Time for second war of Bangladesh’s independence

Bangladesh becomes the latest victim of the Islamic terror. On February, 25, 2009, the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) headquarters in Dhaka’s Pilkhana area was rocked by intense gunfire. A mutiny broke out in the border force with renegade soldiers holding their top officers hostage over an apparent pay dispute. The local ATN Bangla TV channel, quoted an unnamed BDR mutineer who threatened that they would destroy everything in and around Pilkhana if attacked by the Bangladeshi army. A lot of Army officers were taken hostage. By February 26, Bangladeshi channels reported 12 districts reported rebellions in 12 border districts. They ended their mutiny on thursday after tanks surrounded the barracks and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina offered to consider the issues. Scores of dead bodies of the Army officers and other people have been recovered in mass graves.

Bangladesh Rifles was formerly called East Pakistan Rifles (EPR) and it was one of the first East Pakistani entity to rebel against the Western Pakistani atrocities in 1971.

Bangladesh Rifles has been steadily infiltrated by Islamists (Jamait-e-Islami, jihadi tanzeem JMB and BNP)via direct recruitment by former regime of pro Pakistani prime minister Khaleda Zia of BNP. Its not just BDR, the Army and the Bangladeshi intelligence (DGFI) was infiltrated Pakistani intelligence agency, the ISI, and the Jihadi elements created by ISI. There are not less than 15 pro Pakistan, pro Al Queida and pro Islamic caliphate wanting parties in Bangladesh. Maloy Krishna Dhar, former Intelligence Bureau (IB, India), wrote in his article Quiet Revolution in Bangladesh : Security Concerns for India “After General Zia’s collaboration with the USA and Pakistan during Afghan jihad and return of over 7000 Bengali Afghan veterans, infiltration by al Qaeda and Taliban had changed the social and political ambiance in Bangladesh. By allowing rerouting of the Jamait and by converting the country to Islamic principles Zia had helped creation of a force that thrived on Arab money, jihadi ideology and religious resurgence and fundamentalism.”

He further wrote, ” Bangladesh reeks with Islamist and jihadi organizations numbering nearly 40. The main groups are: Jamait-e-Islami, Islamic Chhatra Shibir, Islami Oikya Jote, HUJI, JMB, Jagrato Muslim Janata, Sahadat-e-Alam-al-Hiqma, Ahl-e-Hadith, Hizbut Tawhid, Hizbut Tehrir, Allahar Dal, Islamic Jubo Sangha, Al-Falah A’am Unnayan Sangstha, Islami Biplobi Parishad, Biswa Islami Front, Al Jamaitul Islamiya, Al Khidmat Bahini, Al Mujahid, Al Harqat-al-Islamia, Al Mahfuz-al-Islami, Joish-e-Mustafa (affiliated to Jais-e-Mohammad of Pakistan), Muslim Guerrilla Bahini etc.

These organistaions are spread all over Bangladesh. Most of the rural areas are influenced by them and they receive liberal funding from Arabian countries and other NGOs.”

General Moeen Ahmed, the chief of Bangladeshi Army, has slowly purged the Islamic fanatics and BNP supporters from the Bangladesh Army and DGFI.

The spread of mutiny along the Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong, Naogaon in the northwest and Dinajpur, Naikhongchari in the south and Sylhet in the northeast, Rajshahi was revealing as these areas of influence (except Dhaka) of the Islamic parties. Bangladesh pointed fingers at UK-based Islamic organisation, Hizb-ut-Tahrir which wants to make Bangladesh an Islamic caliphate. The rebels were wearing orange-colored bandanas of Hizb-ut-Tahrir.

People for change

This Bangladesh election has ushered is fresh energy for democracy. People voted out the BNP and Islamic parties. However, the Jihadi elements have not been completely wiped out. With the army and the government engaged in cleansing the administrative apparatus of these destructive forces, it will be for people of Bangladesh to eliminate the dark forces clouding their future. In addition to Islamist, there are other major wrong influences around Bangladesh. Bangladesh lives in a rough neighborhood with the Indian communists CPI (M) in West Bengal, the Maoist insurgency in Orissa, Pakistani/Chinese backed terrorists in India’s north east and military junta in Burma. The direct powerful forces effecting Bangladesh are the Pakistani intelligence ISI, the Saudi Arabian and other arabic influence and the Islamic organisations like Al Qaeda, Pakistani Islamic set up, the Taliban, the Chinese and other worldwide Islamic forces like Hizb-ut-Tahrir.

It will take another peoples revolution to make Bangladesh independent again.