An intercepted telephone conversation between a senior BNP leader and an official of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) have exposed that Dubai-based operatives of the top Pakistani spy agency have stepped up its activities to meddle with the national election.
Bangladesh is scheduled to hold the next general election on De 30, which is particularly seen as a battle between the ruling Awami League and the BNP and its long-time trusted ally the Jamaat-e-Islami.
Eyeing the 11th national election, ISI operatives are maintaining regular contacts with top level leaders of the BNP and Jamaat, according to Bangladesh intelligence officials.
They say, that the Pakistani spy agency is also in constant touch with BNP acting chief Tarique Rahman, who is in a self-exile in London for the last 10 years.
The Bangladesh government said that ISI’s efforts to meddle with Bangladesh issues were an ‘open secret’.
“Everybody knows that the ISI openly tries to meddle with Bangladesh’s politics and who they use. Several BNP and Jamaat leaders work as their agents,” Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told Bangla Tribune.
He said that investigations have been opened in to the recently leaked audio conversation purportedly between a top BNP leader and an ISI operative. “Measures have been initiated in line with the law.”
On Dec 11, a telephone conversation between BNP’s Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain and Dubai-based ISI operative ‘Mehmood’ set the social media ablaze.
Hossain, a member of the BNP’s policymaking National Standing Committee, now faces a sedition case that accuses him of plotting to “sabotage” the national election.
Bangladesh intelligence officials have identified the ISI operative as Shaheed Mehmood Muhammad Sharif.
Sharif, who was commissioned as an officer of the Pakistan Army’s 54th long course, retired in 2004 and now lives in Dubai and is paid by the ISI to act as the liaison between its top officials and political leaders in Bangladesh.
Several Dhaka-based media outlets ran reports based on the leaked audio as well as uploaed the seven-minute conversation between Mehmood and the BNP leader.
Khandaker Mosharraf was heard saying in that they were “really in crisis”.
“But practical connection or communication is impossible for me. To come out, I know that would be fruitful; but what I want to mean is I will meet your man here so you can get the message. But now what I like to request you that from your side if you can cooperate with China, that will be useful before the election,” he is heard saying at one point in the conversation.
That has already been done and that is why it is better to send over a delegate, said Mehmood. He said they will maintain communication through the person from their ‘office’ staying in Bangladesh.
Khandaker Mosharraf told Bangla Tribune that soon after the audio clip emerged he issued a statement dismissing it as ‘fake’ and that it was aimed to ‘tarnish his image’.
“I don’t know the person called Mehmood or any other ISI personnel or official. I didn’t have any conversation with the said person or ISI official,” he said.
A Jamaat leader has described ISI efforts to meddle with Bangladeshi politics as “fictitious”.
“On a personal note, I do not believe any foreign spy agency operates in this country. These are fictitious claims. Those who claim such things actually have no faith on the people of the country,” Ehsan Mahbub Zubaer, its central executive council member told Bangla Tribune.
“There were and not will be no such matters in our party that I can confirm,” he added.
Intelligence sources say, Mehmood, who retired in 2004, works as an ISI agent with the cover of a sales manager for Dubai-based ‘Al Marjan Al Kabeer General Trading Company’.
According to them, Mehmood’s handler is a top ISI official named Javed Mehdi.
Mehmood’s job is being the liaison between Mehdi and leaders of the BNP-Jamaat,
Mehmood maintains regular communication with BNP’s UAE unit chief Zakir Hossain, who acts as the liaison for London-based party’s acting chief Tarique, said the sources.
Zakir, who hails from Sylhet and graduated in Commerce from the Chittagong University, works for Royal Packaging Industry in Dubai, they said before adding he was interested to run on the BNP’s ticket from a seat in Sylhet.
According to them, Zakir has met Mehmood at least on 11 occasions between July and December this year and the last meeting took place on Dec 7.
Intelligence officials said their conversations revealed that BNP acting chief Tarique had a meeting with senior ISI official Javed Mehdi in Saudi Arabia on Jul 4 this year.
Several ISI agents in Dhaka as well as in some other cities abroad maintain regular communication with leaders of the BNP and Jamaat, they said.
Ahead of the election the ISI has become extremely active, according to intelligence sources who said that the Pakistani spy agency has even handed the BNP a list of candidates for 300 seats. They say it has been confirmed that the list reached to Tarique in London.
