Bangladesh under Emergency: Islamic Militants Might Have Free Run Amid Chaos

By Animesh Roul

After months of street violence, arson, widespread unrest and protest, Bangladesh President and Chief Advisor of caretaker government, Iajuddin Ahmed declared a state of emergency on January 11 (Thursday) and announced on national television that the 22 January vote was postponed as, “It's not possible to hold the elections on schedule." While stepping down, Iajuddin Ahmed observed, "Political animosity, mistrust and violence have made life miserable for the people and made the future of democracy uncertain."

The civil unrest started October 2006 due to a tug of war among major political parties to hold or not to hold the general election, took almost 50 lives so far. The declaration of emergency came after the United Nations has suspended all technical support for elections. All international agencies backed out. The US-based National Democratic Institute for International Affairs and the International Republican Institute refused to monitor the elections, so also the European Union has suspended its election observation mission. The situation prompted the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to underscore that “The political crisis in Bangladesh has severely jeopardized the legitimacy of the electoral process. And the United Nations has had to suspend all technical support to the electoral process, including by closing its International Coordination Office for Election Observers in Dhaka."

Serious political instability emerged when the multi-party alliance headed by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina (of Awami League -AL) stand firm to boycott the poll on grounds that the ballot would not be free and impartial under the interim caretaker government, which according to Hasina, is biased towards main rival Khaleda Zia’s coalition.

However, during ongoing crisis, politician and militant nexus came to forefront. The grand alliance led by AL has all of them. The nexus came to limelight when workers of AL in Sylhet have refused to work for Maulana Habibur Rahman, the nominee of the AL-led grand alliance and in the election. Habibur has been heading a Madrassa and supportive of a 'Taliban-style rule in Bangladesh and links to proscribed outfit Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami (HUJI). Another party with links to HUJI, entered into pre poll deal with AL was the Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish led by Shaikhul Hadith Azizul Haq. Militant elements are also involved with Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Two extreme political parties with strong militant nexus, Bangladesh Islamic Assembly (Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh) and Islamic Unity Front (Islamic Okyo Jote) were with the BNP led alliance in the last election. Many Islamic outfits believed to have mushroomed under Zia regime.

Nevertheless, besides peace and stability, the other prime casualty in this hour of crisis and chaos would be the ongoing counter terrorist operations. During the emergency, Army and Paramilitary forces are going to play custodian of civil law and order.

In the ongoing anti-terror operations the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has neutralized many militant hideouts and arrested some high profile Jihadists including Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai and Abdur Rahman of the Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh in 2005. On January 9, RAB personnel busted a hideout of JMB at the Badda locality of capital Dhaka and recovered equipments used for making grenades along with large amount of explosives. The seizure included 34 kilograms of power-gel packed in 68 packets, 40 improvised iron casings for making grenades, four kilograms of ammonium nitrate in eight packets (each containing 500gm) and a book on Jihad. Two people were arrested in this connection and identified as Mohammad Ibrahim Khalil Ullah and Shoyeb. RAB members suspected that the JMB men collected the explosives to carry out attacks during poll at any public place. Couple of days before, RAB apprehended at least six JMB militants at Narayanganj, near Dhaka and seized a huge of quantity of explosives, including 80 hand grenades. If this elite counter terror force, which has been engaged in CT operations till now, called to tackle civil unrests and crime in cities, or to be a stand by force, things would be conducive for already cornered militants to gain upper hand and that would worsen the already volatile situation.

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