Addressing a press conference, Major General Lohchab said: "We have information about the presence of ISI agents in Calcutta and our intelligence department is probing further into the information." When asked if the Army intelligence had alerted the state government, the Major General said: "we have our routine exchange of information."

The Bengal Area GoC, who was addressing a press conference as a curtain raiser to the exhibition on seized arms from Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast which will be held here from December 9 at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, said: "After the ISI failed in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, it is likely to devote all its attention to the North-East."

He said: "We have evidence of ISI operation centres in Bangladesh." When told that the Bangladesh Government had beendenying such reports, Major General Lohchab said: "The Army is aware of such denials but we have evidence of existence of such bases in Bangladesh."

Saying that the "border districts of West Bengal eventually become the target area for carrying out coordinations between different militant outfits operating in Assam and other North-Eastern states and the ISI," Major General felt: "Both the people and the political leaders of these areas have to be very cautious about such ISI designs."

During the press conference, a part of awareness campaign by the Army on the `Pakistan's low cost proxy war' in Indian cities, the GoC Bengal Area however said "No anti-insurgency operations could yield any permanent solution unless there is economic development."

Elaborating his point, he said: "The Army's anti-insurgency campaigns are likely to get more teeth if such campaigns get the backing of economic development in the affected areas."

"As for example, in Jammu and Kashmir ISI's fortune began dwindling after itbegan losing its local support bases and that is the reason why they are sending more foreign mercenaries in the area."

Flanked by other senior officers, he said: "With fall in the local support, Pakistan is trying to convert the low cost proxy war into a high-tech one."

He said they had already started using high-tech weapons with more damaging potentials and such high-tech networks could be effectively managed by less number of people and they have a ready availability of foreign mercenaries who could carry out their designs.