The recovery of huge cache of arms and ammunition from the Satchari national park has indeed created a sense of worry among us. If RAB had seized the arms and ammunition based on a tip-off by the Indian sources, as reported by various media agencies, then we can only thank the foreign source before we start criticizing the strength and efficiency of our intelligence agencies. But how the Indians came to know of the matter inside Bangladesh before the Bangladeshis did needs a logical explanation.

Firstly, it was the time of the haul that in many ways indicate that the operation may have been planned to recover the RAB's dented image. We are not likely to know the truth soon. Secondly, why is it that it took nearly two decades for the cache to be discovered, and that too by foreign intelligence?

The location of the spot of the recovering is about two kilometres from the international boundary' where some nine bunkers, some even over 50 feet, were identified, and it's the location that shows how Bangladesh was strategically used by ULFA and Tripura separatists.

With regard to the spot even more questions become obvious:

Why hadn't our previous governments realized what was happening in the areas near the north-eastern borders , and also how could the separatists enter despite the presence of BGB (Formerly BDR)? Also at the same time without very advanced technology related to satellite imagery and other gadgets for detecting arms it's a mystery how the Indians came to know about the exact spot?

Are we to believe then that the humanint capability of a foreign intelligent agency inside our territory is better than ours?

If we assume that Indian agents operating within Bangladesh territory to have contributed in discovering the huge cache of arms as Satchari jungle, then also the possibility of a leak of our national and security issues are there too. Bangladesh should never be used as a base by militants or terrorists, but at the same time we must ensure that we know what's happening inside our territory. In the light of the recent arms haul more should be done to bring the remote regions of the country under constant security scanner.

The writer is Current Affairs Analyst, The Daily Star

E-mail: shahriarferoze@gmail.com