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Inputs suggest Al-Qaida presence: BSF DG

New Delhi, November 29
The BSF Director-General, Mr Ajay Raj Sharma, today asserted that intelligence inputs suggested the presence of Al-Qaida operatives in Bangladesh and Pakistan’s ISI was using that land to route its terrorist activities in the North-Eastern states.

However, the BSF chief said he had no evidence to prove that Al-Qaida functionaries were present in Bangladesh.

“We have no foolproof evidence to show that Al-Qaida men are there. Once we arrest an Al-Qaida operative or we encounter any of them during operations, then we can prove that they are there. But intelligence inputs suggest that they are present and operating in Bangladesh,” he told reporters on the eve of the 37th BSF Raising Day.

He said the intelligence inputs had been shared with the Bangladesh authorities, but they categorically denied the presence of any Al-Qaida member in their territory.

Asked about the reasons for the refusal by Dhaka to act upon the information, Mr Sharma said: “It depends on a government how seriously they take the request... Every time we have provided them information, they tell us that they have verified the inputs and found no Al-Qaida member present.”

He said the BSF had reliable information that the ISI was routing its arms and ammunition for terrorists in the North-East through Bangladesh.

Admitting to the increase of fundamentalist activities on the borders with Pakistan and also Bangladesh, the BSF DG accused Pakistan of “not shedding the policy of India bashing and indulging in cross-border terrorism.”

Apprehending that trans-border terrorism would increase after Ramzan, Mr Sharma said even at a time when Pakistan claimed that it was not supporting any terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir, infiltration continued from the Pakistani side.

“The infiltration came down during the time of elections in Jammu and Kashmir, but once the elections were over, things started going back to the past level,” he asserted.

Mr Sharma said the Bangladesh authorities had however, expressed willingness to extend their help in dealing with terrorism and had committed that they would not allow their land to be used for terrorist activities.

Asked if the BSF would follow the policy of hot pursuit while dealing with insurgency in the North-East and the ISI operations in Bangladesh, he said all BSF operations were carried out in consonance with international laws and no violation could be made of those rules. UNI