More on Peel Khana - a correspondence
Mr. Zoglul Husain raised some important points on the matter of Indo-Bangladesh relationship and Peel Khana massacre. Here below is my response:
I was in Bangladesh (B'desh) when the event took place, with all the TV centers zeroing in on the event with 24 hours reporting. A couple of days earlier, I met with some important dignitaries within the government of Bangladesh discussing expatriate issues. After the event, I discussed with some of my junior friends within the defense forces.
My observation is: (1) there was a long-standing line of grievances against the Army officers from the BDR jawans. Some of these included dal-bhat program - where they accused DG Shakil and some top brass of making ill-gotten money, and even transfering the same to overseas. There was apparently an incident in the airport during military rule when boxes of money were seized at the Dhaka airport, reportedly belonging to army officers, including Moeen U. Chy. Other complaints included: promotion, deployment overseas, vacation, retirement allowances, how they are mistreated (both Shakil and his wife were accused in this matter) by Army officers who treated them like servants (tui instead of tumi was commonly used for them), etc. (2) They had a leaflet made on these grievances that was shared with some politicians from all major parties, including both the BNP and AL. (3) The politicians while aware of the problem did not realize how the issues, if unresolved, would end. They thought that in the Darbar Hall when the matter would be discussed, something that had happened in the past, all such issues would be amicably resolved. (4) Some BDR jawans were punished for their own corruption with the dal-bhat program, who like Dalim & co. of the 1975 coup, had a different agenda of their own - to kill the officers - taking cover of the general grievances of the BDR. (5) Some deep graves were dug inside the BDR HQ days before the 2/25 incident. (6) Most of the grievances were legitimate ones and had support within the entire BDR, minus Army officers. (7) Only a few jawans planned and executed the event, and later tried to exploit the matter to garner support from the rest of the BDR. (8) The newly removed DG of Ansar, who was DG of DGFI earlier, was caught carrying an automatic weapon in his car on the day of parade (2/24). (Why was he carrying such a weapon to the rally in his car, and how was he involved, if at all, is a mystery to me!) (9) The Intelligence failed to predict the massacre.
Those are the facts, or so I believe from my own sources of info. To patch things in one direction or another, now comes the conspiracy theorists, speculators, analysts and others of all shades and stripes.
The AL folks would tell you that the most important issue in the election, whether or not you believe it was doctored by the Army, was trial of the 1971 war criminals. Per most reliable accounts, these latter folks are found mostly in the JI and BNP. They surmise that while the issue became a top priority for the new govt. and the issue was debated inside the Parliament with demands coming from the Muktojoddha sector command and many secular groups within the country, the defeated forces hatched up a program to stage the 2/25 event by dint of which the country would be thrown into a chaos, thus totally derailing the issue of trial, and even leading to the fall of the govt. Many had predicted that the life of the govt. won't be more than three months. A few days earlier, Pakistan's special rep Mr. Ispahani had met with Hasina and cautioned against trial, a matter which raised many eyebrows for infiltrating Pakistan's nose into an 'internal' matter of B'desh. Thus, one conspiracy theory is that the ISI with its known ties within the BDR (comprising of the Islamist recruits) staged the event.
The second conspiracy theory that is funneled by BNP camp (and JI) is that it is the AL which was involved in the 2/25 event. Most of their arguments are very close to what you shared below. They say that Ward commissioner like Torab Ali and others, including Home Minister Sahara Khatun, Dr. Alamgir, Nanak, Azam and few others knew the matter all along, at least three days before the incident. They even mention that the Intel provided such matters to appropriate authorities. It was because of such intelligence info that Hasina did not come to the Darbar Hall, they claim. They say that it was staged by the RAW so as to create a chaotic situation in which Indian Army could walk-in, either to protect the Hasina govt, if requested, or to make a Sikim out of Bangladesh.
