BNP eyes elements within party and alliance with suspicion

BNP is keeping an eye on a number of leaders within its own party and alliance. Reports have reached a high level in the party that there are moves to create an alternative nationalist political force outside of BNP’s main leadership. Several important leaders of BNP and the 20-party alliance are involved in this move. The government and government-backed groups are reportedly supporting this initiative from afar.

BNP is reportedly suspecting two of its vice chairmen – Hafiz Uddin Ahmed and Shawkat Mahmud – as well as top leaders of the 20-party alliance – Kalyan Party leader Syed Muhammad Ibrahim and LDP leader Oli Ahmad – to be part of the initiative.

It was after the 2018 national election that a process had been started, aiming to create a nationalist political force as an alternative to BNP, sources say. Several meetings were held in April and May 2019 to this end.

At least 40 leaders of BNP, the 20-party alliance, Jatiya Oikya Front and former DUCSU VP Nurul Huq’s Chhatra Odhikar Parishad, joined these meetings held in Bangkok and Nepal. A leader of Hefazat-e-Islam also admitted to Prothom Alo to have attended one such meeting abroad.

BNP recently issued show cause notices to Hafiz Uddin Ahmad and Shawkat Mahmud. This was reportedly instigated by these suspicions.

According to sources, BNP central joint secretary general Syed Moazzem Hossain and central executive committee member Nipun Roy were present at a meeting in Bangkok. However, Nipun Roy told Prothom Alo, “I went on a visit. I did not hold any meeting with anyone.”

And Syed Moazzem Hossain said, “There are many big incidents in the world, assassinations that remain unclear, like the assassination of the American president John F Kennedy, Bangabandhu and Ziaur Rahman in Bangladesh, and even the 21 August incident. This is something like that. But I think this a very immature non-political move and that is why I did not get involved.”

While initially joining Syed Muhammed Ibrahim’s initiative, suspicions later led BNP leaders to be instructed to avoid Kalyan Party programmes. BNP took a similar stance earlier, concerning Oli Ahmed’s ‘Jatiya Mukti Mancha’.

According to sources, a certain Masud Karim arranged these meetings abroad from behind the scenes. He is also known as Masud Chowdhury and Enayet Karim in different places. He presently stays in London. It was reported that several members of an intelligence agency of a western country were present at the meetings in Bangkok and Nepal, along with Masud Karim.

Curiousity concerning Ibrahim’s activities

BNP leaders feel that a move is on to sidestep the main leadership of the party and create a divide within the party and the nationalist camp. The persons involved have adopted a strategy to appeal to the leaders who are disillusioned and frustrated with BNP. Top BNP leaders feel that the plan may be aiming at the 2023 election or some other context before that.

Kalyan Party chairman and former military officer Syed Muhammad Ibrahim on January held a ‘doa’ (prayer gathering) in Dhaka. Several politicians of BNP, Jamaat and other parties, as well as former military officers, joined the event. He then organised another meeting to share views. He had told the media that diplomats of various countries would join, along with 65 former officers of the three armed forces. However, an agency of the government intervened and he could not hold the event.

Syed Ibrahim feels that anarchy reigns in all sectors of the country. He says a change is needed and he wants to do something. He has taken an initiative to bring all like-minded quarters of various classes and professions, to one platform. But BNP and other quarters are suspicious and are questioning who are behind his move.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Syed Muhammed Ibrahim said, “Something is certainly on, but that can’t be revealed.”

Speaking to Syed Ibrahim and several of his associates, it was evident that he basically wants to organise a large part of the rightist ideological camp in politics. The main target is the inactive and frustrated BNP men. Also being targeted are eminent persons who are unhappy with the government and who are not directly involved in politics but are inclined towards BNP.

Many of those who attended Syed Muhammed Ibrahim’s event say that they are not clear about the source of this initiative. However, one of the participants said he felt Jamaat may be involved.

Syed Muhammad Ibrahim rejected such suspicions, telling Prothom Alo, “As Allah is my witness, no, no, never!”

Syed Ibrahim also feels that both BNP and Awami League are displeased with his move. That is why, he said, BNP leaders were instructed not to attend his events. And an intelligence agency forced a restaurant to cancel another one of his events for exchanging views.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Syed Muhammad Ibrahim said, “Neither BNP nor Awami League want a third force to arise. That is the absolute reality. Even so, I must say that I am always grateful to BNP as it is through them that I entered politics.”

Jamaat under suspicion too

The previous bond between BNP and Jamaat is no longer visible. BNP’s standing committee has already discussed the political pros and cons of having Jamaat in its alliance. The views of grassroots leaders were also taken in this regard, though no decision has been taken as yet.

