Three quick lessons can be drawn from the recent coup attempt in Bangladesh. These are a) growing unrest among political and military circles against the Awami League government for its policies towards India and fundamentalism; b) penetration of radical ideology or groups like Hibzut Tahirir in the security forces and c) dissidence within the army.
The Bangladesh Army in January this year had claimed foiling a major conspiracy to carry out a coup by some of its officers at the instigation of a group of retired officers and some non-resident Bangladeshis. The army said the coup was aimed at overthrowing the government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
According to the army, at least two retired army officers-- Lt. Col. Ehsan Yusuf and Major Zakir-- were arrested initially on suspicion. Their interrogation led them to uncover the larger conspiracy involving no less than 16 mid-ranking officers. The conspiracy was undone when a serving army officer, approached by a retired army officer to join the coup, alerted the authorities.
Soon after, the army conducted an inquiry and recalled Major Ziaul Huq, one of the suspected kingpins of this conspiracy, who was on leave when the conspiracy was unearthed. Major Zia absconded and sent email sto his acquaintances and even uploaded stories of his torture on popular social networking sites. The army was quick to deny the allegations. In the meantime, on January 8, 2012, the banned Hizb-ut Tehrir, known for its extremist views, circulated leaflets based on Major Zia’s email message. Surprisingly, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the main Opposition, also made a statement alleging incidents of torture in the army.
This is not the first incident where members of the armed forces revolted against the Awami League government. In February 2009, barely two months after Awami League had formed the government, soldiers of Bangladesh Rifles (since renamed as Border Guards of Bangladesh) mutinied, killing 57 army officers in the clashes. The killing of officers in such large numbers had generated a foreboding sense of instability in the country.
In the present attempted coup, the worrisome factor is the involvement of extremist group Hizb-ut Tahrir, an international Sunni pan-Islamic political organisation banned in several parts of the world.. The group aims to unify Muslim countries to establish an Islamic state or caliphate ruled by Islamic law and with a caliph head of state elected by Muslims. Hizbut was founded in Jerusalem in early 50’s and has presence in several countries. It was banned in Bangladesh in 2009. But the coup attempt and the group’s involvement establishes that the group has been able to circumvent the ban. Hizbut has been opposed to any secular democratic government in Bangladesh. So, it is natural for the group to work against Awami League since the party is known for its secular credentials.
Dr. Joyeeta Bhattacharjee is Associate Fellow, ORF
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