Radicals Rise in Bangladesh

The recent upheaval in Bangladesh should make India more cautious of its neighbours and allies, both. The government should be more cautious about the change of power centres in Bangladesh and also about its ally – the US, and India’s national security, while sharing technology supplied by the US

A question generally asked is about Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser Bangladesh – who does he advise? The answer is very simple – to the CIA of course. He was flown in from Paris after the US-engineered coup in Bangladesh, as part of the regime-change policy of America.

Incidentally, he is not the first top-notch CIA recruit in Bangladesh. The first one was Ziaur Rehman (husband of Khaleda Zia) recruited after the liberation of Bangladesh. The American hand in the Bangladesh coup was laid bare when Yunus visited the US and the POTUS Joe Biden hugged him like a long-lost brother.

CIA’s ploy to make Yunus present Mahfuz Alam the leader of Hizbut Tahrir (banned Islamic terrorist organisation) as the “brain of the whole revolution” to oust Sheikh Hasina – to show no US involvement was laughable.

Yunus claimed that the widespread riots in Bangladesh did not come about ‘just suddenly’, it was ‘meticulously’ designed and did not happen by chance. Holding former US President Bill Clinton’s hand, Yunus stated that Alam stands behind the entire ‘revolution’. It was amusing to see Bill Clinton clapping at the ‘Clinton Global Initiative – Leaders Stage’ welcoming Yunus albeit a social media post says the presence of Monica Lewinsky would have added more spice to the drama.

What are the American plans for Bangladesh, now that an FBI team that landed in Dhaka on September 11, 2024 has also been briefed? Obviously, there is little scope for elections anytime in the near future. The Pentagon would remain in direct contact with Army Chief Waker-Uz-Zaman, who may soon get an invite to visit the US. But what about the terror front – which is America’s top-level penchant?

Incidentally, Muhammad Yunus is not the first top-notch CIA recruit in Bangladesh. The first one was Ziaur Rehman (husband of Khaleda Zia) recruited after the liberation of Bangladesh

A bipartisan US House majority, in a 219-to-194 vote, recently passed a motion condemning the POTUS Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and 13 of their administration associates over their roles in surrendering Afghanistan to a terrorist militia – Taliban.

Biden has earned his place in history by making the Taliban great again. But then aren’t the Taliban and the US-led White Taliban brothers-in-arms? Why else would the US leave $92 billion worth of weapons, weapon platforms and military equipment for them, to destabilise South Asia on the lines of the Middle East?

Radicalism is rising rapidly in Bangladesh, as can be gauged from the following:

Muhammad Jasimuddin Rahmani, chief of Ansarullah Bangla, (Al-Qaeda’s affiliate) released from prison, addressed thousands of terrorist supporter, asking them to prepare for Jihad. He has sought help from Pakistan and Afghanistan in the fight for ‘independence in Jammu and Kashmir.
Lashkar-e-Taiba’s Mufti Haron Izhar, who planned attacks against Indian interests in Bangladesh and Jasimuddin Rahmani together have threatened India and the Hindus.
More than 2,000 Bangladeshi radicals plan to pledge allegiance to terrorist organisations – CIA’s ISIS or Al-Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).
Pakistani radical Maulana Habibullah, touring Bangladesh, has warned India that India is between Bangladesh and Pakistan and we will behead the kafirs (infidels) inside their country.
Professor Shahiduzzaman of Dhaka University proposes a “Nuclear Treaty” with Pakistan and deployment of Pakistan’s medium-range ‘Ghauri’ missiles in Bangladesh.
Many Indian websites were hacked by Bangladeshi hacker groups. There are calls to hack the website of Indian Railways.
A Bangladeshi radical Islamist-scholar warns India to prepare for the “Ghazwa-e-Hind” (GEH) battle.
Banners in many areas of Bangladesh carry the inscriptions: Caliphate will return in the form of Prophethood.
Massive anti-India rallies by Al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist groups have been held in Dhaka, with posters reading: “India Is Our Enemy State, Repel America – Britain and India, Bring The Kings of India in Chains and Khilafah (Caliphate) Will End Indian Aggression”.
At the Baitul Mukarram Masjid in Dhaka, Al Qaeda affiliated radicals announced that GEH is their right and India is the enemy. They demanded all MoUs with India by the Hasina government be suspended, India declared as an enemy and the Indian embassy in Bangladesh closed immediately.
Bangladeshi radical Islamists have published a new Nasheed “Chalo Chalo Ghazwa-e-Hind Ke Liye Chalo”.

