It has been two months since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and the subsequent collapse of her Awami League (AL) government in Bangladesh, triggered by a surge of mass protests. What began as a student-led initiative advocating for reforms to the government job quota system quickly evolved into a wider political movement seeking the government’s ousting. Throughout this transformation, numerous observers have highlighted the involvement of external actors—particularly Pakistan—claiming that these foreign entities were manipulating events to destabilise Bangladesh.
Specifically, it has been suggested that Pakistan’s deep state, namely the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has been subtly steering the movement away from its original focus on quota reform towards an anti-government stance by actively encouraging Opposition groups such as the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) to demand the removal of the AL government.
At that time, amidst the confusion, many regarded these claims with considerable scepticism, viewing them as politically motivated attacks intended to discredit the protest movement. Instead, blame was directed at Sheikh Hasina’s government and its close ties with India, with accusations that the administration was fabricating these allegations to divert attention from domestic discontent. However, in the wake of the upheaval and as the situation stabilises, recent developments seem to corroborate claims regarding Pakistan’s involvement and deep entrenchment in the country.
This is a situation that should alarm Bangladeshi nationalists, not only as a reminder of the enduring scars from the traumatic events of 1971 but also in light of Pakistan’s history of exporting terrorism and its ongoing treatment of ethnic and religious minorities. Consequently, they should recognise that this relationship comes at a significant cost, posing serious challenges to Bangladesh’s internal stability.
Several developments have intensified speculations and claims regarding foreign influence in the recent political upheaval in Bangladesh. Notably, within just three weeks of Sheikh Hasina’s departure from office, reports emerged on August 29 about a defence ammunition deal between Bangladesh and Pakistan, approved by the interim government led by Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus. This agreement represents an unprecedented acquisition of military supplies by the Bangladesh Army from Pakistan.
The procurement includes over 40,000 rounds of ammunition, 2,000 rounds of tank ammunition, 40 tons of RDX explosives, and nearly 3,000 high-intensity projectiles, marking the largest defence supply arrangement between the two countries to date. This development underscores Pakistan’s deepening involvement in Bangladesh.
An unprecedented and highly symbolic event that garnered widespread attention was the commemoration of Pakistan’s founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, in Dhaka, for the first time in Bangladesh’s history. On September 12, the Nawab Salimullah Academy, with support from Pakistan’s High Commission, organised a seminar at the Dhaka National Press Club to mark Jinnah’s 76th death anniversary. This occasion signified a dramatic shift in Bangladesh’s political landscape, reflecting Pakistan’s renewed confidence following Sheikh Hasina’s ousting.
The event was particularly provocative given that proponents of this political shift had recently desecrated statues and murals of Bangladesh’s founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, throughout the country. The celebration of Jinnah juxtaposed with the disdain for Mujib underscores a deeper ideological realignment, suggesting that Yunus’s interim administration may be acting as a protective shield for shadowy external interests that have long envied Bangladesh’s sovereign trajectory. This alignment, emboldened by the current political turmoil, appears intent on exploiting the country’s vulnerabilities to further destabilise and reshape its political direction.
While Dhaka’s expanding economic and strategic cooperation, including defence collaborations with Islamabad or any other nation, is well within its sovereign rights and should not inherently raise concerns, the increasing influence of Pakistan in Bangladesh poses troubling implications. Pakistan’s growing involvement is often accompanied by a tacit encouragement of Islamist forces that have historically strained Bangladesh’s social fabric. This influence frequently manifests in the promotion of extremist ideologies, reminiscent of the 1990s when militant groups like Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B) emerged and committed numerous acts of terrorism that destabilised the nation.
It may be recalled that beyond its long-standing support for Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS), Pakistan, particularly through its intelligence agency ISI, has played a crucial role in nurturing extremist groups in Bangladesh. The ISI was instrumental in the establishment of organisations such as Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh, Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB), and Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), all of which have destabilised Bangladesh through their violent attempts to transform the nation into a theocratic state.
These groups have been responsible for hundreds of terrorist incidents, resulting in numerous fatalities and leaving a lasting scar on the country’s security landscape. The Bangladeshi populace would benefit from being aware of such manoeuvres by external actors, which could have a destabilising impact on the country’s social stability.
The resurgence of Islamist forces is profoundly alarming, not only for Bangladesh’s religious minorities, including Hindus and Ahmadis, but also poses a significant threat to the predominantly Sufi-oriented Muslim majority. This ideological infiltration jeopardises the traditional pluralistic fabric of society and directly endangers the nation’s security and stability.
Since Sheikh Hasina’s ousting on August 5, Bangladesh has already witnessed numerous incidents where minorities have been targeted by Islamist factions in this new political landscape. The interim government’s inability to uphold the rule of law and establish order by taking action against these forces reflects either severe inefficiency or a willingness to allow them to continue their brutality across the country without consequence. Consequently, this growing Islamist influence, supported by foreign actors, undermines the nation’s cohesion and presents a pressing challenge that requires vigilant attention.
In this context, heightened vigilance is essential for the nationalists of Bangladesh, who must remain acutely aware of the motives of foreign actors like Pakistan, especially as they extend diplomatic overtures to the interim administration. It is crucial that these nationalists are not swayed by Islamabad’s diplomatic niceties, nor should they forget the historical genocidal violence perpetrated by the Pakistan Army during Bangladesh’s struggle for independence in 1971. If they wish to protect the country’s socio-religious cohesion and stability, it is vital that the intentions of such external actors are continuously scrutinised and critically assessed.
Preserving the nation’s sovereignty and pluralistic fabric necessitates an unwavering focus on the long-term implications of foreign engagement, particularly from those with a legacy of interference and destabilisation.
The writer is an author and columnist and has written several books. His X handle is @ArunAnandLive. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
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