India Helped Thwart A Coup Against Bangladesh Army Chief By Pro-Pak Islamist Generals — Full Story Here

Last week, India helped Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman put down a revolt by some pro-Pakistani generals who were planning to replace him and take control of the 1.63 lakh-strong force.  

By helping the Army chief stave off the grave challenge, New Delhi has also dealt a significant blow to Bangladesh’s Islamists both within and outside the Mohammad Yunus-led interim government that is in power in the country now.

Details of the foiled coup attempt against the Bangladesh Army chief emerging now reveal that the move to replace him was initiated by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). 

The ISI was upset with General Waker-uz-Zaman for resisting plans to forge intimate military ties between the two countries. These plans had the explicit blessings of not only Mohammad Yunus but also Bangladesh’s Islamists who had opposed the 1971 war that liberated the country from the clutches of Pakistan. 

The Bangladesh Army in the months since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to flee the country on August 5, remained the only institution that did not cave in to Islamists who have gained power in the country.

General Waker-uz-Zaman first earned the ire of leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Students Movement (ADSM) and the Islamists for ensuring Sheikh Hasina’s safe passage to India on August 5. 

Highly-placed sources in Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI)—the country’s defence intelligence agency—told Swarajya that the ADSM leaders and Islamists had hoped to catch Hasina after storming her residence (Gonobhaban) on August 5.

The plan, DGFI sources revealed, was to carry out a summary trial of Hasina, accuse her of mass murders, and then hang her publicly. "That would have satisfied the bloodlust of the Islamists who had been kept firmly at bay by Hasina during her 15-year rule," a top DGFI officer told Swarajya. 

Apart from resisting attempts to spawn intimate ties with the Pakistani army, especially its ISI, the Bangladesh army chief also refused to be a party to many anti-India moves of the interim government. 

The Bangladesh Army chief angered Yunus and other advisors (de facto ministers) in the interim government by issuing a dire warning against growing lawlessness and turmoil in the country. 

Speaking at an army memorial event in Dhaka on 25 February, the general underlined the need for national unity and institutional discipline and urged everyone to stop fighting. His speech was seen as a veiled criticism of the Yunus administration, especially its failure to control the growing anarchy and rising crime in the country.

General Waker-uz-Zaman, a relative of Sheikh Hasina, is seen as a staunch advocate of keeping the army apolitical and professional. He is also deemed to be favourably disposed towards India. All this has earned him the ire of the pro-Pakistani Islamists and politicians, including Yunus and some other advisors. 

The coup plot

Lieutenant General Muhammad Faizur Rahman, the Quartermaster General (QMG) of the Bangladesh Army, was chosen to lead the coup and replace the army chief. 

Lt Gen Rahman is close to the Jamaat-e-Islami and is a staunch Islamist. He is also known to be close to the Pakistani army and has been openly advocating close ties, including intelligence sharing, between the Pakistan and Bangladesh armies.

Rahman, who served for a few months as the DGFI chief before becoming the QMG—a staff officer who manages the logistics, including supplies, of the entire army—in October last year, is known to be the ISI’s man in the Bangladesh army. 

Rahman is also very close to some hardliners in the Anti-Discrimination Students Movement (ADSM) who are advisors to the interim government. 

Rahman had facilitated the visit of ISI chief Lt Gen Asim Malik to Dhaka on January 21. General Waker-uz-Zaman was against the visit but had to bow down to pressure from the Yunus administration and some sections within his army. 

Rahman, despite the army chief’s objections, met the visiting ISI chief and held long discussions with him. Meeting visiting army delegations from other countries is not part of a QMG’s role or official mandate.

What’s more, Lt Gen Rahman refused to brief his chief (General Waker) in detail about his discussions with the ISI chief. That was an open show of defiance and an act of insubordination by the QMG which is said to have angered the Bangladesh army chief.

Another senior army officer, Lt Gen S M Kamrul Hassan, is also said to have been complicit in the plans to replace General Waker-uz-Zaman. Hassan is the Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division—a ministry-level joint forces headquarters that works in close coordination with the office of Chief Advisor Mohammad Yunus. 