Both the theories have their pros and cons to make a good story. No wonder that we have seen a good mix of both such views, thanks to Sunita, Shoaib, Mahmudur Rahman and many other Awami Leaguers. So where does the truth lie? Is it either of those views, or somewhere in between, or totally away from those two views - a third view? I don't know. In my opinion, shared earlier, I stated why I think AL could not have done it, which you have challenged.
As to the matter of slogans, there were also BNP supported ones chanted on that day, as shared in the Assembly sessions and heard on TV channels. There are reports that some TV channels celebrated the 2/25 event jovially with distribution of biryani, etc. in a mood resembling the celebration of the Mossad agents near New Jersey when the planes hit the WTC on 9/11. Did they suspect the event? Or, were they simply excited that they got a hot topic to capture the audience, and boost their rating and add to the coffer?
My neutral speculation is that 2/25 by and large was a local event without foreign ties, with enormous intl' implications. A small group within the Jawans who were punished decided that they would use the event to do their crimes, much like Dalim group. After killing, they made i t an all jawan - issue based on earlier circulated grievances. This does not mean that the foreign Intel did not try or could not have tried to influence the matter in certain stage of its development or maturation. This is similar to Mujib's assassination case. Was the CIA involved, as hinted by the journalist Lifschitz (sp ?)? Or was it a rogue element within such Intels that did the job, without direct involvement of its (foreign) govt.? There was a massive Intel failure in our side not to either understand the enormity of the grievances or being in total dark. It is that failure that has led to a culture of coups and political killings inside B'desh since 1975. We don't have an FBI like organization in B'desh. Even there, as you know, it failed to predict 9/11, which inadvertently has led to the conspiracy theory that Bushies staged it to take the country into the era of pre-emptive strikes, unilateralism, etc. These are again conspiracy theories, and one can argue for ages, holding onto a particular notion, for or against Bush.
As to guys like Torab Ali, if the accusations of his involvement are true, it is possible that he may have known the conspiracy of killing without letting someone higher up within the AL know about it. It is also possible that as a former JCO he was totally aware of the fuming anger within the Jawans and tried to bring some AL leaders, including Sahara Khatun, to review such problems and resolve the matter soon, without knowing how the situation was going to end. That is, I still don't believe that he knew the plan of killing and deliberately failed to inform someone in the party leadership, or govt. Most of those lower ranking guys within a party structure have difficulty even talking to a minister, let alone PM. I reject Sunita/Shoaib's theory that the IG Police was a party to the conspiracy. How ludicrous is such an assertion when you realize that he lost his own son-in-law in that event! And honestly speaking, in my prayers at night, I prayed for the safety of his son-in-law and daughter. I was so sorry to learn the next day of his son-in-law's death in the very first few minutes of execution.
I notice that you viewed the last election as a rigged one. I don't know and cannot say one way or another. Is rigging possible? Yes. Did the Army do it? I don't know. According to all reports, foreign and domestic, it was the fairest of elections in B'desh's history. So, many would have difficulty believing that the election was rigged. I know one thing though that the Army did not accept nomination of an honest AL candidate in its territory, Army cantt. areas of Dhaka. I.e., it virtually dictated which AL candidate should be nominated from that precinct.
As to the military, for quite some time, it has been positioning itself to play the role of Turkish or Indonesian army in our soil. It wants bigger role, and has supporters within certain sectors of our population, esp. military politicians. Many observers believe that if our politicians fail to give them their 'due' share, we might be revisited by a culture of coups. I must admit that I appreciated their taking over in 1/11 to rescue the nation from Dr. Iyazuddin's unconstitutional, irresponsible, partisan postures. The latter is now blamed by the same BNP!
After the event of 2/25, I met with Law Minister and Attorney General and discussed 2/25. The latter said that he was not surprised with all those killings since 1975. A nation that can kill its father of the nation has gone to the dogs, and nothing surprises him any more. He is right. I have seen that happen with much more frequency these days. It is a shocking development that will haunt our nation for years to come.
