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Talibanisation of Bangladesh

The Jamaat-e-Islami is spearheading the radicalisation of youth in schools and colleges in Bangladesh, training some as potential suicide bombers, with Pakistan's ISI reportedly providing support for cross-border terrorist activities

December 26, 2024 By Lt. General P.C. Katoch (Retd) Photo(s): By Embassy of China in Bangladesh, bd.usembassy.gov, X / CMShehbaz, BAYKAR TECH
The Author is Former Director General of Information Systems and A Special Forces Veteran, Indian Army

 

ON DECEMBER 15, 2024, YAO WEN, AMBASSADOR OF CHINA TO BANGLADESH, MET WITH BANGLADESH JAMAAT-E-ISLAMI DEPUTY AMEER DR. SYED ABDULLAH MOHAMMED TAHER. THE TWO SIDES EXCHANGED VIEWS ON THE ISSUES OF COMMON CONCERN.

Prior to India's decisive victory over East Pakistan, Pakistan military genocide (March 25 to December 16, 1971) was assisted by Razakars. Al Badr, Al Shams and Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI). Bengalis, especially Bengali Hindus were targeted; resulting in 3,00,000-3,000,000 killed, 2,00,000-4,00,000 raped. 30,000,000 displaced and millions of refugees streaming into India.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) won the 1979 and 1981 presidential elections and general elections in 1991, 1996 and 2001 general elections. Ziaur Rahman was recruited as an agent by CIA immediately post liberation of Bangladesh. Ziaur Rahman governments under the semi-presidential system and the parliamentary republics were led by Khaleda Zia serving as Prime Minister. During the BNP governments in Bangladesh, state-supported anti-India terrorist camps were run in Chittagong Hill tracts with instructors from Pakistan's ISI and Al Qaeda. Pervez Musharraf who later became Pakistan's Army Chief and then Pakistan's President, had also served as instructor in these camps, BNP governments in Bangladesh were supported by radical Islamist parties, including the JeI.

During the BNP governments in Bangladesh, state-supported anti-India terrorist camps were run in Chittagong Hill tracts with instructors from Pakistan's ISI and Al Qaeda, including Pervez Musharraf, who later became Pakistan's Army Chief and President

The ISI, therefore, has deep roots in Bangladesh. Rajeev Bhattacharya writes in his book 'ULFA – The Mirage of Dawn' that Pakistan's ISI continued to have considerable influence in Bangladesh, despite the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government, through contacts with Bangladesh's DGFI and intelligence agencies, and that element of India's northeast militants remained untouched in Bangladesh.

The US, with its warmongering and dirty regime change games handed over Afghanistan to the Taliban and has now affected regime change in Syria, facilitating a conglomerate of terrorist organisations to take control of the country. The takeover of Bangladesh by Islamists was also methodically engineered by the US with the aim of destabilising South Asia (India included) on lines of the Middle East. Leaked files expose the covert US government plot to destabilise Bangladesh politics.

BANGLADESH ARMED FORCES VISIT USINDOPACOM FOR BILATERAL DEFENCE DIALOGUE.

Mohammad Yunus, Chief Advisor to the Interim Government, has admitted that storming of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's residence was planned in advance with the Islami Chhatra Shibir (student wing of the radical JeI) providing the muscle for the violent uprising, as also looting of security personnel's and government armouries. Mobs also captured several dozen policemen, beating them to death and hanging the bodies of some from bridges in Dhaka. Within a week of affecting the regime change in Bangladesh, an FBI team visited Dhaka.

China and Pakistan are actively supplying weapons, ammunition, and explosives to Bangladesh's current regime, with reports suggesting some fissile material has also been provided by China

A Chinese naval flotilla was the first to visit Chittagong after the regime change. Both Pakistan and China are supplying weapons, ammunition and explosives to the new regime. There are also inputs of some fissile material provided by China. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sherif posted on X details of his meeting with. Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of Bangladesh and both reaffirmed their commitment to deepen bilateral and multilateral collaboration which would naturally include radicalisation plus coordinating terrorist attacks against India.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sherif meeting Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of Bangladesh

On December 3, 2024, over 100 homes and businesses belonging to Hindus in the Sunamganj district were attacked, looted, and vandalised. The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council condemned these acts, calling for immediate action against the perpetrators, emphasising the need for exemplary punishment. India condemned the violence against Hindu temples as deplorable. Urging Bangladesh to protect Hindus and all minorities, especially during significant religious festivals.

Same day (December 3) news emerged of a 14-member team of leaders of Bangladesh's Islamist parties, led by Jamaat-e-Islami's Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher visiting China on Beijing's invitation. In November 2024, Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen hosted a reception for the Islamist parties in Dhaka, where he said, "Regardless of changes in domestic or regional circumstances, the China-Bangladesh relationship has remained steadfast, progressing steadily in the right direction." Significance of the China-Bangladesh Islamists parties in Beijing should not be lost. Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher is an anti-India hardliner. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) rule in Bangladesh was always demonstratively pro-China, in addition to Pakistan.

On December 3, 2024, over 100 homes and businesses belonging to Hindus in the Sunamganj district were attacked, looted, and vandalised, with the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council calling for exemplary punishment for the perpetrators

Following the visit of the FBI team to Dhaka, Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman toured the US on Pentagon's invitation. followed by the US-Bangladesh bilateral defence dialogue. Bangladesh has approached the US for purchasing a squadron of F-16 fighter aircraft and there is news of Bangladesh wanting to purchase China's Chengdu J-19C multirole fighter jets. Bangladesh has now deployed Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones close to its border with India. These drones have also been procured by Pakistan and Maldives.

Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drone

Amid the continuing targeting of minorities, especially Hindus. In Bangladesh, the JeI is spearheading radicalisation of youth in schools and colleges, including small children like other Islamist terrorist groups like the Islamic State. Some of these youth may have already been used for attacking minorities and are perhaps being trained as suicide bombers. The ISI can be expected to provide guides and handlers to Bangladeshi terrorists in India, as well as for Nepal's Islamists trained by Taliban. With Khalistan Zindabad Force (KGF) Ranjit Singh alias Neeta in Pakistan, ISI plans to radicalise Sikhs in Jammu region as Neeta hails from Simbal camp in Jammu. The Interim government of Bangladesh has condoned the death sentence of ULFA chief Paresh Barua for smuggling arms into Bangladesh; the sentence was awarded during the Sheikh Hasina-led government.

Yunus has recently said that elections in Bangladesh may be held in late 2025 or in 2026, but this is unlikely. On taking control of Myanmar, the military junta had also said elections would take place within one year - but no one gives up power. The latest is that the radical Islamist parties are looking to form a new political party, separate from the BNP and the Awami League. This has concerns in the BNP as well. It is obvious that the new political part would be even more hardcore Islamist than the BNP and will possibly be an expanded JeI with smaller parties merging into it. This may result in splintering of the BNP or BNP supporting the new party. This certainly is not good news for India. Do we see the emergence of East Pakistan 2.0 with Pakistan's ISI steering terrorist attacks from Dhaka against India, in conjunction with China and Nepal?