[🇧🇩] In Bangladesh, A Violent 'Student Revolution' is on بنگلہ دیش میں انقلاب

[Old School]

Conversations with actual retired Bangladesh Army leadership. Detailed documented studies aren't available AFAIK, just sharing my opinion. If you have them (leaked MI5, CIA or NSA memos from that time) then please share them of course.

I know Zia better than Mrs. Khaleda Zia, which is more than any retiree officer you can get. I am also old enough to see his regime first hand.

 

[Old School]

The Late Barrister Moudud Ahmed worked long with Ziaur Rehman and wrote many valuable books in English. Many of Zia's course mates, fellow officers, and other political partners also wrote many books. Try reading some. You don't need the CIA archive to know him. Casual off-and-on talks with a few people who themselves are not that knowledgeable in subject matters get you nowhere in critical analysis, as we do here, unlike Facebook pages. Someone has to dedicate considerable time to get many crucial details, which is not everyone's cup of tea. I am sure you never asked those people in detail if they knew how Zia formulated his modus operandi over all those years.
I used to run a military discussion forum 20 years ago. To become a member, you had to pass a questionary test. It was not open to casual discussions.

 

[Bilal9]

Saturday and Sunday update from Netra News - I have edited out the gory pictures:

Bloody Saturday in besieged Bangladesh — all day's news

As of Saturday, at least 138 people have been killed in the ongoing protests in Bangladesh.

Netra News

July 21st 2024


Many people took part in anti-government protests in Bangladesh by breaking the curfew. At least 25 more people were killed in the government's brutal response to these protests. As a result, the total number of dead has reached 138 by Saturday night local time.

Netra News correspondents involved in covering the protests in Bangladesh on the ground say that the actual death toll could be much higher, as it was possible to collect data from only a limited number of hospitals.

The police opened fire on the protesters at various places. At least three people were killed and 16 injured in police firing in Savar on the outskirts of the capital. According to information received from the hospital, all the victims died of gunshot wounds.

In the early days of the movement, the bodies of the dead were seen bearing numerous rubber bullet wounds, but recent photographs of the bodies obtained by Netra News have revealed fresh bullet wounds.

Bodies of protest victims kept on the floor of Dhaka Medical College, 20 July, Dhaka. Photo: Pradayak / Netra News

Most of the dead bodies are now being handed over to relatives or to small local hospitals, our correspondents said.

Usually the bodies of those killed in police incidents are brought to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. But as the number of dead bodies is increasing, the hospital authorities are finding it difficult to handle the situation.

Meanwhile, the police refused to give the death toll. Police gave the death toll to journalists at Dhaka Medical College Hospital till yesterday. But since Saturday, they refused to give the information. Hospital staff also declined to give an official death toll.

<picture edited>Collage photo of some people killed in protests in different parts of Bangladesh on July 19 and 20: Pradayak / Netra News

The ongoing curfew in Bangladesh is considered to be a political decision. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced the curfew after a meeting with leaders of the 14-party alliance on Friday night. Although the army was deployed, they were not seen to take a strong role in enforcing the curfew. Army personnel with rifles and APCs have been seen patrolling the streets of Dhaka, but there have been no reports of them firing on protesters so far.

Meanwhile, the government has declared a two-day national holiday on Sunday and Monday.

The law and order situation deteriorated across the country on Friday and Saturday. A former mayor of Gazipur's Awami League strongman was attacked by protesters and seriously injured. His bodyguard was killed in the same incident.

In Narayanganj, thousands of protesters attacked the seven-story highway police building. A police inspector said that 34 policemen had to be rescued by sending a helicopter.

At least 826 prisoners escaped from a prison in Narsingdi on Friday. About 12,000 people attacked the jail with batons, hockey sticks, rods and chapatis (machetes). Protesters also set fire to three police barracks.

Around 4,000 protesters stormed a police outpost in Rangpur, blocking the premises until 10am on Friday. Three protesters were killed there.

Netra News reporters also reported that the writ petition filed against an order of the High Court Division against the cancellation of quota will soon come up for hearing in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court. The ongoing protests started from the order of the High Court. It is expected that the highest court of the country will cancel the quota, as Hasina has already hinted.

