User:Mar4d/NE
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Islamabad · Karachi · formerly East Pakistan | |
| Languages | |
| Various languages of Northeast India |
Northeast Indians in Pakistan are residents of Pakistan who originate from Northeast India. Historically, there were a small number of Northeast Indian separatists who sought exile in Pakistan. India alleges they received support and training there, while Pakistan has denied this.[1]
History[change | change source]
During the partition of India in 1947, 11.84% of Muslim migrants to East Pakistan came from Assam and adjoining northeastern regions.[2]
Following India's independence from British rule in 1947, a resistance movement consisting of separatist elements vying for independence developed in northeast India, which was borne out of religious, ethnic, cultural, economic and political differences between locals and the Indian state. By the early 1950s, this political movement had converted into a full-fledged insurgency spread over several northeastern districts, and was actively challenging the Indian government.[3] According to political scientist Hein G. Kiessling, underground groups such as the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), the People's Liberation Army of Manipur (PLAM) and the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) were being materially supported by Pakistan (via East Pakistan), and also by Burma and China.[3]
In the 1960s, a number of Mizo rebels engaged in guerrilla warfare against India escaped into East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). The Indian government claimed they were supplied with military hardware and training, and regrouped there.[4] Pakistan's then-President Ayub Khan rejected this, stating they were "forcefully driven" by India across the border, becoming Pakistan's liability, and that they could not shoot them down.[1] In the 1960s, Naga fighters also began seeking Pakistani support and weapons.[3]
The dissolution of East Pakistan and creation of Bangladesh in 1971 brought a temporary halt to these allegations. However, contact between the two sides was reportedly never fully severed; by the 1980s, the Pakistani ISI renewed its support for dissidents in the Northeast through its presence in Bangladesh, and via the Pakistani High Commission in Dhaka.[3] In 1991, several ULFA leaders traveled to Pakistan and signed a training agreement for their cadres. Two groups of ULFA members moved to Islamabad to receive training that same year, and a third group consisting of 10 members followed suit in 1993.[3] In addition to training courses, new weapons, identities and passports were secured, and operational finances as well as new travel routes were decided. The support continued throughout the 1990s, through ISI's activities in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Thailand, and was eventually expanded to include other Northeast rebel groups.[3] One member of the NLFT revealed that many of the group's top-ranking leadership had previously gone to Pakistan to receive training and support.[3] [1] [2]
References[change | change source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Training of Mizos". Dawn. 1960s. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
- ↑ Ghosh, Papiya (2001). "The Changing Discourse Of The Muhajirs". India International Centre Quarterly. 28 (3): 58. JSTOR 23005560. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Kiessling, Hein G. (23 October 2016). "This book says Pakistan's ISI has been at work in North-East India". Scroll India. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
- ↑ Patnaik, Jagadish Kumar (2008). Mizoram, dimensions and perspectives: society, economy, and polity. Concept Publishing Company. p. 60. ISBN 9788180695148.