THE Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami (HuJI) and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, Bangladesh (JMB), the two top terror groups in Bangladesh are increasingly going to use their proxies while carrying out activities in India, Intelligence agencies have said. These groups are also looking to create home-grown outfits in India, so that Bangladesh has the deniability factor. This is similar to what the Lashkar-e-Taiba or Jaish-e-Mohammad have been doing in India. The Lashkar-e-Taiba uses groups such as the The Resistence Front for operations in Jammu and Kashmir (J& K). In the case of the Jaish-e-Mohammad, the proxies are the People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAAF) and the Kashmir Tigers (KT).

 

While these groups are just proxies, both the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad try and pass them off as home-grown outfits. The emphasis that the ISI and Jamaat-e-Islami have been giving these terror groups is immense. Most of its cadres who were in jail were released without any explanation following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina. They have been given a free hand to operate in the country, but the message is that all attacks should be focussed on India. While the immediate threat persists in bordering states, officials say that these groups are capable of operating in both North and South India.

 

An Intelligence Bureau official said that they have been witnessing a new trend where the HuJi and JMB are concerned. Their modules across India are operating under different aliases and this is a clear strategy to dodge the security agencies, the official added. The Assam and Tripura police in a joint operation busted a module that was called Imam Mahamude Kafila (IMK). This is a proxy of the JMB, the probe found. Officials say that this module has been around, but was re-activated recently to carry out attacks in India. The JMB also has other Indian affiliates namely the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen India and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Hindustan.

 

 

THE security agencies have their task cut out this year as the situation in Bangladesh is worsening and Pakistan is back to its old tricks to try and destabilise India. At least three Intelligence Bureau assessments suggest that the biggest challenge this year would be Bangladesh and the security situation in the North-Eastern States. An official stated that two highly troubled nations -- Myanmar and Bangladesh -- are holding elections this year, and one could anticipate trouble. There is intense international scrutiny due to the deteriorating security situation in both countries. Hence, the elections would be extremely crucial, another official said. India, however, is particularly concerned about the elections that are set to take place in Bangladesh on February 12. With the Awami League barred from the contest, the fight is between BNP and the ISI-backed Jamaat-e-Islami. Under the Muhammad Yunus regime, the persecution of minorities has gone up, and incidents of violence are being reported every day. Further, Yunus, under pressure from the Jamaat, has been too friendly with Pakistan and, in the bargain, made several exceptions that include opening up the sea-route and easing visa norms. An official explained that the Bangladesh situation will be far more tricky when compared to Myanmar, where there is no anti-India sentiment, but that is not the case in Bangladesh.