Meanwhile, at least four student leaders, including Nahid Islam, one of the main coordinators of the anti-discrimination student movement, have been arrested. He has been released since then with injuries and is being treated at a hospital.

Nurul Haque Noor, who led the anti-quota movement in government jobs in 2018, was also arrested.

Anti-discrimination movement coordinators say several leaders are under pressure from intelligence agencies to settle with the government.

Senior BNP leaders Nazrul Islam Khan and Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury were also detained from their homes. Harun-or-Rashid, head of Dhaka's detective police, told a TV channel that at least 70 BNP activists have been arrested so far.

Meanwhile, BNP chief Khaleda Zia's doctor Zahidur Rahman, has rejected rumors that she was on life support, said that her physical condition was stable. She was admitted to a cabin at Evercare Hospital CCU facilities.

 

[Bilal9]

The Late Barrister Moudud Ahmed worked long with Ziaur Rehman and wrote many valuable books in English. Many of Zia's course mates, fellow officers, and other political partners also wrote many books. Try reading some.

Sure thing @Old School bhai. I am guessing you are fluent in reading and writing Bengali as well?

 

[Old School]

Sure thing @Old School bhai. I am guessing you are fluent in reading and writing Bengali as well?

Yes, I do. My father was in the Navy, and we were in Chittagong before 1971.

 

[Bilal9]

[H1]Scenes from a besieged city[/H1]
Photos from July 18th to July 20th: A Netra News photographer on the ground in Dhaka has been documenting the ongoing student protests and the government's brutal crackdown against the protesters.

Netra News
July 21st 2024

July 19th — Graffiti: "Are you going to hold a dialogue with dead bodies?"

July 18th — Hundreds of protesters on the streets of Dhaka clash with the police.

July 19th — A RAB helicopter flying over a group of protesters in Dhaka. Netra News reporters witnessed indiscriminate firing from such helicopters that have been deployed to quell the protests.

July 19th — An injured man being taken to the emergency ward at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where Netra News reporters saw hundreds of injured men, women and children seeking treatment after being attacked by the police.

July 19th — An injured man being taken to the emergency ward at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where Netra News reporters saw hundreds of injured men, women and children seeking treatment after being attacked by the police.

July 19th — A man mourning for his loved one in front of the emergency ward at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where Netra News reporters saw hundreds of injured men, women and children seeking treatment after being attacked by the police.

July 20th — Army deployed on the streets of Dhaka to enforce a nationwide curfew.

July 20th — Army deployed on the streets of Dhaka to enforce a nationwide curfew.

July 20th — Army deployed on the streets of Dhaka to enforce a nationwide curfew.

---

ADVISORY — Netra News is offering assistance to international and regional press covering the protests and unrest in Bangladesh. We have reporters and collaborators on the ground and can share material. Reach us via email: netra@netra.news

 

[Bilal9]

Couple of updates from DW...both feature good commentary by Tasneem Khalil, who is Editor in chief of Netra News.

 

[Samad11]

Didn't Ziaur Rehman betray you guys?

No he didn't!

He couldn't become a three-star general and president at the age of less than 40 without the help of your guys.

First of all, back in the 70's BD armed forces were too small to have any Lt. General/3-star rank. Zia & his predecessor K. M. Shafiullah, both became BA chiefs as Major General/2-star rank.

Secondly, there's no requirement that someone has to be 40 years old to be promoted to 3 stars! I guess you don't know how meteoric Zia's rise/promotions were in the BA; Zia was promoted one rank (to Lt. Col.) right in the middle of BD Independence War because of his performance while commanding troops in the field. He even raised the first Infantry Brigade/Regiment of BA during '71 independence war, by coalescing mostly EBR units + newly trained civilians (who you think as Muktijoddhas, but Muktijoddhas were both unformed former EBR + newly trained & inducted civilian voluunteers)!

He was 41 when elected as president in 1977.

He blatantly refused China's 50-year strategic partnership offer.

