DEPLOYMENT OF INDIAN SECURITY MEN
Govt. shouldn't lower nation's dignity, sovereignty
Faisal Rahim
Two moves by the Indian government in terms of deploying Black Commandos to protect its High Commission in Dhaka and the High Commissioner in particular and sky marshals at Dhaka airport ostensibly to protect Indian airliners have caused new concerns here to many strategic analysts.
Analysts appear critical about the motives behind such moves, asking themselves that at a time when India has a very friendly government in Dhaka why is she trying to put their own specialised security arrangement to all Indian installations in Bangladesh. BNP standing committee member and former army chief Gen. (Retd) Mahbubur Rahman categorised such a move as an attempt on the country's sovereignty and integrity saying it may bring serious threat to the nation's security and independence.
Meanwhile analysts explained that the Indian authority may not feel secured despite there being a friendly government here as it looks to most Bangladeshis as hostile to Delhi's hegemonistic stance.
The feeling of "a friendly government in an enemy nation'' may have prompted the Indian policy makers to think of such moves and the ruling Awami League may also have a positive view of such deployment as this may work as additional safety leverage in times of crisis, analysts believe. They say India had to fly commandos to West Bengal closer to Bangladesh border during the BDR mutiny in February last year. It also put on alert its Eastern Command and Border Security Force that time only to convince later about the need to station some of its intervention forces here under the cover of security personnel.
Knowledgeable sources say India has sent proposal to Bangladesh's foreign ministry to allow placement of the 'Black Commandos' in its mission in Dhaka. Such forces will not only protect the mission from attacks by 'terrorists' groups but also accompany the High Commissioner whenever he moves out of the office travelling through the city to attend functions.
Sky marshals
The 'sky marshals' similarly will have a logistic support station at the Dhaka airport and although the proposal refers to protect the Indian airliners operating to and from here from presumed terrorists attacks. But India may also have in-built capacity from the logistic station to field intervention forces at the time of a domestic crisis threatening its interest here. It is learnt that the foreign ministry has sent the Indian proposal to the home ministry for a decision and the Indian diplomats in the capital are now directly dealing with the home ministry officials.
In a separate move the government has recently decided to deploy armed police battalion in Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet airports to lighten security arrangements against presumed terrorist threats at these airports and the deployment has already started. Some analysts tend to relate this deployment with the Indian attempt to bring its security force here to beef up hold on the country's internal security. But the question is will it be able to dissuade Delhi to bring further pressure on the government to allow deployment of sky marshals in Dhaka airport?
Gen. (Retd) Mahbubur Rahman wondered why India wants to put in place additional security build up underestimating Bangladesh government's protection. He said India may be using security threats from terrorist groups to justify the move but there is no such threats coming from any quarter. He said, "It is true, there is a substantive opposition to Indian strategic designs over this nation but it is entirely confined to activism in political opposition without visible physical threats."
He said, Bangladesh is known to be a moderate Muslim nation, no insurgency such as the Indian Maoists exists here which seriously threats the Indian Union. Besides, no diplomatic mission in Dhaka is having its own special security to protect its personnel or assets except the USA.
Physical infiltration
The internal security system here has so far proved quite capable to protect diplomats and their missions in Dhaka, he added. Moreover if somebody wants greater protection, Bangladesh is capable to mobilise it. "It has the experience and the ability," Gen Mahbub said taking exception to the Indian moves. He was critical of the Indian plan to station 'sky marshals' at the airports saying it only shows the "lack of confidence'' in Bangladesh government's security arrangement in one hand and an attempt by the Indian policy makers to make ''physical infiltration'' into the country's internal security system on the other.
The Indian move also shows the lack of respect to the country's sovereignty and integrity, he said hoping Delhi will not go ahead with its plan to establish a parallel security system at the airport and in the Indian Mission. It may be misused as intervention force in the country's domestic matters as and when India may so decide, he fears.
Gen. Mahbub said the way India wants to make its security build up here only refers to a status of a very weak and fragile nation that Bangladesh may stand now in the Indian eyes. He said if diplomatic missions start bringing their own security personnel the security and sovereignty of the country may become vulnerable. "A respectable nation which won independence through a bloody war must never allow it to happen. In all sense it should not allow it and the Awami League government must not do anything that may compromise the dignity of the nation," he said.
Gen. Mahbub said there is no such example in modern history. He said, the nation is watching the new threats to its sovereignty and integrity and it must oppose the deployment of foreign troops here under any pretext.
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