Dhaka approached Delhi during mutiny
Sun, Mar 27th, 2011 11:45 pm BdST
Dhaka, Mar 27 (bdnews24.com) —
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina had made phone calls to India's external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee during the 2009 BDR mutiny, seeking assistance from the international community.
"The Bangladesh prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, had telephoned external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee during the mutiny to ask for assistance from the international community, but had not been specific about the kind of help she needed," says an article carried by The Hindu in its March 27 issue.
"Mr Mukherjee had offered 'to be responsive' if needed," reads the article based on the US diplomatic cables accessed by the Indian newspaper via Wikileaks.
A month after the BDR mutiny, India continued to be worried about the after-effects of the mutiny, says The Hindu report.
Indian foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon revealed that the Indian government had also approached London, Beijing and Tokyo, says The Hindu quoting the Wikileaks.
It maintained, "India had two concerns. One, it feared that the Jamaat-e-Islami would exploit the instability resulting from the rebellion to 'fish in troubled waters'."
And second, India was worried that the mutiny could affect the civilian government's relations with the military.
Menon, who described the mutiny as 'long in the planning', did not blame Jamaat directly for it, but said the party was disappointed by the Dec 2008 election results and the anti-extremism steps taken by the new government.
US Embassy Charge d'Affaires Steven White was surprised when he was called in for a meeting with foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon on the last weekend of Feb 2009.
"That 'unusual Saturday meeting' was to discuss the mutiny by troopers of the Bangladesh Rifles a couple of days earlier, and the worry in the Indian government about its implications for the newly elected government of Sheikh Hasina, perceived as a friend of India," says the report.
"Menon expressed concern about the likely effect of the violence on the Army, which had lost several officers while quelling the mutiny. The foreign secretary indicated this might lead to trouble for the Hasina government with the Army."
The newspaper further says, "He no0ted that the mutineers had thrown the bodies of military officials into sewers. But he was encouraged that the army chief was working closely with the government to stabilise the situation."
"Menon appreciated the US statement on the violence and stressed the importance of close coordination and consultation between the US and India as the situation developed."
The US official cabled that the Indian foreign secretary also warned that while the initial violence was over, it would take several days before it was clear what would happen next and if further trouble was possible.
On March 26, 2009, the US Embassy in Delhi cabled (198952: confidential) that India's main concern was to stabilise prime minister Hasina's government.
The ministry of external affairs deputy secretary told embassy officials that India was concerned about the possible involvement of 'radical forces'.
He related that many of the known culprits in the massacre were recruited under the previous Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government and had Jamaat-e-Islami links.
India's concerns appear to have cast a shadow on the Indian foreign secretary's visit to Dhaka on April 13 and 14 that year.
A day later, he shared with US ambassador Peter Burleigh his assessment that the situation in Bangladesh was 'fragile' following the mutiny.
According to a cable sent on Apr 16, 2009 from New Delhi (202615:confidential) reporting the meeting, Shivshankar expressed the Indian government's worry that the current environment would allow extremist groups in Bangladesh to destabilise the democratic government and provide them with a 'freer hand' to launch attacks in India, The Hindu reports.
"Pressed by the ambassador to identify which groups India was concerned about, Mr Menon said that India's worries extended from political parties like the Jamaat-e-Islami to extremist groups like the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, Bangadesh (HUJI,B)," the embassy cabled.
The Indian official told the US ambassador that even though petty issues often consumed politics in Bangladesh, he was surprised that despite the instability created by the mutiny, 'politicians were focused on matters such as opposition leader Begum Zia's housing'.
"India was concerned about a sense of drift in the government and [Menon] judged that the government was not functioning in a normal fashion," says the cable quoted by The Hindu.
WIKILEAKS EXPOS: BangladeshDhaka approached Delhi during mutiny | wikileaks | bdnews24.com