Bhaskar Roy, who retired recently as a senior government official with decades of national and international experience, is an expert on international relations and Indian strategic interests. The views expressed here are his own, and do not necessarily reflect those of sify.com
The Awami League government in Bangladesh led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has succeeded in turning the table on terrorism, sabotage and extremism in just under 10 months of rule.
One of her promises when she took over in January was the rooting out of terrorism. Sheikh Hasina has pursued this objective with determination, yielding significant success, even though there is a lot more to do. Till about two years ago, Bangladesh had become a paradise for terrorists from around the world. In fact, the center of international terrorism was beginning to shift base from Pakistan-Afghanistan to Bangladesh. Home-grown terrorist groups, the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LET) and the Harkat-ul-Jehad Al Islami (HUJI) from Pakistan, and the Harkat-ul-Mujahiddin (HUM) from Kashmir established their centers in the country. Separatists and terrorists from North East India like the ULFA, NSCN (I/M), the Bodo, Tripuri and Manipuri groups were given assistance and support to set up their headquarters and camps in Bangladesh by the ruling government, intelligence and security agencies. ULFA was the jewel in the crown among the Indian Insurgent Groups (IIGs).
Pro-Taliban and Al Qaeda NGOs from the Gulf and Middle East pumped in money and indoctrination literature. The Al Qaeda shadow begun looming over Bangladesh along with that of their South East Asian acolytes like the Abu Sayyat group. During 2002-2004, even the Pakistani-based and protected international crime lord Dawood Ibrahim was invited in by Bangladeshi Minsters and intelligence chiefs. Other underworld criminal dons from India too began to find refuge there.
It was a very troubling scenario for international experts on terrorism. India, which was bearing the brunt of terrorist attacks from the Bangladesh platform, followed the Gujral Doctrine of accommodating smaller neighbours as far as possible. It was understandable to an extent if the BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami (JEI) coalition government (2001-2006) co-operated with Pakistan against India. The JEI is Pakistan’s child, and the post liberation born BNP, currently headed by Begum Khaleda Zia, became the adopted child of Pakistan.
But why did Khaleda Zia’s powerful sons and other BNP ministers start leading the country into a whirlpool which would also suck them in eventually ? That is a difficult question to answer.
But clearly the roots of it came from greed, arrogance and moral debauchery, some things which ultimately destroyed the Mafia in the US. Many actions by BNP ministers and law makers and their business financers had actually begun to resemble the Mafia - extortion, murders including political killings, drug running by some of their business associates. Absolute power corrupted absolutely.
Safe under the cover of the overwhelming BNP, the JEI and its Islamist agenda grew. It remained relatively untouched till recently, but its far reaching machinations are beginning to come out. The high point of Sheikh Hasina's anti-terrorism campaign, at least for India, is the recent arrest of ULFA Chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa in Dhaka. A fortnight ago, two top ULFA leaders, Foreign Affairs Secretary Shashadar Choudhury, and Finance Secretary Chitrabon Hazarika, were quietly handed over to the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) by the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR).
But the ULFA Commander-in-Chief, Paresh Barua, who was living in the capital city of Dhaka with his family quite openly for years, has vanished. Earlier reports said that Rajkhowa was in Bangladesh and Barua had relocated to China's Yunan province with some followers and was in the process of setting up a base there. Shashadar Choudhury and Hazarika have given Indian agencies some details of their connections with China including arms assistance. Till now China, which has been in denial of any contact with the ULFA or any other IIGs, has been silent on this allegation. Indian agencies have enough evidence of visits of ULFA and NSCN(I/M) leaders to China from Bangladesh, using Bangladeshi passports on different names. Confessions by Choudhury and Hazarika will further indict China as a covert supporter of anti-India terrorism, insurgency and separatism, the "three Evils" that China itself is fighting against.
There are two other questions. Why did it take so long for the Bangladeshi agencies to apprehend Aurobindo Rajkhowa, who was hiding in Dhaka? And how did Paresh Barua who was living in Dhaka under the protection of intelligence agencies, slip away?
When Sheikh Hasina became Prime Minister the first time in 1996, she and her party had come to power with people’s support. Her government (1996-2001), however, inherited a bureaucracy, army and intelligence apparatus which was BNP made. So while she could not move forward on most issues, she scored a point with the 1997 Chittagong Hill Tracts agreement with the tribals of the region giving them greater say in their affairs. The establishment, however, had the Awami League routed in 2001 elections.
The current Awami League again has the people's mandate. But sections of the bureaucracy, the army and especially the intelligence apparatus are yet to be cleansed fully. BNP-JEI die-hards are still sprinkled around in the state apparatus. This would answer the two questions posed earlier.
Sheikh Hasina also floated the idea of a South Asian Counter-terrorism Task Force. While it is still on the drawing board, it has what the region needs urgently. Of course, it is not practical to include all the countries in the first instance. It requires a India-Bangladesh bilateral beginning with some cautious optimism. This rider is mentioned because the Bangladesh intelligence apparatus is yet to be transformed into a constitution abiding civilian controlled agencies. Among other things, this counter-terrorism proposal will be on top of the agenda for discussions when she comes to India for a three-day official visit starting December 19.
Sheikh Hasina obviously wants to improve relations with India. But will the BNP and its radical allies let her?
Also read: The second Bangla Liberation | More by Bhaskar Roy | Latest news on Bangladesh
