Hizb ut-Tahrir organized protest meetings outside various mosques today in Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet against US naval exercise in the Bay of Bengal. Last Sunday (19 September, 2011) the US Navy begun its eight day long security exercise termed ‘CARAT' (Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training). The speakers at the protest meetings said that the United States is an enemy state and called upon the Muslims to raise their voice against US domination over the Muslim Army of Bangladesh. America considers Bangladesh's strategic location as vital to her regional plan. This naval exercise and other so-called security cooperation are nothing less than a malicious design by America to subjugate the Muslims so that she can implement her strategic design for the region. Here is what Moriarty said in a cable to Washington on 19 January, 2010: "Increasing Bangladesh's naval capabilities and US Navy-Bangladesh Navy interoperability for joint operations is a key US goal. Improving Bangladesh's maritime domain awareness and interoperability will enhance US ability to secure freedom of navigation in the strategic sea lines of communication within the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal."

On top of that we are witnessing how America is relentless in her crusade against the rise of Islam in the world including this region. Thus American presence in the region is part of her design to delay the re-establishment of the Khilafah "Caliphate" in Bangladesh, Pakistan or Indonesia where the call for Khilafah "Caliphate" by Hizb ut-Tahrir has gained strong support among the people and the party is close to achieving its goal. America knows very well that the return of the Khilafah "Caliphate" would be the beginning of her end - the end of her crusade against the Muslims and her dominion in the world.

The speakers called upon the Muslims to protest against the government's subservience to America; and to work for the re-establishment of the Khilafah "Caliphate". They urged the people of power to refuse to cooperate with the colonialist political and military officials. If the American enemy is not stopped immediately and decisively she will achieve an upper hand and inflict great harm upon the Ummah. Allah (SWT) warned the Muslims,
"Should they gain the upper hand over you, they would behave to you as enemies, and stretch forth their hands and their tongues against you with evil, and they desire that you should disbelieve." [TMQ Surah Al-Mumtahanah: 2]

Media Office of Hizb ut-Tahrir
Wilayah Bangladesh

for more photo click here

After the collapse of Soviet Union and the end of Afghan war, the geopolitical scenario in Eurasia, especially in South and Central Asia changed. The new Islamic states in Central Asia provided new lucrative economic incentives. Pakistan had become a nuclear power. Its armed forces and intelligence agencies, particularly Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) had become too powerful and influential in the region. ISI's influence was spread in Indian Punjab, Kashmir and all the way to SAARC countries; whilst Afghanistan was its backyard. China was the next emerging threat in Eurasia which needed containment. China has decades old ties with Pakistan and there is favorable public opinion, both in the masses and military. Thus it was difficult for the US to overtly use Pakistan against China.

As part of a new Great Game, America has needed to forge ‘strategic partnership' with India and use Pakistan and India as a block against China. For this to happen it was necessary to put India at ease vis-a-vis her western borders with Pakistan and its engagement in Kashmir. America knew that India could never pose a threat to China if her forces are divided on two fronts. Hence, it has become imperative for the US to weaken Pakistani armed forces by dividing it on two fronts, as well as forcing Pakistan to normalize relationship with India, so that India could focus unilaterally towards China, a country that India has fought in war and has disputes with.

The traitor rulers in the military leadership weakened Pakistan's armed forces by pushing it into war with its foreign policy assets i.e. the Jihadis and Tribals. Also to contain Pakistan's regional power which she exercised through its strong and professional intelligence agencies, it was necessary to clamp down on the ISI and make it inward looking by forcing it to concentrate on Jihadies and sincere politicians. Using 9-11 as a cover, US entered the region and was able to reverse the Kashmir and Afghan policy as well as weaken Pakistan through engineering ‘controlled chaos' using Blackwater, CIA and her agents in the political and military leadership. This is in addition to the traitor rulers leaving the people in neglect as they face a variety of crises that could be averted by a sincere leadership and the Islamic system, such as the electricity crisis, sugar crisis, floods and many others.

The other reason to weaken Pakistan is that Pakistan had become too strong during the time of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. The call for Jihad and implementation of Islam was the talk of the town which US calls "radicalization" of the Pakistani society. In such a scenario, it became necessary for the US to block the possibility of emergence of the Islamic State i.e. Khilafah "Caliphate", which would disturb the balance in Eurasia and pose an ideological challenge to US interests in the whole world. For this very purpose, a strong Muslim state with a "radicalized" population was very dangerous of US interest. This not only required secularizing the Pakistani society, but also weakening the state of Pakistan considerably, so that a strong Khilafah "Caliphate" could not emerge from it.

US policy advisor George Friedman alludes to this matter in his book "The Next 100 Years."  He writes, "the goal of these interventions [Iraq and Afghanistan] was never to achieve something-whatever the political rhetoric might have said-but to prevent something. The United States wanted to prevent stability in areas where another power might emerge. Its goal was not to stabilize, but to destabilize. And that explains how the United States responded to the Islamic earthquake-it wanted to prevent a large, powerful Islamic state from emerging". [page 46] He further writes: "the first line of defense against Islamic radicals will be the Muslim states themselves"... "they [the Muslim rulers] will use their national power-their intelligence, security, and military capabilities" to crush these radicals... "An Islamic world in chaos, incapable of uniting, means the United States has achieved its strategic goal"... "So long as the Muslims are fighting each other, the United States has won its war". [page 49]. And this is exactly what the US agents of the likes of Kayani, Pasha and Zardari are doing i.e. crushing anybody calling for Islam and making Muslims fight Muslims.

