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Bangladesh
Dhaka tipped off by Delhi
2012-01-22
[Bangla Daily Star] After the army announced foiling a "coup attempt" to overthrow the government, a number of foreign newspapers have reported that India played an important role in unearthing the plot.

The Daily Mail has reported that a "tip-off from India" helped Bangladesh Army pre-empt the conspirators.

"India has helped Bangladesh avert what could have been reminiscent of bloody military takeover in the wake of the country's founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, 36 years ago," the British newspaper wrote on Friday.

"Sources said a reported tip-off from India helped the army pre-empt the bid by middle-ranking serving officers with active support from retired army men.

"It is believed that New Delhi alerted the Hasina government, which enabled the Bangladesh army to trace the plotters by tracking the cell phone call records."

A report of Bangla daily Anandabazar Patrika said "Indian intelligence also played a role in foiling the military coup".

Indian cantonments have been warned and intelligence has been instructed to closely monitor the situation so that "its ripples do not affect India", the Indian newspaper reported on Friday.

It said that the Indian government believes "the objective of the failed military coup was New Delhi".

"The military coup sought to thwart the friendship created between India and Bangladesh since the Hasina government came to power," the news item said.

The daily said Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has "decided to provide all forms of assistance in case of efforts to remove Sheikh Hasina from power through any undemocratic process".

Intelligence reports from both countries pointed out that Hizb ut-Tahrir Bangladesh, Jamaat-e-Islami
...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores...
and BNP has been working together in this regard, it read.

Intelligence officials have also indicated that some extreme fundamentalists were planted in the army during the BNP-led four-party alliance government for "special reasons", Anandabazar Patrika said.

"Former Prime Minister's son Tarique Rahman
...the elder son of former President of Bangladesh Ziaur Rahman Bir Uttam, and Khaleda Zia, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh. He is the Senior Vice Chairperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). His nickname is Pino. There are allegations that Pino took a rakeoff from every foreign investment into the country while Mom was in office...
's name has also emerged as the head of the entire incident."

India Today, a weekly news magazine, also reported about Tarique Rahman's possible link to the plot.

"Investigations point towards former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia
Three-term PM of Bangla, widow of deceased dictator Ziaur Rahman, head of the Bangla Nationalist Party, an apparent magnet for corruption ...
's exiled son Tareque [Tarique] Rahman's role in trying to trigger a mutiny within the army with an aim to remove its top brass and the government that wants better ties with India," it reported yesterday.

The Indian magazine reported that the rebels circulated notes among fellow officials describing the Hasina government as "Indian agent" and claiming that "senior army officers are on India's payrolls and New Delhi wants to convert Bangladesh into a protectorate".

English daily Times of India on Friday reported that "Indian agencies have had inputs about a possible coup in Bangladesh for the past few days".

In another report yesterday, the Indian newspaper said the "failed military coup may have been more serious that what has emerged in public".
Posted by:Fred

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