From 1971 to today: ISI and Bangladesh's demographic war on India

New Delhi, Aug 15 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day address spoke about the demographic changes that is affecting the country. He said when the demographic change happens in border areas, it creates a crisis for national security.

The Prime Minister also went on to term this phenomenon as a deliberate conspiracy to alter the country. He added that seeds of a new crisis is being sown.

PM Modi’s remarks come at a time when there are efforts being made in Bangladesh with the help of the ISI to ramp up illegal infiltrations into the country.

However one must bear in mind is that this is part of a deep-rooted conspiracy that was hatched by the ISI and DGFI, following the 1971 war.

The Pakistanis realised that they were given a bloody nose in the 1971 war and hence fighting India was not an option.

Moreover, they have lost the war which led to the creation of Bangladesh. This was when the ISI and DGI tasked the Jamaat-e-Islami to undertake an economic war with India.

This meant changing the demographics in several parts of India through illegal migration. Although it began at a slow pace initially, it began picking up steam in the early 1980s.

By the 1990s, it had become a huge problem.

The demographics in states such as West Bengal and the other northeastern states had changed. The Jamaat chose places closer to the border which had a Hindu majority. Gradually the Hindus became a minority in these areas and this led to the flaring up of communal tensions.

In the year 1992, the Research and Analysis Wing was tasked with carrying out an operation in Bangladesh to immobilise targets of the Jamaat.

The operation largely dealt with stopping the Jamaat from undertaking a major operation which involved infiltrating Bangladeshis into India.

The agency realised that the motive was to create a Greater East Pakistan which would include West Bengal and the northeastern states.

In order to do so they need a majority of their population to take control over various places in these states. West Bengal has been one of the worst hit states due to this problem.

Demographic changes have been the highest in districts such as Murshidabad, Uttar Dinajpur, Malda and North and South 24 Paraganas.

Assam too is facing this problem and similar changes have taken place in Dhubri, Barpeta, Goalpara and Morigaon districts. During the operation of 1992 and 1993, the Research and Analysis Wing realised that this was a major conspiracy to hurt India’s internal security.

Large scale infiltrations and demographic changes meant job losses for locals, communal tensions and in many occasions, these infiltrators are part of terror modules which operate from Bangladesh. The agency also found that the Jamaat had set up scores of camps to carry out these activities.

Hence it was found to be a deliberate and systematic operation to hurt India.

Former officer with the R&AW, Amar Bhushan says that the situation is most worrisome in West Bengal. Following the 1971 war we ought to have taken this issue more seriously.

Some estimates suggest that illegal immigration from Bangladesh between 1971 and 1966 there had been an increase of around 160 per cent, Amar Bhushan also says.

Intelligence agencies say that with the ISI back in control at Bangladesh thanks to a friendly regime, they will ramp up their post 1971 project.

Not only would they increase the number of Bangladeshis infiltrating into Indian soil, but would go ahead with setting up terror camps.

The agencies, however, point out that today the problem is not just restricted to the east.

It has spread to Karnataka, Kerala, Uttarakhand and several other states. This has to be viewed more as a security threat and a big conspiracy than just a humanitarian crisis, the agencies say.

--IANS

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