New Delhi: Security agencies are keeping a close watch on the developments in Bangladesh as the radical National Armed Reserve (NAR) is set to come up.
The unit would comprise over 8,000 radicalised youth of Bangladesh, and the aim would be to control the country by imposing the Sharia law, officials said.
The NRA is being set up to replace the police in the country. This unit will ensure the strict implementation of the Sharia law, Intelligence Bureau officials said.
This plan was set in motion by the ISI and the Pakistan army, and in the run-up to its setting up, several meetings have already taken place.
The plan by Pakistan is to have both a radical army and a police wing. The process of identifying persons in Bangladesh who have a complete Pakistan tilt and are highly radicalised has already begun, officials have learnt.
Currently, there are many within the army, including its chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, who feel that Bangladesh should be run democratically. This is the reason why the ISI is trying to restructure the Army and put people who are loyal to Pakistan at the helm. Pakistan has identified Brigadier (retd) Abdullahil Aman Azmi to oversee the process.
He is a highly radicalised person and the son of the late Jamaat-e-Islami emir, Golam Azam. He has held a series of meetings with top Pakistani officials, and Indian agencies have learnt that he is likely to be given an important portfolio in Bangladesh’s security architecture. Pakistan seeks to make Azmi an advisor first in the home ministry.
Once the elections are conducted, this position would cease to exist, and then the plan would be to put him in charge of the NAR, officials said.
Since Muhammad Yunus took charge, several Pakistani diplomats have moved to Bangladesh. They hold regular consultations with officials in Dhaka. One of the key figures that they have been meeting is Azmi. He is the go-between man between Dhaka and Islamabad officials, have learnt.
Meetings are held at the Banani Officers’ Housing Scheme, where many Pakistani diplomats are lodged. One such meeting that was held on December 23 has come under the radar of the Indian agencies.
The meeting was held between Azmi and Pakistan’s Deputy High Commissioner, Mohammad Wasim, at the same complex. This meeting signals the making of something big, officials said.
Further, meetings have also been held between top ISI officials and diplomats in Dhaka. Intelligence agencies say that these meetings point towards a sinister plot ahead of the proposed February 2026 elections.
While plans are afoot to disrupt the elections, officials said that this plan may not be successful. The aim is to run Bangladesh like how Pakistan is being governed.
While there is a “namesake” democratically elected government in power, all the control is with the Pakistan Army, headed by Field Marshal Asim Munir.
Elections would have to be held to avoid pressure from the International community, especially the United States. Even if there is a democratically elected government in power, Pakistan wants the NAR and the army to be in charge.
The NAR would eventually replace the police, while puppets of the Pakistan establishment in the Bangladesh army would oversee the running of the country.
The primary aim is to turn Bangladesh into a completely radical country. Outfits such as the ISI-backed Jamaat-e-Islami are rooting for this, and hence they need to have an NAR in place. This unit would ensure that everyone strictly adheres to radical Islam.
On the other hand, the Army would be helmed by puppets of Pakistan, officials say.
The Indian Intelligence agencies will have a lot on the plate in the days to come, as several developments are unfolding in Bangladesh. The nation remains on edge due to the fake narrative that the ISI has spread. On the other hand, the ISI is trying to infiltrate every institution and take control over the country.
(IANS)
