[🇧🇩] Why BNP's talks with India failed

[Old School]

Source : https://mzamin.com/news.php?news=104279

Observers believe that the 10-truck arms ( Chittagong, 2004) is the main reason for the BNP's cold relations with India to date. There is criticism that the BNP government was forced to seize those weapons under pressure from India. Otherwise, it would have gone into the hands of Indian separatists. However, the BNP has always claimed that the huge consignment of arms was seized because the government took immediate action then. If the government wanted, they would have gone into the hands of Indian separatists. Twenty years later, the recovery of weapons continues. It is being considered as a thorn in India's neck with BNP.

Indian officials believe that arms have entered India's northeast through Bangladesh at different times, although not on such a large scale. The seizure of 10 truckloads of weapons showed it with a finger in the eye. The day after the recovery of arms in Chittagong, India's Assam Tribune published a report that 'this weapon is ULFA'. According to the report, Operation All Clear, conducted in Bhutan, completely destroyed the arsenal of ULFA. Since that operation, ULFA has been desperate to collect weapons. At that time, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi also made this assumption. He told the BBC that the weapons captured in Chittagong were probably being brought in to make up for the shock the ULFA guerrillas had suffered in western Bhutan and the amount of weapons they had lost. He also expressed gratitude to the then BNP government as the arms consignment was caught. After the recovery of the weapons, The Telegraph newspaper quoted the then Director General of Tripura Police GN Srivastava as saying that the shipment was coming for distribution among separatist groups in northeast India.

Major General (retd) Ganjit Singh, former deputy director general of India's Defence Intelligence Agency, said in an interview to India Today in 2023 that the 10 truckloads of weapons were not just for ULFA. Other separatists active in India's northeastern states would also get it. According to India Today, the then ULFA commander-in-chief, Paresh Barua, played a key role in bringing these weapons. He aimed to strengthen the separatist movement in Assam. Claiming that the incident was not beyond the knowledge of intelligence, the report said that the intelligence was keeping an eye on how and in which way the arms-laden ship was coming from the southern port of Bihais in China to Chittagong in Bangladesh. Singh. Paresh Barua coordinated the whole matter from a hotel at GEC intersection in Chittagong. In the Tarique Rahman-led BNP meeting with the Indian delegation on European soil, the involvement of the top leadership of the 2001-06 government in arms smuggling was rejected. At the same time, the 'neutral' position of friend India is sought on any issue of Bangladesh. Many in the Awami League also tried to convince them that they do not like the one-sided position of war-friendly India. The discussion was taking place in a quiet town in Europe. But no, that discussion is not reflected. Still, the opposite has been done in Bangladesh's much-discussed 12th parliamentary election, which is making the whole of Bangladeshanti-India today without the beneficiaries of power! Politicians and intellectuals are worried that this will cause unrest for both countries.
Read in details here ভারতের সঙ্গে বিএনপি'র আলোচনা কেন ব্যর্থ হয় (mzamin.com)

 

[Vikings]

@Saif please come here and take a look!

@Old School bhai, many thanks for this thread with authentic informations!

 

[Bilal9]

Interesting thread. The main question though (beyond the 10 truck arms fiasco and supporting insurgency inside India), is BNP's anti-India stance at this time going to bode well for their future as a credible political entity outside Bangladesh, and especially in India?

They are fully engrossed in and have now offered their full backing as a party against the "#Boycott India" and "#India Out" campaigns in Bangladesh - which, though popular was not a full-on political movement. Is this going to work for them in hopes of regime change?

 

[Old School]

Interesting thread. The main question though (beyond the 10 truck arms fiasco and supporting insurgency inside India), is BNP's anti-India stance at this time going to bode well for their future as a credible political entity outside Bangladesh, and especially in India?

They are fully engrossed in and have now offered their full backing as a party against the "#Boycott India" and "#India Out" campaigns in Bangladesh - which, though popular was not a full-on political movement. Is this going to work for them in hopes of regime change?

