holiday
Peelkhana investigations
Sadeq Khan
The attempt to contain the BDR mutiny in February by "political" manoeuvres of the Prime Minister's emissaries led to belated discovery of the scale and savagery of Peelkhana massacre. The Director General with his family and all sector commanders of our border guards assembled in festive spirit for the BDR week were brutally killed.
The culprits were allowed ample time by white-flagging cool-down signalmen to hide the mutilated corpses of unsuspecting victims in camouflaged mass graves. The perceived indulgence of the mutineers by a declaration of general amnesty sparked spread of the mutiny to some outposts. Further time-lapse in ritual show of arms surrender gave cover for a behind-the-scene orgy of rape and pillage in the officers' quarters of Pilkhana.
Finally it was found that the mutineers managed to smuggle out much of the arms and ammunition, and a black-out of electric supply in the area towards the last leg of so-called arms surrender helped most of the mutineers to escape scaling walls and rear gates that had remained only under casual surveillance.
Army steps in
Government leaders cheekily claimed saving civilian lives by avoiding encounter with mutineers. Security analysts dispute that, and bemoan the loss of valuable lives of outstanding military officers as the government held back commandos from storming Pilkhana. There was hardly any defensive preparation at the BDR Headquarters apart from aimless gunfire to keep the sagging morale of mutineers afloat for the clamour of general amnesty.
Indeed the U.S. F.B.I team, invited by the government in aid of the Task Force Intelligence (TFI) of the administration investigating the BDR mutiny, has reportedly opined that the incident was not in the nature of a mutiny at all, but a planned massacre in the guise of mutinous slogans to confuse the body of BDR men assembled without arms.
The army has thereafter obtained permission to carry out 'operation rebel hunt' throughout the country, side by side with the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) of the police to track down the fugitive killers and recover looted arms and ammunition. A military investigation is going on side by side with the Criminal Investigation Department's interrogation, examination and compilation of depositions and forensic evidences, including electronic communication records. The government has also formed a public enquiry committee under a retired civil servant with representatives from the civil and military administrations to look into all aspects of the Peelkhana tragedy including genuine complaints of BDR personnel used as pretext by the killers.
Faruk Khan Committee
On March 9, the cabinet division of the government issued a gazette notification that a high level committee has been formed to co-ordinate actions taken and to be taken by the Prime Minister's Office, the Home Ministry and the Defence Ministry in the situation arising from and after the barbarous massacre perpetrated by some undisciplined BDR jawans at the Peelkhana Headquarters of BDR last February 25. Commerce Minister Lt. Col. (retd.) Faruk Khan has been designated Chairman of the committee. The other members of the four-member committee are the (new) Director General of the BDR, and appropriate representatives from the Armed Forces Division and the Police Department. The Committee will keep the Head of Government regularly informed about all relevant matters.
As such, presumably taking to the Prime Minister a regular brief on the progress of ongoing investigations, the Commerce Minister began at the same time to share his updated information on the latest findings of the Task Force Intelligence with the press and the public. But his news leaks simply compounded confusion, as those were contradicted or dismissed without comment by cautions investigators themselves, as well as by the ruling party spokesman, LGRD minister Syed Ashraful Islam, so as not to pervert or appear to influence the course of investigation.
JMB connections
On March 12, the Commerce Minister made a faux pas saying there were indications of JMB Islamic militant connections behind the Peelkhana carnage. TFI officials discounted any such connection on available evidence. Other experts pointed out that organising an armed mutiny and planned massacre did not fit with either the pattern or the purpose of JMB operatives, whose busted capacity has been low-tech and limited to bomb-throwing and detonation.
On 14 March, the Commerce Minister revised his remarks somewhat by saying that apart from Islamic militants, others outside forces and elements were involved. He said there were indications that "those who wanted to destabilise Bangladesh and designate Bangladesh as a failed state" were behind the attack. But again TFI sources were quoted by newspapers saying they have no information or evidence of connection of BDR mutiny with banned Islamic outfit Jamiatul Mujahidean Bangladesh or any outfit with foreign links like the Taliban in Afghanistan; the only outside detainee being questioned was a local Awami League leader Torab Ali.