Yunus claimed that the widespread riots in Bangladesh did not come about ‘just suddenly’, it was ‘meticulously’ designed and did not happen by chance

Radical Islamist literature and books, like ‘Ghazwat-Ul-Hind’, is being distributed in the universities, including to the female students – exhorting them for Jihad against India.
The LeT chief in Bangladesh says every Masjid, school and college should become the fortress of Kalima, Dhaka University should be renamed as University of Kalima and every hall of the university should become the fortress of Kalima where Osama bin-Laden and Mullah Omar should be glorified.
Bangladesh is trying hard to not let the news of genocide of Hindus in Bangladesh reach outside. But videos and footage of teen Hindu girls and married women picked-up and raped by radical Islamists have been circulated on encrypted platforms. Two radical Islamists were interviewed, who raped two girls and brutally murdered them for being Hindu.

India has expressed “serious concerns” about the attack on a Puja mandap in Dhaka’s Tanti Bazar, Bangladesh on Saturday (October 12) amid the ongoing Durga Puja festival and theft at the revered Jeshoreshwari Kali temple at Satkhira, calling them “deplorable events”.

The Pentagon would remain in direct contact with Army Chief Waker-Uz-Zaman, who may soon get an invite to visit the US. But what about the terror front – which is America’s top-level penchant?

A radical cleric has talked of a ‘material’, which the enemy could have used to occupy and destroy Bangladesh. This possibly is some type of fissile material.
Armed Rohingyas from Myanmar have been observed assisting Bangladesh in the recent flood-relief operations.
The ‘Hefazat-e-Islam’ has warned the interim government to establish Caliphate in Bangladesh and impose Sharia, otherwise they have given a call of “Khalifat ya Shahadat”.

Tension is high along the India-Bangladesh border. There have been incidents of firing. Bangladesh claims to have fired on Indian “smugglers”. A Bangladeshi girl was killed in the firing. Two Indians, including one from BSF, are in Bangladesh custody.

A joint survey in February 2024 has found that some 200 acres of Bangladeshi land had ended up inside Indian territory, and about 40 acres of Indian land in Bangladesh territory because of change in river course. Both sides are preparing to officially correct the boundary in October.

Bangladesh has sought import of ammunition, explosives, and anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) from Pakistan. The first batch of ATGMs have reportedly been received by Bangladesh already.

Tension is high along the India-Bangladesh border. There have been incidents of firing. Bangladesh claims to have fired on Indian “smugglers”

Yunus recently met Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in New York on the sidelines of the UNGA and has raised the call for revival of SAARC. Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim made an official visit to Bangladesh in the first week of October 2024.

Notably, Chinese ships ‘Qi Jiguang’ and amphibious landing ship ‘JIinggangshan’ docked at Chittagong Port on October 12, 2024 for a three-day visit, making it the first foreign fleet visiting Bangladesh since the Interim Government took charge. China has also removed the tariffs from all Bangladeshi goods.

The situation will likely get murkier. Bangladesh wants India to extradite Sheikh Hasina and its Law Minister has said a strong protest will be lodged if India does not extradite her.

In 2020, America’s TBS network channel described the India-Bangladesh border as among the most dangerous in the world. Today, the rise of radical forces indicates Bangladesh would soon rise to the level of Afghanistan in terms of terrorism.

Ironically for India, this is happening at a time when New Delhi is planning to repatriate lakhs of illegal immigrants back to Bangladesh.

All this suits America very well, as can be gauged from the actions of the US Administration; in line with the plans to destabilise South Asia, keep increasing the pressure on India and facilitate an India-China war in order to extract strategic and economic benefits.

Bangladesh has sought import of ammunition, explosives, and anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) from Pakistan. The first batch of ATGMs have reportedly been received by Bangladesh already

Witness the US saying it is satisfied with India’s cooperation in the Pannun case immediately after India signed the US$4 billion deal to import 31 MQ-8 Predator/Guardian drones from America.

In fact, the Indian government in its exuberance to notch more milestones must be extremely cautious in dealing with the US, especially on sensitive issues.

Take for example the agreement to set up an Indo-US semiconductor fabrication facility in India, which involves transfer of technology from the US Space Forces to India.

Semiconductors carry software, which means building a trapdoor and/or embedding malware in the semiconductor is not difficult.

We just witnessed how and what pagers Israel supplied to Lebanon. But is the Indian Government aware that the US ensured that corrupted semiconductors were supplied to Iran?

We may be inadvertently handing over our national security to an ally whose credibility has always been suspect. Shouldn’t we be going completely indigenous in such cases, even at the cost of some delay?