Sunday, March 13 2005 19:23 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: The weapons supplied by Pakistan's ISI (Inter State Intelligence) to Assam's insurgent outfit ULFA (United Liberation Front of Asom) are finding their way to naxal groups spread across 11 States, according to central security agencies.

A report prepared by the agencies said the naxal outfits were depending on arms from ULFA, which in turn, is supplied by ISI through certain agencies of Bangladesh, informed sources said.

They said there were inputs suggesting that ULFA was supplying weapons to Maoist groups, which were earlier, equipped with traditional weapons.

The AK series rifles and Self-Loading Rifles (SLRs) were now common with the naxal groups and even the land-mine blasts carried out by these groups in Andhra Pradesh and certain parts of Bihar and Jharkhand showed a considerable advancement of technology in these armory.

Recently, police recovered AK-47 and SLRs from the naxal leaders killed in an encounter with police in Andhra Pradesh.

ISI had in late 1990s attempted to woo naxal groups by meeting some of its top brass in Bangladesh but it was turned down then because of ideological differences, the report submitted to the Union Home Ministry said.

The ISI with the help of Directorate General of Foreign Intelligence (DGFI) of Bangladesh have roped in ULFA making it the front organisation for supply of arms, which the Maoist organisations are in dire need following a massive crackdown by police, it said.

The report also indicated a nexus growing between Rohingyas of Myanmar, certain Naga insurgent groups, ULFA and Left wing extremist.

It may be mentioned that Rohingya Muslims formed a major force of Al-Qaeda and Taliban and were brought to Afghanistan by ISI.

The sources said the nexus was helping in smuggling of arms from Myanmar to India and subsequently to Bangladesh through the dense forests.

The security agencies have expressed apprehensions that the sea route could be used by the Maoists to bring in arms as it was practically impossible to screen all the fishermen who venture into the deep sea to earn their livelihood, the sources said.

Further complicating the problem, several States have already expressed apprehensions about the Maoist strikes because of failure to prevent Nepalese Maoists from entering into the country.

The cadres of the CPN (Communist Party of Nepal) had slipped through the porous Indo-Nepal border and would now be engaged in extortion racket in Jharkhand and Bihar.

The presence of CPN cadres has the potential to spark bloody clashes with MCC (Maoist Communist Centre) and PWG (People's War Group), which are already operating in the two States and are engaged in extortion rackets, they said.