Bangladesh riots: Are ISI and China linked in a plot to kill Sheikh Hasina?

 

Bangladesh riots: Are ISI and China linked in a plot to kill Sheikh Hasina? Almost a month after anti-reservation protests swept Bangladesh, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the conflict-torn country. India's neighbor is now on the brink as it awaits the formation of a new government. At least 100 people have died in the chaos and insecurity that has gripped Bangladesh since the departure of one of its top leaders.

Are China and ISI behind the sudden regime change in Bangladesh? Intelligence reports suggest that the plan for the regime change operation implemented in Bangladesh was drawn up in London in collaboration with Pakistan's ISI.

Bangladeshi officials have claimed to have evidence of meetings between Bangladesh National Party (BNP) incumbent president Tarique Rahman and ISI officials in Saudi Arabia. The Pakistan Army and the ISI wanted to destabilize Sheikh Hasina's government and delay the BNP's rise to power.

Involvement of Jamaat-e-Islami

Moreover, the student protests against reservation in government jobs, which led to Hasina's resignation, turned into a broader political movement aimed at ousting her government. The student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS), is the main architect of the student protests and ensuing chaos. During the last two years, many ICS cadres have gained admission in various universities of Bangladesh. This gave SHKB an opportunity to motivate students. The main centers of ICS are Dhaka University, Chittagong University, Rajshahi University, Jahangir University and Sylhet University.

The BNP and its affiliates, including its media cell and student wing, manufactured most of the anti-Awami League messages, videos of violence against protesters and posters demonizing Sheikh Hasina, according to intelligence reports. . Many of these messages are also amplified by US-based accounts. According to some sources, a significant part of the funding received by SHKB comes from Chinese entities operating in Pakistan.

The new interim government in Bangladesh

Meanwhile, students protesting across the country called for the formation of an interim government in the country, with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus as chief adviser. The protesters also said they will not accept any government supported or led by the military.

Khaleda Zia can get first place in Bangladesh. He is the president of the BNP, the country's main opposition party. Zia served as the country's prime minister from 1991 to 1996, but was jailed in 2018 on corruption charges.

The 78-year-old BNP president was released from jail shortly after Sheikh Hasina fled to Bangladesh. There is also the possibility of Jamaat-e-Islami entering into an Islamist coalition with BNP and forming the government.