If you read the whole article ভারতের সঙ্গে বিএনপি’র আলোচনা কেন ব্যর্থ হয় , you can see that BNP is not acceptable to the Indians under current leadership. Tareq Rehman still has the US visa ban imposed on him in 2008, as you see here US envoy recommended ban on Tarique: Wikileaks . Tareq Reman stil is unwanted in the USA. BNP leadership has done much lobbying work in the USA, but they have not been able to remove this visa ban to date. All these BNP activities in the state department seem to be more directed toward anti-BAL rather than pro-BNP.

Most importantly, China (the biggest financial donor in UN peace missions)was instrumental in overthrowing BNP-backed Iajuddin CA on 1/11, 2007. BNP supporters have not discussed Tareq's anti-China and pro-Taiwan activities. They do not know how serious the Taiwan issue is for China. The Chinese leadership did their best to convince Khaleda Zia to change their pro-Taiwan policies when Khaleda Zia last visited Beijing in 2005 after setting up the Taiwanese Visa office in Dhaka and the Bangladesh Visa office in Taipei under the disguise of a cultural office in 2004. The result was a big zero. Hasina promised the Chinese that she would shut down the Taiwanese office if she got to power, and she kept her promise in 2009.

This month, BNP did not attend the Pakistan Day grand reception on 23 March, while many senior BAL leaders were present. They still want to please India but do not address India's core issues with them.

Now, you tell me how any party can be in power in Bangladesh if it is unacceptable to both India and China. Are BNP supporters so ignorant that they stop thinking for themselves outside their party propaganda lines? Are you addressing these serious issues in your Bangladesh section of this forum among thousands of threads? Unfortunately, I have seen an utter denial of reality so far.

 

[Vikings]

.

If you read the whole article ভারতের সঙ্গে বিএনপি’র আলোচনা কেন ব্যর্থ হয় , you can see that BNP is not acceptable to the Indians under current leadership. Tareq Rehman still has the US visa ban imposed on him in 2008, as you see here US envoy recommended ban on Tarique: Wikileaks . Tareq Reman stil is unwanted in the USA. BNP leadership has done much lobbying work in the USA, but they have not been able to remove this visa ban to date. All these BNP activities in the state department seem to be more directed toward anti-BAL rather than pro-BNP.

Most importantly, China (the biggest financial donor in UN peace missions)was instrumental in overthrowing BNP-backed Iajuddin CA on 1/11, 2007. BNP supporters have not discussed Tareq's anti-China and pro-Taiwan activities. They do not know how serious the Taiwan issue is for China. The Chinese leadership did their best to convince Khaleda Zia to change their pro-Taiwan policies when Khaleda Zia last visited Beijing in 2005 after setting up the Taiwanese Visa office in Dhaka and the Bangladesh Visa office in Taipei under the disguise of a cultural office in 2004. The result was a big zero. Hasina promised the Chinese that she would shut down the Taiwanese office if she got to power, and she kept her promise in 2009.

This month, BNP did not attend the Pakistan Day grand reception on 23 March, while many senior BAL leaders were present. They still want to please India but do not address India's core issues with them.

Now, you tell me how any party can be in power in Bangladesh if it is unacceptable to both India and China. Are BNP supporters so ignorant that they stop thinking for themselves outside their party propaganda lines? Are you addressing these serious issues in your Bangladesh section of this forum among thousands of threads? Unfortunately, I have seen an utter denial of reality so far.

@Old School bhai , so it's clear that China, USA and India are all in the same boat on Tareq Rahman's case! Very interesting!

Still most of BNP supporters dream that once he will be the PM of Bangladesh, because BNP has popular votes!

But if someone is unfavorable by every everyone, I don't think there is any reason for his party survive with current leadership!

 

[Old School]

.

@Old School bhai , so it's clear that China, USA and India are all in the same boat on Tareq Rahman's case! Very interesting!

Still most of BNP supporters dream that once he will be the PM of Bangladesh, because BNP has popular votes!

But if someone is unfavorable by every everyone, I don't think there is any reason for his party survive with current leadership!

