BANGLADESH MILITARY INTELLIGENCE ACTIVE BUT NOT VERY ADEPT AT POLITICS
CREATED - 2008-07-03 04:35
S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 DHAKA 000721
NOFORN SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/29/2018
REF: DHAKA 0692
Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty. Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d)
SUMMARY
¶1. (S) The Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI)
remains involved in domestic politics, bullying some
politicians and plotting behind the scenes with others to
advance its agenda. In recent days, senior politicians have
told Post how leaders of the intelligence group have
privately outlined plans to try to ensure the next Parliament
acts in accordance with the military's wishes. One prominent
lawyer for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party described recent
DGFI threats against him for actions it deemed inimical to
its political goals. The DGFI's use of heavy-handed tactics,
from encouraging a bitter factional rift within a major
political party to alleged physical abuse of the detained son
of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, have hardly been
effective and there is little reason to believe subsequent
efforts will achieve success. Still, continued interference
could complicate Caretaker Government efforts to return
Bangladesh to democracy by raising questions about the
credibility of the upcoming elections.
AN UNIMPRESSIVE RECORD IN POLITICS
¶2. (C) DGFI is the much-feared military intelligence force
that has been active in domestic politics since the Caretaker
Government (CTG) came to power in January 2007 with the
strong support of Chief of Army Staff Gen. Moeen Uddin Ahmed.
The CTG seeks a return to democracy this year and an end to
the endemic political violence and graft that have plagued
the country. (Note: General Moeen restated these goals during
a meeting with Ambassador Moriarty on June 26 (reftel).)
Regime leaders also want to ensure vengeance is not pursued
against them by politicians who have been targeted in a
sweeping anti-graft campaign. In pursuit of those goals, DGFI
has played a key role in trying to remove from politics two
former prime ministers, Awami League President Sheikh Hasina
and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson Khaleda
Zia, who it views as responsible for the country's endemic
political violence and graft. It has supported reformist
factions in those two parties opposed to the former prime
ministers and has helped create new parties that back the
Caretaker Government's agenda. The DGFI also has tried to
shape media coverage of politics to its liking by
intimidating journalists and by controlling editorial
content. In one sign of how fearful many Bangladeshis are of
the DGFI, they often refuse to mention its name even in
private conversation, instead refering to it as "the powers
that be" or "the invisible force."
¶3. (S) Still, the DGFI's political record to date is not
good. Its "minus-two" policy of attempting to sideline the
two former prime ministers by sending them into exile abroad
or destroying them politically at home has failed. Both women
remain firmly at the helm of their parties despite multiple
corruption charges. DGFI support for an anti-Khaleda Zia
faction of the BNP has been a bust, at least in part because
the intelligence agency's fingerprints in orchestrating the
intraparty split were so obvious. Meanwhile, two new
political parties supported by DGFI have failed to generate
popular enthusiasm. And the alleged physical abuse of Khaleda
Zia's son, Tarique Rahman, while in DGFI custody has managed
to create sympathy for him despite his reputation for gross
corruption and ruthlessness.
-----MORE POLITICAL MACHINATIONS AND MORE THREATS
¶4. (S) Two prominent BNP reformists told PolOff June 23 about
a meeting a few days earlier at which three senior DGFI
officials insisted the military needed to exercise control
over the government for three years to ensure political
reforms stuck. The reformists -- former Health Minister
Chowdhury Kamal Ibne Yusuf and his brother, former Parliament
member Choudhury Akmal Ibne Yusuf (protect) -- met with DGFI
Director General Maj. Gen. Golam Mohammad and Brig. Gen. ATM
Amin, director of counterterrorism. According to the
brothers' account, the DGFI leaders said Parliamentaryelections would definitely be held in December and they
wanted to ensure a majority of elected members support the
CTG's agenda. The DGFI leaders said it therefore was
important for BNP reformists to compete in the election even
if the mainstream Khaleda Zia loyalists called for a boycott.
The DGFI said it would ensure victory for the reformists and
likeminded candidates.
¶5. (S) One brother said he had recently received a phone call
from Brig. Gen. Amin's cousin asking for names of such
prospective candidates. Other politicians from both the BNP
and Awami League -- including former Awami League
Parliamentary Whip Md. Abdus Shahid (protect), for example --
have told Post they had received similar enquiries from the
DGFI. (Note: There is widespread speculation about tactics
the DGFI could use to manipulate the election. These include
providing resources to favored candidates and threatening
with arrest those it does not want to see run. Gen. Moeen
during his meeting with the Ambassador strongly denied there
would be any such manipulation. End note.)
¶6. (S) Meanwhile, lawyer Muhammad Nawshad Zamir (protect),
who represents Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman in their graft
cases, told PolOff June 25 he had been threatened a day
earlier by the DGFI. According to Nawshad, he had been
summoned to meet a DGFI acquaintance who passed on a demand
from Brig. Gen. Amin to end public comments in support of
Tarique Rahman or face possible arrest by National Security
Intelligence. Nawshad also said a top-level DGFI delegation
June 24 had visited his father, the Speaker of Parliament,
and said the Speaker would not succeed the President as head
of state even though he was next in line under the
Constitution. The meeting came amid reports that the
President's frail health was failing. (Note: Media reports
have since said the President's health had improved. End
note.)
-------MIXED SIGNALS: WHAT IS THE DGFI GAME PLAN?
¶7. (S) Despite signs that DGFI machinations have not ceased,
there also is evidence that the DGFI recently has deferred to
the civilian advisers in the Caretaker Government Cabinet on
key political decisions. The civilian advisers appear to have
taken the lead in negotiating the parole of Sheikh Hasina,
who also is facing graft charges, to go abroad for medical
treatment. The civilian advisers also have voiced willingness
to free Khaleda Zia. Some politicians believe discord exists
within the DGFI itself over the fate of Tarique Rahman, who
is seeking urgent medical care abroad, and over whether
reunification of the BNP should be encouraged. The transfer
out of DGFI headquarters of its politically active Director
for Counter Intelligence, Brigadier General Fazlul Bari
Chowdhury, may be an acknowledgement of DGFI's political
failures and a sign that the intelligence group may adopt a
lower profile. More importantly, complaints from senior
military officers recently led General Moeen to order the
transfer out of DGFI of two lieutenant colonels close to Amin
who were intimately involved in the political machinations
and also accused of corruption. This indicates General Moeen
will reign in DGFI when its activities threaten to sully the
military and derail the reforms he advocates.
-------COMMENT: COERCIVE MEDDLING WON'T BOOST REFORM PROSPECTS
¶8. (S) Post strongly supports the Caretaker Government's
goals of returning to democracy this year and of establishing
reforms to fight systemic corruption and political violence.
We believe, however, that the legitimacy of reforms will be
weakened unless the Parliamentary elections are widely viewed
as fair and credible and free of manipulation. Even though
there is no reason to believe that DGFI efforts to manipulate
the outcome of the Parliament elections will be any more
successful than its earlier political scheming, such activity
could provide an excuse for the losing political party to
question the credibility of the vote. (Note: The Ambassador
forcefully underscored this point during a July 2 meeting
with Home Affairs Adviser Gen. (ret.) M.A. Matin. End note.)
While we will continue to foster a strong and mutually
beneficial working relationship with DGFI on
counterterrorism, we also will urge it to forgo political
intimidation and electoral manipulation that could undercutthe reforms needed to improve Bangladesh's horrendous
governance.
Moriarty
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