As to Moeen, I am told by certain Bangladeshi bloggers that he is the Indian guy! I don't know how authentic such an assertion is.
I was in Bangladesh (B'desh) when the event took place, with all the TV centers zeroing in on the event with 24 hours reporting. A couple of days earlier, I met with some important dignitaries within the government of Bangladesh discussing expatriate issues. After the event, I discussed with some of my junior friends within the defense forces.
My observation is: (1) there was a long-standing line of grievances against the Army officers from the BDR jawans. Some of these included dal-bhat program - where they accused DG Shakil and some top brass of making ill-gotten money, and even transfering the same to overseas. There was apparently an incident in the airport during military rule when boxes of money were seized at the Dhaka airport, reportedly belonging to army officers, including Moeen U. Chy. Other complaints included: promotion, deployment overseas, vacation, retirement allowances, how they are mistreated (both Shakil and his wife were accused in this matter) by Army officers who treated them like servants (tui instead of tumi was commonly used for them), etc. (2) They had a leaflet made on these grievances that was shared with some politicians from all major parties, including both the BNP and AL. (3) The politicians while aware of the problem did not realize how the issues, if unresolved, would end. They thought that in the Darbar Hall when the matter would be discussed, something that had happened in the past, all such issues would be amicably resolved. (4) Some BDR jawans were punished for their own corruption with the dal-bhat program, who like Dalim & co. of the 1975 coup, had a different agenda of their own - to kill the officers - taking cover of the general grievances of the BDR. (5) Some deep graves were dug inside the BDR HQ days before the 2/25 incident. (6) Most of the grievances were legitimate ones and had support within the entire BDR, minus Army officers. (7) Only a few jawans planned and executed the event, and later tried to exploit the matter to garner support from the rest of the BDR. (8) The newly removed DG of Ansar, who was DG of DGFI earlier, was caught carrying an automatic weapon in his car on the day of parade (2/24). (Why was he carrying such a weapon to the rally in his car, and how was he involved, if at all, is a mystery to me!) (9) The Intelligence failed to predict the massacre.
Those are the facts, or so I believe from my own sources of info. To patch things in one direction or another, now comes the conspiracy theorists, speculators, analysts and others of all shades and stripes.
The AL folks would tell you that the most important issue in the election, whether or not you believe it was doctored by the Army, was trial of the 1971 war criminals. Per most reliable accounts, these latter folks are found mostly in the JI and BNP. They surmise that while the issue became a top priority for the new govt. and the issue was debated inside the Parliament with demands coming from the Muktojoddha sector command and many secular groups within the country, the defeated forces hatched up a program to stage the 2/25 event by dint of which the country would be thrown into a chaos, thus totally derailing the issue of trial, and even leading to the fall of the govt. Many had predicted that the life of the govt. won't be more than three months. A few days earlier, Pakistan's special rep Mr. Ispahani had met with Hasina and cautioned against trial, a matter which raised many eyebrows for infiltrating Pakistan's nose into an 'internal' matter of B'desh. Thus, one conspiracy theory is that the ISI with its known ties within the BDR (comprising of the Islamist recruits) staged the event.
The second conspiracy theory that is funneled by BNP camp (and JI) is that it is the AL which was involved in the 2/25 event. Most of their arguments are very close to what you shared below. They say that Ward commissioner like Torab Ali and others, including Home Minister Sahara Khatun, Dr. Alamgir, Nanak, Azam and few others knew the matter all along, at least three days before the incident. They even mention that the Intel provided such matters to appropriate authorities. It was because of such intelligence info that Hasina did not come to the Darbar Hall, they claim. They say that it was staged by the RAW so as to create a chaotic situation in which Indian Army could walk-in, either to protect the Hasina govt, if requested, or to make a Sikim out of Bangladesh.
Both the theories have their pros and cons to make a good story. No wonder that we have seen a good mix of both such views, thanks to Sunita, Shoaib, Mahmudur Rahman and many other Awami Leaguers. So where does the truth lie? Is it either of those views, or somewhere in between, or totally away from those two views - a third view? I don't know. In my opinion, shared earlier, I stated why I think AL could not have done it, which you have challenged.
