Anti-India Yunus plotting against Bangladesh army chief? General Zaman is angry due to…; its related to Pakistan’s ISI

Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman has been unhappy with the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government for quite some time, and has often raised questions about the country's democratic future and the deteriorating law and order condition following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina.

India-Bangladesh relations: Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus who took over the reins of Bangladesh’s interim government after the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last year, is reportedly at odds with the country’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Waker-Uz-Zaman.

Rift between Muhammad Yunus and army chief?

According to reports, General Zaman has been unhappy with the Yunus-led interim government for quite some time, and has often raised questions about the country’s democratic future and the deteriorating law and order condition following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina.

After Hasina’s ouster General Zaman has often voiced support for conducting elections in the country, but Muhammad Yunus has repeatedly postponed the polls, citing the current situation in Bangladesh.

Another possible reason for mistrust between Yunus government and General Waker-Uz-Zaman is that he was appointed army chief during Sheikh Hasina’s regime. Additionally, Zaman’s wife is the cousin of the deposed Prime Minister, and the two families have deep ties.

Several reports have claimed that the Bangladesh army, which played a vital role in ousting Sheikh Hasina from power, is losing trust in the Yunus government, amid reports that Chief Adviser was making attempts to sideline the army chief at the behest of ISI– Pakistan’s notorious spy agency.

ISI, Pakistan Army meddling in Bangladesh’s internal affairs?

The Bangladesh army chief suspects that Pakistan Army and the ISI is trying to interfere in Bangladesh’s internal affairs through political representatives.

Its being claimed that the ISI is meddling in the internal affairs of the Bangladesh Army and get it chosen people appointed to top posts, and influencing Muhammad Yunus-led interim government in Dhaka.

As per reports, ISI chief Lt. Gen. Asim Malik’s meeting with Lieutenant General Mohammad Faizur Rahman when the spy agency’s delegation visited Bangladesh last month, is being seen as an attempt to undermine General Zaman, as Rahman ranks fourth in the seniority order in the Bangladesh army.

There are also speculations that the interim government is discussing removing General Zaman from the top post and appoint General Rahman, known for radical stance, as the new head of Bangladesh Army. Rahman is considered to be a Pakistan loyalist, and reportedly has the backing of Pakistan Army and the ISI.

India-Bangladesh relations at all-time low

India-Bangladesh relations have hit an all-time low after the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, coming to the helm in Dhaka.

Widespread communal violence against minorities in Bangladesh, especially Hindus, which has soured Dhaka’s ties with New Delhi, with the latter accusing the Yunus-led interim government of not doing enough, and turning a blind eye to the atrocities perpetrated by radical Islamist elements against the minority Hindu community in the country.