The blueprint for regime change in Bangladesh, as seen Massive protests against the quota system According to intelligence reports, the plot that led to the downfall of the Sheikh Hasina government was hatched in London with the support of Pakistan’s ISI. Bangladeshi officials have claimed that they have evidence of meetings between Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) caretaker chief and Khaleda Zia’s son Tarique Rahman and ISI officials in Saudi Arabia.
At the beginning of the violence, several “anti-Bangladesh” handles on X were constantly fuelling the protests. Over 500 negative tweets were posted against Sheikh Hasina governmentThese also include tweets made from Pakistani handles.
Sources said the goal of the Pakistani army and the ISI was to destabilise Hasina’s government and restore the opposition BNP, which is considered pro-Pakistan. China, through the ISI, also played a role in fuelling the protests, which eventually forced Hasina to flee to India.
How did ISI and China conspire against the Hasina government?
What began as a protest against job reservations turned into a full-blown anti-government movement against Hasina, leaving over 300 people dead and hundreds injured.
The intelligence agency said the ISI-backed Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS) Students’ wing of Jamaat-e-Islami BangladeshThis further fuelled the protests and turned them into a determined effort to replace Hasina with a government more favorable to Pakistan and China.
Jamaat-e-Islami, known for its anti-India stance, aimed to turn the student protests into a political movement.
Intelligence inputs suggest that members of the Islami Chhatra Shibir had planned meticulously for several months. Intelligence sources said a large part of the funding came from Chinese entities operating in Pakistan.
An examination of social media activity during the protests in Bangladesh revealed that most of the posts against the Awami League, videos of violence against protesters and posters defaming Sheikh Hasina were being created by BNP and its affiliated accounts. Most of these posts were being promoted by US-based accounts.
Why did the protests start in Bangladesh?
The protests have their roots in the controversial quota system that reserved up to 30 per cent of government jobs for family members of veterans who took part in the 1971 Bangladesh independence war against Pakistan.
Even though Bangladesh’s Supreme Court reduced job reservation to 5%, the protests took a different turn, with demonstrators demanding Hasina’s resignation. The protests turned even more violent on August 4, when clashes with police left more than 100 people dead.
On Monday, Hasina resigned as Bangladesh’s prime minister and fled the country, and the military took control.
Bangladesh President Mohammad Shahabuddin said An interim government will be formed The President dissolved the Parliament. The President also ordered the release of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.