The ISI chief’s visit to Bangladesh was preceded by a six-member military delegation from Bangladesh visiting Pakistan from January 13 to 18. That delegation was headed by Lt Gen Hassan. 

Lt Gen Hasan’s visit was to lay the ground for the visit of the ISI chief to Bangladesh. The two sides are learnt to have discussed intelligence sharing and other issues, including Bangladesh’s ties with India. 

It is learnt that Lt Gen Hasan also kept his chief (General Waker) in the dark about the details of the discussions he had with the Pakistani military officers, including the chiefs of the three services there. 

Lt Gen Hasan, it is learnt, preferred to brief only Mohammad Yunus in detail about the visit and his discussions with the chiefs of Pakistan’s army, navy and air force, as well as the ISI chief. 

Lt Gen Faizur Rahman (the QMG) was deemed by Pakistan to be the best choice to replace the army chief because of his unquestioning loyalty to Islamabad and also his intimate links with the Jamaat-e-Islami and other hardline Islamists of Bangladesh. 

The ISI chief, Lt Gen Asim Malik, during his visit to Bangladesh in January, spoke to key army brass in Dhaka and fathomed that they would be amenable to Gen Waker-uz-Zaman being replaced by Lt Gen Rahman. 

Though some of these officers the ISI chief spoke to are not Islamists or pro-Jamaat, they harbour grudges against the army chief because he has denied them out-of-turn promotions and some other privileges.

It is learnt that during his stay in Dhaka, the ISI chief secretly met some ADSM leaders as well as leaders of the Jamaat and some other Islamist outfits. A couple of these ADSM leaders who met Lt Gen Malik are functionaries in the interim government. 

The ISI chief is said to have broached the topic of Lt Gen Rahman (the QMG) becoming the army chief to them, and all of them responded enthusiastically. Mohammad Yunus, too, gave his silent approval to the proposal. 

Armed with assurances of support for the plan to replace General Waker-uz-Zaman, the ISI chief discussed the matter with the Pakistan army chief and others on his return to Islamabad. An action plan was charted out and put in motion.

Islamabad gave prime responsibility to execute the plan to its stooge and trusted general—Mohammad Faizur Rahman. He was asked to canvas for and obtain the support of key officers in the Bangladesh army as well as the air force and navy. 

Lt Gen Rahman started holding a series of secret meetings with some GOCs (General Officers Commanding) of some key army divisions and area commanders from late January onwards.

These officers included the 19 Infantry Division GOC and area commander of Ghatail, Maj Gen Hussain Muhammad Masihur Rahman; 10 Infantry Division GOC and area commander of Cox's Bazar, Maj Gen Mohammad Asadullah Minhajul Alam; GOC of 24 Infantry Division and area commander of Chittagong, Major General Mir Mushfiqur Rahman; 66 Infantry Division GOC and area commander of Rangpur, Maj Gen Mohammad Kamrul Hasan; 33 Infantry Division GOC and area commander of Comilla, Major General Abul Hasnat Mohammad Tariq; and GOC of 17 Infantry Division and area commander of Jalalabad, Maj Gen A S M Ridwanur Rahman. 

All these six Major Generals reportedly pledged their support to Lt Gen Rahman. Two other Major Generals extended conditional support. 

These two were—the GOC of 7 Infantry Division and area commander of Barisal, Maj Gen Jahangir Mahmudullah Emdadul Islam, and the GOC of 11 Infantry Division and area commander of Bogura, Maj Gen Mohammad Moazzem Hossain.

But Lt Gen Rahman (the prime conspirator and QMG) could not get support from the Chief of General Staff (CGS) at the Army HQs, Lt Gen Mizanur Rahman Shamim. Shamim, a key person in the Bangladesh army, is said to be a thorough professional who abhors the politicisation of the army. 

