Manipur-al Qaeda link
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: September 06, 2014 -

When the 'First Word', a news magazine based at New Delhi, first came out with the startling report about 17 youths from Manipur joining al-Qaeda, the most dreaded global militant Islamist and Wahhabist organization founded by Osama bin Laden, Abdullah Azzam and several other militants who even brought the military might of the mighty United States of America to its knee with a series of attacks including the famous September 11, 2001 attacks on the twin tower of World Trade Centre killing approximately 3,000 people, there was a sense of disbelief, specially since the news magazine in question, was almost unknown to many of people then.

It was thought that the news magazine was only doing a cheap publicity to draw attention and increase its sale. Many organisations in Manipur too had protested and launched various agitations demanding a clarification from the said news magazine over its 'blasphemous' report.

Apart from burning the copies of the said news magazine, these organisations had even warned of initiating legal action against its Chief Advisor Sujit K Chakraborty.

When the matter was raised in the Manipur Legislative Assembly, Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam, who is also in charge of Home Department, had also maintained that the Government of Manipur was deeply concerned over the news report and investigating into the authenticity of the news report was being carried out.

However, whether the Government of Manipur has been able to establish the authenticity of the news report, or was there any clarification from the side of the news magazine as demanded or any legal action had been initiated against the Chief Advisor of the news magazine were not known 'officially' till date and the issue appeared to have been settled for good.

But the announcement by al-Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahri on the formation of an Indian branch of the terrorist group is surely going to kick-up yet another storm.

In the 55-minute video clipping which was posted online and which is said to have been authenticated by the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Zawahri has described the formation of 'al-Qaeda in the Indian sub-continent' as a glad tidings for the Muslims 'in Burma, Bangladesh, Assam, Gujarat, Ahmedabad and Kashmir'.

Of course, there is no mention about Manipur and recruitment of its youths in the said video clipping, yet one can say that it is very close to mentioning it with Burma and Assam already there.

In the light of all these revelations, all that we would like to say here is that now is not the time for the passion to overrun our rationality over any video or news reports that hint at possible connection of Manipur with the al-Qaeda.

It is time for the Government of Manipur and other social organisations which are really concerned about the issue to join hands in finding out the truth.

Mind you, long before the latest video clipping on the formation of Indian branch al-Qaeda surfaces, Shambhu Singh, Joint Secretary (North-East) in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India had given even hint that the media reports about Al Qaeda beginning its recruitment drive in Northeast region may be true and chastised the Government of Manipur for not doing nothing much about it.