Deliberate demand centering Moriarty serves Indian interest
By Mohammad Zainal Abedin, USA
The demand of 'The National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports' centering American Ambassador to Bangladesh James F Moriarty drew my attention. It demanded his expulsion from Bangladesh and wanted him to be declared 'unwanted'. The forum uncovered at least four reasons in favour of such demand that included: (1) the US ambassador was a lobbyist of foreign companies eyeing the country's oil and gas sector, (2) put pressure on Bangladesh Prime Minister's energy advisor Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury to permit Asia Energy for open-pit coal mining in Phulbari, (3) asked Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury to allow British company Global Coal Management to begin open-cast coal mining to give the lease of the gas blocks to ConocoPhillips Company through export oriented agreement; and (4) persuaded the concerned officials to permit Chevron to buy old compressor machines and instruments in a high price suiting the interest of the US companies.
The forum for a long time tried to buy the sympathy and support of the people outwardly through its very name 'The National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports'. Its outward pro-nationalistic agenda naturally gained some moral support to it. And I was one those supporters. But its policy now seems to be contradictory. Any dispassionate explanation uncovers some realities.
Mentors of this forum attached some very sensitive issues with its name, so that it gets acceptability from the patriotic and nationalistic forces of Bangladesh. But could it, in the truest sense of the term, protect our overall interest? Anu Muhammad and his group are engaged mainly in Phulbari ignoring other sensitive areas that are going to foreign control through overt and covert treaties, which are that not only contrary to economic, strategic and logistic interests of Bangladesh, but also to its sovereignty and independence, better to say very existence .
What did this forum do when Pinak Ranjan Chakraborty openly worked favouring Indian interest in Bangladesh? Did Anu Mohammad declared him persona-non-grata ? What did his forum do when Indian journalist branded Bangladesh as buffer State? Did this forum demand Pinak Ranjan's expulsion or call the people to boycott India and its products? What his forum is doing to release our economic zone in the Bay of Bengal which is now under Indian and Myanmar occupation? No protest was visible when our garment factories were set on fire and ransacked by Indian agents and bought by India companies one after another. No viable protest is visible when the incumbent government offers our ports, highways, waterways and railways to India free of cost.
Anu Muhammad and his forum perhaps still recognize India as friendly country though it kills our people in the bordering area, grabs our land, blockades water of the international rivers, uses tentacles to minimize Bangladesh to a satellite State, makes Bangladesh its monopoly market, captures the vital sectors of Bangladesh under the camouflage of investment. To resist Indian hegemonic design strong protest, even boycott of India and its commodities, are the need of the day. But the champions of patriotism, including Anu Muhammad axis, are unexpectedly mum. They remain silent when India claims and tries to snatch away those territories Bangladesh that are enriched with uranium and other mineral resources. Anu Muhammad and his group remained silent when Indian nationals enjoying BSF support cut away crops from Bangladeshi land. It did not even issued a statement when India, even distorting map, keeps hundreds of thousands of acres of Bangladeshi land under its occupation.
Their demand to expel American Ambassador could attract popular support if they did the same when India causes our interest, even existence. What is more detrimental to Bangladesh whether lobbying of an American Ambassador favouring foreign companies and open-cast coal mining or India's gradual hegemonic progress in Bangladesh? Contradictory and duel role of 'The National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports' uncovers one reality that its officials, concealing their Indian connection, covertly stand for Indian interest.
India wants Bangladesh should be isolated from the rest of the world. With this end in view, India endeavours to brand Bangladesh as the haunt of the Islamic terror. To this goal, India finances its agents, shelters them and provides them with arms and explosives and brands them as Islamic terrorists mainly to annoy the western world, so that they leave Bangladesh. The latest demand of Anu Muhammad's group, is another trick directed to that end.
India never wants Bangladesh should maintain direct relation with any powerful country. India since the inception of Bangladesh relentlessly endeavours that Bangladesh should rotate and revolve around India. India has already progressed to that direction to a great extent. Bangladesh's foreign policy now is India-centric. Due to India-tilted policy Bangladesh already lost its link to the Muslim world that stopped recruiting Bangladeshi workers using many lame excuses. Though President Obama, after his victory announced to visit Bangladesh, he ignored it when he went to India. No Head of the State or the Government, except Turkey, visited Bangladesh during the last two years.
