DGFI & Bangladesh Politics

(We've selected this excerpt from an electronic discussion group to enlighten our readers about how military intelligence in Bangladesh is subverting political process to breed a new political landscape. We're not endorsing its contents and speculations. We think the readers need to look through all the facts on the basis of the realities from the past and present)
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Directorate General of Forces Intelligence, an invisible Government and Breeding Spot of Fabrication of False Cases against targeted Politicians And Businessmen With The Object to De-popularize the Secular Democratic political Institution The Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) is an intelligence unit of Bangladesh Arm forces is headed by one Maj. General Golam Mohammad with his two closest associates (i) Brig. General Fazlul Bari (ii) Brig. General Amin having head quarter in Dhaka Cantonment. It has countrywide network based on all cantonments in Bangladesh.

This DGFI started to play various political games during the regimes of Lt. Gen. Ziaur Rahman (1975-1981) and Lt. Gen Hossain Mohammad Ershad (1981-1990). Both the generals in politics, ignoring all army service rules, from their office of chief of army staff formed political parties Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jatiyo Party (JP). Both of them adopted the same method to form their political parties. They used DGFI to call the leaders of various political parties, proposed to join king’s political parties or to suffer inhuman torture, prolong detention, false cases under special power act etc. If they join to king party there was reward of minister, important portfolio of government, profitable industries and business with the government Bank money etc. Many political leaders could not stand to their own political values but to surrender to the evil design of politics of the Generals. That is the main reason why and how the generals have made the politicians corrupt and the policies have become difficult for real politicians with real political values of serving the nation with dedications.

The new-rich politicians of king political parties created by those two generals Zia and Ershad were pioneer of rigging election and declaration of false result in favor of them by pouring their black money in to election conduct process rights from preparation of voter list, vote casting and publishing election result through huge bribing of election conducting government officials. In this way those two generals in politics acquired two third majorities in the parliament to ratify all illegal acts under Martial law regulation and ordinances. Now it has become a convention even for the real political leaders to depend upon money besides popular votes to win the election. Such prevailing situation in Bangladesh has been compelling many medium grade politicians to earn money in order to win the election. Here lies the main reason of political corruption. But it is astonishing to see that although the election conducting government officials are principal beneficiaries of electioneering corruption have been remaining untouched because of their continuation of all time power. The powerless politicians after losing their power under unconstitutional care taker government are the main victim without having opportunity of taking shelter in the Govt. tutored court.

The present DGFI has adopted more aggressive attitude under Army led care taker government than the previous martial law government. The people perception is DGFI is mainly guided by i) Brig. Gen. Bari and ii) Brig. amin. These two officers are closely linked with Jamat-E-Islami politics and it top brass Motiur Rahman Nizami. Their target is to promote Jamat to–power in next election at least through a coalition government.

(Read the Washington Post's article A New Hub for Terrorism: to see the documented linkage between Jamaat and the current DGFI). "What makes future prospects in Bangladesh especially alarming is that the Jamaat and its allies appear to be penetrating the higher ranks of the armed forces. Among many examples, informed journalists in Dhaka attribute Jamaat sympathies to Maj. Gen. Mohammed Aminul Karim, recently appointed as military secretary to President Iajuddin Ahmed, and to Brig. Gen. A.T.M. Amin, director of the Armed Forces Intelligence anti-terrorism bureau".)

With that target in view they are manipulating this government to prolong in power so that during this gap two popular parties Awami League and BNP can be broken in absence of its two party chief. In absence of those two party chiefs neither of the factions of those two parties will be able to form government independently with absolute majority in the next election. Such situation will bring favor to Jamat to form government and Bangladesh will turn in to Islamic state like Pakistan. During the last alliance government Jamat was a vital partner. Their involvement with fundamental militant activities is well known to national and international communities through mass media. But so far no Jamat leader has yet been arrested on militant charges reportedly under the direct shelter of Brig. Gen. Bari and Brig Gen. Amin. These two Brigadier’s General pose them in their private and official dialogue they are making the policies of the government in association with law adviser Mr. Moinul Hossain, Anti Corruption Commission Chairman Lt. Gen.(rtd) Hasan Mashud Chowdhury.

The DGFI in the name of so called Anti Corruption Drive slogan is arresting any of their targeted persons tightening their eyes, bringing to DGFI torture cell, throwing them naked in to ice cold black hole for hours together, next putting them in to hot chamber and electric shock center, interrogating alternately through couple of nights taking their written statements which is authorized by the tutored magistrate court to use it as confessional statement against themselves and their other political leaders to fabricate false cases with the charge of corruption. As per criminal Procedure code an arrested person must have to be produced before the nearest court within 24 hours after arrest. But DGFI is caring little to the binding of the law. They are picking a person in dead hour of nights with tights eyes taking him to unknown destination to their torture cell, detaining for couple of days without showing official arrest to avoid binding of law. This simply reign of terror has been prevailing in Bangladesh since 11 January 2007 like Sadam’s Iraq.

Law adviser Moinul Hossain is framing new laws and Anti Corruption Commission chairman Lt. Gen(rtd). Hasan Mashud Chowdhory is framing distorted or false cases to justify the notorious activities of DGFI. From past record it is known that Brig. Gen. Bari was Director of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) while Mr. Anwarul Iqbal, the present adviser of the care taker government was the Director General of RAB. They were the initiator of extra judicial mass killing. ACC chairman Lt. Gen (rtd). Hasan Mashud Chowdhury, as chief of staff of Army, also initiated extra judicial mass killing in the name of OPERATION CLEAN HEART. Mr. Mainul Hossain, the law adviser was also involved in several murders on the issues of ownership of the Daily Ittefaq with his younger brother Anwar Hossain Manju. It is a shared misfortune for the people of Bangladesh that the main those policy makers of the care taker government has little sense of humanity for their own goal and own egos.

Sheikh Hasina, the president of AL, a most popular political personality, a legendary honest prime minister of Bangladesh the people have ever seen is glaring example of victim of false cases and detention in jail after obtaining bail from the high court.

To save Bangladesh from such regime of terror, DGFI activities must have to be limited within arm forces only, immediate withdrawal of emergency rule, opening all political activities, releasing all political person to let them face trial on bail, holding election within very short time if necessary with supreme court directed updated voter list and hand over power to the people representatives. Those suggestions are the necessity of time to establish secular democracy and protection of Human Rights in Bangladesh.