CIA orchestrated Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, Army chief Waker was ‘on their payroll’: Ex–Bangladesh minister

Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina (Photo by Munir UZ ZAMAN / AFP)

Rumours of an impending army coup in Bangladesh have intensified after explosive claims surfaced in a new book that accuses the United States’ CIA of orchestrating Sheikh Hasina’s downfall and her own army chief of betrayal. According to a report by CNN-News18, former Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has alleged that the power transfer which ousted Hasina was a “perfect CIA plot” executed with the help of General Waker-Uz-Zaman, who he claims was “in its pockets.” The claims, published in the soon-to-be-released book Inshallah Bangladesh: The Story of an Unfinished Revolution by Deep Halder, Jaideep Mazumdar and Sahidul Hasan Khokon, are already creating a storm in Dhaka.

Waker ‘in CIA’s pockets’

Kamal, one of Hasina’s closest aides, made the sensational remarks during a conversation at a Delhi hotel in June. “It was a perfect CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] plot hatched over a long period of time to overthrow Hasina. We did not know the CIA had Waker in its pocket,” he said, as quoted in the book.

He further alleged that Bangladesh’s intelligence agencies failed to warn Hasina about Waker’s alleged betrayal. “We did not know that General Waker-uz-Zaman was on their payroll. Our primary defence intelligence agency, the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence of Bangladesh, as well as Bangladesh’s principal civilian intelligence agency, the National Security Intelligence, did not warn the prime minister that Waker had decided to betray her. Maybe their top bosses were also involved in this plot. How won’t they be? After all, the army chief himself was a principal plotter!” Kamal is quoted saying.

When asked what interest the US would have in toppling Hasina, Kamal reportedly cited the power balance in South Asia and the geopolitics of the Bay of Bengal. “Two reasons. The first is to not have too many powerful heads of state in South Asia. Modi, Xi, Hasina. How would the CIA operate if such strong leaders rule the subcontinent? American interests are best served with weaker governments. But there was a more immediate reason – St Martin’s Island,” he said.

St Martin’s Island, located just off the coast of Teknaf and a few kilometres from Myanmar, holds strategic importance in the Bay of Bengal at a time when Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean is expanding rapidly.

Hasina had earlier hinted at US pressure over the island, claiming she was told she could “stay on without problems” if she handed it over to the Americans. “The Indian press is reporting this now, but the prime minister had warned us much before the fall of our government in Bangladesh that the US is trying to push her out of power as it wants the St Martin’s Island,” Kamal said.

Waker’s tightening grip amid rising suspicion

The book’s release comes as General Waker-Uz-Zaman, who still serves as Bangladesh’s army chief, faces growing scrutiny over his political role. According to CNN-News18, the army recently detained 15 officers accused of involvement in enforced disappearances of Hasina’s political opponents, sparking unease within the ranks.

Lead author Deep Halder told News18 that the revelations could shake Bangladesh’s fragile political landscape. “General Waker was appointed by Hasina just before her ouster. Two people in top positions in Bangladesh were suspected of many political narratives that came out – General Waker and the President of Bangladesh, Md Sahabuddin, who continues to remain so. He has failed to keep the army as an apolitical force, be it in the Gopalganj riot or in the case of the arrest of 15 army personnel. Now, for the better part of last year and this year, a constant narrative was pushed by NCP (National Citizen Party) leaders that General Waker is India’s agent. Now comes this massive revelation, which raises the question what side Waker is playing,” Halder said.

How the army chief ‘backstabbed’ Hasina

In the conversation with the authors, Kamal invoked the Mahabharata to describe Hasina’s downfall. “Like Abhimanyu was trapped from all sides and then felled in the war by his own, Waker tied up with the fundamentalist forces in Bangladesh to bring Hasina down. The Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh had brought all radical forces together before this. Do not forget that the radical Islamist parties in Bangladesh had often violently disagreed with each other in the past over ideological reasons and their interpretation of Islamic laws. But to bring down the Hasina government, they all came together under the guidance of the Jamaat-e-Islami,” he said.

Kamal alleged that Pakistan’s spy agency, the ISI, had infiltrated Jamaat ranks and coordinated attacks during the unrest that preceded Hasina’s ouster. “Pakistan’s spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), had been working closely with the Jamaat. In fact, some ISI-trained men had infiltrated the ranks of Jamaat, and they were instrumental in killing policemen in late June,” he claimed.

The former minister said he warned Hasina about the ISI’s involvement, but Waker dismissed his concerns. “I was told by top police officials that ISI-trained men had infiltrated Jamaat and mingled with student protesters, so I rushed to then PM Hasina, only to be told by her that the army chief has assured her he would be able to manage the ever-growing crowd of agitating students,” Kamal recalled.

Kamal recounted that on the eve of Hasina’s forced departure, Waker assured both him and the prime minister that the army would protect her residence. “I had told the prime minister that police would man every entry point into Dhaka so that no agitating crowd could enter the city from outside. Waker told me in front of Sheikh Hasina that the people had lost faith in the police because of the violence on the streets and that it would be best to let the army stop agitators at entry points,” he said.

“I had proposed that my policemen would man Gonobhaban. Waker had said there was no need for that, also. He would ensure that the army would not allow anybody near the prime minister’s residence. Sheikh Hasina had trusted Waker that evening. You know what happened the next day,” Kamal said, ending with a chilling remark that sounded almost like a final verdict.