They keep blaming everyone, including India, for hiding the fact that Tareq has no legitimacy among key international parties. They do not ask why no international head of state or senior leader has ever officially met with Tareq Rehman or any BNP leader in all 15 years, even though he lives in the UK, because he has zero acceptability and he is a liability. Still , only Indian South Block officials privately see a BNP team lead by Khasru and Mintoo in New Delhi time to time but then you have anti-India campaign. I have never seen such contradiction in my life. But their supporters are blind anyway.

 

[Vikings]

They keep blaming everyone, including India, for hiding the fact that Tareq has no legitimacy among key international parties. They do not ask why no international head of state or senior leader has ever officially met with Tareq Rehman or any BNP leader in all 15 years, even though he lives in the UK, because he has zero acceptability and he is a liability. Still , only Indian South Block officials privately see a BNP team lead by Khasru and Mintoo in New Delhi time to time but then you have anti-India campaign. I have never seen such contradiction in my life. But their supporters are blind anyway.

@Old School bhai , what's your take on BNP and jama'at reuniting? Is it because USA isn't at war with so called terrorism and miserably failed to kick out Hasina? Hence BNP found it useless to cut ties with a pan Islamic party?

However i think BNP jamaat alliance won't benefit a lot this time, because BAL has already the "Nouka of Nuh Nobi" ( Noah's ark) , validated by some Mullahs! 🤣

 

[Old School]

@Old School bhai , what's your take on BNP and jama'at reuniting? Is it because USA isn't at war with so called terrorism and miserably failed to kick out Hasina? Hence BNP found it useless to cut ties with a pan Islamic party?

However i think BNP jamaat alliance won't benefit a lot this time, because BAL has already the "Nouka of Nuh Nobi" ( Noah's ark) , validated by some Mullahs! 🤣

Jamaat has always been a parasite financial cult disguised as an Islamic party, even in Pakistan. Saudis have cut ties with them since MBS took over. Now, Turkey is their main international patron, while many of their leaders based in Turkey are doing money laundering even for BAL leaders. BAL has effectively clipped the wings of JI in Bangladesh after taking control of their major financial backbone, including Islami Bank and Mir Qasem Ali's business empire. His son, BArrister Arman, is still in the DGFI-operated "Black Hole".
BNP needs JI only for funding and manpower purposes.

 

[Bilal9]

If you read the whole article ভারতের সঙ্গে বিএনপি’র আলোচনা কেন ব্যর্থ হয় , you can see that BNP is not acceptable to the Indians under current leadership. Tareq Rehman still has the US visa ban imposed on him in 2008, as you see here US envoy recommended ban on Tarique: Wikileaks . Tareq Reman stil is unwanted in the USA. BNP leadership has done much lobbying work in the USA, but they have not been able to remove this visa ban to date. All these BNP activities in the state department seem to be more directed toward anti-BAL rather than pro-BNP.

Most importantly, China (the biggest financial donor in UN peace missions)was instrumental in overthrowing BNP-backed Iajuddin CA on 1/11, 2007. BNP supporters have not discussed Tareq's anti-China and pro-Taiwan activities. They do not know how serious the Taiwan issue is for China. The Chinese leadership did their best to convince Khaleda Zia to change their pro-Taiwan policies when Khaleda Zia last visited Beijing in 2005 after setting up the Taiwanese Visa office in Dhaka and the Bangladesh Visa office in Taipei under the disguise of a cultural office in 2004. The result was a big zero. Hasina promised the Chinese that she would shut down the Taiwanese office if she got to power, and she kept her promise in 2009.

This month, BNP did not attend the Pakistan Day grand reception on 23 March, while many senior BAL leaders were present. They still want to please India but do not address India's core issues with them.

Now, you tell me how any party can be in power in Bangladesh if it is unacceptable to both India and China. Are BNP supporters so ignorant that they stop thinking for themselves outside their party propaganda lines? Are you addressing these serious issues in your Bangladesh section of this forum among thousands of threads? Unfortunately, I have seen an utter denial of reality so far.

All valid points - however I will leave it to others here to comment who follow Bangladesh politics much more closely. BNP has a dearth of capable leadership right now, though they still enjoy substantial grassroots support as it seems. They have not made the right moves historically either, as you so adeptly point out.

