Pak, China's hand in Bangladesh crisis, Hasina's ouster planned in UK: Intel
The aim of the Jamaat-e-Islami, known for its anti-India stance, was to turn the student protests into a political movement
Following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in neighbouring Bangladesh, it has come to light that the blueprint for regime change, which witnessed massive protests over a quota system, was prepared in London in alliance with Pakistan’s ISI, according to intelligence reports.
Bangladeshi officials claimed to have proof of meetings between Tarique Rahman, the acting chief of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and son of Khaleda Zia, and ISI officials in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, several “anti-Bangladesh” handles on X were continuously fuelling the protest.
Sources said the Pakistan Army and the ISI intended to destabilise the Hasina government and restore the Opposition BNP, which is known to be pro-Pakistan. Through the ISI, China also played a role in escalating the protests that eventually forced Hasina to flee to India.
Though the protests started over the issue of job reservations, they gradually evolved into a broader anti-government movement against Hasina, leaving over 300 dead and hundreds injured.
The intelligence establishment said the ISI-backed Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS), the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, incited the protests and turned it into an effort to replace Hasina with a regime that is friendly to Pakistan and China
The aim of the Jamaat-e-Islami, known for its anti-India stance, was to turn the student protests into a political movement.
The intelligence inputs indicate meticulous planning undertaken by Islami Chhatra Shibir members for several months. A significant portion of this funding is believed to have originated from Chinese entities operating in Pakistan, intelligence sources said.
The roots of the protests lie in a controversial quota system that reserved up to 30 per cent of government jobs for family members of veterans from Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence against Pakistan.
Even though the Bangladesh Supreme Court slashed the job quotas to 5%, the protests took an ugly turn, with agitators demanding Hasina's resignation. The protests aggravated on August 4 as over 100 died in clashes with police.