ISI linked to 2004 Bangladesh arms smuggling case: Report

Pakistan's ISI spy agency was among intelligence organisations that allegedly played a role in smuggling 10 truck-loads of weapons to Bangladesh in 2004 for Indian militant groups like ULFA, according to a media report today.
ULFA leader Paresh Barua, one of India's most wanted militants, two former ministers and two army generals were among 14 people sentenced to death today by a court in Chittagong for Bangladesh's biggest-ever arms haul.
"Though earlier probes into the 10-truck arms haul cases found only some local smugglers and ordinary labourers involved in the smuggling of arms, further investigations in 2009 revealed that local and foreign intelligence agencies and an Indian separatist group had executed the smuggling plan," the mass circulation The Daily Star newspaper reported.

"The names of some top politicians of the then BNP-led four-party alliance government, bureaucrats, Pakistani intelligence agency Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and ULFA came up during further probe into the cases," it said.
Some accused in the two cases disclosed the ISI's involvement during interrogation by the Criminal Investigation Department and in confessional statements in court, said Moniruzzaman Chowdhury, the investigation officer of the cases.
Former National Security Intelligence director Shahab Uddin alleged that former NSI director general Brig Gen (retd) Abdur Rahim had held several meetings with officials of the ISI in Bangladesh and abroad, the Star reported.

Rahim, in his statement in 2009, had mentioned the names of a Pakistani business group and ISI and spoken about holding meetings with the officials of the two organisations.

He even admitted that he met then ISI chief Lt Gen Ehsanul Haq in London. Rahim further alleged that Shahab Uddin held a meeting with ISI officials to facilitate the arms smuggling, the report said.
Rahim, in his statement, said Shahab Uddin had developed close relations with ISI officials Brig Sapir Uddin and Col Shahed Mahmud, who were serving at the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka.
Barua, who was sentenced to death in absentia, is a fugitive leader of a faction of ULFA opposed to talks with the Indian government.