Pakistan's Souring Ties with Bangladesh

By V K GAUR

New Delhi, Dec 17, 2018:

Pakistan's ties with Bangladesh are set to dip further with Dhaka refusing to accept Islamabad's new envoy following allegations of Pakistan’s diplomatic mission being misused to perpetrate ISI activities against Dhaka and Delhi.

The Awami League leadership has accused BNP of holding secret meetings with Pakistani diplomats to hatchconspiracy to destroy peaceful pre -election atmosphere. So far the situation is conducive to hold fair and free elections.

Awami League Joint General Secretary Abdur Rahman said that Tarique Rahman son of Begum Zia Chairperson of BNP had met with Pakistani officials in London to spoil the election and now BNP leaders are following Tarique Rahman’s path by holding meetings with Pakistani officials.

BNP, meeting with Pakistani embassy officials seems to have created panic in the peace- loving people about the election. Some other members of Pak High Commission met BNP leaders in posh restaurants in Gulshan area of Dhaka. 

 The Sheikh Hasina-led Bangladesh government, seeking re-election in December 30, 2018 polls, has accused the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka of meddling with the country's internal affairs and election process.

Pakistan High Commission's role in Bangladesh's internal politics ahead of polls came to light when charged`affairs of the Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka, Shah Faisal Kakar and defence adviser Brigadier Kamran Nazir Malik, met three leaders of the opposition. However, Pak High Commission spokesperson categorically denied allegations.

The post of High Commissioner of Pakistan in Dhaka has been vacant since this March. A new envoy to Dhaka Saqlain Syedah, was nominated by Pakistan however, the Hasina government refused to accept her.

During the rule of Khaleda Zia and before Sheikh Hasina came to power, Bangladesh became hub of anti - Indian activities. The ISI operatives and most of the intelligence outfits of Bangladesh worked in close cooperation to promote Islamic terror, create serious disruption of law and order and provide unstinted support, protection and guidance to insurgents of North East India. 

The insurgents established their camps cum liaison offices in Dhaka.  The son of Begum ZiaTarique Rehman met Indian insurgent leaders and ISI operatives. Conspiracies were hatched against India. 

Both Pakistan and ISI are desperate to bring back BNP to power in Bangladesh. Election strategy was drawn and several tiers of candidates were prepared to file nomination for December elections.

The BNP recently announced the final list of 298 candidates, including 60 for its allies in the 20-party and the JatiyaOikya Front.

Two other seats from Chottogram and Cox's Bazar have been kept for Liberal Democratic Party Chairman Col (retired) Oli Ahmed and Jamaat leader Hamidur Rahman Azad.

There are no rebel candidates from the BNP and its allies. Of the 238 BNP nominees, around 100 are first-time candidates while 16 are women and five from religious and ethnic minorities.

Meanwhile, the party has also finalised three backup candidates for the seats its Chairperson Khaleda Zia sought to run from.

The party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will contest from Bogura-6, Morshed Milton from Bogura and Rafiqul Islam from Feni.It comes a day after the Election Commission rejected all three appeals by Khaleda against the cancellation of her nomination papers by the returning officers on grounds of her conviction in two corruption cases.

Meanwhile, Khaleda Zia has gone to High court against election commission’s decision. In case the HC rejects Khaleda's petition, it will be the first time that the BNP would contest the polls without Khaleda, now in jail, since she rose to the helm of the party in 1984.

Fakhrul and Standing Committee Member KhandakarMosharraf Hossain are the only BNP candidates who are contesting the election from two seats each.

In all, 13 political parties are taking part in the polls on BNP symbol.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, a key component in the BNP-led 20-party, has been given 22 seats.

Jamaat leaders had sought nominations in 61 constituencies -- 25 with BNP ticket and the rest as independent candidates.

Of the other partners in the 20-party alliance, LDP got five seats, Jamiat-e-Ulama-e-Islam four, Khelafat Majlish and Bangladesh Jatiya Party (Zafar) two each and Bangladesh Kalyan Party, Bangladesh Jatiya Party (Partha), National Peoples Party and Labour Party one each.

Among the Oikya front partners, Gono forum got seven seats, Nagorik Oikya five, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Rob) five and Krishak Sramik Janata League (KSJL) four seats.

Two seats -- Pabna and Chapainawabganj have been kept open for both Oikyafront and Jamaat candidates.

The BNP, which boycotted the 2014 election, had nominated 696 aspirants in 295 constituencies. It had single candidates in only 36 seats, while more than one in the rest.

Both BNP and Pakistan operatives in BD are desperate to bring back BNP to power. The possibility of booth capturing, poll rigging, attacks on minority voters to stop them from voting for AL alliance and largescale violence before and during voting cannot be ruled out.

Photo Courtesy – Bangla Insider / New Age BD (Indicative File Picture)

(The writer Mr VK Gaur is former IG, BSF and has written more than 50 Books on the issues related to Defence, Strategy and Internal security. )

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