BNP as a political entity minus Tareq is not a viable proposition unfortunately - so things are at a stalemate, sort of. I don't think even a lot of BNP supporters care about Tareq being at the helm.

 

[Vikings]

though they still enjoy substantial grassroots support as it seems.

@Bilal9 , bhai I'm afraid that (imo) they have more grassroot supporters than BAL ; at least visible supporters!

Because lots of BNP supporters are rural folks and once they used to say , "Dhan khai Dhane vote dei," and nowadays the propaganda, "BAL = by default Indian stooge and want destruction of Islam and Muslims," made many of them more reliant on BNP because of their alliance with jamatis!

It's a dangerous trend , so I feel that if you let them choose their government by a free and fair election, Bangladesh is doomed!

So it's better if we have a robust deep state and they select their front face , as they are doing now!

 

[Old School]

All valid points - however I will leave it to others here to comment who follow Bangladesh politics much more closely.

That is exactly the problem. It is not possible to follow politics by reading articles. One must have first hand contact with the leadership. Most of those people with first hand contact in BD are unable to type. Those who can type , are not interested in the forum. I usually convey messages here on behalf of people whom you may know by their names.

 

[Bilal9]

That is exactly the problem. It is not possible to follow politics by reading articles. One must have first hand contact with the leadership. Most of those people with first hand contact in BD are unable to type. Those who can type , are not interested in the forum. I usually convey messages here on behalf of people whom you may know by their names.

I agree bhai. Most of us are not lucky enough to have worked in diplomatic circles as you have.

Your contribution and thoughtful insights are appreciated.

 

[Bilal9]

If you read the whole article ভারতের সঙ্গে বিএনপি’র আলোচনা কেন ব্যর্থ হয় , you can see that BNP is not acceptable to the Indians under current leadership. Tareq Rehman still has the US visa ban imposed on him in 2008, as you see here US envoy recommended ban on Tarique: Wikileaks . Tareq Reman stil is unwanted in the USA. BNP leadership has done much lobbying work in the USA, but they have not been able to remove this visa ban to date. All these BNP activities in the state department seem to be more directed toward anti-BAL rather than pro-BNP.

Most importantly, China (the biggest financial donor in UN peace missions)was instrumental in overthrowing BNP-backed Iajuddin CA on 1/11, 2007. BNP supporters have not discussed Tareq's anti-China and pro-Taiwan activities. They do not know how serious the Taiwan issue is for China. The Chinese leadership did their best to convince Khaleda Zia to change their pro-Taiwan policies when Khaleda Zia last visited Beijing in 2005 after setting up the Taiwanese Visa office in Dhaka and the Bangladesh Visa office in Taipei under the disguise of a cultural office in 2004. The result was a big zero. Hasina promised the Chinese that she would shut down the Taiwanese office if she got to power, and she kept her promise in 2009.

This month, BNP did not attend the Pakistan Day grand reception on 23 March, while many senior BAL leaders were present. They still want to please India but do not address India's core issues with them.

Now, you tell me how any party can be in power in Bangladesh if it is unacceptable to both India and China. Are BNP supporters so ignorant that they stop thinking for themselves outside their party propaganda lines? Are you addressing these serious issues in your Bangladesh section of this forum among thousands of threads? Unfortunately, I have seen an utter denial of reality so far.

@Old School bhai and @Vikings bhai, let me clarify my position. I have never been a blind supporter of any political party in Bangladesh, and I don't believe many are, in our subsection. In my opinion, there are no blind Jamaat or BNP supporters in this subsection. Of course, not a supporter of religious extremists or fanatics of any religion.

As Mod - I cannot blindly support specific political or religious entities (or beliefs) which would be a disservice to Bangladeshis of many stripes and beliefs. Political opinions and religious beliefs are personal and should remain so. They can be voiced here and I will moderate those opinions voiced here in as neutral a manner as possible, if supported by facts.

However, as I remain a Bangladesh national (in addition to being a US national), my interest also lies in those issues that either supportive or inimical to the economic, political and cultural interests of my country of birth.

It is important not to conflate patriotism and standing up for the interests of Bangladesh with any political belief or support of any party like BNP or Jamaat in Bangladesh.

