India's Designs to Harm Bangladesh Using Islamic Militancy as Pretext Mohammad Zainal Abedin - During the recent Awami League rule (1996-2001), India began a propaganda war which claims Islamic terrorists are becoming active in Bangladesh. A section of Dhaka-based dailies frequently made reports about the existence of the militancy in Bangladesh. They repeatedly alleged that the Muslim terrorists were being trained deep in the jungle of Chittagong Hill Tracts, or Sundarbans or different madrashas of the country. Security forces instantly rushed to those spots mentioned in the dailies, but found the reports fake and baseless. To provoke the America-led western power India deliberately launched media campaign that Bangladesh has become a safe base of al-Quada and Taliban terrorists. To promote the idea of the existence of the Islamic militant groups in Bangladesh, the government even officially published booklets on the eve of the US President Bill Clinton's visit to Bangladesh. American government, however, still officially claims that there is no real Islamic militancy in Bangladesh, rather Bangladesh is a moderate Muslim democratic country. During its rule, AL government arrested a number of madrasha teachers and students and Imams of the mosques branding them either as terrorists or their godfathers and claimed that some of them were trained in Afghanistan or Kashmir. But the court failed to prove the allegation and they were released. But neither India nor AL stopped their fake propagation and their followers or hired columnists stopped their campaign. India and its allies in Bangladesh were cock sure about the existence of such extremist groups in the country, as they fueled them. It is unfortunate that our ministry of Home Affairs failed earlier about India's hand in floating a number of India-sponsored outwardly Islamic terrorist outfits that clandestinely served in the interest of India in justifying the allegation of India and its Bangladeshi allies. India's constant aggressive designs to create disturbances in her neighbouring countries ventilates her expansionist as well as jealous attitude against her peace loving and innocent neighbours is known to all. But India is particularly intolerant towards her neighbouring Muslim countries, Bangladesh and Pakistan, as they were curved out of British India. India, after 58 years of the partition of the subcontinent, unfortunately failed to forget the spirit of two-nation theory. She applies this theory in dealing with the Muslims inside her own territory and beyond. The recent bomb attacks on some NGO installations and cultural soirees and the subsequent arrest of some terrorists under the guise of so-called Islamic militants and their gangleaders unveiled India's involvement. A number of Bangladeshi dailies on February 25, 2005, quoting the interrogation of the arrested informed, that the recently banned so-called Muslim outfits - JMTB (Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh) and Jamaatul Mujahiden-were the brainchildren of Indian intelligence agency-RAW. The outward and instant aim of floating these outfits was to justify Indian allegation that Bangladesh is a haven of the Islamic terrors and provoke the government to take stern action against the madrashas, their teachers and students. Such step will make the government unpopular among the people that will deter the possibility of returning to power of the alliance government and pave the way to install a puppet government in Dhaka. The long-term design is to invite American-led anti-terror invasion or get American permission to invade Bangladesh so that either the invaders or their puppets in Dhaka gradually can close down the madrashas and crush the Islamic scholars, intellectuals, and even the pro-nationalist forces and ultimately make Bangladesh a vassal state of India. Now the question arises why India is inimical to madarasha education in Bangladesh. Historically, India believes in the unification of the pre-1947 map of the British India, which means destruction of independent Bangladesh. Indian policy makers believe that madrashas and madrasha education are main sources of inspiration of pro-nationalist forces. So long these institutions exist in Bangladesh, it will not be possible to control and keep Bangladesh under her occupation if she invades and captures it eve in remote future. Indians are aware that the maulanas, mulllahs, imams, pirs, darvishs, in brief the Muslim religious leaders, organised and led all the anti-British movements and struggles in the subcontinent when the Hindus extended their unconditional support to British occupation and exploitation. So the real resistance in Bangladesh will come from the madashas, whenever India bids to capture it. On the other hand, this education keeps the candle of Muslim identity alive in Bangladesh, which is the main bar of the reunification of the British India. For this reason madrasha as well as madrasha education has become the prime target of India. After the emergence of Bangladesh in 1971, India tried its best to ban madrasha and Islamic education in Bangladesh alleging that all the teachers and students of madrashas were collaborators and they should be tried and given exemplary punishment. But the then government paid no heed to pressure of Indian government, though madrahas remained closed for certain period of time. But India did not lose heart; rather worked vigorously over the years to defame the madrahas and their teachers and students branding them anti-liberation forces. Madrassas were termed as the producers of 'rajakars' and anti-liberation forces. Demand was raised from the pro-India elements to close down madrashs and madrasha education. During the immediate past AL rule, madrasha teachers and students passed hard days and many of them were the victims of harassment and persecution and thrown into jail under fake allegations. Pro-lndian print media branded the madrashas as Taliban training centres. Same of the madrashas were closed down during the AL regime (1996-2001). Moreover, all the governments were directly and indirectly influenced to change the curriculum and syllabus of the madrasha education in the name of modernisation and reformation, so that the students and teachers are gradually diverted to secularism, which is the road to the unification of dreamy 'Akhand Bharat.' Above all, the debacle of AL in the general election of 2001 scared India of and it came to this conclusion that religious parties played the vital role in installing a nationalist government in Bangladesh. Indian intelligence are confirmed that the ruling alliance will come out victorious in the coming election scheduled to be held in 2006. Though the government adopts soft policy in dealing with India, it does not respond positively in allowing transit or port facilities to India or allow her forces to use Bangladesh territory to fight against the militants of her northeastern states. Moreover, the relatively independent foreign policy of the alliance government, its internal success stories, above all its 'look east' policy scared Indians strategists that Bangladesh would get out of Indian fold if the alliance is allowed to form government again. For all these reason, India took hard line against the alliance government. Other than disturbing the government in hundreds of ways, Indian agencies clandestinely recruited agents from those who are outwardly seen and known as religious and have relations with madrashas. This is how India now uses the card of the presence of the Islamic militancy in Bangladesh in order to crush religious education and brand Bangladesh a terror-infested country and isolate it from the international community and install a puppet government to turn it into a secular vassal state and annex it to India in course of time when Muslim identity will be replaced by secular spirit. Quoting intelligence agencies a number of Bangladeshi dailies said, both the recently banned outfits were floated, financed and guided by RAW to carryout disruptive and subversive activities. 