As to the matter of slogans, there were also BNP supported ones chanted on that day, as shared in the Assembly sessions and heard on TV channels. There are reports that some TV channels celebrated the 2/25 event jovially with distribution of biryani, etc. in a mood resembling the celebration of the Mossad agents near New Jersey when the planes hit the WTC on 9/11. Did they suspect the event? Or, were they simply excited that they got a hot topic to capture the audience, and boost their rating and add to the coffer?
My neutral speculation is that 2/25 by and large was a local event without foreign ties, with enormous intl' implications. A small group within the Jawans who were punished decided that they would use the event to do their crimes, much like Dalim group. After killing, they made i t an all jawan - issue based on earlier circulated grievances. This does not mean that the foreign Intel did not try or could not have tried to influence the matter in certain stage of its development or maturation. This is similar to Mujib's assassination case. Was the CIA involved, as hinted by the journalist Lifschitz (sp ?)? Or was it a rogue element within such Intels that did the job, without direct involvement of its (foreign) govt.? There was a massive Intel failure in our side not to either understand the enormity of the grievances or being in total dark. It is that failure that has led to a culture of coups and political killings inside B'desh since 1975. We don't have an FBI like organization in B'desh. Even there, as you know, it failed to predict 9/11, which inadvertently has led to the conspiracy theory that Bushies staged it to take the country into the era of pre-emptive strikes, unilateralism, etc. These are again conspiracy theories, and one can argue for ages, holding onto a particular notion, for or against Bush.
As to guys like Torab Ali, if the accusations of his involvement are true, it is possible that he may have known the conspiracy of killing without letting someone higher up within the AL know about it. It is also possible that as a former JCO he was totally aware of the fuming anger within the Jawans and tried to bring some AL leaders, including Sahara Khatun, to review such problems and resolve the matter soon, without knowing how the situation was going to end. That is, I still don't believe that he knew the plan of killing and deliberately failed to inform someone in the party leadership, or govt. Most of those lower ranking guys within a party structure have difficulty even talking to a minister, let alone PM. I reject Sunita/Shoaib's theory that the IG Police was a party to the conspiracy. How ludicrous is such an assertion when you realize that he lost his own son-in-law in that event! And honestly speaking, in my prayers at night, I prayed for the safety of his son-in-law and daughter. I was so sorry to learn the next day of his son-in-law's death in the very first few minutes of execution.
I notice that you viewed the last election as a rigged one. I don't know and cannot say one way or another. Is rigging possible? Yes. Did the Army do it? I don't know. According to all reports, foreign and domestic, it was the fairest of elections in B'desh's history. So, many would have difficulty believing that the election was rigged. I know one thing though that the Army did not accept nomination of an honest AL candidate in its territory, Army cantt. areas of Dhaka. I.e., it virtually dictated which AL candidate should be nominated from that precinct.
As to the military, for quite some time, it has been positioning itself to play the role of Turkish or Indonesian army in our soil. It wants bigger role, and has supporters within certain sectors of our population, esp. military politicians. Many observers believe that if our politicians fail to give them their 'due' share, we might be revisited by a culture of coups. I must admit that I appreciated their taking over in 1/11 to rescue the nation from Dr. Iyazuddin's unconstitutional, irresponsible, partisan postures. The latter is now blamed by the same BNP!
After the event of 2/25, I met with Law Minister and Attorney General and discussed 2/25. The latter said that he was not surprised with all those killings since 1975. A nation that can kill its father of the nation has gone to the dogs, and nothing surprises him any more. He is right. I have seen that happen with much more frequency these days. It is a shocking development that will haunt our nation for years to come.
As to Moeen, I am told by certain Bangladeshi bloggers that he is the Indian guy! I don't know how authentic such an assertion is.
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