The much talked-about Prime Minister's visit to China practically was a cover to her pro-India policy. Foreign investment in Bangladesh declined to a great extent. No foreign company dares to invest in Bangladesh due to India-sponsored terrorist attack. Very recently, and earlier, under the cover of labour agitation some selected garments factories, particularly owned by the foreign companies, were set on fire, ransacked and looted and Anu Muhammad demands the release of such a woman whose activities are detrimental to garment industry. India leaves no stone unturned to destroy our garment industry and the so-called leaders of the garment factories indirectly are implementing Indian design and Anu Muhammad stands for them. It is enough to comprehend for whom his group stands for.
India also succeeded in foiling American investment when efforts were made to construct a private terminal in Chittagong Port. Mayor Mohiuddin belonging to ruling Awami League threatened to paralyze Bangladesh if American Company would have been allowed do to it. But the same Mohiduddin openly advocated in public that India had the moral right to use Chittagong Port and the current Hasina government made Mohiuddin's dream a success not only by awarding Chittagong Port, but also Mongla Port, railways, waterways and highways to India. What did Anu Muhammad do to protect our ports for which he outwardly struggles? Pinak Chowrobarty and his predecessors and successor overtly and covertly made the ground prepared to get these facilities that severely will weaken the viable sovereignty and independence of Bangladesh. Anu Mohammad and his forum did not demand the expulsion of any Indian diplomat from Bangladesh.
Knowledgeable sources believe the forum actually serves Indian interest in Bangladesh. India uses its agents and influence to discourage foreign investment in our mineral sector, as India desires that these resources should remain unutilized till India can either merge Bangladesh to India or at least, establish hundred per cent control on Bangladesh, so that it can grab our resources. On the other hand, if gas and oil are exploited Bangladesh not only will become rich, but it will cause their deposit in India. Anu Muhammad's forum since its inception simply succeeded in driving away the foreign companies from Bangladesh.
The demand of the forum will simply annoy America that can harm Bangladesh in multifarious ways. Bangladesh will lose the single largest buyer of our garment products. Moreover, America provides various types of supports in many sectors. Above all, a friendly relation with America will strengthen our economy, even sovereignty.
So America should comprehend India's game centering Bangladesh. India despite maintaining warm relation with America, does not favour that Bangladesh should maintain the same with America. India thinks she will control and manage the entire South Asian region, and no outside player, including America, should interfere here.
Bangladeshis in general do not support Indian dream. Bangladeshi people are not inimical to America or any other country, even India. It is India that made us anti-India. Our first priority is to secure our independence and sovereignty at any cost. For this reason our people value American friendship. Our friends, including America, should realize the sensitivities and problems of the Bangladeshis. They shouldn't cause our interest. They should not create any excuse, which the surrogates of our adversary will use to drive our friends from us and pave way for their mentor - India.*
[ Mohammad Zainal Abedin is a Bangladeshi journalist and researcher. Email: noa@agni.com ]
The forum for a long time tried to buy the sympathy and support of the people outwardly through its very name 'The National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports'. Its outward pro-nationalistic agenda naturally gained some moral support to it. And I was one those supporters. But its policy now seems to be contradictory. Any dispassionate explanation uncovers some realities.
Mentors of this forum attached some very sensitive issues with its name, so that it gets acceptability from the patriotic and nationalistic forces of Bangladesh. But could it, in the truest sense of the term, protect our overall interest? Anu Muhammad and his group are engaged mainly in Phulbari ignoring other sensitive areas that are going to foreign control through overt and covert treaties, which are that not only contrary to economic, strategic and logistic interests of Bangladesh, but also to its sovereignty and independence, better to say very existence .
What did this forum do when Pinak Ranjan Chakraborty openly worked favouring Indian interest in Bangladesh? Did Anu Mohammad declared him persona-non-grata ? What did his forum do when Indian journalist branded Bangladesh as buffer State? Did this forum demand Pinak Ranjan's expulsion or call the people to boycott India and its products? What his forum is doing to release our economic zone in the Bay of Bengal which is now under Indian and Myanmar occupation? No protest was visible when our garment factories were set on fire and ransacked by Indian agents and bought by India companies one after another. No viable protest is visible when the incumbent government offers our ports, highways, waterways and railways to India free of cost.
Anu Muhammad and his forum perhaps still recognize India as friendly country though it kills our people in the bordering area, grabs our land, blockades water of the international rivers, uses tentacles to minimize Bangladesh to a satellite State, makes Bangladesh its monopoly market, captures the vital sectors of Bangladesh under the camouflage of investment. To resist Indian hegemonic design strong protest, even boycott of India and its commodities, are the need of the day. But the champions of patriotism, including Anu Muhammad axis, are unexpectedly mum. They remain silent when India claims and tries to snatch away those territories Bangladesh that are enriched with uranium and other mineral resources. Anu Muhammad and his group remained silent when Indian nationals enjoying BSF support cut away crops from Bangladeshi land. It did not even issued a statement when India, even distorting map, keeps hundreds of thousands of acres of Bangladeshi land under its occupation.
