RAW’s Chanakkya Chal Backfired!
Mar 23, 2012
The ISI Handouts to BNP: RAW’s Chanakkya Chal Backfired!
Obaid Chowdhury
In April 2010, Qamrul Islam, the State Minister for Law, made a startling revelation. He discovered that the former President Ziaur Rahman was a Pakistani spy in 1971. One may click the link below to see an article on the issue.
It was not known if the balding half minister did consult a psychiatrist, but he later apologized for his statement and admitted that Ziaur Rahman was a valiant freedom fighter.
Lately, another sensational discovery came from none other than Sheikh Hasina Wazed, the Prime Minister. On March 6, 2012, she gleefully announced in the parliament that Begum Khaleda Zia took money from Inter Services Intelligence of Pakistan before the 1991 and 2001 elections to defeat Awami League. She repeated her assertions at every opportunity she could avail since, including the Mohajote’s grand rally on March 14 in Dhaka.
The BNP had all along denied any such deal.
Actual facts started unfolding since. Prothom Alo’s
Dipanjan Roy Chowdhury, a New Delhi based Indian Bengali journalist, wrote in the Khaleej Times of Dubai on March 3 that Begum Zia was paid 5 crores rupee by the ISI. The former ISI chief, Lt. General Asad Durrani, allegedly disclosed this in a court statement recently. The Prothom Alo and the Daily Star in Dhaka—but none else— picked up the news on March 4, giving the required ‘ammunition’ to Sheikh Hasina to malign her rival Khaleda Zia.
But the news of this fantastic ‘discovery’ failed to attract much attention outside Awami circle. Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of Sheikh Hasina and her advisor, made a quick trip to New Delhi. The amount of graft was increased 10 folds to 50 crores. Mr. Chowdhury repeated the story in the Daily Mail and India Today in New Delhi on March 16. A few pro- Awami media were activated too.
Interestingly, Dipanjan Chowdhury quoted Khaleej as the source in his writings to the Daily Mail and India Today. In other words, he quoted himself; for, he was the original writer in Dubai’s Khaleej. To know more about the issue and interesting facts about Dipanjan Roy Chowdhury, please click the link below: In an interview on March 20, General Durrani categorically denied having mentioned of Bangladesh or Khaleda Zia in his court deposition. He emphasized that the story of ISI handout to any party or politician in Bangladesh was absolutely false. The case was about Pakistan and the question of Bangladesh did not arise, he further asserted.
People started adding 2 and 2. According to them, the Chanakkya Chal was the brainchild of the RAW, Indian intelligence agency that thrived on interfering with the affaires of the neighboring countries. They suspected that Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Bangladesh High Commissioner Tareq Karim in New Delhi, and of course, the star player Dipanjan Roy Chowdhury were also involved in the scandal.
Indian ‘Bags of Money’ to Hasina for her victory in the December 2008 elections is no secret today. In fact, Indian deep-rooted involvement in the Moinuddin-Fakhruddin orchestrated 1/11—January 2007— treachery, installation of Hasina as the Prime Minister has not remained secret either. How could one not miss the big neighbor’s excessive extraction of benefits from Bangladesh— without giving much in return— over the past 3 years of Awami (mis)rule? Awami League’s partners in power, H M Ershad, Rashed Khan Menon, Hasnul Haq Inu and others had wondered if the advisors of Hasina worked for her or for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India.
The gradual slide of Hasina administration in public esteem, and the proportionate growth of BNP’s standing, made the Hasina’s sponsors obviously nervous. They have been suggesting various repressive acts on play to contain the trend or reverse sit. But nothing seemed to work for their protégé.
The latest act is the ISI payouts. RAW decided to twist the story to include Khaleda Zia in the ISI handout and gave the script to its media man Dipanjan Roy Chowdhury for dissemination. Chowdhury used his connection with the Khaleej Times in Dubai and arranged its publication on March 3, simultaneously feeding the information to Prothom Alo and the Daily Star in Dhaka. These two papers are said to be under RAW control. Understandably, Hasina was also in the loop, as she did not waste time to slander her arch rival in the Parliament.
With the denial from the horse’s mouth about any ISI money to Khaleda, the Chanakkya Chal seems to have backfired. In front of the probing journalists, an embarrassed Foreign Minister Dipu Moni fumbled and said that they were obtaining certified copies of the court statements from Pakistan.BNP is demanding an apology from the Prime Minister; otherwise, there will be court action. But Hasina is no Qamrul. Knowing her characteristics, hardly any shame touches her. Manufactured and unfounded slanders for her opponents are her everyday work. Natuba tar peter bhat hojom hoina, an elderly woman commented.
RAW