Paper no. 1012	31. 05. 2004
BANGLADESH’ DOMESTIC POLITICAL VIOLENCE BY ISLAMIC JEHADIS  by Dr. Subhash Kapila Introductory Background: Bangladesh is sliding into a new nursery for Islamic Jehadis. The fact that Pakistan’s intelligence agencies and Saudi Arabian money have been quietly active in organizing and financing a host of Islamic Jehadi organizations is a recorded fact.  Yossef Bodansky in his book “Bin Laden, the Man Who Declared War on America” (1999)  had five years ago documented the above activities, some noteworthy observations being: * “ The ISI (Pakistan military intelligence agency) maintained a forward-office-cum-transit center in an upscale part of Dhaka”. * “ The Center fell under the cover of the Jammat-e-Tulba office, also in Dhaka.” * “The Dhaka office coordinated the operations of half a dozen other transit centers, providing sanctuaries and support for terrorists from various parts of North East India.” * High level terrorists “operations meeting were held as early 1998” in the Dhaka office  “Al Haramanian   Islamic Foundation, a Saudi Islamic charity affiliated with Laden’s web of charities”. The target of these Bangladesh based Islamic Jehad operations, and organized by Pakistan ISI, were the US Embassy in New Delhi and the US Consulate in Calcutta, so says Bodansky. It was fortunate that Indian intelligence agencies nabbed Abu Nasir (a Bangladeshi national with links to Al Qaeda, ISI and the Saudi charities) before the American targets could be attacked. Abu Nasir had been to Thailand also for Islamic Jehadi activities.  Pakistan has not ceased its ISI operations in Bangladesh; on the contrary, it has enhanced its operations to make Bangladesh an alternative base for its proxy war operations against India. See this author’s SAAG Paper No.997 dated 11-5-2004 entitled: “Bangladesh Emerges as Alternative Base for Pakistan’s Proxy War Against India”.  Bangladesh seems to have  convergence of interests with Pakistan in terms of promoting terrorism and proxy war activities against India. Both provide sanctuaries and training and financing of anti-Indian insurgents of India’s North East. Both have financed the setting up of a host of Islamic fundamentalist organizations in the Assam State of India’s North East.  As a double insurance, Pakistan has been actively engaged in training and bringing politically to the fore a host of Islamic fundamentalist organizations within Bangladesh. The finances, of course, come from Saudi Arabian charities.  Recently, what is coming to the forefront is that like Pakistan, these Islamic Jehadi organizations have increasingly been involved in domestic political violence. This is evidenced by the bomb blast aimed at the UK High Commissioner in Bangladesh and a public outcry raised against Islamic fundamentalist violence in other parts of Bangladesh by the South Asian Peoples Union Against Fundamentalism and Communalism.  Bomb Blast Against UK High Commissioner While Visiting Holy Shrine: British High Commissioner in Bangladesh, Anwar A Chowdhary was injured in a bomb blast while visiting the holy shrine of Hazrat Shah Jalal on May 21, 2004. Two people stood killed and over 50 injured.  Though Bangladesh Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia severely condemned the attack and ordered a probe, Britain had no faith in a local probe. So it has sent a Scotland Yard team to Bangladesh for investigations.  British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw minced no words. He linked the bomb blast against the British High Commissioner to global terrorism, which basically is the mission of Islamic Jehadis.  Bangladesh’s Awami League and the Left Alliance leader Hasanul Haq have charged the ruling coalition Jammat-e-Islami and Islamic militants of being behind the attack. Awami League leader Begum Sheikh Hasina has declared that: “The bomb attack on British High Commissioner Anwar Chowdhary is not an isolated incident, but a pre-planned one. Communal forces harboured by the Government are responsible for the violence".  Incidentally, the new British High Commissioner in Bangladesh is a Bangladeshi by birth and origin. It doesn’t make sense to attack him while on a thanks-giving visit to an Islamic holy shrine of his native town Sylhet. The Islamic jehadis’ motives for this bomb attack can be analysed as under: * The British High Commissioner may be Bangladeshi by origin but he is the diplomatic representative of Britain. Britain is militarily involved in Iraq along with USA and hence a target of Islamic Jehadis worldwide. * Islamic Jehadis with strong Wahabi links and fervour abhor the perpetuation of Islamic shrines named after local saints and becoming centers of pilgrimage.  The above should indicate that Islamic Jehadis have a strong base in Bangladesh and also have the audacity to attack diplomatic personnel in the country. Obviously, there is a message in that.  South Asia Peoples Union Against Fundamentalism and Communalism:  This Bangladesh organization at a meeting in Dhaka on May 24, 2004 came out with strong condemnation as follows: * Leaders expressed deep concern over alarming rise in domestic activities of militant fundamentalists. * Islamic militants have executed at least 18 people in their “extra judicial courts” in the last one and a half months. * Hundreds of people have been displaced from the Rajshahi District by the activities of the fundamentalists in connivance with local authorities. (this is a border district with India’s Malda District. While the ethnic origin of the displaced people is not mentioned in the report, it could surmised that the ire of Islamic fundamentalists could be only against the minorities) * Emergence of “Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh” and its involvement in violent activities. * Leaders blamed the communal elements in the ruling alliance for the horrific situations. * The Government was violating court orders to protect such activities.  Prominent leaders who attended this meeting were: Prof Kabir Chowdhary; Justice K M Sobhani; Shymoli Nasri Chowdhary and journalist Shah Kabir.  This outcry by responsible Bangladeshi intellectuals and citizens reinforces the contention that Bangladesh is sliding into the grip of Islamic Jehadi organizations. It also indicates that for reasons of political expediency Begum Khaleda Zia is unable to take strong actions against this rising domestic political violence by the Islamic organizations.  Concluding Observations:  Pakistan's example of creating Islamic Jehadi “tigers” and then being unable to ride them should provide an eye opener for Bangladesh Prime Minister Begum Khalida Zia.  Facilitating rise of Islamic Jehadis within Bangladesh, permitting Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to organize and finance them, providing sanctuaries and gunrunning for anti India insurgents and letting hundreds of Islamic madrassa’s thrive along the India-Bangladesh border are not good portents for the future stability and economic growth of Bangladesh.  If the above trends are not impeded or reversed forthwith (which means putting political expediency aside) then Bangladesh can slide inexorably towards “Talibanisation”. And if that happens can external intervention be far behind?  (The author is an International Relations and Strategic Affairs analyst. He is the Consultant, Strategic Affairs with South Asia Analysis Group. Email drsubhashkapila @yahoo.com)
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