One consequence of the Commerce Minister's repeated hints about intelligence finding of JMB connections in the Peelkhana massacre has been, according to a Blitz Exclusive, a complaint by one Susan Ramgopalan demanding that the United Nations send back members of Bangladesh Armed Forces and police from the United Nations Peace Keeping Forces [UNPKF]
Susan Ramgopalan sent letters to the Secretary General and other officials of United Nations on March 15, 2009 titled 'Islamist inside UN Peace Keeping Force', which stated: "It has come to my attention that one of the front ranking leaders in Bangladesh's ruling party, Awami League, member of the Cabinet and Member of Parliament, Lt. Col. Faruk Khan recently told reporters that Islamist militants like Jamiatul Mujahidin (JMB) has penetrated into country's border security forces.
"It is noteworthy that officers of border security forces are deputed from country's armed forces. Under such authoritative statement from a senior member of the Bangladesh government, it is greatly assumed that there are unknown number of Islamist militants even within the other disciplined forces, including army and police.
"United Nations had been welcoming members of Bangladesh Armed Forces and Police for quite some time. But, after the latest statement from the government side, the question of security of continuing services of such elements with militancy ties would not only jeopardize the safety and security of the countries of their activities, but it may even give the militancy linked members of Bangladesh Armed Forces and Police in staging various forms of sabotaging activities in the foreign countries.
"Under such situation, further recruitment of Bangladeshi forces both from army and police should be stopped while an immediate scrutiny should begin to identify the militancy linked members of Bangladesh Armed Forces and Police inside United Nations Peace Keeping Forces and be immediately expelled from such sensitive task."
Smokescreen
On March 16, the Commerce Minister repeated his assertions about outside connections behind the Peelkhana massacre in addition to Islamic militants fuelling the mutiny.
The smokescreen thus being created had the unexpected effect of rousing the curiosity of investigative journalists of the intelligence world. Sunita Paul, a Kochin journalist and contributor to the Intelligence Reporteur and the Countercurrents, filed the following piece with the American Chronicle, datelined March 19, entitled "Leaving crocodile tears for the killers of Bangladesh", which I quote abridged:
"Human Rights Watch (HRW), a New York City based non-governmental organization, which sent a letter to Bangladeshi Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina Wajed only few weeks back with the plea of dismantling Forces Intelligences of Bangladesh Armed Forces, has issued a fresh statement on the February Massacre, which took place inside Bangladesh Rifles (border security guards) headquarters in Dhaka, killing large number of Army officers.
'The human rights situation in Bangladesh is poor. There is widespread torture and security agencies get away with murders, tortures and intimidations ... there is a culture of impunity that must be ended,' Brad Adams, Asia director for Human Rights Watch, told a news conference (on March 19, 2009).
Hasina told parliament recently that 'Suggestions and opinions of the rights organizations will be duly incorporated in the government policy to uphold human rights.'
US lobbyists hired
'The mystery of the sudden enthusiasm of Human Rights Watch is explained by the following facts. Prior to sending their representative to Bangladesh only a couple of days back, this group had series of meetings with a number of important players in the ruling party in United States, including the son of the present Prime Minister. It was reported that Sajib Wajed Joy, who lives in United States for years, proclaims to be the advisor to his mother, Prime Minister Hasina Wajed.
'Sajib had been extremely vocal against Bangladesh Armed Forces and he was interviewed or quoted in a number of influential media in the world. Joy has close ties with several think-tanks in United States and reportedly hired one of such think-tank cum lobbyist group in continuing massive propaganda and persuasion against DGFI (Directorate General of Forces Intelligence), Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Bangladesh Army and army's involvement in politics. Since the February Massacre in Dhaka in February, 2009, Sajib Wajed Joy repeatedly said that, the murders and mutiny inside the Bangladesh Rifles headquarters took place due to corruption of BDR officers (army officers on deputation).
"As part of Joy's anti-army propaganda, a number of international groups were hired to intervene into the February Massacre issue. HRW�s latest statement might have certain links to such efforts of Joy.
