"The Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) has managed to infiltrate into Assam a number of its agents in the guise of Imams.
Intelligence input indicates that Jamaat-e-Islami of both Pakistan and Bangladesh are maintaining close clandestine links with Muslim militant organisations operating in Assam,"
said a paper released by Assam Chief Minister P K Mahanta to a group of visiting journalists in 2000.
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| Getty Image/BBC :: Dhaka Nov 17, 2025 |
This showed greater involvement of Pakistan's ISI and deeper penetration of the radical Islamist forces in the affairs of Assam with the help of operatives and handlers in Bangladesh and Pakistan.
In fact a number of groups were hyper active in Assam and most if not all had nexus to Dhaka and Chittagong Hill Tracts.
A few can be named here - Muslim Liberation Front of district), Muslim Volunteers Force (active in Barpeta), Tigers Assam, United Special Reforms of Assam (active in Dhubri Liberation Front of Assam (active in Hojai, founded in 1992 (Assam),
-- Saddam Bahini (Assam, a post Gulf War development),
Islamic Sevak Sangh (in Kamrup area, post Babri development aiming to counter RSS),
- Bharatiya Islam Sanskar Pratibad Bahini and People's United Liberation Front (PULF, active in Manipur starting since 1994).
The then Chief Minister Mahanta also claimed that the Assam police were in "possession of evidence" that showed that the ULFA top leadership has been in close contact with certain officials of the Pakistani High Commission in Dhaka.
Mahanta had even urged PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee for formulating a new and more stringent legislation to deal with the ISI and foreign mercenaries.
"Under the existing present laws, these miscreants often seek bail and run away," said Mahanta.
This was prelude to NDA regime's highly debated move of introduction of POTA, which. however, was quickly withdrawn by the Manmohan Singh-led UPA on the pretext that it was aimed at targeting Muslims.
Islamic Fundamentalism
In fact, emergence of Islamic fundamentalism had given a totally new twist to the security scenario in Assam and a few other states with a large number of disgruntled Muslim population being lured by over a dozen Muslim militant groups.
During 2001 visit to Guwahati, Shillong and other places in the region, we were told that there are approximately 16 Muslim fundamentalist organisations active in the region, especially in Assam and Manipur, aided and abetted by ISI and some other Islamic organisations in Bangladesh and Pakistan.
These groups were committed to promoting "pan Islamisation" in the northeast.
Ironically, the Muslim organisations became "hyperactive", to quote an Assam government official, only after the Babri Masjid demolition in December 1992.
It is the sense of insecurity among the Muslims generated after the demolition that instigated the Muslim youth, the Assamese and the Bengalis, to unify socially and arm them.
They also started getting training in the handling of arms and explosives with the assistance of ISI and their sympathisers.
Several insurgent groups, including the ULFA, also started helping the Muslim militant bodies as they were in constant search of safe havens in Bangladesh.
Pakistan's ISI had exploited this "need of the insurgent groups" and through Bangladesh corridor cultivated Bangladeshi immigrants to achieve its goals.
Even militant groups such as --
Islamic Revolutionary Front (IRF),
Islamic Liberation Army of Assam (ILAA, Sibsagar),
Islamic United Liberation Army (Nagaon, founded in 1980s),
Assam Minority Liberation Army (AMLA) Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI active both in Assam and Manipur) and
the Muslim United Liberation Front of Assam (MULFA) were active.
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| Post-2009 Sheikh Hasina cooperated with India |
2001: Lynching of BSF jawans
Early 2001 sought to redefine the Indo-Bangladesh relations in all its negative connotation.
A company commander of the Border Security Force (BSF) and 18 of his jawans were picked up by intruding Bangladeshi soldiers and held them to stay in "captivity" for two consecutive nights in the Dawki sector of the Meghalaya-Bangladesh border.
Two days later, reports poured in that at least 16 Border Security Force (BSF) personnel were killed by Bangladeshi troops in a forward village in Assam.
There were also claims that in neighbouring Meghalaya, the Bangladesh Rifles continued to occupy Pyrduwah village for more than three days escalating tension on the border.
