Although ULFA activities have come down under the BJP government, progress towards talk with the pro-peace faction of the outfit under Arabinda Raj Khowa has been halted. The hurdle seems to be the enigmatic Paresh Baruah. He is said to be operating from Ruili town in the Dehong Autonomous region of Yunan Province. He has however rubbished claims that China harbours ULFA militants to foment trouble in the north-east. He says that China, Myanmar, Bhutan and Bangladesh have never been enemies of the ULFA but have never been its friends either. He specifically referred to an agreement between India and China on exchange of information on counter-terrorism. The national security advisors of the two countries made this agreement. In any case, China has never involved itself in terrorism in India under Pakistan. It may be recalled that Mao Zedong negatived overtures from the Naxalites in the 1960s. Baruah emphasised that ULFA fugitives in China did not live under Chinese rule.
Baruah has said that China cannot be stopped if it wants to arrest him. He is however prepared to face any consequences. He knows the price of revolution. All this is empty rhetoric. What is more to the point is his admission that China has already said that it will not support the militant ULFA faction. It means he apprehends that China may arrest him and hand him over to India. His strategy depends on the geo-political situation. But his objective of achieving sovereignty has been worn out by time and isolation. If Baruah is handed over to India, that may spell the doom of the ULFA.
