The BNP acting chairman, Tarique Rahman, during a recent phone call, urged Paresh Baruah, a leader of Indian separatist group - United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) to take ‘revenge’ on top brass leaders of the ruling Awami League for ‘destroying’ ULFA and dismantling its ‘strategic bases’ in Bangladesh, media reports said.
However, Bangladesh Post could not independently verify the information.
According to a media news, Tarique Rahman, convicted in different criminal cases, including for the deadly grenade attack case, had instructed and forced BNP to boycott the upcoming parliamentary polls.
It is also gathered from a number of credible sources that Tarique Rahman is now facing silent criticism from his own party leaders for “pushing the party towards uncertainty” by boycotting the next general election.
According to a highly-placed foreign intelligence source, last week Tarique Rahman had phone conversation with ULFA leader Paresh Baruah, who was located somewhere in Noseri area under Muzaffarabad district in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), said a weekly Blitz report.
The source said, Paresh Baruah has been living in Pakistan for years, where he occasionally visits various areas in PoK.
The source said, the telephone conversation between Tarique Rahman and ULFA leader Paresh Baruah took place at around 1 pm London time. Tarique and Baruah spoke for more than 19 minutes where Paresh Baruah used a ‘Ufone’ number and they spoke over Telegram apps.
It may be mentioned here that, back in 2014 National Investigation Agency (NIA), a central government security agency in India in a report said, ULFA kingpin Paresh Baruah was involved in smuggling guns for Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI).
According to the report, on October 15, 2014, several leaders of BNP and JeI met two members of ULFA at Madhutilla Eco Park under Nalitabari Police Station is Sherpur district in Bangladesh. During this secret meeting, BNP-JeI leaders made a deal with ULFA for buying small weapons.
Another report claimed that ULFA’s Paresh Baruah was using Bangladesh soil for smuggling weapon to India and Nepal.
Earlier, weekly Blitz reported that at the instructions from Tarique Rahman, Bangladesh Nationalist Party has established contact with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) with the target of buying dozens of remote-controlled high-power explosives with the notorious target of disrupting the election through series of terrorist acts.
According to a credible source based in Manila, at the directives of Tarique Rahman, on November 8, 2023, a senior leader of Bangladesh Nationalist Party contacted a TTP kingpin over Telegram apps and had requested for remote-controlled explosives for “unseating the un-Islamic government” in Bangladesh.
It is also known that the consignment of remote-controlled explosives may reach Bangladesh via Bangladesh-Myanmar border with active collaboration of Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA).
The source further said, instead of sending remote-controlled explosives, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan may send one of its bomb experts to Bangladesh and as per arrangement, this bomb-maker would enter Bangladesh under the guise of tourist via Nepal. It may be mentioned here that while Al Qaeda succeeded in establishing hidden bases within mountainous areas in Nepal, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan also succeeded in establishing its minor footprint in the country.
