Watch Tower:
Fresh light on mutiny in Bangladesh
Category » Editorial Posted On Thursday, December 24, 2009
SQC pumped in huge funds to induce and motivate the BDR personnel, ensure their participation in the mutiny and keep their morale high. Funds were also organized by Pervez Ispahani, Pak Presidents Special Envoy who undertook a visit to Dhaka two days ahead of the mutiny- M Rama Rao
As the year 2009 draws to a close, some fresh light is emerging on what and who caused and how the mutiny staged by Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), a paramilitary force, on Feb 25. BNP lawmaker, Salauddin Qader Chowdhury (SQC), played a key role in the mutiny. A long time associate of Pakistans ISI, he is close to several top ranking BNP and JEI leaders.
The planning for the mutiny took place at two meetings one held at Hotel Seagull in Coxs Bazar on Feb 6, 2009 and the other at Al Falah auditorium in Dhaka on Feb 13, 2009. Both meetings were convened by Salauddin.
A former DG BDR Maj Gen Fazl-ur-Rahman attended the meetings. So did some retired army officers with known BNP and JEI leanings. Gen Rahman is rabidly anti-India and is in synch with JEI. One of his greatest achievements, as his CV tells, was the BDRs confrontation he had engineered with the Indian border guards, the BSF, in 2001.
Several functionaries of the BNP and JEI also attended the Cox Bazar and Dhaka meetings. And many such meetings Salauddin held in the run up to the D-day to fine tune the action plan for implementing the blue print he had received. ISI authored the blue print. The objective was limited: undermine the Awami League government and project Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as ineffective.
One decision taken by Salauddin and his friends was that BDR personnel should go about their plan cautiously. Enough ground should be prepared to show that the mutiny was over a just cause, they resolved.
Accordingly, BDR personnel were to place a charter of demands before the Prime Minister on Feb 24. In case she refused to take cognizance of the demands, the BDR soldiers were to open fire and kill her the very day, if possible on the spot, as an expression of their anger. This plan did not materialize as a section of BDR soldiers said they would better to do so on Feb 25, the day the Prime Minister was to hold a Durbar open house with the BDR personnel.
Discontent is not something new to the BDRs lower ranks. There had been mutinies of varying intensity by the lower tiers in the past. SQC, his masters in ISI and companions in BNP and the JEI had sought to exploit the mood of bitterness or discontent whatever one may call that pervades the border guards and present it as mutiny to the world.
Towards this end, SQC pumped in huge funds to induce and motivate the BDR personnel, ensure their participation in the mutiny and keep their morale high. Funds were also organized by Pervez Ispahani, Pak Presidents Special Envoy who undertook a visit to Dhaka two days ahead of the mutiny. The investigating agencies have come across evidence that Tk 6.5 crore was withdrawn from Al Arafah Bank, Motijheel branch a couple of days ahead of the mutiny.
Many BDR rebels (arrested from the spot) were carrying around Tk 3 lakh in cash. All the arrested key conspirators confessed to the investigators that they were paid handsome amounts. Gen Fazl-Ur- Rahman received Tk 40 crore. He in turn paid Tk 5 crore to each of the four Deputy Assistant Directors (DADs) including Tauhid (who was at the forefront of the mutiny). Key players at the level of soldier received Tk 1 crore each as advance.
A meeting was held at Maruf Foundation auditorium in Dhaka on Feb 25 after outbreak of the mutiny. Mominul Islam Patwari, JEI central executive committee member and president of Board of Directors of Islami Bank, Zahid-ur-Rahman, President of JEI student front, Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS) and Secretaries of JEI and ICS units (Thana level) of Dhaka city attended the meeting for stock taking.
The meeting decided to extend all possible support to the BDR rebels to ensure their safe exit from the BDR HQ at Pilkhana. Instructions were sent to this effect to all JEI and ICS cadres across the country on telephone. Thereafter on Feb 26, students of Dhaka Aliya Madrassa and ICS cadres of Dhaka University organized logistics to ensure safe escape of the BDR rebels. Boats were organized on Buri Ganga River with prefixed banners for easy identification. Fifty taxi cabs were placed on the roads near Pilkhana for the rebels to drive to safe hide outs.
Most senior army officers working at the BDR HQ were killed soon after the outbreak of mutiny. This killing spree took place between nine and eleven on Feb 25 morning. Yet, the rebel team led by Tauhid which went to ventilate their grievances to the Prime Minister was under clear instructions not to betray their emotions but keep engaged in negotiations with Prime Minister and her aides as long as possible. This they were told was necessary to gain enough time for escape. And they succeeded literally in misleading the Prime Minister.
Simultaneously, word went to the BNP and JEI cadres to take out processions in favor of the rebels in order to incite them to go for an open confrontation with the Army. JEI and ICS cadres dominated the processions.
Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu, BNP leader and a former Minister, organized safe exit for rebels through Hazaribagh. Salauddin and his close circles did like wise at Chittagong and Coxs Bazar. Local JEI leaders chipped in with their help at Motijheel, Comilla and Sylhet to the great relief of BDR rebels. Moral and logistic support also came from close associates of JEI chief Matiur Rahman Nizami and JEI Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mujahid.
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