M A I N   N E W S

Changing face of Bangladesh
Charu Singh
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 11
Hiranmay Karlekar’s freshly launched book, ‘Bangladesh: The Next Afghanistan’ succeeds in what the author intended i.e. is reinventing Bangladesh’s image from being that of an anti-Pak, democratic and moderate Islamist nation to one of a fast emerging fundamentalist, hot bed of Jehadi outfits.

The book was recently launched on November 11 at the India Habitat Centre and the launch was succeeded by an indepth panel discussion featuring Mr H.K. Dua, Editor-in-Chief, The Tribune, Mr KPS Gill, former DGP, Punjab, and President of the Institute of Conflict Management, Chandan Mitra, Editor, The Pioneer and Mr Deb Mukherji, former High Commissioner of India to Pakistan. Karlekar’s book essentially traces the origins of fundamentalism and Jehadi outfits in Bangladesh and traces the situation down to today. The author stresses that very discreetly the headquarters of Islamic terror have shifted from Afghanistan to Bangladesh where fundamentalist influence has penetrated stakeholders in government, politics and the armed forces. An Islamist state within a state is being successfully built up and Bangladesh is fast turning into a covert base for exporting terror.

At a heated panel discussion, Mr H.K. Dua, Editor-in-Chief, The Tribune, felt that, “the basic point being brought out in this book is that fundamentalism has been growing in Bangladesh and now has reached a stage where it needs to be taken much more seriously then before. Fundamentalist forces have today infiltrated the army, government and all arms of the state. This is no small matter as it can fuel terrorism.” He further drew an analogy between the Afghan experience and Bangladesh, “Afghanistan after the Soviets pulled back was a weak shell of a state as a result fundamentalist forces could take advantage of a weak government. Today, democratic structures in Bangladesh have been shaken up by increasing fundamentalism and can give way to a fundamentalist sweep.” Even as Dua warned that if the situation is not arrested it could have grave implications for the future side by side he stressed that this has to be handled carefully as, “India cannot take any steps to alienate Bangladesh, you cannot let VHP or Bajrang Dal rath-yatras anatagonize people in Bangladesh.”

The point was brought home extremely forcefully by Mr KPS Gill, who declared that, “I think what Karlekar has written is very significant but I also feel that what he has written is very delayed. These threats emanated a long time back but remained ignored. I had said back in ’93 that the greatest threat for India is from Bangladesh-from migration and poverty.” Gill further stressed that the east and the northeast have been neglected by intelligence services. Bangladesh has actively supported terror outfits and sheltered them on their territory, they have spoken of them as ‘freedom fighters.’ “Bangladesh today is being used as a base for terrorist outfits, as a training centre, as a supplier of weapons and explosives, as a staging camp for Al Qaeda and other Jehadi groups,” sad Gill.

A Pioneer staffer read out, Mr Chandan Mitra’s paper at the discussion, Mitra had written emotionally, “for the 70’s generation, people like me, Bangladesh symbolized a state that had fought for its rights, a repressed people who had struggled against Pakistan for their freedom.”