Their demand to expel American Ambassador could attract popular support if they did the same when India causes our interest, even existence. What is more detrimental to Bangladesh whether lobbying of an American Ambassador favouring foreign companies and open-cast coal mining or India's gradual hegemonic progress in Bangladesh? Contradictory and duel role of 'The National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports' uncovers one reality that its officials, concealing their Indian connection, covertly stand for Indian interest.
India wants Bangladesh should be isolated from the rest of the world. With this end in view, India endeavours to brand Bangladesh as the haunt of the Islamic terror. To this goal, India finances its agents, shelters them and provides them with arms and explosives and brands them as Islamic terrorists mainly to annoy the western world, so that they leave Bangladesh. The latest demand of Anu Muhammad's group, is another trick directed to that end.
India never wants Bangladesh should maintain direct relation with any powerful country. India since the inception of Bangladesh relentlessly endeavours that Bangladesh should rotate and revolve around India. India has already progressed to that direction to a great extent. Bangladesh's foreign policy now is India-centric. Due to India-tilted policy Bangladesh already lost its link to the Muslim world that stopped recruiting Bangladeshi workers using many lame excuses. Though President Obama, after his victory announced to visit Bangladesh, he ignored it when he went to India. No Head of the State or the Government, except Turkey, visited Bangladesh during the last two years.
The much talked-about Prime Minister's visit to China practically was a cover to her pro-India policy. Foreign investment in Bangladesh declined to a great extent. No foreign company dares to invest in Bangladesh due to India-sponsored terrorist attack. Very recently, and earlier, under the cover of labour agitation some selected garments factories, particularly owned by the foreign companies, were set on fire, ransacked and looted and Anu Muhammad demands the release of such a woman whose activities are detrimental to garment industry. India leaves no stone unturned to destroy our garment industry and the so-called leaders of the garment factories indirectly are implementing Indian design and Anu Muhammad stands for them. It is enough to comprehend for whom his group stands for.
India also succeeded in foiling American investment when efforts were made to construct a private terminal in Chittagong Port. Mayor Mohiuddin belonging to ruling Awami League threatened to paralyze Bangladesh if American Company would have been allowed do to it. But the same Mohiduddin openly advocated in public that India had the moral right to use Chittagong Port and the current Hasina government made Mohiuddin's dream a success not only by awarding Chittagong Port, but also Mongla Port, railways, waterways and highways to India. What did Anu Muhammad do to protect our ports for which he outwardly struggles? Pinak Chowrobarty and his predecessors and successor overtly and covertly made the ground prepared to get these facilities that severely will weaken the viable sovereignty and independence of Bangladesh. Anu Mohammad and his forum did not demand the expulsion of any Indian diplomat from Bangladesh.
Knowledgeable sources believe the forum actually serves Indian interest in Bangladesh. India uses its agents and influence to discourage foreign investment in our mineral sector, as India desires that these resources should remain unutilized till India can either merge Bangladesh to India or at least, establish hundred per cent control on Bangladesh, so that it can grab our resources. On the other hand, if gas and oil are exploited Bangladesh not only will become rich, but it will cause their deposit in India. Anu Muhammad's forum since its inception simply succeeded in driving away the foreign companies from Bangladesh.
The demand of the forum will simply annoy America that can harm Bangladesh in multifarious ways. Bangladesh will lose the single largest buyer of our garment products. Moreover, America provides various types of supports in many sectors. Above all, a friendly relation with America will strengthen our economy, even sovereignty.
So America should comprehend India's game centering Bangladesh. India despite maintaining warm relation with America, does not favour that Bangladesh should maintain the same with America. India thinks she will control and manage the entire South Asian region, and no outside player, including America, should interfere here.
Bangladeshis in general do not support Indian dream. Bangladeshi people are not inimical to America or any other country, even India. It is India that made us anti-India. Our first priority is to secure our independence and sovereignty at any cost. For this reason our people value American friendship. Our friends, including America, should realize the sensitivities and problems of the Bangladeshis. They shouldn't cause our interest. They should not create any excuse, which the surrogates of our adversary will use to drive our friends from us and pave way for their mentor - India.*
[ Mohammad Zainal Abedin is a Bangladeshi journalist and researcher. Email: noa@agni.com ]
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