The then Union Home Secretary Kamal Pande, quoting reports from the BSF border camp said in New Delhi, that the BSF personnel were killed when the Bangladesh Army and Bangladesh Rifle (BDR) personnel resorted to "unprovoked firing and shelling" in Boraibari in Assam targeting a BSF post and civilian areas.
From Bangladesh, reports quoting BDR chief Maj Gen Fazlur Rahman said a Bangladeshi soldier was killed and several were injured in the border clashes.
"One of our soldiers and 16 Indian soldiers were killed, while two of their injured have surrendered," he said.
As the standoff in Pyrduwah continued with 3000 BDR personnel entering the East Khasi Hill District area, BSF reinforcements were rushed to the troubled spots.
The episode certainly had come as a shell-shock for Govt of India.
It may be stated here that India and Bangladesh share a 4,096.7 km border, of which approximately 3,232 km is fenced.
But challenges like difficult terrain, land acquisition issues, and objections from Bangladesh's Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) often impact progress.
In areas where physical fencing is not possible, India is implementing "smart fencing" and other technological solutions for surveillance, officials said.
Besides ULFA, the NSCN-IM and PLA (of Manipur) were prominent Indian militant groups who had 'safe havens' and other activities including running of hotels in Bangladesh.
The NSCN (IM) maintained a sizable presence in various camps in Bangladesh such as - Thanchi Bazar, Mowdok, Tendu, Kaitong, Murong, Rezupara, Baidyapara and Sumsong.
In addition, the group had its offices in Chittagong and Cox's Bazar.
By the turn of the new millennium, that is 2001; the Indian intelligence agencies had feelers that the NSCN (IM) also had shifted its liaison office in Chittagong to Road Number Eight (8) Abasik Elaka, Cox's Bazar.
The NSCN (IM) and NLFT of Tripura also had a number of joint transit camps for facilitating their movements towards Bangladesh-Tripura border.
Arabinda Rajkhowa, ULFA chairman and Sashadhar Choudhury, foreign secretary of ULFA, were two eminent and frequent visitors to Tarabon village in Panchari police station locality in Khagrachari district.
The ULFA had its "foreign headquarters" at Tarabon. The group also had good 'havens' or hideouts and training camps in Bhutan. The ULFA also has transit camps at Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Ramgarh, Rangamati and Moulvi Bazar.
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| Old file snap |
The PLA had also established its camps in the Manipuri inhabited areas of Sylhet and Bandarban districts.
In 2001, PLA also hired a two-storied building at Abashik Elaka in Laldighirpara, Sylhet.
The first floor of the building is being used as a transit accommodation for PLA cadres. The second floor of this building has some tailor shops and motor parts units providing a suitable cover to the PLA cadres staying there.
The ISI has been successfully organising training of ULFA cadres in association with the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) of Bangladesh at a camp located 35 km west of Karnaphulli Hydro Electric Project in Chittagong Hill Tracts starting from 1993 under one Brigaidier Joi Imullah Khan Chowdhary of ISI.
Although with the Sheikh Hasina government coming to power, the ISI-DGFI nexus came under some strain, the nexus however continued at "other levels" and revived again under the new Bangladesh government.
The then Assam Chief Minister Mahanta had said -- "ULFA commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah and various Islamic militant groups operating in Assam continue to get help from Bangladesh army and para-military forces."
"One such meeting recently (prior to November 2000) took place in the drawing room of a former Bangladesh Minister in Dhaka", Mahanta had told us.
An exhaustive paper prepared by the Special Branch of Assam Police, Kahilipara in Guwahati said (2001) that Jamaat-e-Islami of both Pakistan and Bangladesh are maintaining close clandestine links with Muslim militant organisations operating in Assam.
"Apart from giving moral support, Muslim fundamentalist organisation Jamaat-e-Islami of Pakistan and Bangladesh are secretly funding Muslim militant groups in the state to carryout nefarious designs. This is indicated by the copy of the letter that Qazi Hussain Saheb Amir of Jamat-e Pakistan wrote to one office bearers of a Muslim orgaisation," sources had said.
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| P Chidambaram - Manmohan Singh's Home Minister |
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