Fool me once... The story of Indian Hegemony in Bangladesh

Fool me once... The story of Indian Hegemony in Bangladesh. 

My grandfather was a Colonel of the fighting arm of Pakistan Army. He was a war veteran of the 1948, 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars. During 1971 he became a prisoner of war in India for almost three years. 

Although he was a man of few words, I would always probe him about his experiences in Bangladesh, which was East Pakistan then, and everytime he would give the same straightforward explanation. "The Bengalis were deceived by the Hindus"

The Hindutva Establishment in India that was working under the influence of the "Akhand Bharat"(United India) mantra, wanted to establish Hindutva Fascist rule in the subcontinent. 

 

In 1971 the Bengalis of East Pakistan, traded their Pakistani allies for their new unintended Indian masters. The disenfranchised Bengali youth of the late 1960s had signed a pact with the devil. 

These Bengali youths under the spell of Indian propaganda that we now call "astroturfing," were sold a dream which transpired into an ongoing nightmare.

Pakistani Forces had lost heart during the battle, mainly due to the negative public sentiments and reactions in East Pakistan towards them. These were essentially created through Indian propaganda and the egotistical policies of politicians in both East and West Pakistan. 

Very soon after the youth of Bangladesh helped India dislodge the Pakistani Army, they realised their mistake after witnessing the sinister events that occurred after this event. 

The youngsters during the uprising were warned repeatedly by wise Bengali friends, not to fall for Indian tricks, but being human they thought the grass was greener on the Indian side. They were played by the Indians, only to realise their mistake when it was too late to do anything except tow Indian lines.

One such Bengali youngster was Zain ul Abedin, who had joined the Indian commissioned Bengali proxy known as the BLF. ( Mujib Bahini ) He later wrote a book titled "RAW and Bangladesh" as an acknowledgement of the mistake made by the majority of Bengalis, by ignoring the warnings of the wise people among them. 

Zain ul Abedin narrates the shattered dreams of the Bengali people like himself who were decieved by the Indians. In his book he states: "The realisation of what lay in store for us started as soon as we crossed over to India..."

The Bengalis had a right to govern East Pakistan themselves but in the process they failed to realise that a country always needs an Army and If that army doesn't belong to their own country then it becomes that of it's enemy's.

Bangladesh was created to gain independence from Pakistan but in the process the Bengalis enslaved themselves in an Indian hegemony.

Zain ul Abedin describes how his Indian handlers treated them with disgust, taking them as agents and not friends.

Bangladesh fell for the design that the Hindutva Fascist establishment have and still want to further implement for centuries. 

Zain ul Abedin described this realisation by the Bengalis, stating: " the real Indian face lay bare after the surrender of Pakistani forces, when I saw the large scale loot and plunder by Indian Army personal. " 

He further explains the horrifying ordeal saying: "The Indian Soldiers appeared to be the modern edition of Marhata Cavalry who is notorious in history for plundering Bengal during the middle age".

It was the plan of the Indian forces all along and remained reserved only until the last Pakistani soldier was removed from the scene. 

Zain ul Abedin states: "The Indian Soldiers swooped on everything they found and carried it away to India".

The reality shock faced by the Bengalis is described by Zain ul Abedin : "Their ( Indian Soldiers ) haste for plunder made our people believe that they had been waiting for such an opportunity for centuries and they were not ready to waste a single moment when the cherished opportunity arrived".

Even today, the people of Bangladesh continue to find themselves in a catch-22 situation under Indian hegemony where the Indian soldiers of yesteryear have been replaced by the spies of RAW. 

Zain ul Abedin being a fighter, bravely writes in his book that: "RAW has spread it's tentacles in almost all spheres of Bangladesh. Its network is growing like a cancer".

Zain ul Abedin wrote about this situation in Bangladesh where his compatriots were tricked into accepting India's hegemony. He goes on to say: "It was evident from the conduct of the Indian Army that they treated Bangladesh as a colony." 

He further states that: "It is now evident that India had helped the creation of Bangladesh with the intention that it would be a step towards the reunification of India". 

This fantasy of "Akhand Bharat" is what drives Indian state policies. All the disinformation campaigns to malign and break Pakistan can be traced back to the dreams of Hindutva Fascists. 

It's common knowledge that India gets preferential treatment in almost all bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India. India continues denying water and trade rights to Bangladesh aswell as an ethnic subjugation of the Bengali Muslims. 

The only light at the end of the dark tunnel for Bangladesh is it's youth. Today the youth of Bangladesh are standing up for their rights in the face of Hindutva Fascism. 

Zain ul Abedin was a fighter who accepted the mistakes made by himself and his compatriots, and he choose not to stay quiet, but instead expose the iron grip of RAW over  Bangladeshi society. 