Questions fed to FBI
Paul further said: "Earlier on the day, Bangladesh government announced that it will hold court martial for paramilitary border guards involved in the mutiny. The revolt, which lasted 33 hours and ended after the rebels laid down their arms, stoked concerns over the stability of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's two-month-old civilian government.
Bangladeshi government has asked a team of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) working in its capital Dhaka to help uncover any foreign links to last month's border guards' mutiny. Experts opining on this specific request from the Bangladeshi authorities said does the government want FBI to investigate foreign links or discover foreign link? It is even learnt from valid sources that, Bangladeshi authorities have requested FBI and other foreign investigators in identifying possible militant link to this sordid Massacre.
"Meanwhile, two of the most controversial figures, whose names came at the front right after the mutiny, Jahangir Kabir Nanak (present a state minister for local government ministry) and Mirza Azam (ruling party's whip in the parliament), have suddenly disappeared from the media. It is even reported that, both were ready to flee the country, once the investigation reports were already done.
Politicos under spotlight
"Investigators so far have identified more than 15 Awami League and 8 BNP men held responsible for patronizing or instigating or funding the mutiny. Another city leader of the ruling party named Torab Ali Akhand (who earlier served in BDR) is already being grilled by investigation agencies after arrest. Akhand already mentioned names of a few influential Awami League leaders, including a close relative of the Prime Minister as his patron in the bloody mutiny. He also told interrogators that a few dozens of arms and thousands of round of ammunitions as well as 'some' Arges grenades were taken from him by some leaders of Bangladesh Chhatra League (Student�s front of the ruling party) and Jubo League (youth front of the ruling party). Torab was the custodian of looted arms, ammunitions and explosives from BDR headquarters after the mutiny.
What happened in Dhaka during February 25-26 is unimaginable and intolerable. But, what is happening now is even worst. An elected government in Dhaka is rather active in salvaging the killers and their patrons instead of ensuring proper investigation and trial."
It is difficult to assess whether Ms. Paul's mention of "15 Awami League and 8 BNP men" identified by TFI for "patronising or instigating or funding the mutiny" is guesswork (spin?) or obtained from a dependable source.
Paul's other reports
Earlier on February 6, Sunita Paul said in a report: Many of the heavyweights in the ruling party, like general secretary of Awami League Abdul Jalil, former minister and top bureaucrat Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, former minister and Sheikh Hasina's cousin Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim etc are at the forefront of raising specific allegations of brutal treatment by the members of DGFI [Directorate General of Forces Intelligence] in Bangladesh when they were arrested on corruption charges after 1/11. Leader of BNP, Barrister Moudud Ahmed along with many others are also echoing the same complaint.
In another report on March 21, she quoted the blog of (Lt. Col (retd.) Farook Khan, which read: "Colonel (retd) Muhammad Faruk Khan is the next generation leader of Bangladesh. The leader of the next generation of Bangladesh Muhammad Faruk Khan is a Bangladeshi politician and current Commerce Minister of Bangladesh Government. Khan is a Parliament Member and the current Commerce & Industry Secretary of Awami League. Faruk Khan, a name of excellent personality of Bangladesh, he is the probable future President of Bangladesh Awami League."
Faruk's hyperboles
Meanwhile, disturbed by calls from the opposition party BNP for his replacement as co-ordinator of investigations on account of prejudicial statements, Commerce Minister Lt. Col. (retd.) Faruk Khan decided that offence would be his best defence. On March 21, he implicated Begum Khaleda Zia, the Leader of the Opposition with the Peelkhana massacre by saying that Begum Zia had sought to push the country into a civil war by the BDR mutiny. He said: "The government had information that at 10 a.m. on the day of the mutiny, when gunfire started, Begum Zia had left her residence in a car with dark windows closed, and for the next three days the public in Bangladesh did not see her in the parliament or elsewhere. Begum Zia would have to explain where she was hiding all that while."
In a press briefing earlier, Begum Khaleda Zia had already responded, to a remark of the same tenor by the Prime Minister, that she was regularly attending her party office all through the period of the government's negotiations with the mutineers. Political management of the investigations is turning very bizarre indeed.
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