Bangladesh: Islamists Linked to Coup Plotters

Wednesday, 25 January 2012

Background

The recent arrest of a group of military officers planning a coup against the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, highlights the growing tensions in Bangladesh between secular and Islamist forces, and exposes a serious problem that lies at heart of the country’s largest paramilitary force.

Comment

While some news reports describe the plot attempt as a military coup, it is important to differentiate between sections of the Bangladeshi military to learn the nature of the destabilisation that has occurred over the last three years. The officers arrested in relation to the latest coup appear to come not from the regular Bangladeshi armed forces, but from the smaller, paramilitary, Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) organisation.

To understand what is driving this instability, it is beneficial to note the context and recent history of the BGB. The last major military uprising to occur in Bangladesh happened on 25 February 2009; just a few months after the current government came to power. This was when elements of the BGB (then known as the Bangladeshi Rifles) mutinied, killing a number of their senior officers, including the organisation’s commanding Director-General.

Unlike the latest coup plot, the 2009 revolt was a limited BGB mutiny, based around the issue of entitlements and resentment of the superior status and perks of the regular Bangladeshi Army. A sticking point was the appointment of Bangladeshi Army officers to the most senior ranks of the BGB and the fact that BGB members did not have access to peacekeeping deployments, which are considered a lucrative opportunity among regular Bangladeshi military personnel.

According to a recent United Nations report, Bangladesh is now the single largest contributor to UN peacekeeping forces, with 10,498 troops deployed as of October 2011. These UN postings are highly sought after, due to the high income payments and bonuses associated with them. Indian analyst Dr Smruti S. Pattanaik, from the Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis in New Delhi, went so far as indicating that the military in Bangladesh would not want to take power from a directly elected government, as its heavy involvement and desire to participate in UN peacekeeping missions would most likely constrain its actions. The fact that the BGB sits outside these benefits explains, to an extent, why the 2009 revolt started and also why it failed to spread into the wider Bangladeshi military, quickly losing momentum and lasting just two days.

A January 2012 report in the Qatar-based Gulf Times highlighted the serious nature of the problems afflicting the BGB, when it noted that, since 2009, a total of 3,036 members of the organisation had been sentenced to jail for their involvement in the munity. It is within this picture of the paramilitary BGB facing ongoing internal stability issues that we come to the context of the current coup plot. On 20 January 2012, the Times of India reported that the first two officers arrested over the recent coup plot, Lt. Col. Ehsan Yusuf and Major Zakir, had links to the earlier 2009 BGB revolt (indicating their status as former BGB, not regular Army, officers). Even more troubling was the reporting of follow up arrests, which linked the two arrested officers to members of the outlawed Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, which was banned by the Sheikh Hasina Government in 2009.

It appears that instability within the BGB is attracting the interest of groups such as Hizb ut-Tahrir, which seeks to destabilise the current Bangladeshi Government because of its secular leanings and because it outlawed the organisation in 2009.

It should be noted that the Bangladeshi Army is also being targeted for infiltration by Islamists. The alleged ring leader of the plot, Syed Mohammad Ziaul Huq (who is currently on the run), was identified as a Bangladesh army major with links to Islamist movements in the country. It is BGB, however, which appears to be more structurally at risk of falling victim to infiltration by enemies of the current government.

Jahnu Russell

Future Directions InternationalAssociate

About the author: Jahnu Russell manages the international research team for Melbourne-based company Export Results and has extensive experience in undertaking market analysis projects, both in Australia and overseas. Mr Russell has experience in the organic, agricultural, manufacturing, food and energy industry sectors and has facilitated research and competitor analysis projects in USA, Canada, Europe, India, South-East Asia and the Middle East. He has a Bachelor of Business (Finance) and a Bachelor of Arts (Asian Studies). In 2005 he completed the Austrade Institute’s ‘Going International’ export advisors course and is a former member of the Export Consultants Association of Australia (ECAL). He has an ongoing interest in strategic issues and the critical role of Australia’s trade relationships.

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