However as a former fighter he also asks in his book, of the people of Bangladesh, and all the well wishers of his country, that they break RAW's supremacy in the country by not repeating history and making the same mistakes made in 1971. Afterall, they do say "Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me."

Extracts from  'RAW and Bangladesh': by Zain Ul Abideen

(Screenshot of inscription attached)

Above article written by Major Adil Raja(R) originally appeared in The Nation on 16 Dec 2020.

A case of sour grapes.

The curious case of Ashir Azeem

(THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY GOT PUBLISHED(edited version) IN 'THE NATION' PAKISTAN ON 2 DEC 2020)

The recent influx of anti armed forces videos by Ashir Azeem on social media have raised a few important questions and facts. His consistent spewing of rhetoric, especially PMLN narrative against the army is in complete contrast to his previous stance and interaction with the same institution that he is now criticising. The very same Armed Forces on whose back he rose to the pinnacles of fame that he is now enjoying. 

Azeem was a Customs and Excise officer who rose to fame through the PTV drama "Dhuan" in which he was acting as a police officer. The drama was a run away success and to this day is regarded as one of the most classic and best drama serials in Pakistan's history. His next venture was the movie "Maalik" which was banned in Pakistan by both PMLN and PPP before it could be released. He played an SSG Major turned security company owner and the son of a Major General. Additionally, the movie used ISPR resources and the army was heavily involved in the making of it. 

Throughout his life it can be seen that he has predominantly been a supporter of the Pakistan Army which leads us to put forward the question: what is the reason for his deviation into an anti army spokesperson? 

It seems that under the disguise of preaching reforms in the Pakistani establishment, especially security and the way that Pakistan Army works, he is imparting flawed and manipulated information. This speaks volumes about his own dubious interpretation of how the Armed Forces operate. His lack of experience in the field and insufficient inside knowledge makes for a dangerous cocktail of disinformation and misinformation. 

Ashir Azeem's desire to become a man in uniform stemmed from his childhood in Quetta. He attended a privileged convent school, where despite his mother being a teacher there, he was viciously bullied because of his Christian background and skin colour. 

It was during this period of his life that he realised that the only institution in the country that did not discriminate against religious, provincial or sectarian backgrounds was the military. This is where his aspirations to join the forces began and he applied for Pakistan Airforce. His initial aim was to become a fighter pilot, failing which he opted to join as an aeronautical engineer cadet. However he couldn't even succeed there and was withdrawn from the PAF academy, Risalpur. 

His never ending quest to wear a uniform led him to take the CSS exams to join the Police services of Pakistan but unfortunately he could only make it to customs and that too only because of his Baluchistan connections and domicile. 

This is where his infatuation brought him to the cult drama serial "Dhuan" and his subsequent role in a movie in which he played the protagonist in uniform, and due to these roles he rose to fame. 

His movie "Malik" was made by draining his life savings and it's subsequent failure was because of the censorship by the same political parties that he now supports. Disheartened he decided to emigrate to Canada and became a truck driver. It was during this time that he realised this back breaking work was a far cry from his past life of the civil superior services of Pakistan and the image of the uniformed messiah that he created using the Pakistani Armed Forces in his media ventures.

He didn't however accept this lifestyle that he had initially chosen for himself in Canada. He started off by trying to gain fame through social media and proceeded to start a Vlog about his trucking expeditions. This didn't seem to work or change his position much. 

It's obvious that his aim was to regain the social standing that he once enjoyed in Pakistan. To do this, acceptance within the Indian influenced Western mindset of the intelligentsia of the West was very important. Choosing to support anti army rhetoric seemed to be the most logical step forward due to his background and very basic knowledge. 

The Indo US strategic alliance targeting China and Pakistan which is the most fashionable viewpoint to have in recent times, (especially by brainwashed pseudo-intellectuals ) seemingly was the easiest and most profitable bandwagon for him to jump on. In a similar approach, he had adapted the same mentality in Pakistan by obsessing and taking advantage of the popularity of the Armed institutions of Pakistan when he resided there.

Is it a co-incidence that his new viewpoint is the very same anti army stance of both PMLN and PPP governments? His open support of Maryam Nawaz and attacks against Imran Khan narrative is definitely not a reflection of his elite upbringing, media career and subsequent services as a government employee. 

In a shrewd bid for acceptance and financial gains he has shamelessly turned on the very hands that created and fed him. His past actions have shown him to be an opportunist and extremely disloyal. For lack of finding an equivalent term in English, the description of a "Lota" is quite well suited to his disposition. 

His position may have been more believable had his basic understanding of the way that the security establishment in Pakistan works, been more thorough and credible, but instead it is highly flawed. The main reason for this is that he was never a part of the particular establishment that he has chosen to berate. Customs officers are not privy to national security secrets. 

