PULF has links with ISI

GUWAHATI, August 4: The activities of a newly-formed Islamic militant outfit People's United Liberation Front (PULF) came to light after the arrest of four members of the outfit in Barpeta recently. It is suspected that the outfit has links with the Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), security sources said here. They said the four militants -Md Saifu Islam, Md Akbar Ali, Zehirul Islam and Hazarat Ali - all belonging to the Howly area of Barpeta district, were nabbed by police on July 22 last. Sources said the outfit was originally formed in Manipur with the support of the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN) and the security forces came to know about the activities of the outfit in Assam only after the arrests of these four militants. Among the arrested, Saiful Islam had been trained in handling of different weapons in Lydenpulen near Imphal from March to June last year. During interrogation, he said there were 22 persons in the training camp at that moment. Of them, two were from Barpeta, three from Nagaon, and the rest were from Manipur. The training was imparted by the NSCN(I-M). The outfit has a state committee headed by one Abdul Aziz, who hails from Manipur. The PULF also has three district committees - Nagaon, Barpeta and Lakhimpur. However, the details of the demands of the outfit are not yet known to security forces.