Saudi govt refused to intervene

Jamaat-e-Islami had sought the help of Saudi Arabia to stop the war crimes trials multiple times. BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia had asked for the intervention of the Saudi government to resolve the political impasse. But Saudi Arabia did not respond to these requests.

The late King Abdullah had signed a decree (number 61646) deciding not to interfere in the internal affairs of Bangladesh, translations of some diplomatic documents regarding Bangladesh from those leaked by WikiLeaks recently reveal. Anticipating strains with the Sheikh Hasina-led government, the Saudi government did not even respond to Khaleda Zia's request for the treatment of Arafat Rahman.

Comments from the Saudi embassy in Dhaka were unavailable despite being asked for.

Mir Nasir, adviser to the BNP chairperson and former Bangladeshi ambassador to Saudi Arabia, expressed surprise when asked about it, “This is unbelievable.” He claimed that Khaleda Zia had never asked for mediation. In answer to a question, he said, “I would have known if something like this had happened. This is impossible. Ziaur Rahman had special relations with the Saudi royal family and those relations are still intact today.”

He reminisced about being present in a friendly meeting between Khaleda Zia and King Abdullah at the royal palace in Mecca in 2005. He questioned the authenticity of the Saudi cables published by WikiLeaks.

When contacted, an authoritative source from Jamaat said it would not be appropriate to comment without being informed.

But when asked about the matter, Bangladeshi ambassador to Saudi Arabia Golam Mosih told Prothom Alo that the King's decision reflects what they know of Saudi Arabia's policy.

He also confirmed that Saudi Arabia had not said anything to the government regarding the war crimes trial or internal politics. In his words, “The existing relations between Awami League government and the Saudi government are cordial and they are growing every day. Recently during the Yemen crisis, we responded to their request when Pakistan could not. They are very pleased at this.”

Mahbub Alam, another former diplomat who had worked in Saudi Arabia, said it only confirms the general policy followed by Saudi Arabia of not interfering in the internal affairs of non-Arab countries.

Referencing cables sent from the Saudi embassy in Dhaka in May-June 2012, the Saudi foreign ministry brought to King Abdullah's attention a letter of request from Khaleda Zia asking him to mediate in the political situation. Notably, the foreign ministry freshly reminded the king of a previous request by Jamaat to stop the war crimes trial in Bangladesh. The document also mentions that the Saudi King had already signed a royal decree saying that Saudi Arabia would not interfere in either case.

The then Saudi ambassador in Dhaka Dr Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Busairi had met Khaleda Zia on January 17, 2012 at her Gulshan office. Khaleda met the then defence minister and present King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz when she visited Saudi Arabia in August 2012 at the invitation of the royal family.

The Royal decree 61646 was cited in a cable (Memo No. 7/2, Document No. 4/1 Dated 1433 month of Rajab) to the king by the foreign minister, written in the green pad of the Saudi Arabian foreign ministry in 2012. The decree stated that there would be no intervention in the internal matters of Bangladesh.

In the cable, Abdullah was told that the Saudi Embassy in Dhaka had received a letter from Khaleda Zia intended for him where he was congratulated for his seventh year of assuming power. In the letter, the king was also urged to mediate for a dialogue between the political parties to end the political crisis at the time.

The Saudi foreign minister also wrote in his cable that the Saudi embassy in Dhaka had informed him that an unstable situation exists in Bangladesh due to conflicts between the government and the opposition parties. Many opposition leaders and activists, a majority from Jamaat, have been imprisoned. It also mentioned that the Jamaat leaders had repeatedly asked for Saudi Arabia's interference for stopping their trial for war crimes in 1971. It further said Khaleda's letter came at a time when the opposition had shown great interest in Saudi Arabia's involvement in the mediation of the political situation in Bangladesh.

Dr Busairi was the Saudi envoy in Dhaka for six and a half years from 2008 to 2014. The cables released by WikiLeaks were sent during his time.

A high ranking diplomat, who is an expert on the Saudi royal family and Dhaka-Riyadh relations, said about the report: “Saudi Arabia has never told the Awami League government anything in any way about the war crimes trial. The Bangladesh government itself has kept them informed about the matter throughout, though.”

The diplomat also mentioned that Saudi Arabia's state-controlled daily Saudi Gadget has published post-editorials, expressing concerns about the issue. A man who had worked as a consul for the Saudi embassy in Dhaka had written regularly in it. But nothing was said about stopping the trials, rather it talked of maintaining international standards in the trials.

FROM ISLAMABAD

On the other hand, the Saudi embassy in Pakistan in a secret cable (No. 10/7/3 Dated 7/3/1433 Hijri, January 30, 2012) sent to the Asia office of its Foreign Ministry informed that the diplomat had learned from a special source that if the patriotic politicians of 1971 held in Bangladesh prison were put on trial, then Pakistan, especially its military, would consider it as an instigation against it. The source also said that recently 90-year-old professor Golam Azam was arrested on charges of collaborating with the Pakistani army in 1971 and for participation in secret killings during the 1971 war.

The cable also said that some retired military personnel thought that India was behind this instigation and that they were trying to entangle Pakistan in international justice.

The later part of this cable could not be found. But there is mention of a previous cable (No. 210/92/21/188 dated 18/3/1431, March 4, 2010) that indicates Saudi Arabia was interested in Pakistan's feelings regarding the war crimes trial. In a statement, Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan had asked for the interference of the Pakistan army to stop the trial in Bangladesh.

ARAFAT'S TREATMENT

The then Saudi foreign minister Saud Al Faisal, who is currently King Salman's foreign affairs adviser, told late King Abdullah's special secretary in March 2012 that the Saudi government had received a request for the treatment of Arafat Rahman, younger son of late president Ziaur Rahman and leader of the opposition Khaleda Zia, to be done at the King Faisal Specialised Hospital in Riyadh on Saudi expenses.

It mentioned that Arafat, convicted for financial corruption, was in Bangkok for treatment at the time. “We have determined that the treatment for his illness is available in Saudi Arabia as well as Thailand,” the cable further read, adding that given the situation, it would be better to disregard the request since it could cause tension between the Sheikh Hasina government and the Saudi government.

BNP leader and former diplomat Mir Nasir said that he had talked to former envoy Al Busairi about the treatment of Tarique Rahman in Saudi Arabia and Busairi had shown a positive attitude. But Nasir said he was not aware of the issue of Arafat's treatment. The cables, on the other hand, show that Al Busairi had expressed a negative opinion to his government about Khaleda's request for Arafat's treatment considering the present government's sensitive stance on this.

Asked about the Bangladesh-Saudi Arabia relations as disclosed in the WikiLeaks cables, M Humayun Kabir, former Bangladesh high commissioner to USA and vice-president of Bangladesh Enterprise Institute, told Prothom Alo: “The difference between the generally perceived notions and the reality regarding our relations with Saudi Arabia has been disclosed. There have been several changes in the leadership in Saudi Arabia in the last decade. So, it is normal that there will be reflection of a realistic, unsentimental, and mature foreign policy. It is rather time for us to be free of sentiments.

*The Daily Star reproduced Prothom Alo report published yesterday.