Two other Lieutenant Generals—Bangladesh Army has only five officers of that rank—also held out: National Defence College commandant Lt Gen Mohammad Shaheenul Haque and the GOC of Army Training & Doctrine Command (ARTDOC), Lt Gen Mohammad Mainur Rahman. 

The two made it clear that they would oppose any coup attempt within the army. Both these officers also want the army to be completely apolitical and are said to have opposed attempts in the past to Islamise the army. 

However, the QMG received support from former army chiefs Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiqul Haq (June 2015 to June 2018) and his immediate predecessor Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan (June 2012 to June 2015).

But two other former army chiefs—Aziz Ahmed (June 2018 to June 2021) and S M Shafiuddin Ahmed (June 2021 to June 2024)—who were approached by the QMG Lt Gen Rahman, for support warned him against any misadventure. They also warned the QMG against playing into Pakistan’s hands. 

A few more senior officers of the ranks of Major Generals and Brigadier Generals, as well as some top ranks of the Air Force and Navy, opposed the coup plans. 

Some influential senior veterans of the Bangladesh army who were contemporaries and juniors of former army chief General Mustafizur Rahman also got into the act to canvas support for General Waker. The former army chief, who passed away in December 2000, was the father-in-law of General Waker. 

General Mustafizur Rahman had married a first cousin of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and was close to Sheikh Hasina who used to address him as 'chachajaan' (dear uncle). Gen Waker is thus related through marriage to Sheikh Hasina.

Crucially, the chief of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), Major General Mohammad Jahangir Alam, sided with the army chief. 

How India helped foil the coup attempt

Despite strenuous attempts to keep the coup plan a secret, India got wind of the plans in early February and tipped off the army chief about them. 

While General Waker-uz-Zaman started drumming up support among his colleagues, New Delhi reached out to the USA and some other Western countries to inform them of the Pakistan-inspired coup attempt in the Bangladesh army. 

A senior diplomat in India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) told Swarajya that New Delhi impressed upon the new dispensation in Washington that such a coup would destabilise not only Bangladesh but also have grave security implications for the region. 

"It was explained to the security and intelligence establishments in the USA that a pro-Pakistani army chief in Bangladesh would allow Pakistan to gain strategic depth in South Asia and strengthen Islamist forces in the region. That will ultimately harm US interests in the region," said the MEA officer. 

The USA agreed with this assessment. New Delhi also requested Washington to send out word to other Western capitals against extending any sort of support to the coup attempt. 

What’s more important is that the USA sent out word to Mohammad Yunus that the planned coup attempt in his country’s army must be abandoned. Washington also urged some other NATO members to issue similar warnings to Dhaka. 

It must be mentioned here that the so-called ‘liberal’ establishments in some NATO countries are under the influence of Pakistanis and Islamists and would have happily gone along with the plan to have a pro-Pak and pro-Islamist army chief in Dhaka. 

India also facilitated a direct communication link between General Waker-uz-Zaman and a top official in the US security intelligence establishment. 

The Bangladesh army chief could not speak directly and freely to this top US official from his country since it was suspected that his communication devices were being tapped and his movements closely monitored. 

The director general of Bangladesh’s National Telecom Monitoring Centre (NTMC), Major General Abdul Quayyum Mollah, was suspected to be supporting Lt Gen Faizur Rahman. 

Also, the loyalties of Major General Abu Mohammad Sarwar Farid, the director of National Security Intelligence (NSI)—Bangladesh’s principal civilian intelligence agency—were in doubt. 

It was suspected that both were keeping Gen Waker under technical and physical surveillance and, thus, the army chief would not be able to communicate freely with the top US official. 

Hence, on India’s suggestion, General Waker-uz-Zaman flew to the Central African Republic (CAR) on March 3, ostensibly to inspect the Bangladeshi contingent of the UN peacekeeping force in that country. 

Gen Waker met with the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General Valentine Rugwabiza and UN Peacekeeping Force Commander Lt Gen Humphrey Nyone, besides General Mamadou Zephirin, the Chief of the Central African Republic Armed Forces (FACA).

All that was, however, a cover for the army chief’s frank and long conversation with the top US official over a secure communication line. 