Specifically, there are unpatriotic political leaders in Bangladesh who may serve interests that are against the interests of my country and my people, as we have seen, resulting in the humiliation and subjugation of my people. These issues cannot be accepted as par for the course. Those issues have been and will be discussed here openly as well, if they follow the rules of the forum.

 

[Old School]

@Old School bhai, let me clarify my position. I have never been a blind supporter of any political party in Bangladesh, and I don't believe many are, in our subsection. In my opinion, there are no blind Jamaat or BNP supporters in this subsection. Of course, not a supporter of religious extremists or fanatics of any religion.

As Mod - I cannot blindly support specific political or religious entities (or beliefs) which would be a disservice to Bangladeshis of many stripes and beliefs. Political opinions and religious beliefs are personal and should remain so. They can be voiced here and I will moderate those opinions voiced here in as neutral a manner as possible, if supported by facts.

However, as I remain a Bangladesh national (in addition to being a US national), my interest also lies in those issues that either supportive or inimical to the economic, political and cultural interests of my country of birth.

It is important not to conflate patriotism and standing up for the interests of Bangladesh with any political belief or support of any party like BNP or Jamaat in Bangladesh.

Specifically, there are unpatriotic political leaders in Bangladesh who may serve interests that are against the interests of my country and my people, as we have seen, resulting in the humiliation and subjugation of my people. These issues cannot be accepted as par for the course. Those issues have been and will be discussed here openly as well, if they follow the rules of the forum.

That was not my point. My point was to address the 'naivety' of seeing the BD government so smart that they are playing all the superpowers, such as China and the USA, and the regional power India, while balancing as if they are kids. BD government is a baby to these seasoned superpowers, as a matter of fact, and Hasina will suffer the same fate ( or more severe) as her late Father, who also tried to put his two feet in multiple boats. Your one million threads in the Bengali section are still advocating this dumb formula of putting two feet in multiple boats as I closely read each of your threads, unlike many who see them as just numbers.
আপনাদের কয়েক লাখ থ্রেডে, একদিকে বলছেন ভারতের দালাল হাসিনা খুনী আর অন্যদিকে দেখাচ্ছেন যে, সে কত চালাক যে গণচীন ও ভারতকে সমানে খেলে দিয়ে দেশকে বিশাল উন্নয়নের জোয়ারে ভাসাচ্ছে !! অতি চালাকের গলায় দড়ি ! জানেন নিশ্চয়ই ? ভাগ্য ভাল য়ে, এখানে কেউ উত্তর দিতে আসেনা। তা না হলে, গালি মডারেশন করে কূল পেতেন না।

 

[Saif]

That was not my point. My point was to address the 'naivety' of seeing the BD government so smart that they are playing all the superpowers, such as China and the USA, and the regional power India, while balancing as if they are kids. BD government is a baby to these seasoned superpowers, as a matter of fact, and Hasina will suffer the same fate ( or more severe) as her late Father, who also tried to put his two feet in multiple boats. Your one million threads in the Bengali section are still advocating this dumb formula of putting two feet in multiple boats as I closely read each of your threads, unlike many who see them as just numbers.
আপনাদের কয়েক লাখ থ্রেডে, একদিকে বলছেন ভারতের দালাল হাসিনা খুনী আর অন্যদিকে দেখাচ্ছেন যে, সে কত চালাক যে গণচীন ও ভারতকে সমানে খেলে দিয়ে দেশকে বিশাল উন্নয়নের জোয়ারে ভাসাচ্ছে !! অতি চালাকের গলায় দড়ি ! জানেন নিশ্চয়ই ? ভাগ্য ভাল য়ে, এখানে কেউ উত্তর দিতে আসেনা। তা না হলে, গালি মডারেশন করে কূল পেতেন না।

Sheikh Hasina is an illiterate, stupid and vindictive politician. She doesn't understand geopolitics. China has distanced itself from Bangladesh because of Hasina's India policy. Many people in Bangladesh (including myself) are of the opinion that Sheikh Hasina is an ardent supporter of the idea of Akhand Bharat (undivided India). She should be banished from politics for her incompetence.