Indian intelligence agencies have ruled out any direct link between the Naxals and Pakistan’s spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence, in a report submitted to the Union ministry of home affairs on Monday.
The home ministry had asked the Intelligence Bureau to carry out a detailed probe into possible links between Naxals and the ISI following the recovery of weapons with Pakistan markings from Maoists in Jharkhand last month.
Taking serious note of the incident, particularly since it came in the wake of the mutilation of Indian soldiers along the LoC by the Pakistan Army, the MHA asked for a detailed report on the Naxal-ISI nexus. Intelligence agencies, in their report to the MHA, details of which are available with this newspaper, have said there was no direct contact between the Maoists and the ISI.
However, the report states that Naxals have access to weapons provided by ISI operatives in Bangladesh. “Most of these weapons are reaching the Naxals through organisations like ULFA and the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation.
These organisations work as the link between the ISI and Naxals. But there is no information that suggests that any of the top Naxal commanders are in touch with ISI operatives,” the report states.
The Northeast terror outfits, according to the report, are supplying weapons to the Naxals primarily because the “cash-rich Maoists pay a good price for arms and ammunition”. “In fact, for sophisticated weapons, the Naxals even pay a premium. And the money collected for arms-smuggling is pumped into terror activities in the Northeast by these subversive groupings,” the reports adds.
MHA sources said the government will step up operations against terror groups like ULFA and KLO to cut the weapons supply chain to the Naxals.
“This network is like a vicious circle. It suits the ISI to foment trouble in the interior of India so they supply weapons to groups like ULFA and KLO for Naxals as they can smuggle them easily into India. These terror groups make good money by giving them to Naxals who are also always in need of arms. So it’s beneficial for all stakeholders,” a senior intelligence official remarked.