Was ULFA involved with BDR revolt in Feb? Moinuddin Naser in New York Is it true that the members of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) living in Bangladesh were involved in the revolt by the Bangladesh Rifles in February 2009? Whether they were involved in anti-Awami League propaganda during last general election? An Indian influential weekly magazine reported about the ULFA?s involvement in such activities. The most influential weekly news magazine for researchers and academics the Economic and Political Weekly in an article in it?s recent 52nd issue elaborately stated about the debacles in the structure and politics of the ULFA. Udayan Misra, a national fellow of Indian Council of Social Science Research in his article ULFA: Beginning of the end stated: The change of government in Dhaka was already making things difficult for it when reports surfaced about ULFA?s involvement in the revolt by the Bangladesh Rifles in February 2009. This along with reports that the outfit had worked against the Awami League in the general elections, seemed to have been the decisive factor in the Sheikh Hasina government?s moves to crackdown on the ULFA leaders and push them out of the country. Ever since the ULFA leaders moved to Bangladesh in the 1990 and started operating from there, they had invested massive sums in Dhaka?s commercial banks and had built up huge assets for themselves. This, along with the support they received from anti-India elements in Bangladesh, had made Dhaka turn blind eye to the activities of the insurgent outfit. For instance, the ULFA general secretary Anup Chetia has been in a Bangladesh jail since 1998 and repeated efforts by the Indian authorities to have him sent back to India were met with indifference by the Bangladesh government. This correspondent discussed the matter with the Bangladeshi leaders, who recently visited New York and wanted to know whether the reported version regarding ULFA was true? Most of them expressed their ambivalent opinion, while they did not want to be quoted.Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, who was a well known and carrier Foreign Service official A H M Muhmudul Hasan, on being informed about the report said, that might be. But he did neither confirm the report nor denied. However according to diplomatic sources in New York, who keep eyes on developments in Bangladesh, the allegation is quite significant. They further opined that in fact the issue could be the main point of discussion during the visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India. They said that now a days the India?s main target is to put down the insurgency in India?s north eastern provinces. Not only the ULFA, rather all other insurgent groups including those from Nagaland, Tripura, Mizorum and Monipur states are now active in the north eastern provinces. The Indian initiative to have easy access in terms of transportation of goods and other relevant equipments to the north eastern provinces and easy communication system with that isolated area through building up fibre optics network in Bangladesh will be harmonized during the visit of Prime Minsiter Sheikh Hasina, the sources said. This time, the source added, India had already sounded that it would not give pressure on Bangladesh for transit, but still the north eastern issue will be the most important part of the agenda during the visit. The Economic and Political Weekly of India, in fact, has discussed the matter to shed initial light regarding the agenda. The sources said that without resolving the internal problems in the north eastern province, any kind of transit except the developed communication system may be counter productive for India as well as for Bangladesh. The armed cadres of ULFA and other insurgent groups might get together to disrupt the transit frequently. Since the beginning of the insurgency a total of 12,000 people were killed in Assam for achieving sovereignty. The ULFA commander Poresh Barua has not yet given up his demand for sovereignty. The bloodshed that had already experienced by the region may call for further bloodshed. Now the Indian government probably is trying to make a joint effort with Bangladesh to eliminate the threat of armed struggle by the Assamese. The issue is deeply rooted, says a diplomatic source in the UN, stating that, if the ULFA fighters were involved in BDR revolt, they have the power to attack further. So the arrests of Rajkhoa or Raju Barua and hand them over to India or force them to surrender before Indian forces would not end the tunnel. Because if the report of the Economic and Political Weekly is true, the followers of the arrested ULFA leaders (who were already on the verge of retirement to allow the new comers to occupy their places in the leadership) may be more fatal for Bangladesh. |
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