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Govt restructuring intelligence agencies

Measures also taken to coordinate their activities; move comes on the heels of intelligence failures, criticisms

JULF1KAR Au MANIK and ShakhawatUton
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said her government has taken effective measures for restructuring intelligence agencies and coordination of their activities.
The premier's statement came in parliament in response to a query of Workers Party lawmaker Rashed Khan Menon.
This was a longstanding issue as questions were frequently raised in recent years about the role and efficiency of the agencies for their repeated failure in preventing terror attacks.
The recent highly criticised issue was
the role of intelligence before the bloody mutiny at the headquarters of paramilitary Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) in Pilkhana in the capital.
On the agencies' failure to warn the government about the BDR mutiny on February 25-26, Hasina said it is true various intelligence agencies could not come up with advance information.
Reviewing the functions and jurisdictions of National Security Intelligence (NSI), Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), Military Intelligence (IMI) and Special Branch (SB) of Police it was determined that the internal matter of BDR was not under their jurisdiction, Hasina said.
"These agencies do not have necessary
manpower to do such a task, said Hasina adding that only a four-member small team of DGFI get involved in BDR at its sector level to collect information on trans- boarder issues.
The national probe committee on BDR mutiny also pointed finger to the "failure of the main intelligence agencies, their inefficiency and organisational failure, collusion of the Rifles Security Unit (RSU) with the mutineers..." as some of the subsidiary causes played direct/indirect role behind the mutiny.
The committee in its report submitted to the government gave some long-term recommendations including "Redistribution of responsibility and duty of all
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intelligence agencies and formation of a permanent Central Intelligence Coordination Committee (CICC) at highest level".
The committee also recommended "Formation of counter intelligence forces for all intelligence agencies including (he Rifles Security Unit(RSU)".
Hasina yesterday said her government is actively considering all recommendations by the national probe committee on the BDR carnage.
The committee among other recommendations has asked to restructure all intelligence agencies to improve their structural conditions, the premier added.
Hasina, also leader of the House, said the RSU is assigned to collect information on BDR's internal security and information on smuggling. There is no mechanism for coordination and exchange of information between RSU and any other national intelligence agencies.
She added ordinary soldiers of BDR collect information at field level and inform the officers. The authorities could not notice information in advance on the mutiny as ordinary RSU soldiers were found involved with the mutiny, Hasina continued.
Failure and dubious role of the intelligence and investigation departments have also been discussed following many tragic events when the nation experienced some major terror attacks in and outside the capital and also some misleading investigations over some major crimes.
Assassination attempt to Sheikh Hasina on August 21, 2004 at the heart of the capital also raised the same questions.
Besides, the role of some intelligence agencies and their officials has also sparked controversy following allegations of torturing political bigwigs in confinement during the caretaker rule.
A number of top tier leaders from ruling Awami League and main opposition BNP also raised their voice in and out of
parliament against "torture by the intelligence officials in the name of interrogation.
Former commerce minister and AL General Secretary Abdul Jail, who was in prison for one and a half years during the caretaker rule, in January alleged in parliament of excruciating torture on him by DGF1 after 1/11 changeover. He also called for a parliamentary probe into that matter.
Jalil demanded that those responsible be meted out exemplary punishment. He also said operations of the intelligence agency be restricted to the armed forces so that the people are not subject to their "torture” anymore.
Besides torture, politicisation of the agencies or use of intelligence agencies for the ruling party's political propose were also among other highly discussed issues as there were many allegations in this regard.
Strong allegations were rife that the intelligence agencies and investigation departments were highly politically motivated during the five-year tenure of BNP-Jamaat-led alliance government.
Many farcical probes into the major terror incidents including the August 21 grenade attack, assassination of former finance minister Kibria are the evidence of wrong and politicised probe.
Some former officials of Criminal Investigation Department are already facing charges of misleading probe.
Most recent arrests and statements of the arrested ex-NSI officials stunned the nation as the chilling information about the role of intelligence officials with the arms smuggling came under the spotlight.