A meeting of the chief secretaries and directors general of police of all the states in the north eastern region was convened on November 5, 2008. After reviewing the security situation, it was decided that a regional mechanism would be established for sharing intelligence and coordinating the operations. I intend to conduct a comprehensive review of the security situation in the North East, especially Assam, Tripura and Manipur. In the course of the review, we shall also review our approach to deal with various insurgent groups and banned organisations, including the ULFA, NDFB and ATTF and KCP/MC.
We continue to be concerned that the territory of our neighbour, Bangladesh, is being used by the Indian insurgent groups to plan and execute terrorist acts against India and the Indian people. The government of Bangladesh has repeatedly assured that it will not allow its territory to be used by the Indian insurgent groups. However, the regrettable fact is that many leaders of the Indian insurgent groups continue to use Bangladesh as a safe haven. It is our expectation that Bangladesh will implement its commitments and assurances not to permit the use of its territory for such actions or allow sanctuary to such militant groups.
The activities of the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami (HuJI) are also a matter of concern. HuJI has sponsored and supported terrorist activities in India. The Government of Bangladesh has a duty to control the activities of HuJI and to apprehend its leaders who are responsible for the terrorist activities. There are intelligence inputs to believe that HuJI is coordinating its activities with the ULFA, NDFB and some other organisations.
Sir, there are only three to four issues on which I wish to offer some answers. Firstly, I do not think we should allow any partisan element to be injected in a debate on the North East. Different political parties have held the reins both in the Centre and in the concerned state governments. If at the end of 10 or 20 years of our experience dealing with the militancy in the North East, it is our collective judgment that we have failed, it is a collective failure. If there has been some measure of success in some areas, especially, largely in Arunachal Pradesh, almost completely in Mizoram and Meghalaya, it is a collective success. The question is, what is the path forward?
Sir, firstly, on insurgency I wish to make one thing clear. These are Indians belonging to one tribe or the other and one state or the other but they are nevertheless Indians. They are not foreigners. They are the Indian insurgent groups. They are misguided, misdirected Indian insurgent groups carrying on insurgent activities. As long as there is insurgency, let me make this clear, security forces will be deployed and they will fight these insurgent groups. Lives will be lost on the side of the insurgents and on the side of the security forces. But in order to defend India’s sovereignty and integrity, as long as there is insurgency, we have to deploy security forces and they will fight these insurgents.
Now, coming to larger issues, hon members have rightly identified the issues. These are tardy progress and not completing border fencing, illegal immigration from Bangladesh, lack of development for a variety of reasons, the perception that there is pervasive corruption and finally, tardiness in implementing the national identity card scheme. These issues have no party colour. We have all agreed that border fencing should be completed as quickly as possible, that we must pay attention to development, we must stamp out corruption, we must quicken the process of issuing the national identity card and finally, we must find a solution to the problem of illegal immigration and incomplete implementation of the Assam Accord.
When I was the minister of state, I started border fencing in Punjab and we completed a bulk of it. That paid rich dividends and helped us control militancy in Punjab. We have just initiated border fencing in the North East. I can give you numbers but that is not important today. What I need to come up with is a comprehensive plan to deal with these five issues which the hon members have identified.
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Finally, there is the issue of Bangladesh. I do not wish to say more than what I have laid in my statement. I have chosen my words carefully. The message must go to Bangladesh that it is duty bound to honour its commitments and assurances. Bangladesh cannot allow its territory to be used as a safe haven for the Indian insurgent groups. Bangladesh must realise that in the long run, it is hurting itself if it does not enjoy good relations with India and if the borders between India and Bangladesh are not secure and free from insurgency and militancy.
(Excerpts from Home Minister P Chidambaram’s reply to the Lok Sabha on 15 December 2008 on the debate on the situation arising out of bomb blasts in various parts of northeastern states with particular reference to Assam)