The US official was given a comprehensive briefing by the army chief on the internal situation in Bangladesh and attempts by Pakistan and Islamists to further their agenda and create trouble in the country.

The US also sought some important security guarantees from the Bangladesh army chief. The rapidly evolving situation in Myanmar also figured in the trans-Atlantic call. 

However, the conspirators in the Bangladesh army as well as the pro-Pakistani figures in Bangladesh’s interim government got wind of the true purpose of General Waker’s visit to the CAR. 

And they spied an opportunity to put their coup plan into action immediately. Lt Gen Faizur Rahman and his band of conspirators hatched a plan to arrest Gen Waker as soon as his aircraft landed at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. 

A welcoming ceremony was planned, complete with a guard of honour. According to the plan, General Waker would be placed under arrest as soon as he boarded his vehicle and the convoy would be directed to the ST Directorate under the QMG’s office in Dhaka Cantonment instead of the army chief’s office in the same cantonment. 

Once again, India got to know of this plan and alerted the Bangladesh army chief. A strategy was hastily put together to foil the plans to arrest Gen Waker on his return to Dhaka on March 6.

The aircraft carrying Gen Waker was diverted to Tejgaon air base near Dhaka and he was received there by his loyalists as well as two top officers who had opposed the coup plans.

A strong contingent of guards from an army unit loyal to Gen Waker escorted him to his office at Dhaka Cantonment, where he summoned some top officers and discussed the coup attempt. 

The army chief also made calls to as many as 30 of the 56 serving Major Generals, as well as the chiefs of the Air Force and Navy. 

The National Defence College (NDC) commandant, Lt Gen Mohammad Shaheenul Haque—he had opposed the coup attempt and turned down the QMG’s overtures—called on the army chief. 

Lt Gen Haque had also deployed a strong contingent of men from the Mirpur cantonment on the outskirts of Dhaka to Tejgaon airport to provide security to the army chief. 

The NDC is located in Mirpur cantonment and Lt Gen Haque is the senior-most officer in the cantonment which also houses an air defence brigade and the 15 Artillery Regiment. 

The army chief also managed to win over his number 2—Lt Gen S M Kamrul Hasan, the principal staff officer of the Armed Forces Division—who had earlier sided with the QMG. 

Being closely associated with the office of the Chief Advisor (Yunus), Lt Gen Hasan was privy to the messages received by Yunus from the US and other NATO countries discouraging the coup attempt against the army chief. 

The army chief warned Lt Gen Hasan that he would be subjected to disciplinary action if he did not fall in line. He was told that his patrons in Islamabad would not be able to save him. Lt Gen Hasan acquiesced. 

The alerts and forewarnings by India to the Bangladesh army chief, and the support mustered by India in the USA in General Waker’s favour, helped the army chief fend off the coup attempt. 

The QMG, General Muhammad Faizur Rahman, is currently under house arrest and is most likely to be taken into custody soon. Once that happens, court martial proceedings will be drawn up against him. 

But danger lurks

While this coup attempt was successfully foiled with India’s help, the threat to General Waker is far from gone. 

There are many powerful officers in the Bangladesh Army who are pro-Islamist and pro-Pakistan and are thus opposed to the army chief. 

Also, the Jamaat and hardline Islamist forces are getting stronger in Bangladesh by the day under the direct patronage of Mohammad Yunus and some powerful figures in the interim government. 

They will want the Bangladesh Army to become completely subservient and follow their diktats to establish close ties with the Pakistani security establishment, especially the ISI. 

India has communicated to Gen Waker that while he should not let down his guard, disciplinary action against Lt Gen Rahman should be fast-tracked so that other officers are discouraged from embarking on a similar misadventure. 

However, there are powerful elements in Bangladesh’s security and political establishment who are pushing back and protecting Lt Gen Faizur Rahman. 

A lot depends on how Gen Waker manages to handle the delicate situation prevailing in his country. And also how he puts down his pro-Pakistani and pro-Islamist opponents within the army.