China never offers anyone strategic partnership, forget 50 years? If that was the case your state in the West would've signed such a lofty 50-year strategic partnership deal with China a long time ago. Even N. Korea doesn't have such a deal, they only have a mutual defense pact, but there's no time limit in this defense pact (50-years or otherwise). If China was offering such deals, they would've offered something like what you're saying to the Vietnamese, when Chinese leadership was supplying them with weapons & politically supporting them against the US.

China policy comes from 'Mozlum Jononeta' Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani (a.k.a. 'The Red Maulana'). He was personally friends with high ranking leaders of the Chinese Communist Party & Central Committee. He considered China to be a proper Communist/Socialist country. Unlike US and Soviets, both of which he considered to be imperialist powers. He viewed China as a 3rd pole in the global order, one that doesn't interfere in the internal affairs of other poorer/global south countries and stands by them in their need & support those countries globally at various international forums.

China has always adhered to non-interference in other countries internal affairs;

It was Bhashani who personally helped establish your countries diplomatic relationship with China. After 1975, he advised Zia and other leaders in BS to follow western state's earlier example & establish diplomatic relations between our country & China. Which Zia did.

It was Bhashani who overthrew Ayub & freed political prisoners jailed on false/trumped up charges (including Mujib). It was Bhashani who made the (strategic decision) to withdraw from the 1970 general election, allowing Mujib to win 160 out of 162 parliamentary seats.

Bhashani is the true father of BD & it's founding ideology/identity, Bangalee Muslim Nationalism (one of the main branches from the old Muslim League tree, the other being Muslim Nationalism without any ethnicity attached to it). Bhashani was a prominent leader in the old ML!

Bhashani was the one who also formed 'All Party Language Movement Committee' in January of 1952, and you very well know how the Bangla Language Movement went the very next month (February)! Following year he also formed the Awami Muslim League & then renaming it to just Awami League; basically made the old Muslim League a defunct organization in the 1954 elections (United Front).

Zia formed BNP around core of Bhashani's National Awami Party/NAP and his 'Bangalee Muslim Nationalism' ideology. The only thing Zia did was change the outward appearance, in this case name, to Bangladeshi Nationalism, to make it sound more modern and less tinged with religious/ethnic identifiers.

But those who know about it's history & real meaning, like the indians, are always crying their eyes about how this is just Muslim League 'steely fist' ideology, covered in ethnic/linguistic 'velvety' gloves. There was a thread in the old PK forum about this exact thing, Nationalism is unacceptable to them.

The revolutionaries, Sena Parishad, worked very hard to build a good relationship with China, and Ziaur Rehman destroyed it only to stay in power by pleasing India.

BD didn't have any diplomatic relationship with China, until Zia established it in January 1976! He also repaired BD's relationship with Saudis (and other Muslim nations) and the US/West, while distancing us from Soviet/Indians (the ones who'd go onto kill Zia in 1981).

while having hostile relations with the US/West (the ones who'd finally kill him in Aug 15, 1975) and even other Muslim nations (Saudis/other Gulfies).

made our relationship with other nation almost hostile (and in the case of the western state, completely hostile). She's about to get it from the US/West.

Yes, Zia pleased Indians so much that they forced Tajuddin & Gen. Osmani to relieve him of field command, transfer him to HQ (moving him across the border) where Indians could keep a close eye on him. Only because of what he did to the Indians in Khemkaran sector in 1965 war, which won him the Hilal-i-Jurat (he also won the BD equivalent Bir Uttom), that they never trusted him!

He even killed thousands of Sena Parishad soldiers, burying them in their uniform and boots in the middle of the night in unknown graves.

LOL! So you think Soviets & Indians trying to stage multiple coups with financing and support, to destabilize BD or overthrow a govt. that doesn't kowtow to them should be allowed to happen? Forget Zia, the entire military leadership, along with the civilian leadership, was all for ruthlessly culling these foreign-funded agents.

In September 1977, the 'Japan Airlines Flight 472', was allowed to carry terrorists on board. This was then for no reason, other than to stage a coup, forced down at old Dhaka airport. This hijacking was used as a ploy to launch a full scale coup by enlisted & Jr ranked officers of the BAF. They killed a lot of the mid and high ranking BAF officers (most of whom were repatriated from the west after '71 and some of whom were even veterans of '65 war), who were there to negotiate a hostage rescue deal with the terrorists.

