Indian intelligence officials on Tuesday accused China and Pakistan of orchestrating the protests that ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Resign He then fled the country.
India charges that the aim was to replace Hasina with a government more friendly to the interests of Beijing and Islamabad.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina interacts with reporters in Dhaka, Monday, Dec. 31, 2018. Protesters stormed the prime minister’s office on Aug. 5, 2024, as Hasina’s whereabouts were unknown. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
of Times of India (TOI) Quote Indian authorities suspect the protests to have “the not-so-subtle involvement of Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS), the student wing of the hardline Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh.”
Jamaat-e-Islami is Muslim Brotherhood Frontline The name means “Congregation of Muslims.”
The party was founded in 1971 after Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan. Accused It collaborated with Pakistan and committed atrocities against the freedom fighters of Bengal.
Jamaat-e-Islami remained active and influential in Pakistan and was eventually able to return to Bangladeshi politics, but was again barred from election campaigning by the Bangladesh Election Commission in 2013.
The second order was upheld by the Appellate Division of the Bangladesh Supreme Court in 2023, and last Thursday, the defunct Sheikh Hasina government Banned The government not only barred Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing from running in elections, but also declared its complete opposition to them. The Interior Ministry invoked anti-terrorism laws to ban the Islamist party, accusing it of inciting street violence.
Men run past a shopping centre that protesters set on fire during a rally against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government and demanding justice for victims killed in recent deadly clashes across the country, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on August 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajiv Dar)
Jamaat-e-Islami leader Amir Shafiqur Rahman denied the terrorism charges and said the ban on his party was unconstitutional.
“The government has carried out a massacre by party cadres and state security forces in the country to suppress the non-political student movement. Teachers, cultural figures, journalists and people from different walks of life across the country are protesting against this massacre by the government,” Rahman said last week.
Indian security agencies table of contents Jamaat-e-Islami received operational support from Pakistan’s notorious intelligence agency, the ISI, as well as “significant financial support” from “Chinese entities operating in Pakistan.”
Indian security agencies said they have kept Jamaat-e-Islami, and particularly its youth wing ICS, under surveillance for a “long period” due to its “active involvement in anti-India activities, including propagating jihadism in Indian territory adjoining Bangladesh”.
Indian officials said they had “visual evidence” that ICS youths were receiving paramilitary training in Afghanistan and Pakistan with the help of another Pakistan-backed Islamist terrorist organisation, Harkatul Jihad al-Islami.
“The ultimate aim of the Jamaat and the ICS is to establish a Taliban-like government in Bangladesh and the ISI is committed to helping achieve this goal,” the Indian official said.
According to these claims, the ICS insurgency in Bangladesh accelerated because Prime Minister Hasina had become too close to India. China stepped in as it was not convinced that she could maintain a “balanced play” of maintaining good relations with both Beijing and India’s domestic rivals.
“A Pakistani-influenced government in Dhaka would definitely serve Beijing’s interests,” the Indian source said. Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh.
People take part in a protest against Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on August 3, 2024, demanding justice for victims killed in recent deadly clashes across the country. (AP Photo/Rajiv Dar)
Indian officials table of contents They warned that the ICS was using the language of civil rights and democracy to deceive Western people into accepting the overthrow of Hasina’s government. Like the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, they pose as brave rebels fighting to overthrow an oppressive government, but intend to install a far more oppressive regime of their own once in power.
India also warned that Jamaat-e-Islami has worrying influence in the United States and Europe, particularly the UK, as some of its leaders fled Bangladesh in the 1970s and have spent decades building influence among Southeast Asian migrant communities.
Among U.S. counterterrorism experts agree The assessment noted that Jamaat-e-Islami shares an ideology of Islamic conquest with the Muslim Brotherhood, al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, but camouflages itself by setting up charitable organizations and seemingly “moderate” political fronts.
In progress Jerusalem Post On Tuesday, Vasu Shenoy, chairman of Glocal Cities and political researcher Supported Indian intelligence has concluded that China was directly involved in toppling Hasina’s government.
Shenoy said that Prime Minister Hasina State visit Shenoy traveled to Beijing in July but returned home early after the Chinese “snubbed” her and “fired” her, which she took as evidence that “China had specific information that a coup against her was coming, or was directly involved in organizing it.”
“The history of united Bengal is replete with military commanders who supported foreign powers against the sovereignty of their state,” he pointed out.
Shenoy said regime change in Bangladesh was a logical move given China’s close alliance with Pakistan and China’s desire to expand its influence in the Muslim world, making China comfortable using Islamists as its pawns.
People take part in a protest against Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on August 3, 2024, demanding justice for victims killed in recent deadly clashes across the country. (AP Photo/Rajiv Dar)
“China has recently been increasing its engagement with Islamic extremism. From working with Pakistan-backed terrorists in Kashmir in troop transfers and skirmishes with India to enduring ISIS-K and armed insurgencies in East Turkestan, China has shifted from engaging with Islamic state actors to supporting radical non-state terrorist groups,” he alleged.
The current situation in Bangladesh is that the new dictator, General Waqar-uz-Zaman, Claimed He will only hold power until a “caretaker government” is formed to “run the country.”
Zaman said the goal was to hold “free and fair elections” as soon as possible. Hasina was last re-elected in January. Criticized It has been condemned by international observers for street violence and a harsh crackdown on opposition politicians.
On Monday, before announcing Hasina’s resignation and fleeing the country, Zaman met Political and civil society leaders, including Jamaat-e-Islami leader Amir Shafiqur Rahman.
Shortly after the meeting, President Mohamed Shahbuddin Announced All protesters detained since July 1 will be released from prison along with opposition leaders and members of Jamaat-e-Islami.
Raman Expressed He supported Zaman’s plan to form a caretaker government and also backed student protesters’ demand that economist Muhammad Yunus be appointed caretaker government head.
“The students have appointed Dr Yunus as their chief advisor. If the country is on a better path, it will be as a result of their sacrifices,” the Jamaat leader said.
Student protest leader Nahid Islam Said On Tuesday morning, it announced that Yunus, who is “internationally renowned” and “widely accepted”, has agreed to take on the position of chief adviser.
Yunus, 84, is an academic and entrepreneur who founded the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh in 1983. Awarded He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his work “stimulating economic and social development from below” by providing small, attractive “microcredit” loans to the poor to start their own businesses.
Over the years, Yunus has opened branches of Grameen Bank in other countries. include One in China.
