ISI is reportedly using them to fan anti-Indian feelings among the populace. The sources said that despite the increased vigil by the security forces along the international border, there are still large sections that are virtually impossible to monitor. The chars in the riverine areas facilitate easy infiltration, more so as the inhabitants there do not easily cooperate with the security forces.