Azeem hosts a political reform based web-series on his YouTube channel. He has posted 76 videos in which he mostly discusses socio-economic reforms. In Dec 2019 he started a series of videos titled "bloody civilians" 1-6. Initially, the general theme of the videos was praise for the Armed Forces and their unity but then he began to slowly and subtly speak about the role of the Armed Forces that was not defined in the constitution according to him.

From 4th Sept 2020 onwards he started a series of videos titled “What is the Solution?” Every week a video was released and in them he posed some questions to the security establishment. some of the questions he raised were as follows: 

• Why are there Cantonments in the main cities of Pakistan?

The majority of Cantonments in Pakistan were initially established on the outskirts of the cities. With the growth in population the cities naturally expanded and since there is no control of military on civil lands, the growth couldn't be stopped. As a result the cantonments became surrounded by the civilian population which now in present times looks as if the cantonments are within the cities. Moving the Cantonments out of cities now is very difficult and involves a lot of funds. None of the Cantonments are less than 50 years old except for the ones in Baluchistan. 

• Why are there Cantonments in Khuzdar, Baluchistan?

There is increasing evidence of an extensive Indian involvement in an ongoing insurgency in Balochistan. Avinash Paliwal (Indian Journalist) claims that during the 1970s, junior level Indian intelligence officers were actively involved in operations in Balochistan. Those officers claim that "we gave Baloch everything, from money to guns, during 1970s, everything". 

Militant groups like the Pasthun Zalmay which was made up of Baloch and Pashtun militants, was in direct contact with Kabul as well as with Indian and Iraqi mission in Afghanistan. Pashtun Zalmay was responsible for a series of bomb blasts and other insurgent activities in Pakistan. 

The Afghan intelligence chief Amarullah Saleh and Indian diplomat Mayankote Kelath Narayanan were closely engaged with Baloch militants. An Indian newspaper, The Hindu, reported that the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) commanders, in the past, have even sought medical treatment in India’s hospitals.

The skill set and experience the Armed Forces have, that is needed to tackle this menace is not completely within the capabilities of law enforcement agencies and civil police and leaving it solely to them would be irresponsible. It is the responsibility of the Armed Forces to train and equip the other forces. This is the primary reason for the need of Cantonments in Pakistan. 

• His desire to end the 111 Brigade

Another example of Azeem's naivity in such matters is his insistence on having the 111 brigade removed from service. The 111 brigade is responsible for the security of the heads of government and state. The same 111 brigade were indispensable when Imran Khan and Tahir ul Qadris over zealous supporters broke down the boundary barriers of the houses of parliament in their bid to overtake the Prime Minister house and other symbolic buildings, representing the constitution of Pakistan. 

This has not been an isolated case and they are used regularly around the year in internal security and counter terrorism duties. These duties can only be performed by a combat outfit because it involves the handling of sensitive and classified information and lethal weapons. Raising new civil departments to undergo these jobs, requires the kind of budget, Pakistan presently does not have. 

• His consistent comparison of Pakistan to the USA

His desire to force Pakistan to adopt the US model is extremely ignorant. Pakistan’s internal and external security challenges have different dynamics to those faced by America. Everything cannot be compared with the US or any other country for that matter. We are a nation striving hard to stand on our own in these challenging times with limited resources.

A series of successful military operations including Rah-e-Raast, Rah-e-Nijaat, Zarb-e-Azb and the subsequent Raddul Fassad paid off well. The command and control center of terrorists has been annihilated, sanctuaries eliminated and launching pads dismantled. The operations led to a remarkable decline in terrorist attacks for many years. 

The Armed Forces have been fighting this long, deadly and painful war. It was under the able command of the Generals that he is accusing of, for everything corrupt in the country. Most importantly, Pakistan is located in a deadly triangle with India and Afghanistan on it's borders. 

Both the countries are at loggerheads with Pakistan. In such a scenario undermining the role of the Armed Forces or instigating the rank and file or masses against the military leadership can create chaos and mayhem in the country and this is the exact agenda of our main enemy being facilitated by Ashir Azeem.

This is just one example of the different dynamics and shows the extreme internal threat level in Pakistan in comparison to the USA. The USA does not have two hostile borders that need military expertise as well as internal threats to deal with. 

• Azeem claims that the establishment can get the decisions from all institutions on gun point, and that all those institutions are irrelevant in the country. 

His misconceptions arise out of a typical inferiority complex faced by a lot of civilian bureaucrats. This complex is mainly due to the lack of resources they are provided in comparison to the Armed Forces, which is basically due to mismanagement; a lethargic attitude and rampant corruption within the civilian bureaucracy and government. Which is the reason for martial laws being implemented in the past. 