Even after this, during the court martial, military judges retained full independence & exercised freedom of decision making. Zia wasn't even involved in these proceedings, neither did he ever force, or even ask, a military judge to rescind or change their order, even if they released some of the coup mutineers. I know, I had family a member who was one of the prosecutors at some of these trials; in one instance the sitting judge let one of the mutineers go because even though he was part of the coup, the airman not only saved the judge himself from being killed by the other coup plotters, but several other officers.

Later, most of their top leaders became victims of the kangaroo court of Hasina and became martyred.

Along with millions of BD's who have been killed, and the killing is still continuing!

China will act decisively this time. On the recent Peking trip, they sent back Hasina home empty-handed.

That's exactly what China is going to do; they'll sit on their fat asses and twiddle their thumbs while US overthrows fake sheikh hagsina. Just like in 2006 when the US installed renter razakar, the Chinese just stood by!


@Bilal9 @LeonBlack08 @Saif

 

[Samad11]

I don't know if Ziaur Rahman was trying to please India,

That's just his BS! I have replied to him about this in another post...

I agree (sense) that yes CCP have told off Hasina with a 'come to Jesus' meeting. That may have been the reason why she hurried back.

She has always been sitting on ran dee an lap, not sure what would change so suddenly. But transit of their military hardware, goods/resupply and even troops disguised as civilians all the up to the Chinese border would be a big one.

The biggest thing is, the recently concluded joint military exercise with China, has almost no pictures/videos, no mention on any major news sites/TV, either in BD or China. As if the military exercises never even happened/were cancelled!

@LeonBlack08 @Saif

 

[Old School]

@Samad11, ভাইব্যা সুইন্যা এইহানে প‌োস দিবি। চিনসনা ক্কারে ক্কী ক্কস। সাাাবধাাান কঈরা ধিলাম।
[ Native Bangla, google can not translate it !!]

 

[LeonBlack08]

As soon as internet is restored - the following needs to be spread across social media -

 

[LeonBlack08]

BD Internal security forces are using Spearhead system, which they acquired from Israeli firm Passitora (needless to say that is illegal since Bangladesh does not recognize Israel). These are mobile surveillance van that can hack into phones within a radius of about half a kilometer.

 

[LeonBlack08]

[H1]Hasina puts on brave face as anxiety grows[/H1]

Hasina puts on brave face as anxiety grows

With her control under question, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina attempts to reassert control

netra.news

Key points from the article -

• As many as 174 people have died as a result of the government's ferocious crackdown on the student protests that escalated into civil unrest, according to a count by Daily Prothom Alo, a leading vernacular newspaper that notes the number could be much higher due to government restrictions. A Western diplomatic source estimates the number of injured at 10,000.
• The foreign ministry in Dhaka, meanwhile, invited foreign diplomats to a briefing on Sunday, during which the US ambassador Peter Haas criticised authorities over the killings, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP). Haas spoke first as authorities opened the floor after playing a 10-minute clip made by Somoy TV, a pro-government TV station, according to a diplomatic source. "I am surprised you did not show the footage of police firing at unarmed protesters," he quipped, according to AFP.
• Increased presence of army soldiers on ground.
• Police in the Bangladesh capital said at least 532 people, including senior leaders of the main opposition BNP and the largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, were arrested.
• At least 61,000 people have been charged with violence over the unrest, according to Prothom Alo. Most of those charged are unidentified, a prelude to a looming legal crackdown ahead.

 

[Old School]

BD Internal security forces are using Spearhead system, which they acquired from Israeli firm Passitora (needless to say that is illegal since Bangladesh does not recognize Israel). These are mobile surveillance van that can hack into phones within a radius of about half a kilometer.

They got the delivery via Hungary. BAL is very close to Israelis behind the scene and with Modi connection, it is a no brainer.

 

[LeonBlack08]

They got the delivery via Hungary. BAL is very close to Israelis behind the scene and with Modi connection, it is a no brainer.

The extended Sheikh family has married into a couple of Zionist Jews as well, if I am not mistaken.