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ISI modules goad security into high alert

Amberish K Diwanji in New Delhi

While the police and security forces throughout India have been placed on high alert following the arrest of four Inter-Services Intelligence agents in Assam, K P S Gill has said there was nothing surprising in the sudden burst of terrorist activities.

"Assam was always facing a terrorist threat that was largely being forgotten due to the focus of attention on Jammu and Kashmir, especially during the Kargil crisis," said Gill, who was a former Indian Police Officer of the Assam cadre and also former police chief in Punjab.

Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani had declared yesterday that ISI "modules" of terrorists had been set up all over India, all with the specific brief of creating as much mayhem and instability as possible within the country as possible.

"The module is nothing but a set or group of terrorists, who are set up in specific cities or areas and given specific tasks," said a senior police officer in Delhi. He added that the Delhi police was on high alert as there was a fear that some acts of violence may be committed in the national capital.

Sources close to the home minister said according to intelligence information received, such modules had been found in states as far apart as Jammu and Kashmir, Assam Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh.

"The aim is to stretch our security forces thin by causing violence in states that are all so far apart," the source pointed out. "Obviously the ISI hopes that the resultant instability will help it achieve its own goals, whether it is the liberation of Kashmir or anything else," the source added.

While many of the terrorists operating in Jammu and Kashmir are foreign mercenaries, often from Afghanistan, what is worrying the government is that many of the recruits for the modules are Indian.

"There is no doubt that the ISI is seeking out disgruntled and very poor Muslims with no secure source of income, and pushing them into joining these modules for a so-called holy cause. Only a very small number of Indian Muslims actually join the ISI modules out of faith or belief, most of them do it for pecuniary reasons," said the source.

He added that in the north-eastern states, many of the ISI supporters are often Hindus and from ethnic tribes who are seeking the help of the ISI in their war against the Indian forces, but even here it was usually economic reasons that pushed people to help the ISI.

"Don't forget, with the ISI literally giving away hundreds of thousands of rupees to young men who usually earn in three figures. Such a huge amount, to burst a few bombs, is very, very tempting. This also explains the large number of Bangladeshis willing to work for the ISI," the source added.

The source added that the government was working on a package to wean away would-be terrorists by ensuring suitable employment. "Many of these boys who join these modules are just poor or frustrated and we are trying to ensure that their aspirations are met," he added.

To counter the growth of the modules, besides their plans to create mayhem in India over the next few months, the government will be deploying its full police strength. "One reason why there is a sudden spurt in Assam is because many army units have been sent out following the Kargil war. This creates a security vacuum, which the terrorists are exploiting. However, the home ministry is now working on a plan to redeploy the security forces to minimise the activities and fill in the gaps created by the army's loss," the sources said.

Gill said the government must strengthen the paramilitary and police forces in the absence of the army so that it could tackle the ISI and its modules.

"With the elections being so spread out, we have drawn up plans on the movement of security forces so that no area is left unsafe or unguarded. The government is committed to deal firmly with the terrorists," the sources added.

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