• He states that having a Military secretary means the PM is hostage to the military. 

Ashir Azeem's lack of military knowledge is equally similar to his lack of historical knowledge. Quaid e Azam the founder of Pakistan also had a Military secretary because of the efficiency and discipline, that officers of the Armed Forced are thoroughly trained to have. These, among many other skill sets are essential for the supreme commander of the Armed Forces who the military secretary serves. 

• The military personnel around the PM means, they are there to support a bloodless coup/martial law.

The military men surrounding the Prime Minister and the President on a consistent basis has nothing to do with a hypothetical "bloodless coup/martial law". First and foremost, the policies within the Armed Forces have drastically changed to include the logic that martial law is unquestionable. The Military has enough of their own affairs to deal without having to delve into politics and coups. The mistakes made by Army leaders in the past have been lessons well learnt by the present security establishment.

The primary reason for security staff recruited from the military surrounding the PM and the President is simply for security purposes and the highly skilled men that are able to provide it. The job role is not suitable for the majority of people outside of the military. The luxury of being able to choose from a concentrated set of disciplined and highly skilled officers for a job role perfectly suited to them is unparalleled.

Wasting time shifting through civilian applicants who have little history and considerably less experience, is nothing less than a high security risk. The Armed Forces have an unrivalled, discipline and record to match. The officers selected for the role have been thoroughly vetted and integrated into the system. Creating an altogether newly raised organisation for this job requires financing which Pakistan cannot afford at present. 

• He states that the ISI should be a civilian institution.

Ashir Azeem's rhetoric against Inter Services Intelligence-ISI is an extension of the oppositions agenda, not realising basic ground realities. Almost all of ISI's manpower is based on civilian inductions. The ISI leadership is posted from all three services. The essential function of Inter Services Intelligence revolves around the organisations interoperability with the Army, Airforce and Navy so they can defend Pakistan effectively. The ISI need the resources and assistance of all three services to be able to complete their missions, hence the emphasis of concentrating on ex and serving officers of Armed Forces which is the case of all secret services around the world.

The ISI traditionally deal with intelligence gathering abroad but in recent times, both external and internal security matters are interlinked with each other due to the international involvement in the country. Ashir's insistence that a civil institution similar to the FBI of the USA be created in Pakistan is illogical. Firstly due to the finances involved in creating it and secondly due the threat of turf wars between the ISI and the proposed civil organisation. It has to be noted that although not to the same extent as the FBI, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) are a similar set of organisations already in place in Pakistan. 

The ISI must be doing something right to be considered among the top tier intelligence agencies in the world. Why change something that is working well? Only anti state mentalities could pose questions like this. 

• He mentions that there is a need to strengthen internal security. 

In an ideal world and in the majority of countries globally, this is the responsibility of the Police but due Pakistan's geo strategic position and the subsequent ongoing hybrid war means that the Army has to fight this war within. Due to this hybrid warfare the boundary between internal and external security becomes increasingly obscure, resulting in the Army and the Police having to work glove in hand to counter enemy assault. 

An example of this is the civil armed forces of Pakistan conducting policing in different provinces under the leadership of Pakistani Army officers who are sent there on deputation in addition to the regular induction of army officers in the PSP (Police Services of Pakistan.)

It is becoming increasingly obvious, and highly likely that Ashir Azeem is being funded by various political parties in his current venture on YouTube. The questions he poses are frequently asked specifically by certain political goons and leaders whose corruption would benefit from the reforms that he desires. 

It can also be seen that he is suddenly enjoying a much more comfortable lifestyle than his humble beginnings in Canada. This is despite the indication that he has no form of conventional employment in the country. The amount spent on his daughter's recent wedding is also reflective of his new found wealth. 

His desires have dramatically changed from wanting to become an officer of the Armed Forces of Pakistan to wanting to become the next Tariq Fateh with a fan following and lifestyle to match. For this he is adopting dubious means. It seems as if it's not just his prestige that has been downgraded, but his standards, aspirations, morality and loyalty have also taken a nose dive. 

The tragedy of Ashir failing to meet his obsession of becoming a uniformed officer of the Armed Forces, is truly heartbreaking. Not being able to fulfil ones dream often leads to many issues, including mental instability and a complete rejection and defiance against the very thing once adored and pursued. 

It's only a matter of time in which he will realise that history repeats itself. At one stage in his life he couldn't join the prestigious Armed Forces that he once obsessed over. Now his new found less than noble desires to defame the institution that he could never quite officially become a part of, or be accepted by, will also never manifest. 

Yes Ashir Azeem, the grapes are very sour indeed. 

The write tweets as Major Adil Raja(R) @soldierspeaks