Source : The Indian Defence Review, © 1995 by Lancer Publishers & Distributors.
Pakistan's ISI, the chief instrument for the implementation, is a formidable organisation that has been employed optimally and successfully to cause formidable upheavals in India. The ISI was organised, trained and supported by the CIA in the wake of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The CIA turned a blind eye to ISI indulgence of the Narcotics trade, consciously promoted by Gen. Zia through the ISI. One cannot ignore the support of the CIA, even a indirect, to the ISI in its potential to foment terrorist activities in Punjab and J&K. In fact, the CIA may have actively subscribed to the idea of the destabilisation of India and its negative significance in Cold War polemics.
The so-called Operation Topac did not concern J&K alone; it was in fact a grand design outlining Pakistan's strategy to balkanise India by employing a low cost option which was expected, with assistance from the ISI, to snowball into a civil war. Considering the inherent contradictions of the Indian polity, Pakistan's leadership believed this to be a practicable option and the ISI was tasked to execute this operation. The plan was essentially simple but its success depended on the outcome of a series of graduated occurrences which would form the foundation for subsequent stages.
Specialists were employed to identity the various contradictions inherent in the Indian society which could be converted into major conflicts. Task forces were then instituted to go into the details of each. These task forces were asked to make detailed plans which were finalised between 1984 - 85. Factors like the assassination of Prime. Minister Indira Gandhi and the ensuing Delhi riots confirmed Pakistan's conviction that India could be easily destabilised. The providential Afghan war provided the necessary conditions and resources to execute one of the most innovative and audacious covert actions launched by any Intelligence agency in recent history.
By 1986 the ISI was well entrenched in Bombay as that city was selected as the financial and political focal point for larger 'Operation Topac'. Delhi, Bangalore, Madras and Lucknow were developed as subsidiary bases. However, terrorist operations in Punjab and J&K were directly controlled from Pakistan. Operations in the rest of the country were controlled from Bombay. A third front in the North-East was also activated. The final phase came through exploitation of the window of opportunity provided by the situation in Sri Lanka giving Pakistan the LTTE card to exploit dissident elements in South India.
Punjab was a ready-made situation which proved easy to exploit. Punjab terrorists were trained in Pakistan. Various gangs operated under selected officers of the ISI. The drug lords were enlisted to establish an unholy nexus with terrorists, thus for the first time employing Narco- terrorism against India. The terrorists were employed by the drug barons of the golden crescent to transfer drugs to India from where they were ultimately dispatched via the Western seaboard or by air from Delhi or Bombay to Europe or the US, via the Gulf or Africa. Thus a regular international chain was established by 1986-87. The Punjab terrorists, main source of finance came to be Bombay as it was the financial headquarters of this unholy nexus. It was drug money which financed terrorism in Punjab.
Narcotics has become the foundation of organised crime. No other commodity can generate the kind of money which can literally challenge the might of state power. The tactics used by the smugglers to bend the state machinery to their will is simple. All kinds of illegal activity from distribution of territory to pickpockets to extortion, flesh trade, bootlegging is effectively controlled by the narco-traders. Metropolises the world over are exposed to this phenomenon. Thus today's underworld is an underworld of narcotics.
The law and order machinery, the political parties and the bureaucracy are successfully infiltrated or subjugated by the awesome power of the sheer volume of the money involved. The industrialists often work as partners, along with the bankers, as the money generated must find legitimate expression. Real estate, foreign exchange rackets, import-export transactions, films, stock markets, all forms of trading where the money involved is large are the secondary operations of the Narco-terrorists. Money laundering is an essential part of the narcotics trade which is often ignored by the enforcement agencies. In India the so-called NRI investment is 50% drug money.
Money begets prestige, so the big fish in the drugs network have quickly established themselves as respected citizens of the country. It is thus not surprising that all the political parties patronise these big fish. Apart from money, it is the sheer impact of the most efficient organisations of the underworld on the electoral future of the political parties that are making the political parties subservient to the narco-trade either directly or indirectly.
The term globalisation was first understood by the Narco traders. The linkages are world-wide. It is not for nothing that Dawood Ibrahim can control his empire in India by proxy. The power of the gangs is not only confined to metro cites or selected states, but has assumed national dimensions in terms of operation and influence.
Yet another area of concern is the impact of narcotics on the fabric of society. It has catered to the needs of the teeming millions of frustrated unemployed youth and also to those who want to make a fast buck. It provides a shortcut to power and fame. Prior to 1991, to belong to the notorious 'D' (Dawood) company was considered a matter of prestige in Bombay.
It is the exploitation of this kind of systemic aberrations that the ISI has consistently nurtured to control through a system of checks and balances to establish its hold on the sub-continent. It is not for nothing that the ISI could venture into the North-East so quickly and effectively. When a state power backs the underworld network it has at its disposal resources and expertise which otherwise would be beyond the reach of common criminals. It is another matter that in the long run such patronage would ultimately destroy the very state whose interest one purports to further. This is evident from the chaos that the backlash of narcotics is having in Pakistan.
The system has caused tremendous damage to our country. Bombay bomb blasts are entirely the outcome of this infiltration by the ISI. It is for this reason that I have been consistently demanding a CBI probe into the blasts and not for any purported political reason. The result of the CBI investigation is there for all to see.
Infiltration is often reconciliatory. Dignified members of society having direct links with the ISI through the Narcotics syndicate provide for the politicians what is not provided by the state. A politician unlike the popular perception is entirely dependent on external sources for finance. Thus drug money is playing a big role now in financing the politicians who many a times unwittingly fall into a trap.
