Bangladesh to become Islamic country? Yunus regime plotting to transform Bangladesh Army into…

Bangladesh has rapidly gone down the path of radical Islamism since the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government came to the helm in Dhaka following the ouster of deposed prime minister in Sheikh Hasina in August last year, and now reports have emerged that radical elements who wield considerable influence in the current regime, are making efforts to transform the Bangladesh Army into an Islamic military institution, along the lines of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Why Islamists are targeting Bangladesh Army?

According to experts, a well-planned conspiracy is underway to transform Bangladesh into an Islamic state and the a crucial step in that direction is remolding the countries secular democratic bodies, including the Bangladesh Army, into Islamist institutions.

Radical elements who hold power in the Yunus regime, view the Bangladesh Army as a major hurdle in their plot to remake the country into an Islamic state, and have begun a carefully planned cleansing operation to target the armed forces, they claim.

Analysts believe that the radical Islamists in Bangladesh draw inspiration from Pakistan, where jihadist elements enjoy the patronage of the Pakistan Army, while the Bangladesh Army is a secular force, which has taken tough action against extremist and separatist elements.

How Bangladesh Army is being ‘cleansed’?

The Bangladesh Army’s Directorate General of Military Intelligence (DGFI) has acted as a shield against terrorism and extremism, dismantling the ISI-linked terror network in the country by razing the training camps of extremist groups like the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), took action against Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JM-B), Harkal ul Jihad al Islami (HuJI-B) and Ansar al Islam.

Islamist groups, who hold sway in the interim regime, view DGFI and the Bangladesh army as the biggest obstacles to their jihadist agenda, and are now systematically targeting these institutions.

Yunus regime has filed criminal charges against former DGFI chiefs, and is reportedly planning similar action against Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, with the ultimate goal being to weaken the armed forces, and mold it along the lines of Iran’s IRGC, experts claim.

Bangladesh violence

Notably, Bangladesh has been engulfed by mob violence since the fall of the Awami League government in August last year, with widespread political violence being witnessed across the country, especially against groups and individuals who supported deposed PM Sheikh Hasina.

Many believe that the Muhammad Yunus regime has given patronage to Islamist elements, and follows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s model of governance, in which dissenting voices are brutally suppressed, while radical elements, including those with alleged links to terror group like Al-Qaeda and Hizb ut-Tahrir, operate with complete freedom.

Over 80 percent Bangladeshi citizens have expressed concern over the surging mob violence in the country, according to a nationwide survey conducted last month by the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development and Voice for Reform.