By BHASKARA ROY New Delhi (Syndicate Features): Bangladesh Army Chief Gen Moeen U.Ahmed is visiting Delhi from Sunday, Feb 24 on a four-day visit to this country. This is a long over due visit. Moeen planned to be in India last year. Domestic pre-occupations came in his way. Interestingly, he had squeezed in a visit to Pakistan though. One should not be surprised if Gen. Moeen visits Pakistan again after his India visit.
He may deny but his army is the real strength of the caretaker government which is trying to restore a stable and peaceful democratic political system in Bangladesh. Moeen is, therefore, as important as Chief Adviser Dr.Fakruddin Ahmed, who heads the government in Dhaka. In some ways, he may be more important.
There is something common between Moeen and his illustrious predecessor Gen Zia-ur-Rehman, who went on to become president of the country. Both were a part of the Pakistan army. While Moeen remained in Pakistan at the time of liberation war, Zia-ur Rehman took active part in the war that made Dhaka a free capital of a free country in December 1971.
In an article in a Bangladeshi magazine, soon after liberation, Zia wrote how he had knocked down a Pakistani officer in the boxing ring to avenge racial insults from that officer. As a Sector Commander, fighting for his country’s freedom, Zia is credited with announcing the liberation of Bangladesh over the Free Bangladesh Radio. The general impression was that Zia made the announcement on his own. Zia acolytes have contributed their bit to give wider currency to this view. The present military backed government has found out after careful scrutiny of records that Zia made the announcement on behalf of the Bangabandhu.
Recent disclosures suggest that Zia was complicit in the assassination of Mujib (Aug 15, 1975) though he had deftly used the aftermath of the assassination to propel himself into the Presidential palace. In that sense, he could be said to have betrayed the trust of Mujib. Also of India, which held him in high esteem.
Whether the date for killing Mujib was chosen deliberately or the day happened to be India’s Independence Day by accident is a moot point. But an unmistakable fact is that the policy of Bangladesh was turned upside down from that fateful day. Zia, during his reign, had turned Bangladesh officially against India. This was not only followed but built upon, by the political party he created - the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). His widow, Begum Khaleda Zia as the Chairperson of the BNP, has left nothing in her power to embitter Dhaka’s relationship with New Delhi.
In contrast, Gen. Moeen is generally viewed in India as a pro-Pak army officer who would naturally be anti-India. This view is buttressed by the fact that Moeen was in Pakistan during the liberation war and was a ‘repatriated’ officer. He also served in Islamabad as Bangladesh’s Defence Adviser for almost five years. And, Khaleda Zia appointed him as the Army Chief superseding several senior. Hence Moeen is generally typified as the BNP’s Military Chief, willing to carry out the orders of Party Chairperson Begum Zia, and her son Tariq Rehman Zia, the real power behind the throne.
In the past one year, Gen Moeen has given no room to raise a figure of accusation. He and his senior colleagues in the army prevented a BNP engineered coup in the army on January 8, 2007. And three days later, they supported Fakhruddin Choudhry headed Caretaker Government to impose Emergency rule.
The emergency rule is under severe criticism now for political reasons and, as some analysts say, it has served its purpose. But the decision announced on the evening of January 11, 2007 can be said to have saved the nation from a serious political upheaval on the streets with the two Begums in no mood to back out.
The army-backed Caretaker Government has tried to clean the country of unprecedented corruption witnessed under the 2001-2005 BNP-Jamaat-e-Islam government. Top political leaders from the two main parties, the BNP and the Awami League (AL), their businessmen partners in corruption and some bureaucrat facilitators have been taken into custody and cases registered against them. Some have also been convicted. Some others are absconding including two BNP heavy weight-Hanis Choudhury and Salauddin Qader Choudhury. Both were close advisors to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.
Gen.Moeen’s visit to India is taking place at a time the Caretaker Government is facing legal problems in pursuing the criminal cases against the corrupt. The Bangladesh High Court has held that Emergency Power Rules cannot be invoked for trying crimes committed much earlier. “A law enacted now cannot be applied retrospectively”. . Also, efforts to politically defranchise the two top leaders, Sheikh Hasina, and Begum Khaleda Zia may not have been an astute idea. Both the ladies are inheritors of the legacy of two most revered liberation leaders of the country. Hasina is the elder daughter of Mujib and Khaleda Zia is taken on the mantle of Zia. The caretaker regime might not have factored in the legal hassles in their exuberance which reflected what may be called political immaturity. A quick revisit to the strategy board is essential. Revoking or suspending for a few days emergency will be a good idea worth pursuing firstly to let in normal political activity and secondly to try all culprits including the liberation war criminals.
If Gen. Moeen and Chief Adviser Ahmed retreat at this point of time, Bangladesh can plunge into chaos. They should pursue vigorously their mission as interests within and outside the country may try to use the situation to turn the country back to its old self.
The army-backed Caretaker Government has scored some credible successes, especially in the area of law and order. It has eliminated a large number of terrorist kingpins like Bangla Bhai. They have also revived the case on the assassination attempt on Sheikh Hasina in which preliminary evidence shows complicity of BNP leaders.
On the foreign policy front, it must be said graciously, the present regime in Dhaka has tried to rectify the imbalance in bilateral relations with India. Till recently the Bangladesh Government under the BNP-Jamaat –e-Islami (JEI) coalition allowed Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the ISI, to run terrorist operations targetted against India from Bangladesh territory. Intelligence agencies of Bangladesh facilitated the ISI to establish the Harkat-ul-Jehad-al-Islami, Bangladesh (HUJI -BD) in Bangladesh territory. The HUJI -BD is controlled by the ISI from Pakistan and their involvement in terrorist acts in India is a matter of record.
The previous governments in Bangladesh allowed the Indian insurgent groups to operate from their territory. The top ULFA leaders live in Bangladesh, and the ULFA Central Command is located in Dhaka. ULFA Commander-in-Chief Paresh Barua lives in Dhaka with his family, and two children go to school in Dhaka. ULFA Chairman Anup Chetia still remains in Bangladesh, having completed his imprisonment in jail.
Other insurgent groups including the NSCN (I/M) procure part of their arms through and from Bangladesh. Many of top insurgent leaders including Paresh Barua and NSCN (I/M) leader Anthony Shimray hold Bangladeshi passports in different names.
Needless to say the first priority of army-backed Caretaker Government in Dhaka is not solving all these problems accumulated over three decades. Its charter is restoring popular rule in the country. Leaders like Gen. Moeen and Dr.Fakruddin Ahmed may not be free enough to create a new friendly relationship with India. Yet, a beginning can be made in turning around the India-Bangladesh relations.
Gen. Moeen had planned to visit India a year ago, but could not do so because of floods and domestic pressures. Instead, he visited Pakistan. One should not be surprised if Gen. Moeen visits Pakistan again after his India visit.
India should not have any concern with Bangladesh’s relations with other countries, Pakistan including. Its focus is how Dhaka prosecutes its relations with New Delhi. On its part, India has a responsibility towards Bangladesh as a close neighbour. It should not act like a big brother and create complications like it did with its thoughtless action on rice exports when Bangladesh was reeling under food shortages. Bangladesh too must reciprocate friendship and good neighbourliness in its own interest and the interest of the region. Being a paw of a third country inimical to India will not help Dhaka.
Moeen’s visit offers an excellent opening for opening a new chapter in bilateral relations. There is a need to ensure Gen. Moeen U. Ahmed returns home with a bag full of mutual understanding and mutual cooperation, realising the security sensitivities of India. (Syndicate Features)