Before there is further weakening of Pakistan and extension of the American plan, the Muslims must establish the Khilafah "Caliphate". It is the Khilafah "Caliphate" alone that will rally the Muslims on the basis of Islam. It will sever the hands of the American influence in the country. It will close enemy embassies and bases and expel the military and intelligence. It will work for the unification of the Muslim World. It will reach out to non-belligerent Muslim countries in order to gain them to Islam. By doing so, the Khilafah "Caliphate" will ensure the supremacy of Islam and the failure of Kufr. And the practical step is for the sincere officers in Pakistan's armed forces to respond to the demand of the Ummah and grant the Nussrah to its party, Hizb ut-Tahrir, for the establishment of the Khilafah "Caliphate".

Naveed Butt
The Official Spokesman of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Pakistan

  On 6^th September 2011 Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh paid a visit to Dhaka, Bangladesh for a two days state visit. This visit has been hyped by the media of both sides as one of the landmark visits in taking the relationship between Bangladesh and India to a new high. When Sheikh Hasina visited India in January 2010 she signed a 50 communiqué. That paved the way for India to fulfill all their demands from Bangladesh. In return India pledged to sign a series of protocols related to long standing border disputes, reviewing BSF shoot to kill policy against innocent Bangladeshi Muslims and an agreement on water sharing of Teesta River during Indian prime minister's to Bangladesh.

Therefore naturally the Bangladeshi side was very optimistic about Manmohan's visit with newspapers carrying headlines such as "It's time for India to deliver". The ruling party of Sheikh Hasina trumpeted the visit to sway public opinion here in Bangladesh that Indian friendship with Bangladesh is unbreakable and we cannot think otherwise. Manmohan visit was expected to include a number of high level diplomats and ministers and provincial chief ministers including the West Bengal Momota Benarjee. Bangladeshi prime minister and foreign minister repeatedly said this time around India will deliver on her promises to silence any critics within Bangladesh like Hizb ut-Tahrir who has successfully galvanized almost the entire public sentiments within Bangladesh that Mushrik India is an enemy state to Bangladesh.

Indeed when the time came, India revealed its true color, when just before the day of Monmohan visit, on 5^th September, 2011 Indian foreign minister openly declared that Teesta River sharing treaty, a 40 years old Indian promise, will not be signed with Bangladesh. While this has been the announcement from Indian foreign ministry press conference, Bangladeshi foreign minister Dr. Dipu Moni claimed that, the treaty will be signed. But on the next day in the official meeting between the sides the treaty was not signed. In the mean time to save her political career and bring Bangladeshi public opinion to her side Sheikh Hasina has reportedly agreed not to sign the transit treaty with India, which was later on published by certain quarter of newspapers as a ‘bold stance'. Some reported that "No Teesta, No Transit". Moreover the government highlighted the protocol signed on disputed enclaves, Indian agreement on duty free access of 46 garment items to Indian market from Bangladesh and limited transit to Bhutan from Bangladesh. Thus Hasina tried her best to portray Manmohan visit as a successful one.

However the Muslims of Bangladesh know for sure the true color of India. The government has tried to sell to the people that since there has been no agreement on Teesta therefore there was no agreement on Transit. But if we take a look on this issue of Teesta River water sharing issue, which India has promised 40 years back, it is well known that any international river should not be used by any state in the upstream of the river, which affects the natural flow of the river. Therefore, the barrage put by India in the upstream in Assam and in West Bengal to divert the flow of the Teesta water is a clear violation of international norms. In fact Bangladesh shares 54 joint rivers with India. Now if it takes 40 years to reach an agreement with India regarding one river, it will take 2160 years to solve all of these river disputes! The natural flow of water in all these 54 rivers is a natural right for Bangladesh, while the issue of transit which is effectively a corridor to India is not an Indian right; India is not a landlocked country and India has her own routes to go to the seven sister states. Therefore the attempt by Hasina and her opportunistic so called civil society to link the deal on Teesta with transit is in fact another act of treachery.

Regarding the issue of Indian agreement to tariff free 46 garment items, we can clearly see the big hole in such propaganda. Indian has on paper agreed to allow 46 garment items tariff free access to Indian market. However, there is the issue of non-tariff barriers such that once someone from Bangladesh wishes to export garment items to Indian market, they will sell it through Benapole port. However, before the good enters into Indian market, it must be tested whereby each item will be taken to Bangalore for testing while the goods wait in the warehouse, which increases the warehouse costing and thus reduces the competitiveness of Bangladeshi garment items! In fact India has many more of such cards to play which in reality will not realize the promise that Manmohan has signed on paper.

Thus a proper scrutiny reveals that the visit by Indian prime minister to Bangladesh only highlights the Indian hypocrisy which has historical roots. India is a mushrik state and will continue to play in its own path. It is up to the Muslims and the civil and military influentials in Bangladesh to act decisively to stop Hasina from selling the interest of the country for her political fortune.

Jafar Muhammad Abu Abdullah

 Bangladesh

On 8th of April, 2011 Mansur Maratovich Sharipov was arrested by officers of FSB on suspicion of participation in political party Hizb-ut-tahrir which is illegal on the territory of Russian Federation. He was placed in investigatory isolation ward.