Following fleeing of Sheikh Hasina, while plenty of high breed “revolutionaries” are on mushroom growth, officials at the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) have surprisingly engaged into self-destruction mode by spending on several dubious individuals thus housing these ignorant backstabbers right inside the house. To give credibility and popularity of these uncouth elements, DGFI as is even not hesitating in leaking sensitive secret internal reports and documents thus finally causing serious damage to this organization’s integrity and efficiency.

Post-Sheikh Hasina DGFI is consistently and continuously defamed and demonized by its own recruits and contacts, who actually are serving agenda of certain foreign interests, which have been continuing propaganda demanding disbanding of DGFI as well as country’s counterterrorism force – the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). Their agenda is to turn Bangladesh into a weak and subservient nation by throwing country’s mostly essential organizations such as DGFI under the bus. Unfortunately, none of the current policymakers and officials at DGFI or RAB are totally unaware of the ultimate blueprint of those vested interest groups.

There is a worrying trend of foreign-backed propaganda directed at Bangladesh’s crucial defense institutions, such as the DGFI and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), calling for their disbandment. This agenda appears to align with certain foreign interests that seek to weaken Bangladesh by removing its most vital security organizations. Unfortunately, it seems that DGFI officials are either unaware or unwilling to acknowledge the ultimate blueprint that these foreign vested interest groups are executing. The infiltration of disloyal elements into DGFI damages its reputation from the inside and strengthens the external agenda of destabilizing Bangladesh’s intelligence and security apparatus.

The DGFI’s reputation took a severe hit with the exposure of a scandal involving the banking sector. Lt Gen Akbar Hossain, the DGFI chief at the time, was reportedly involved in plenty of financial scams including one of Bangladesh’s largest loan scandals, in collusion with S Alam, an extremely controversial andinfluential figure in the business sector. According to a Financial Times report, DGFI played a significant role in facilitating the fraudulent transfer of over US$17 billion from Bangladeshi banks, sparking public outrage and disillusionment with the agency. This grand banking scam was perceived as a national betrayal, highlighting DGFI’s failure to serve the interests of Bangladesh and showcasing the vulnerability of its leaders to corruption.

Although Gen Akbar Hossain might have got involved in this loan scam at the instructions of some key figures in the Awami League government, such as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina herself or her advisors – SajeebWazed Joy and or Salman F Rahman, there also are rumors that Gen Hossain was also personally benefited for helping S Alam Group, the scandalous business conglomerate headed by S Alam.

Meanwhile, prior to publication of report in the Financial Times, several online activists pretending to be working in favor of the revolutionary interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus and having direct communication with the high-ups of DGFI began publishing sensitive and secret documents of the organization thus generating an impression as if the organization has started a war against itself with the ultimate agenda of making it controversial into the eyes of locals and international community. These “contacts” of DGFI are even attempting to portray the organization itself as cohort of political and financial mischiefs of Sheikh Hasina’s government. While some might argue that DGFI officials intended to expose the wrongdoing of certain officials of the organization, the very fact that leaking and publishing sensitive and secret documents in public domain may ultimately damage the very reputation of DGFI in the eyes of international community.

The continuous leakage of classified information and documentsof DGFI is reflective of an organization rife with trust issues and internal conflicts. Some sources speculate that theleaks centering banking scam or its involvement in political interest of Awami League was orchestrated by individuals seeking to discredit DGFI further, as part of a calculated strategy to dismantle the agency following Sheikh Hasina’s departure. Whether intentional or not, the controversy undermines the DGFI’s credibility and reflects the dangerous consequences of mismanagement and untrustworthy personnel within its ranks.

Meanwhile, the very “contacts” of DGFI also are running sinister propaganda targeting several former officials of the organizations including DGs with concocted information clearly with the ulterior motive of tarnishing reputation and image of those officials as well as that of the organization. Most shockingly, until now, there has not been any internal investigation to identify the leakers of sensitive intelligence reports of the organization as well as find reasons behind getting those published in the public domain.

Back in 2021, Blitz published investigative reports exposing dubious activities of an individual who was publicly proclaiming to be working with DGFI as “IT analyst” of DGFI despite the fact, that individual namedRaino Aryan Khan alias Mir Asaduzzaman Aryan does not have any academic qualification in that field. Instead, he was using this identity for years and cheating various individuals, mostly females. Similar incidents were also exposed through few more reports published in the newspaper.

The DGFI’s issues are further exacerbated by the organization’s flawed recruitment process. A lack of stringent recruiting standards has allowed unqualified and morally questionable individuals to infiltrate DGFI, contributing to its deteriorating image. Rather than seeking individuals with the specialized expertise, discipline, and loyalty required for intelligence work, the DGFI has seemingly adopted a lax approach, opening the doors to elements more interested in self-serving agendas than national security. This recruitment failure has led to a situation where inexperienced and unreliable sources have gained access to sensitive national secrets, creating vulnerabilities that undermine the agency’s core objectives.

A stronger recruitment process, focusing on professional qualifications, rigorous background checks, and loyalty to Bangladesh, is imperative. Without these standards, DGFI will remain vulnerable to infiltration by individuals with conflicting loyalties. With proper vetting, DGFI could have maintained a dedicated workforce of patriots rather than housing backstabbers whose loyalty lies outside the borders of Bangladesh.

The current trajectory of DGFI does not bode well for Bangladesh’s future. If left unchecked, this internal decay could lead to further destabilization of national security and even encourage foreign interference. Without strong leadership, loyal and competent officials, and a commitment to transparency, DGFI risks becoming an ineffective institution incapable of safeguarding the interests of Bangladesh. Moreover, with the growing influence of foreign-backed agendas aimed at disbanding the DGFI and RAB, Bangladesh stands to lose some of its most critical defense institutions. The dismantling of DGFI would be a significant blow to national security, opening Bangladesh up to espionage, terrorist threats, and influence from external forces that seek to exploit the country’s weaknesses.

The DGFI’s current crisis is a multifaceted problem that stems from a lack of integrity, poor recruitment standards, and the influence of foreign agendas. Rather than serving as a stronghold of national security, DGFI has unfortunately become a house divided, vulnerable to internal betrayal and external manipulation. The banking scandal, flawed recruitment process, and infiltration by foreign-backed elements have severely damaged DGFI’s reputation, with serious implications for Bangladesh’s future. If the DGFI is to restore its credibility, it must undergo a thorough overhaul, prioritize national loyalty, and adopt stringent standards that prevent unqualified individuals from gaining access to sensitive information. Only then can it rebuild its integrity and effectively protect Bangladesh’s interests in an increasingly complex global landscape.

Please follow Blitz on Google News Channel