LOOKEAST

LOOKEAST REPORT |

BNP plans to start a massive public agitation from mid–September to back its demand for ‘free and fair polls under a neutral dispensation ‘.

■ Recent student protests in Dhaka. ©AP

But unlike the party’s previous violent agitation that targeted public transport to cause large scale panic, the BNP and its radical allies in the over–ground and the underground will this time target senior Awami League leaders for selective assassination to demoralise the ruling party workers and disrupt their poll campaign.

That is a change of strategy for BNP which had earlier tried creating a huge law and order by fire–bombing public transport and killing innocents.

That was aimed at creating a law and order issue to facilitate military intervention.

But after General Aziz Ahmed took charge as military chief, the BNP feels they will not achieve their purpose of toppling the Hasina government by military intervention. General Aziz is a hard–core professional loyal to the civilian government of the day and wedded to the values of the liberation war.

After General Aziz Ahmed took charge as military chief, the BNP feels they will not achieve their purpose of toppling the Hasina government by military intervention. General Aziz is a hard–core professional loyal to the civilian government of the day and wedded to the values of the liberation war

Intelligence sources have monitored a meeting of some senior opposition leaders in Singapore last week where two officials from Pakistan’s ISI joined to strategise the ouster of the Hasina government. The next meeting of this opposition strategy group is scheduled for end of this month at Bangkok.

The broad consensus from the Singapore meeting was to resort to systematic select killing of top Awami League leaders alongside the street agitation and then pass it off as expression of “Gonorosh” or public anger.

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This is aimed at driving the Awami League workers, no longer as committed as when they were not in power ten years ago, off the streets in the rundown to the polls.

Once that happens and the police top brass begin to sense the swing of the pendulum, the opposition agitation can steamroll their way through and oust the present government.

■ The Chief of Army Staff, Bangladesh Army, General Aziz Ahmed inspecting the Guard of Honour, in New Delhi on August 01, 2018. @PIB

The opposition strategists have concluded that the police under its present IGP Javed Patwary was not equal to the challenge both during the quota agitation and the student protests for road safety.

Within the government the clamour for replacing Mr Patwary and replacing him with a tougher and more motivated officer like additional IGP Moklesur Rahman seems to have grown after intelligence reports about the BNP plans came through.

Meeting of some senior opposition leaders in Singapore last week where two officials from Pakistan’s ISI joined to strategise the ouster of the Hasina government. The next meeting of this opposition strategy group is scheduled for end of this month at Bangkok

The BNP has mobilised substantial funds to manage media and administration during the agitation, intelligence sources said.

They say the planned memoirs of former chief justice SK Sinha attacking the Hasina regime is likely to hit the stands around the same time.

The LOOKEAST had earlier exposed Sinha’s close nexus with some opposition leaders and how his planned memoirs was part of a broad opposition plan to rattle the Hasina government. ■