Latest from Bangladesh

Following 'extreme security threat', Bangladesh government has decided to procure two aircrafts for carrying country's President and Prime Minister. Once such plan is implemented, Bangladesh will be amongst a very few developing nations, having separate aircrafts for VVIP flights. Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism in Bangladesh has sent a proposal to the Prime Minister for her approval for such procurement.

Meanwhile, Detective Branch of Bangladesh Police has netted three more members of notorious terror outfit Lashkar-E-Tayeba, which is based in Pakistan. According to sources in Detective Branch, it will be impossible for these three terrorists named Sufian, Mohammed Zahid and Mohammed Monowar to be out of the strong net of the intelligence wing of Bangladeshi police. They will be arrested anytime. It is further learnt that, these Islamist terrorists were planning offensives on U.S. Embassy and Indian High Commission in Dhaka.

A large number of Lashkar-E-Tayeba members are secretly active in Bangladesh for months. They were maintaining close link with Islamist political groups in the country and were planning 'jihad' against various secular forces and institutions as well as foreign missions in Bangladesh.

It may be mentioned here that, a number of Islamist terror outfits are reportedly operating in Bangladesh under directives of Pakistani intelligence agency Inter-Service Intelligence [ISI]. Officials of this Pakistani institution are working in Bangladesh under cover of diplomatic assignment.

Hizbut Tahrir:

While Dhaka is continuing to combat Islamist militancy and nabbing several notorious members of various Islamist outfits, it is learnt from various sources that, despite Dhaka's recent banning of notorious Islamist terror outfit Hizbut Tahrir, which took place on October 22, 2009, members of this group are continuing their activities without any legal obstacle. Though the main kingpin of the group, Mohiuddin Ahmed, who is also a professor of state owned university, is under house arrest for past 22 days, other members of this notorious outfit are neither arrested nor there is any drive to nab them, for reason unknown. Moreover, it is also not learnt as to why Mohiuddin Ahmed is yet to be arrested and sent to jail, instead of keeping him under house arrest.

Members of banned Hizbut Tahrir are holding meetings on a regular basis and are continuing to send Press Release to Dhaka's news media on their letterhead, which goes against government order banning all activities of this terror outfit.

Hizbut Towhid:

There is also no action yet by the Bangladeshi government in banning another notorious Islamist outfit named Hizbut Towhid, which is continuing its activities in the country, as well as continuing to sell hate materials amongst Bangladeshi people and spreading hatred through its website. Hizbut Towhid terms Jews and Christians as 'enemies of Islam' and call on its members and other fellow Muslims in waging 'jihad' against Jews and Christians.

Hizbut Towhid has already been able in expanding its network beyond Bangladeshi border and is continuing Jihadists activities from various countries in the world.

Imprisonment of journalist:

Bangladeshi cartoonist Arifur Rahman has been convicted by a local court with two months rigorous imprisonment order for drawing a sketch of Prophet of Islam. A court at country's southern district of Jessore passed this order on November 12, 2009. Arifur Rahman fled the country right after being released from prison and has been living in exile.

Media Forecast:

Dhaka's prominent periodical – Holiday has forecasted series of political violence and sabotage in its current issue. In a commentary, the periodical said, “Two particular strands of people make the present time much more different than the years by-gone. As the nation passes through an unprecedented catharsis, there are those who are braving all odds to take a stand against what is going wrong while there are others who stand by as mere bystanders.

”Amidst this internal cleavage, the ultimate gainers will be those who are determined to bring Bangladesh to its knee in order to fulfill their geopolitical and economic agenda. Unfortunately, this unexpected dichotomy re-surfaces at a time when a series of destructive activities are slated and aimed to destabilize the nation to facilitate pretexts for foreign intervention, according to experts and reliable sources.

“Sources say an external intelligence outfit is at the centre of this conspiracy against Bangladesh and a former foreign diplomat in Dhaka had overseen this deadly blueprint's execution as a covert operative until a few days prior to the BDR massacre on February 25-26 when, it is alleged, he was posted out of Dhaka.

”A former senior officer of the DGFI [Directorate General Forces Intelligence], who has had a number of interactions with the operative during the period of the last caretaker regime, confirmed that he had obtained definitive clues about the prevalence of such a deadly scheme against Bangladesh. "It's surprising that the hyper-active operative was quietly removed from Dhaka before February 25, lest his hand in the BDR massacre gets exposed", says the former DGFI officer.

“It was also learnt that the recent sacking and arrest of more than a dozen of military officers and their alleged complicity with the attack on MP Taposh on October 21 is a part of that plot.

"Weeks after the attack's [on Barrister Fazle Noor Taposh, MP] execution and arrests of many suspects who are close relatives of the Mujib [founding father of Bangladesh] murder case accused, the hunt against serving military officers came as a blot from the blue," said a dismayed retired army officer on condition of anonymity. "The government may be running out of scapegoats to blame," he added.

“The perplexed officer explained why and how the dragnet extended so deep into the heart of the military establishments and how it is devastating lives of many young officers, at least seven of whom are now facing interrogation after being arrested while 12 others are facing the possibility of being taken into custody sooner, according to other sources.

“Besides, these spine-chilling occurrences are taking place only weeks prior to the Prime Minister's scheduled visit to Delhi to sign a number of agreements involving major compromises on Bangladesh's sovereignty and geopolitical interests leave no room for hesitation that the incidents are being hatched up from without.

“Ironically, the hunt against serving military officers coincides with a cabinet decision on November 11 that had tasked PM's security adviser and a close relative, retired Major General [recently promoted to Lt. Gen. but no gazette has been published as yet] Tareq Ahmed Siddique, with coordinating all the intelligence agencies. This precedent is unique in the world.

”One source said, in desperation, the DGFI dispatched one of its own staff members in the evening of November 10 to the DB office following pressures from commanders of the arrested officers to know further about the veracity of the allegations and the specific evidence the DB might have had to justify arresting serving military officers. But the political nexus of the DB is so strong that the DB arrested the dispatched DGFI staff and exposed the entire story to a section of the media to humiliate the military.”

Minority persecution:

Trend of abduction and forceful conversion is continuing in the country, despite the fact that the present ruling party is upholding secularist ideology and assured total protection of right of religious minorities in Bangladesh. The latest case of abduction is of Sheuli Rani Sarkar who was abducted by some Muslim perpetrators on 2nd of November, 2009 at about 8 in the morning while she was on her way to school at Royganj Upazila of Serajganj district of Bangladesh. She was subsequently forced into conversion by the perpetrators. A case has been lodged by her father Chitta Ranjan Sarkar. It is further learnt that, thought the perpetrators abducted Sheuli Rani Sarkar, they did not abduct her classmate named Shaon, who is another minor Hindu girl from the locality.

SALAH UDDIN SHOAIB CHOUDHURY
Journalist, Columnist, Author & Peace Activist
Skype: shoaibforyou
Editor & Publisher, Weekly Blitz www.weeklyblitz.net

PEN USA Freedom to Write Award 2005; AJC Moral Courage Award 2006

Key to the Englewood City, NJ, USA [Highest Honor] 2007; Monaco Media Award, 2007

Development / Accra / Ghana / Africa / Modernghana.com