MUCH has been written about Bangladesh’s blue print to destabilise North-East by playing second fiddle to the militant outfits which have taken shelter there.

Ironically, Delhi asserts with irrefutable evidences and Dhaka denies with equal vehemence about the existence of extremists camps. The meeting of the leaders of all the rebel groups in Dhaka last month to call bandh in North-East and North Bengal against ’Operation All Clear’ launched by Bhutan is a glaring proof that they have taken shelter in Bangladesh. The ground evidences prove that the NE rebels have set up camps across Bangladesh who are assisted by ISI, Jamaat-e-Islami, and even ruling BNP. NSCN (M) with its global network has a huge ammunition depot at Bandarban with secret depots in Boly Bazar, Alikodam, Kalazira, Kunairam and Mariampara. The evidences confirm militants? bases at Khakrasuri, Kadamtala, Diginala, Bogaihat, Longtor, Silchai, Lungtian, Thangnong, Reza, Kassolong, Myami Reserve Forest, Zopui and Alikanda located between Sajek and Jampui hills. ULFA has a liaison office in Chittagong Hills Tract (CHT). PLA, UNLF and PREPAK of Manipur have their camps at Sonarupa tea estate in Chotadhamai, under Borolekha police station, Anarastila near Bhanugach, Ram Nagar in Sreemangal, Kazaldhara tea estate near Kullaura and Subitbazar near Sylhet. NDFB camps are located at Gaibandi and Nilphamari while Achik Liberation Matgrik Army and Hynniewtrap Volunteer Council are based in Mymensingh, Jaintiapur and Joydebpur. Biplab Barua, a middle ranking ULFA cadre now in police custody, recently confirmed that 17 camps of his outfit are spread over Sylhet, Moulvi Bazar, Mymensingh, Kurigram and Sherpur. ULFA chairman and commander-in-chief Arabinda Rajkhowa and Paresh Barua, shuttle between these camps.

The captives have admitted that Bangladesh army, BDR and Director General of Forces? Intelligence help the rebels in trans-border movemnt. Khaleda Zia Government is well aware that exactly a year ago, Osama bin Laden’s deputy Ayman Alii Zawahari was camping in Mymensingh as well as Sherpur to feed the North-East terror machine. His conclave with the Islamic United Reformist Protest Against India (IWRPI), an umbrella organisation of all the Islamic militant outfits of the North-East, was monitored by the Indian  sleuths. Tripura Chief Minister, Manik Sarkar, has furnished details about the exact location of 50 camps of NLFT and ATTF in Bangladesh. BSF too has submitted a report to BDR, detailing the activities of North-East rebels. Four PLA activists, who were recently nabbed by Tripura police near Karimganj border with Bangladesh, revealed about their training at Ram Nagar in Moulvi Bazar district. It is high time that New Delhi talks tough with Dhaka to dismantle the rebel camps. Myanmar did it in past. And now Bhutan has set example. Meanwhile, Bangladesh rejected as baseless the reports of arrest of ULFA militants in Dhaka recently. “We would like to state that the reports are false, baseless and concocted and have been fabricated to strain the friendly relations between Bangladesh and India. No such incidents took place in Dhaka,’’ a Home Ministry press release said while rejecting the reports which came in newspapers.

It said “we would also like to reassert the well-known position of the government that it has never allowed or assisted insurgent group of any country for acts against that country and this policy was being pursued by the government consistently and rigorously.’’ The release said all past allegations of insurgency or intelligence activities allegedly carried out against India from their soil had been thoroughly investigated but could not be substantiated. The Bangladesh government remains committed to curb and contain all forms of terrorism and terrorist outfits.

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