Prompt refutation by Bangladesh of an intelligence report, saying that Bangladesh has become "a haven for Islamic terrorists in South Asia" as "far from the reality on the ground" notwithstanding, India should weigh the same on its merit. The Bangladesh Foreign Ministry release also said, "We would like to categorically state that the government of Bangladesh remains firmly committed to the principle of combating terrorism and to uphold the tolerant and non-communal character of the country." The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), in its July 2003 report, alleged that besides the (Islamist) radicals in Bangladesh having links with the Al Qaeda, the Government was also unwilling to take action against such elements. Bangladesh has been refuting Indian allegations of terrorist groups operating in the Northeast finding shelter and other logistic support on Bangladesh soil. Significantly, this is not the first time that Bangladesh has surfaced in the Western media as an emerging transit for terrorist groups.

Twin Factors

For India, two important factors relating to its internal security merit consideration. For one, the international environment has become a critical element for any country to safeguard its citizens, property and other interests from apparently internal threats. This is due to the transnational linkages of various subversive groups operating against India, including the terrorist groups active in the Northeast and Kashmir, and the left-wing extremist groups, the Naxalites. Secondly, securing national interests from external threats and the maintenance of internal security have become so interdependent that it is increasingly difficult to see the two separately. It is in this context that Bangladesh becomes an important element that could affect India's internal security environment. A pragmatic approach towards Bangladesh is also required on the lines of the current efforts being made by India and a reluctant Pakistan to curtail terrorists movement and cease fire in Jammu and Kashmir.

Track Record

Perceptions of Bangladesh becoming a place for Islamist fundamentalists intensified after the United States launched its Operation Enduring Freedom against the Taliban and the Al Qaeda in Afghanistan following terrorist attacks in New York and Washington on September 11, 2001. Media reports suggested that the terrorists fleeing Afghanistan were taking shelter in Bangladesh using the Karachi-Chittagong route. For instance, The Time learnt from a senior cadre of Bangladesh's largest terrorist group and an alleged Al-Qaeda-affiliate, Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI), that in December 2001, 150 Taliban and Al-Qaeda cadres from Afghanistan entered Bangladesh through the Chittagong port area. The report further said, "Three senior Bangladeshi military sources also confirmed this was the case." There were also reports that approximately 50 more terrorists reached Chittagong by boat from Karachi in June 2001. Later, on September 24, 2002, four Yemenis, an Algerian, a Libyan and a Sudanese national were arrested from three houses in Uttara, Dhaka. Incidentally, Paresh Baruah, chief of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), a terrorist group active in Assam, had been attacked in the same locality on May 27, 2003.

Indian Concerns

Indian concerns of the existence of terrorist camps in Hobiganj, Maulvi Bazaar, Chittagong and Satcherri districts of Bangladesh, among others along the Indian border, have intensified following such reports. India has pointed out the existence of 100 to 150 such camps to Bangladesh, pinpointing their location. The Camps are allegedly run by terrorist groups active in Northeast India including the ULFA and National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), active in Assam, and the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) that are active in Tripura. Besides getting shelter and using the Northeastern border as transit route for illicit arms and drugs trade, these groups are also said to be cooperating closely with the Directorate General of Foreign Intelligence (DGFI), the military intelligence agency of Bangladesh, and the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan. Following the Royal Bhutan Army's operations against ULFA and other such groups having camps on its soil, Bangladesh as the hub of anti-India terrorist groups is likely to grow.

Besides, there are also speculations of use of Northeastern Indian territory by Islamist groups as a transit to infiltrate into J&K. ULFA is also said to be a constituent of the Bangladesh Islamic Manch, a united council under HUJI's leadership. Inter-regional linkages of these groups further worsen the internal security situation in India. For instance, beyond its intra-regional linkages, ULFA is also reported to maintain connection with Nepalese Maoists and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The latter have links with various Naxalite groups alleged to be working towards a compact revolutionary zone from the forest tracts of Adilabad district in Andhra Pradesh to Nepal, traversing the forest areas of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar. Under these circumstances where the Government is busy calming J&K, Bangladesh could be an important front to ensure greater stability.