Insight: Did ISI divide Colombo to target India?

New Delhi, Sept 23: Arun Selvarajan and Sakir Hassan, the two suspected

spies reveal a chilling tale of how the ISI benefitted from various conflicts in Sri Lanka, which made their job of setting up a

module extremely easy.

The ISI's repeated attempts over the past ten years to target India from a Sri Lanka module failed, but the plan began to make a headway only in the year 2012.

First meeting: Mission India

Selvarajan and Hassan narrate a meeting of October 18, 2012, headed by Amir Zubair Siddiqui at Colombo where he discussed how the module in Colombo was extremely important for a sure shot way of targeting India. "All must work hard towards it and money shall not be the criteria. A good job done will be rewarded handsomely, "Siddiqui is quoted to have said during the October 2012 meet.

The rise of the BBS and a cruel strategy:

The ISI was helped indirectly by the rise of the Bodu Bala Sena, a fierce group which has been fighting for Buddhist dominance and the eradication of Muslims and Christians in Sri Lanka.

Here comes the shocking part of the investigation, conducted by the National Investigation Agency, which has found that the BBS was in fact funded heavily by the ISI under Siddiqui to create this rift between the various religions in Sri Lanka so that they could capitalise on the rift and rope in the minorities. An NIA officer, part of this probe informed that the ISI took complete advantage of the rift that the BBS caused which drew the Muslim minotity towards them.

Beyond age barrier:

The ISI which was tottering at 15 operatives managed to rope in over 50 people, following the October 2012 meet. Today the ISI proposes to take more operatives into their fold and ensure that they fight with the BBS which would only increase tensions in Sri Lanka.

The ISI is well aware that the BBS is a much stronger force and can override the minorities and this again would help them since the minorities will look to the ISI for protection.

Sakir and Arun Selvarajan say that a large number of operatives have been told to stay on in Sri Lanka while a few are being sent to India to scan targets in a bid to carry out major strikes. The NIA has already un-earthed several such details of major strikes being planned in India particularly in South.

Some of the targets that the ISI was looking at were the Israeli missions, the NSG hubs and also army units. They had planned on carrying out a major strike in Chennai to kick start their operations in South India.