Analyst agrees with Stratfor report on ULFA outsourcing suicide attacks

Concurring with a US intelligence report claiming that the ULFA has begun to outsource operations, including suicide attacks, in the restive State of Assam to Islamist militant groups, a Guwahati-based analyst, has said that nobody can say authoritatively, how credible these reports are and one has to rely on circumstantial evidence.

By Sanjay Kumar

New Delhi, Oct 1 : Concurring with a US intelligence report claiming that the ULFA has begun to outsource operations, including suicide attacks, in the restive State of Assam to Islamist militant groups, a Guwahati-based analyst, has said that nobody can say authoritatively, how credible these reports are and one has to rely on circumstantial evidence.

Stratfor, a Texas-based private intelligence group, in its latest reports, blames the ULFA for the August 25 twin blasts in Hyderabad that claimed scores of lives.

The Stratfor blames the ULFA for having strong links with Islamist militant groups active in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The report says that because of this nexus "the ULFA has begun to outsource operations, including suicide attacks, in the restive State of Assam to Islamist militant groups."

Analyst Nani Gopal Mahanta, a PhD on the subject of ULFA, agrees with the Stratfor report. She feels the outfit's link with fundamentalist forces was established in 2002.

Mahanta, Political Science Professor at Guwahati University, said: "These reports are coming for last few years. But nobody can say authoritatively, how credible these reports are. You have to relay on the circumstantial evidence."

The Stratfor report further, says: "The two prime suspects in the Hyderabad bombing belonged to the Bangladesh-based Islamist militant group Harkat-ul-Jihad-e-Islami, which is known to have a working relationship with ULFA and other northeastern insurgent groups, and with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency."

Mahanta said: "We have to talk it out with the Bangladesh Government as well as with the Myanmar Government because I believe that all these issues are trans-national. These countries are helping the insurgent groups."

The report further says: "India's northeastern insurgent outfits and militant Islamist groups regularly traverse India's extremely porous border with Bangladesh. This is an area where ideology, religion and ethnicity hold little or no regard, as each militant group works with another to promote its cause."

Mahanta said: "The people of Assam, irrespective of caste, creed and language want a peaceful atmosphere. So, the ULFA must read the message of the people of Assam. They want the violence to stop. The sooner the ULFA realizes this, the better it is for them"

Startfor does not think that ULFA is serious in holding peace talks.

"ULFA ... dances around the idea of peace talks... At the same time, ULFA prefers keeping up the militant front to maintain its financial network and its beneficial relationship with Pakistan's intelligence agency that helps keep India's hands tied. Thus, talk of negotiations does not really hold much weight," the report said.

But analysts however favour negotiations to solve the problem of violence in Assam.

Mahanta said, "You have to resolve this issue politically. No doubt that Central Government is taking the initiative. But the fact is that the Central Government has to take the process to a logical solution."

The Centre is always ready to hold talks, provided the ULFA conveys in writing that their top leadership will come to the negotiating table. So much so, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has assured safe passage to the leaders.

ANI