Often the drug baron-industrialist nexus results in a political nexus. It is also a well known fact that many so called industrialists are financed by the drug.
Th. ISI sought active co-operation of the People's War Group and the LTTE and has 1auched various kinds of joint operations. The underworld was utilised by these agencies for obvious mutual benefits.
The ISI sought to create and has been successful in accentuating differences in all the diverse issues in the focus of the national psyche. The Mandir/Masjid, North-East, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, J&K and Naxalism have, to large extent, been blown up by the ISI.
Though the issue has been a point of contention, in smaller or greater forms since independence, it was only after 1987 that it took a dangerous shape, that is, after the so-called Operation Topac went into the implementation stage. It is, thus, evident that the VHP, basically an American based organisation raised this issue in the United States. Thus, the origin of militant Hindu fundamentalism on this issue are quite suspect. Irrespective of the motivations of the various parties to the problem, one can judge the perpetrators of the issue from the results, which the issue caused. It did exactly what Pakistan hoped it would. It divided the Indian population on communal lines, caused tremendous damage to the Indian polity, both internally and externally and brought India to the very brink of a civil war.
The entire economic liberalisation programme of India suffered a serious setback due to apprehensions in the Western world, especially, the United States, UK and Japan about the stability of the Indian Government and capability to implement reforms. This scared away investors that were considering expanding their operations to India, and created an international and national crisis of confidence. in the ultimate analysis it is clear that the Hindu fundamentalist forces led by the BJP did exactly what Pakistan hoped and planned it to do, and Muslim fundamentalist forces reacted in the manner expected. This then is the greatest success story of the ISI.
In the South, in the recent past, Bangalore has proved to be a safe haven for terrorists and criminals. We are aware that Prabhakaran, Sitaramaiah, Veerappan have at various times been holed up in Bangalore. It must be noted here that Bangalore has concentration of the sensitive defence industrial establishments. Thus, the implications are quite obvious. The base of JKLF outside Kashmir is also in Bangalore. The linkages with the ISI and fundamentalist organisations are being nurtured.
All these are pointers and indicators that after Punjab and J&K, the flag of separation will be flown over Tamil Nadu. We are also aware that Salem is a place where the LTTE, the ISI and their fundamentalist organisations are being nurtured.
The ISI has gone further to link up at national level with all kinds of militant organisations to include the People War Group in Andhra Pradesh, the LTTE in Tamil Nadu Bodo Security Force in Assam, the NSCN in the North-East.
From the above it is clear that the claws of the ISI are sinking deep into Indian polity for which we are only to blame ourselves.
The organisation of riots was clearly aimed at destabilising the Maharashtra administration that had initiated a campaign against crime and criminals which nearly brought to end the role of the drug barons and their stranglehold on the public. Approximately 1,100 people, were arrested in this drive of 1991-92 and substantial quantity of drugs was confiscated. Two Congress MLAs with underworld links, Shri Pappu Kalania and Hitendar Thakur were arrested under TADA, including a number of corporators and other politicians with underworld linkages. Of course, non of the politics parties appreciated this unabashed drive against crime and corruption.
Import-export is the most propitious cover which has been evolved, it is simple to export goods and receive remuneration at inflated rates. For example, though the fish exported in bulk market is valued in the Gulf at Rs. 1 million, the payment received in India is around Rs. 10 million. Secondly, there has been an immediate spurt in NRI investment as the Government has blindly embarked on legitimising and receiving dollars without asking any questions. Thus, it has become extremely easy for anyone to acquire the status of an NRI and send the proceeds of the drug sales to India in the form of NRI money, which over and above would be tax free.
Last but not the least, drug money has created a new generation of entrepreneurs and developers investing money in all forms of legitimate business like the movies, real estate, airlines, etc. and the administration has very little knowledge or the will to do anything about it.
The first requirement is to launch integrated offensive against Narco-terrorism to include Central and State organisations as well as other public interest offices. Presently, there are numerous enforcement organisations working mostly at cross purposes with little, if any lateral interactions. The intelligence working in this field are unable to comprehend the towering task. These which agencies, which were concentrating on various kinds of anti-national activities, barely relate narcotics to the same. The intelligence agencies like the RAW, IB, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence are not having any sort of co-ordination in their operations. The two areas narcotic trade and terrorism are dealt by separate Ministries at the Central level. The enforcement action against narcotic-running, is by the Narcotic Control Bureau under the Finance Ministry, whereas terrorism is being dealt by the Home Ministry and there exists no co-ordinated action between these agencies.
Another problem area is the distribution of power between the Centre and the State. Narco- terrorism and by essence, the entire criminal apparatus is nurtured by national as well as international phenomena. However, law and order is a State subject. Consequently central agencies are often rendered impotent to take action against people engaged in narcotics and terrorism. It is, therefore, necessary to reconsider the legislated structures to deal with the newly emerging criminalisation which has permeated into a trans-state and trans-national phenomenon. There is a need for empowering central agencies to launch investigation and prosecution in areas, which are a threat to national security. Finally, there is a need to develop a co-ordinated organisation for intelligence acquisition as also the enforcement agencies working together in an integrated manner to launch a full-fledged attack on those involved in narcotic trade.
Narco-terrorism constitutes the biggest, threat to National Security which must be combated urgently. For if we fail to do so soon, we may never be able to retrieve the situation.
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