GUWAHATE: The outlawed ULFA’s “operation commander” Munin Nobis had established contact with a third secretary of the Pakistani embassy. in Bangladesh and had at one stage even visited Pakistan for discussions according to the recent confessional general secretary Golap Bara.
Nobis is understood to have travelled to Pakistan on a fake Bangladeshi passport under the assumed name of Iqbal Ahmed.” The startling revelation has given credence to the speculation on Pakistan’s support to rebel groups in India.
Nobis incidentally is still at large and is yet t0 voice his opinion on the proposed government and ULFA talks. According to some reports he is still in hiding in Bangladesh along with the elusive ULFA “commander-in chief Paresh Barua.
The confessional statement of the ULFA general secretary reveals that the outfit had several establishments in Bangladesh’s Sylhet district a number of telecommunication points and a house in Dhaka. About Rs 55 lakh and $50000had been sent to Bangladesh for setting up sanctuaries and for procuring arms and “ammunition through contacts. The outfit is reported to have even minted money in Bangladesh.
Nobis alias Iqbal was the head of the ULFA mission in Bangladesh. He had established contact with a Col. Farooq said to be involved in the assassination of Sheikh Mojibur Rahman.
Golap Baruas confessional statement admits that ULFA had extensive links with insurgent groups like the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) the People’s Liberation Army (PIA) of Manipur and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) of Myanmar. The outfit also had links with LTTE and AISSF.
Barua has also given details of the training of ULFA cadre in NSCN as well as in the Kachin rebel camps. Training in Myanmar rebel bases began as early as 1984 when 30 activists were trained at an NSCN base at Tanu in Myanmar. In 1987 special arrangements were made with the Kachin Independence Organization (KLO) in Passao in Myanmar for the training of ULFA activists.
The first batch of ULFA activists who underwent arms training at the Second Brigade base of the K10 near the Chindwin River included top leaders like the chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa Paresh Barua and the deputy commander-in-chief Hirakjyoti Mahanta From 1989 onwards local arms training was imparted to ULFA activists at Charaipung in Upper Assam.
The confessional statement indicates that ULFA held negotiations that ULFA held negotiations with the Union government authorities in March-April last year following which it had agreed to stay away from the Assam elections on condition that the Army’s “Operation Bajrang” would be Suspended.
“During March-April-1991 after negotiations with the Government of India authorities we the members of the standing council ULFA Arabinda Rajkhowa Pradip Gogoi Paresh Barua and I agreed to holding of the elections in Assam on condition that the Army would be withdrawn from Assam. Our decision was communicated to all district units.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 14, 1992
