Their geostrategic location demands focused national attention. They have common borders with China, Myanmar and Bangladesh. With a population of 32 million, rich mineral resources and a fair amount of oil and natural gas, their economic and geo-physical importance cannot be overemphasised. But the peoples of these states have not yet become full participants in national consolidation and economic development. This participation is vital to India's stability and security. I recall this being brought home to MPs belonging to the Parliamentary Consultative Committee on External Affairs by G. G. Swell in 1992.

Speaking about northeastern separatist movements and the support they get from external sources, he said he was treated as a stranger and a foreigner in Delhi. He recalled being asked whetherhead-hunting still continued in the northeast. This shows the marginal knowledge in metropolitan cities about an important region. The area has been subject to separatist insurgency from the Fifties.

We have managed to evolve political compromises through negotiations with different groups at different times, but we have regrettably had to deploy the armed forces and use coercive means to keep these states in the union. If one may offer an oversimplified encapsulation of the historical reason for these troubles, there are three. First, during colonial rule, the government wanted to sustain divisive tendencies. Two, the governments of independent India were late to realise that decentralisation, respecting ethno-linguistic diversities and paying attention to development were imperative to make this region part of the national mainstream. Third, taking advantage of our flawed policies, antagonistic foreign countries fomented separatism which strengthened in direct proportion to economic and politicalneglect.

All the agitations resulting from this alienation, whether by the Nagas, Bodos, ULFA and the various violent groups operating in Manipur or Tripura, can be traced to neglect, compounded by the acquisitive, self-centred and insular regional politics and parties.

Resource allocations to these states under our five-year plans have been based on routine administrative and statistical considerations and not on the region's profound economic and geo-political importance. Fifty years since independence, this important strategic area has a national highway network of only 3,679 km. Even this, according to my friend and senior journalist Sanjoy Hazarika, is in disrepair.

Civil aviation links are woeful. Not one airport in the region can handle large aircraft. Flight connections are few and tenuous. Surface transport links to the rest of India still run through the narrow Siliguri-Teesta corridor in north Bengal.

We have not thought of alternatives or explored new air links or persuaded Bangladesh togive us transit facilities through their territory. The union government's attention is focused on counter-insurgency and law and order issues rather than on resolving their socio-political causes. Government sources themselves confirm that central resources are not utilised for the stated purpose. Exacerbating these trends is the reluctance of members of the All India Services to serve in these states because of the violent atmosphere. The fate of the northeast is left to the ambitions of political parties and leaders on the one hand and to the armed forces on the other, the latter subject to pure security considerations.

Two trends resulting from foreign involvement in the northeast merit particular and immediate attention. First is the new phenomenon of Pakistan's ISI creating and supporting secessionist terrorist movements in the northeast. The second is the more critical, emotional and psychological controversy resulting from the tensions between church leaders in the northeast and Hindu revivalistmovements.

Despite Sheikh Hasi-na's assurance that Bangladesh would not allow anti-Indian activities from her country, there are fairly reliable reports that the ISI, with the support of some elements in the Bangla-deshi intelligence community, has set up training camps in Chattak and Jaintipur, just 30 km from the India-Bangladesh border abutting our northeastern states.

There were reports in July that between 350 and 400 cadres of different separatist groups from the northeast were undergoing training in these camps and being inducted into India in groups of 14 to 20 each. The overall commander of these camps is a Pakistani Major, Mir Mummar Mushtaqeen. He is being assisted by eight or ten commissioned officers of the ISI of the ranks of Major and Captain.

The groups whose cadres are being trained belong to ULFA, the NDFB, the BLT, the PLA, the NLTF and the UNLF. ISI personnel operating in Bangladesh have the support of the Jamiat-e-Islami of Bangladesh. The objective reportedly is to train about8,000-10,000 cadres for subverting the northeast. The command of this operation is entrusted by Pakistan to Lt. General Javed Ashraf Kazi. It is fortunate that our government agencies have got advance information about this. But note that while efforts are underway to resume dialogue with Pakistan and Indo-Bangladesh relations are on even keel for the last two years, the prospects of mischief from Bangladeshi territory remain constant.

The controversy between Church leaders and Hindu revivalists is more explosive. Nearly a third of the northeastern population is Christian. There are 40,000 churches in the region. The controversy has erupted because of the VHP's announcement that it will launch a campaign to reconvert the people of the northeast to Hinduism.

Foreign Christian missionaries are accused of supporting separatist tendencies. Senior local church leaders whose credibility cannot be questioned have taken umbrage. Leaders of the Nagaland Baptist Convention as well as the Council of Baptist Churchesof Northeast India had a meeting in Naugaon on July 13 after which they declared views such as "There will be battle, as we do not have any option", "There could be a threat to Christianity if we remain silent about the VHP's gameplan of mass conversions", etc.

The separation of religion from politics is imperative for India's unity. This latest religious controversy bodes ill for our security and stability. Having said this, the activities of foreign Christian missionaries merit some monitoring because their activities have not been devoid of questionable politics at times.