Pakistan's Double Game: Crushing Radicals at Home While Breeding Them in Bangladesh

The Gaza Solidarity March that was being taken out by the members of the TLP turned extremely violent. The clashes with the security forces especially in Muridke turned violent and resulted in the deaths of many.

The TLP is a creation of the Pakistan state, but in recent years has turned violent while trying to push its religious agenda.

Several groups in Pakistan such as the TLP and Tehreek-e-Taliban, Pakistan (TTP) have turned against the state as they believe that Islamabad does not pursue a policy of making the country an Islamic nation.

In recent months, such groups including the Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT) have been vocal about Pakistan’s stand on the Gaza issue.

Islamabad has been backing Washington’s stand where the Gaza issue is concerned and this has not gone down well with these groups.

Analysts, however point out the irony when it comes to Pakistan pursuing a zero tolerance policy towards radical groups that push for the implementation of an Islamic state that would be governed by the Sharia law.

In Pakistan there is a crackdown on such groups, but when it comes to Bangladesh, Islamabad has been pushing for the implantation of an Islamic State and for the people to follow the Sharia Law.

Through the Jamaat-e-Islami and its puppet Muhammad Yunus, the ISI has been trying to implement hard law that requires more rigid following of Islam.

Further the ISI also has an agenda to rob women of their rights and pursue them into leading lives, like the way women do in Iran.

When Sheikh Hasina was ousted and Muhammad Yunus was made the caretaker of the interim government, it became clear that the Jamaat would call the shots.

The Jamaat instructed Yunus to open the country up to Pakistan and by doing so, the ISI got easy access to Bangladesh.

In Bangladesh, the ISI and Jamaat have been trying to change the social fabric. There is a lot of emphasis that is being given to radical elements, who have been told to persecute the minorities and also try and implement the Sharia Law.

In Pakistan, the crackdown on radical groups that challenge the state is brutal. The Pakistan Army has indulged in genocide to shut down these elements.

While in Pakistan the crackdown is aimed at restoring the writ of the state, in Bangladesh, the agenda is different.

At the behest of Pakistan, the interim government has given a free hand to radical elements to push their Islamist agenda. While these elements have managed to capture every institution in the country, there is some amount of resistance from the Army and DGFI.

The recent court orders that directed the arrest of several Army officers, who alleged committed atrocities during the Hasina regime, is a sign that a sustained attempt is being made to dismantle the institution.

Pakistan realises that in order to convert Bangladesh into an Islamic state, it would need the Army and DGFI to be on the side of the establishment. Since there is resistance from both these institutions, the Jamaat has decided to dismantle them.

Further the ISI is already training over 8,000 people in several centres across Bangladesh to prepare them to be part of the proposed Islamic Revolutionary Army (IRA).

This is the new institution that the Jamaat and the ISI want to replace with the Army. The primary job of the IRA would be to impose stringent Islamic laws and also beat down any dissent from the people.

The IRA would push for curbing women’s rights and is expected to replicate the Iran module in Bangladesh. All these are clear signs that Bangladesh is slowly but surely becoming an Islamic state, that would eventually become extremely problematic for India.

This also shows the clear hypocrisy of Pakistan. On one hand, it wants a country that was once progressing to descend into chaos, while on the other, it is doing everything to ensure that all groups that seek an Islamic state are shut down in Pakistan.

- IANS