Pakistan’s intelligence chief’s visit to Dhaka shows the country’s open ambition to cause more “trouble and infiltration” in India’s northeast. The Inter-State Intelligence, or ISI, will ensure elections in Bangladesh are delayed so as to keep the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government in office, sources said.
This visit set alarm bells ringing for India amid rising security concerns along its eastern and northeastern borders. According to intelligence sources, ISI chief Lieutenant General Asim Malik met Lieutenant General Muhammad Faizur Rahman, Quartermaster General (QMG) of the Bangladesh Army and one power centre out of three close to Islamists working against India.
Lt Gen Rahman is known to be close to Pakistan and has reportedly faced serious strictures passed by an inquiry commission into rioting after the exit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last year. There are also serious allegations of destruction of evidence of forced disappearances from the joint interrogation cell against him.
Top intelligence sources said Lt Gen Malik’s visit to Dhaka is officially aimed at creating an intelligence-sharing network between Pakistan and Bangladesh. This visit marked the first time in decades that a Pakistani intelligence chief visited Dhaka.
An intelligence assessment accessed by a shows that the ISI chief’s is not routine, but the start of “new business” after a proper study of the ground. The Bangladesh Army is divided right now between pro-Awami League faction and army leaders close to students.
The sources further said the ISI knows that keeping students under its control is the need of the hour as they can delay routine elections and, when the situation becomes unfavourable, they will help remove the Yunus government.
They added that the ISI knows that Khaleda Zia is unwell and cannot come to power because her son Tarique Rehman is abroad. In this condition, the only favourable option is the Jamaat-e-Islami cadre that will handle the situation despite a low support base.
The sources also said the ISI wants Jamaat and the students on the same page, so that Bangladesh remains on the boil and the cadres can be used to cause unrest in India.
A news Channel earlier reported how Jamaat-e-Islami is continuously working against India. Yunus is compelled to keep the Jamaat around to safeguard economic as well as political interests.
He is also under political pressure to do so as they have significant influence in the country. Sources said he is forced to keep stable relations to ensure the smooth operation of Grameen Bank and its activities in the rural areas.
The Jamaat-e-Islami has a strong presence in many rural areas, and Yunus may have felt it was necessary to engage with them to avoid any potential backlash. It also has connections with several builders and business houses in Dhaka, some of whom have provided them with direct financial aid. It has also been accused of using its business connections to further its political and ideological goals.
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