(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) Intelligence agencies in India see the involvement of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and its Chinese allies in the recent turmoil in Bangladesh that led to Prime Minister sheikh Hasina fleeing the country, according to a Times of India report.
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The escalating protests and subversion are believed to be orchestrated by the ISI, with support from China's Ministry of State Security, to destabilize the Hasina government and install a regime more favourable to Pakistan and China.
The Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS), the student wing of the hardline Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, has reportedly been identified as a key player in inflaming the streets and turning protests over quotas into a determined effort to oust Hasina.
Known for its anti-India stance, the ICS has been actively involved in anti-India activities and has been under the surveillance of Indian intelligence agencies for an extended period.
According toa TOI report quoting sources, ICS members had meticulously planned the widespread violence across the nation months in advance.
“The ISI-backed Jamaat-e-Islami received substantial financial backing earlier this year to destabilize the Hasina government, with significant funding believed to originate from Chinese entities operating in Pakistan,” an official was quoted as saying in the TOI report.
Despite Hasina's attempts to maintain a balance between China and India, her even-handedness was reportedly not well-received by Beijing. Leading figures of the ICS allegedly managed to charm Western-affiliated NGOs by using the rhetoric of democracy and rights, further complicating the situation.
Visual evidence has reportedly surfaced showing ICS members undergoing training in Afghanistan and Pakistan, operating in close coordination with the ISI-backed terrorist group Harkat
Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI). This Pakistan-based Deobandi group has an affiliate in Bangladesh and allegedly aims to establish a Taliban-type government in the country. "The ultimate objective of Jamaat or ICS is to establish a Taliban-type govt in Bangladesh, and the ISI has been assuring them of their support in achieving this goal. Their proximity became flagrant in the wake of the strengthening ties between the Indian and Bangladeshi governments,” an intelligence officer was quoted as saying in the report.
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Bangladesh unrest: Violent protesters occupy Parliament, smoke inside after Sheikh Hasina flees Dhaka (WATCH)
The support from China's Ministry of State Security is suspected to have played a significant role, with Beijing reportedly viewing a government in Dhaka with Pakistani leverage as beneficial to its interests. This geopolitical maneuvering underscores the broader regional implications of the recent unrest in Bangladesh.
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