Jamaat is not sitting idle either. The party’s leaders joined all programmes of Oli Ahmed’s Muktir Mancha. Jamaat secretary general Miah Golam Parwar and other leaders of the party actively participated in Syed Ibrahim’s last event.

Political analysts feel that this may be a strategy of Jamaat to keep BNP under pressure. If the two parties split, Jamaat may remain involved in the move for a separate political platform aimed at a separate election alliance.

Oli Ahmed: Suddenly active, suddenly silent

After suddenly becoming active, forming Jatiya Muktir Mancha in the last election, LDP leader Oli Ahmed has fallen silent over the past year and a half. Delving into the reasons behind this, the name of London-based Masud Karim cropped up as well as the several meetings abroad. Masud Karim previously lived n New York. He enticed Oli Ahmed and other BNP leaders with dreams of coming to power. He has introduced himself to them as a person of a powerful agency in the US.

Several politicians close to Oli Ahmed have said that Masud Karim was behind Oli Ahmed’s move to form Muktir Mancha and to voice demands for a mid-term election. He had held several meetings with Masud Karim at the time in Bangkok and Nepal. Several leaders of BNP and Hefazat had also joined those meetings.

Oli Ahmed then introduced a central leader of his own party to Masud Karim. The leader was a readymade garment businessman. Oli Ahmed told him Masud Karim was very influential and was close to a branch of the US army. Masud Karim wanted to help him get a contract to supply certain uniforms for the US army, but that would require the factory to be enlisted and USD100,000 would have to be deposited for the purpose. The businessman said it was not possible to pay such a huge amount. Masud Karim said he would pay USD50,000 and the businessman could pay the remaining USD50,000 and get enlisted.

The businessman told Prothom Alo he paid Oli Ahmed Tk 4.21 million (Tk 43.10 lakh), equivalent to USD50,000, in July 2019 and Oli Ahmed sent that amount to Masud Karim. However, no order for the uniforms came through. He put pressure on Oli Ahmed to return the money and Oli Ahmed gave him three cheques. This created bitterness between the two and the businessman left LDP. Oli Ahmed reportedly fell silent after the incident.

However, Oli Ahmed told Prothom Alo that he knows no one by the name of Masud Karim, nor does he know anything about such a business.

The businessman showed Prothom Alo his communications with Masud Karim, his conversations with Oli Ahmed, mobile phone SMS’s and copies of the cheques. The number of a mobile phone used by Masud Karim was collected from three sources. Attempts were made to contact him through the number, but to no avail.

After BNP was politically defeated in the last election, in June 2019 Oli Ahmed formed the Jatiya Muktir Mancha and demanded mid-term elections as well as Khaleda Zia to be released. Both these demands resonated with BNP, but the leaders became wary when Oli Ahmed castigated BNP leadership in his speeches and statements. The BNP men then started to avoid the Muktir Mancha programmes.

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, however, has not expressed such suspicions. He told Prothom Alo, “Oli Ahmed, Ibrahim sahib may take up independent programmes and political initiatives of their respective parties on common issues of the alliance. There is nothing to stop them nor is this anything suspicious.”

Sudden gatherings, aim to change

In December 2019 and 2020, two large gathering suddenly were held in Dhaka. In both the programmes, thousands of persons blocked the streets and demonstrated. On 5 December 2019, demonstrations were held in front of the High Court, demanding Khaleda Zia’s release. Then on 13 December last year, the demonstration in front of the National Press Club called for the fall of the government.

Sources report that the organisers of the two events had given the protestors an idea that thousands of people would come from all over to join the demonstrations. They said this would lead to a change in the political scenario.

Investigations indicate that certain leaders of BNP were behind these programmes. These were funded by a rich former leader of BNP who had resigned from the party in 2019. It was learnt that Masud Karim and quarters outside of the country were also involved. In connection with this, Hafiz Uddin Ahmad and Shawkat Mahmud were given notices, said sources in BNP.

Shawkat Mahmud admitted that he knew Masud Karim. Masud Karim was an important person with international connections, he said.

Hefazat-e-Islam’s joint secretary general Munir Hossain Kashemi joined a meeting in the Thai capital Bangkok in February last year, aiming to organise a large demonstration in Dhaka. He has been a candidate of Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam of the 20-party alliance in the last national election.

Munir Hossain Kashemi told Prothom Alo, “I went to Bangkok at the instructions of huzoor (the late Hossain Kashemi). But when I went there, I did not find this to be anything effective.”

BNP leaders also suspect the government’s involvement in the overall matter. They say that they had been hearing about meetings being held abroad, aimed at toppling the government. Demonstrations were organised in Dhaka too. The government, however, remained indifferent. That is why they suspected that this may be the ploy of a quarter within government to divide BNP and mislead its leaders and activists.

*This report appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ayesha Kabir