'The Inqilab, "The Manbjamin," The Amar Desh,' 'The Naya Diganta,' other dailies of Dhaka on February 25, 2005, unearthed how RAW floated a number of socalled Islamic militant outfits, JMJB (Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh), Jamaatul Mujahideens, etc., to implement Indian design and controlled and guided their activities from across the border. Police recovered some vouchers from the house of Mantazar Rahman, which show that some unnamed persons used to come from and go to India through the Hilly Border. The arrested cadres confessed that an assembly of learning the holy Quran used to hold at Jaypurhat residence of Jamaatul Mujahideen Commander Mantazar Rahman and others on every Sunday and Tuesday. In those gatherings vegetables were served instead of beef during dinner or launch, but in Bangladesh, beef is the main item of such occasion. The intelligence agencies believe that the avoidance of beef indicates that some Hindus used to attend in those outwardly Islamic gatherings to brief the leaders and cadres of the outfits. Other than briefing on subversive activities, other major task of these outfits, were to award erroneous 'fatwa' (Islamic Judicial decree). The main task of these RAW-financed organisations is to derail and crush the real pro-nationalist Islamic movement in Bangladesh. Indian RAW pours huge amount of money to expand these outfits and keeps them active. No worker of Jamaatul Mujahideen knows who was the real leader of the outfit and from which source money comes. It is learnt that a group of Rajshahi-based lawyers belonging to Awami League (AL) and a section of anti-government dailies assisted these groups in earning prominence and spreading activities of Shahadat-e-AI Hikma, another outfit. Its Amir, Syed Kaowsar Houssain was a half-educated Maulana. He was admitted into Rajshahi College in 1999, but could no sit for HSC examination due to financial crisis. Kaowsar does not have the financial or educational ability to run such a militant organisation. So the question arises, how he could gain financial ability to run the outfit. One pro-AL lawyer, Rashidul Islam of Rajshahi Bar assisted and financed Kaowsar in drafting the constitution and leaflets, posters and other publications of his outfit. Rashidul Islam also provided him legal assistance when he was arrested along with his party worker. Sanjib Roy, the President of Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Okkiya Parishad, accompanied Kaowsar on a tour to India. Kaowsar was introduced in India with an Indian citizen Ashim Kumar who later took him to a hotel and arranged his appointment with such a person who claimed himself that he was Mafia godfather Daud Ibrahim. It is suspected that he was high-ranking RAW official. On the other hand, Jamaatul Mujahideen headed by Dr. Ghalib Rajshahi University (RU) was floated in 1998 during Awami League rule. Most the leaders and workers of this organisation are the followers of Ahale Hadith. Abdur Rahman, who once acted as the Amir of Jammatul Mujahideen, is the husband of the sister of Mirja Azam MP of Jamalpur-3 constituency belonging to AL. Using his relationship with an AL MP Abdur Rahman procured the dealership of fertiliser and earned a lot of money during AL rule. On the other hand, Dr. Ghalib of RU who now heads the outfit maintains warm relation with some influential political leaders of different parties. On the other hand, concealing his real profession and identity secret during AL period, Dr. Ghalib using a business passport went to India and stayed there for 11 days. When this forgery came to light, the then Register of RU Prof. Mohammad Younus served showcause notice on him and took disciplinary measures against him. But the initiative deterred and foiled due to the interference of the then Home Minister Mohmmad Nasim and the Mayor of Dhaka City Corporation Mohammad Hanif. Both belong to AL. During interrogation, the arrested persons informed that an Indian prominent religious leader used to come to Bangladesh and inspired them to work for Islamic revolution. A number of Bangladeshis got huge amount of money, arms, explosives and Other materials through this Indian religious leader. As a result, the activities of these groups suddenly expanded in bordering districts like Satkhira, Chapai Nawabganj, Rajshahi, etc. It is learnt that Indian RAW tried to brand Bangladesh as a terrorist country using these elements The coal of raisine outwardly Islamic outfits was to throw the government to an awkward position-internally and internationally. When the government would take punitive measures against the outwardly Islamic militants, the common Bangladeshis will go against it. On the other hand, if the government remain mum, it will be isolated from the international community. In that case, India will get chance to prove that the government nurses the militants. India will also try to persuade the western powers to impose punitive measures against Bangladesh, including trade embargo, economic blockade, even military invasion. Its short-term goal is to unseat the present government, while its long-term goal is to isolate Bangladesh from the international community and finally invade her. The international community should evaluate India's historical design and evaluate its involvement in imposing terrorism in her neighbouring countries, particularly in Bangladesh. If a giant country constantly designs to undo a tiny neighbour, it can neither wipe out terrorism, nor survive. India is well aware of this evil theory and deliberately creates terrorists in different sectors to meet her ulterior goal. India is the architect of terrorism in Bangladesh. Under this situation, international community before blaming Bangladesh for all sorts of terrorist activities, should identify the real sponsor of terrorism, that let loose the terrorists not only in Bangladesh, but also in other South Asian countries and ask her to refrain from such heinous misdeeds.