| Arrest of ULFA Chairman Rajkhowa : Implications The 'arrest' of the ULFA Chairman Arabinda Rajkhowaa and 'quiet handover' to the Indian authorities this week reveals an eerily familiar shady deals and connivance between some elements of the Bangladesh and the Indian Intelligence Services and if we are to look up events surrounding similar 'arrests' and handover in the case of Chitarboron Hazarika and Sashadhar Chowdhury - two senior leaders of the same North East Indian outfit in Bangladesh, the patterns that emerges are: While Bangladesh has a principled commitment and stand to fight 'terrorism' - the manner and impunity by which the ULFA and NLFT leaders are being 'captured' and handed over without a chance for the people of Bangladesh to know the hush-hush circumstances surrounding these 'arrest' raises deep suspicion that the Government is bending over backwards to appease India, for reasons unclear.1. The Indian Media is the first to pick up intelligence ciphers that ULFA leaders have been 'arrested' usually by the Special Branch of Bangladesh Police 'in Dhaka' - and the news goes International within minutes. 2. Bangladesh Home Ministry officials then promptly deny any knowledge of such 'arrest' and their Indian counterparts also pretend 'no knowledge' or are 'awaiting official confirmation' to the effect. 3. The Bangladesh Media meantime despite its so-called 'bold and courageous' stand on National Sovereignty stays mum and resorts to printing verbatim whatever has been reported by their Indian counterparts. 4. News of ULFA leaders 'surrendering' to Indian authorities surface - usually in neighboring Tripura state, allowing enough critical time for the 'arrested' leaders to be spirited across to the border for 'handover' to waiting officials in India. 5. India then create an elaborate 'legal umbrella' to justify the 'arrest' - using the term 'surrender' inside Indian territory - and not a word is mentioned thereafter about the fact that these leaders were 'arrested' in Bangladesh territory. 6. The ULFA leaders are then transported to Guwahati, the capital of Assam via Military helicopters (but in Rajkhowa's case to Delhi ) and later produced in Court to meet stringent Indian judicial standards. Again no mention about the fact that they were arrested inside Bangladesh. 7. Once in Court the leaders go on to deny that they have surrendered - and Media reports that they are being interrogated - nothing more is heard. 8. Meanwhile colorful news story that out-gunned, out-maneuvered and tethering ULFA on the run - is now willing to sit down for talks (they even have pro and anti-talks factions) minus the vexed issue of 'sovereignty' for Assam are neatly circulated for public consumption. Ahead of the Prime Ministers upcoming visit on 19th December 2009 - it is perfectly understandable that the Government maybe in a mad rush, to get over the vexed issues 'once and for all' i.e. India's longstanding dogged accusations that North East insurgents have made Bangladesh a 'base to conduct hit-and-run' operations'. Unfortunately like the WMDs in Iraq, none of these accusations have ever been proved convincingly - regardless of whether or not an 'India-friendly' Government was in power! Therefore BdOsint's apprehension on the the 7th November: "it is more than likely that a special Indian Police Commando team or a RAW extrication unit entered Bangladesh and in a sting operation kidnapped the 2 ULFA leaders" has now been proved true - by the latest report from Bangladesh's premier(and now beleaguered) Human Rights Group - the USAID funded Odhikar who in its latest report say: "It must be mentioned here that India and Bangladesh do not have an extradition treaty between them. The Home Secretary's statement directly implies that they have been abducted by people who are not part of the Bangladesh law enforcing agencies, alleging that the abduction has been conducted by Indian agencies violating the sovereignty of Bangladesh and contravening international human rights provisions." It is obvious from the above, that India is making every efforts to 'fast track' an Extradition Treaty with Bangladesh - but in so doing, it is blatantly defiling and intruding on the Sovereignty of the nation. These operations inside the territory of Bangladesh by Indian Special Forces brings in chilling reminders from the BDR Mutiny earlier on in the year:
the truth and investigation report from that incident still being a long way away from seeing 'the light of the day', these are nonetheless indicators that there is absolutely no guarantee that India will stop infringing on the Sovereignty of Bangladesh and limit its Special Forces and Extrication Units to merely/covertly capturing its wanted fugitives. It may for all practical purpose use them for more sinister agenda than anybody is prepared to even spare a thought. A litany of violent incidents: 'false flag' Jihadi attacks, kidnapping, targeted assassinations etc are likely to emerge and how seriously things can go wrong in our National Security Agenda if our policy of appeasing India is not corrected immediately can hardly be over emphasized. Meanwhile The Telegraph reports:
The elaborate charade and deft Media blackout and manipulations following these high profile state-backed kidnapping incidents, however has a historical flashback. One is reminded of the arrest in Dhaka of Anup Chetia the General Secretary of ULFA and 2 others in 1996 and how for 10 days, Chetia's whereabouts after his 'arrest' remained a mystery, and the reason for that - was together with Chetia, 10 members of a covert RAW kidnap/extrication unit were also arrested by Bangladesh intelligence - who in fact foiled the entire plan. Clearly India and Bangladesh both want to avoid a repeat of the Chetia incident as it draws media publicity - and in the case of Chetia after his many appearance in Court, turned him into a hero and led to the first public awareness in Bangladesh of the Assam freedom struggle and blatant Human Rights violation committed and ongoing in the state by the Indian Army . The option for the Assam issue being resolved peacefully and politically clearly hangs on India's 'wishful thinking' for the moment which the Assam Tribune reports:
The damning question to the above is - what if, despite its dwindled numbers and striking capacities, the ULFA and its yet elusive an recalcitrant military leader Paresh Barua decide to fight back? Bangladesh has evidently become complicit to Indian design and the weeks ahead are crucial for those that determine the nations National Security Agenda. The options and possibilities for the ULFA and the Indian state are one too many to speculate - but here is a sample of what is likely to happen for Bangladesh:
What may look like the end of a nightmare for India, is indeed the beginning of one for Bangladesh.
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