Sitting in the United States, Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey – a member of Al Qaeda-connected ultra-Islamist Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has been playing important role in spreading disinformation against ruling Awami League; maintaining liaison with lawmakers and officials in the Capitol Hill through BNP’s representatives – William B. Milam and Jon Danilowicz – former American diplomats; and maintain relations PR and lobbyist agencies on behalf of BNP.
Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey has been in controversy for the last several years as he has been involved in spreading disinformation by utilizing the press accreditation cards that he has managed from the White House, State Department and the United Nations. Although a section of Bangladeshi press, especially Weekly Blitz, have been exposing activities of Ansarey for the past 2-3 years, Bangladesh authorities miserably failed in taking any steps either in getting his press accreditation cards revoked or exposing his connections with Al Qaeda and Pakistani spy agency Inter-Service Intelligence. Rather, some local newspapers in Bangladesh are promoting Ansarey by publishing his anti-Sheikh Hasina and anti-Awami League “reports”.
Ansarey succeeded in becoming a confidante of Tarique Rahman, son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia through Harris Chowdhury – political secretary to Mrs. Zia during 2001-2006. Within the BNP and Dhaka’s media circle, Harris Chowdhury was known as the “Hawa Bhaban man”. During the rule of BNp-Jamaat coalition government, Hawa Bhaban became an alternative power house, which was run by Tarique Rahman and his cohorts, wherefrom they were openly running all sorts of illegal activities including bribery and high-profile corruption.
It may be mentioned here that on November 3, 2008, the US ambassador to Bangladesh, James F. Moriarty in a confidential cable (Canonical ID 08DHAKA1143_a) to the Secretary of State, seeking suspending entry of Tarique Rahman to the United State, Ambassador James F. Moriarty wrote:
“Tarique Rahman, the notorious and widely feared son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, was released on bail from prison on September 3. He departed Bangladesh to seek medical treatment in the UK on September 11. Having served as the Senior Joint Secretary General of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Tarique is an extremely high profile political figure. Notorious for flagrantly and frequently demanding bribes in connection with government procurement actions and appointments to political office, Tarique is a symbol of kleptocratic government and violent politics in Bangladesh. His release occurred despite multiple pending cases against him on charges of, inter alia, corruption, extortion, bribery, embezzlement and tax evasion. With deep political ties that reach the highest court in the land, Tarique managed to manipulate the judicial process and overcome a concerted effort by the Caretaker Government to block his bail. We believe Tarique has several passports, including a new one in which the UK issued him a visa in September. Another passport contains a five year multiple-entry B1/B2 visa (issued May 11, 2005). We suspect that passport is being held by the government”.
Accusing Tarique Rahman of accumulating hundreds of millions of dollars, Ambassador James F. Moriarty wrote:
“Tarique reportedly has accumulated hundreds of millions of dollars in illicit wealth. There are multiple extortion cases pending against him, founded on the testimony of numerous prominent business owners who he victimized and exploited”.
The former US ambassador further wrote: “Tarique’s flagrant corruption has also seriously threatened specific US Mission goals. Embassy Dhaka has three key priorities for Bangladesh: democratization Bangladesh: democratization, development, and denial of space to terrorists. Tarique’s audaciously corrupt activities jeopardize all three. His history of embezzlement, extortion, and interference in the judicial process undermines the rule of law and threatens to upend the US goal of a stable, democratic Bangladesh. The climate of corrupt business practices and bribe solicitation that Tarique fostered derailed US efforts to promote economic development by discouraging much needed foreign investment and complicating the international operations of US companies. Finally, his flagrant disregard for the rule of law has provided potent ground for terrorists to gain a foothold in Bangladesh while also exacerbating poverty and weakening democratic institutions. In short, much of what is wrong in Bangladesh can be blamed on Tarique and his cronies”.
Although Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey became deputy press secretary to then prime minister Khaleda Zia, his main job was to implement orders from Tarique Rahman, which included handling bribery cash, maintaining liaison with terrorist entities including Harkartul Jihad al-Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B), Jamaatul Mujahedin Bangladesh (JMB), United Liberation Front of Assom (ULFA), Hizbul Mujahedin and also Al Qaeda. In December 2001, when BNP hosted a team of Al Qaeda led by Ayman al-Zawahiri for weeks in Bangladesh, Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey played the role of coordinator, while he met Ayman al-Zawahiri several times on behalf of Tarique Rahman. He also has been actively involved in the August 21 grenade attack and 10-truck arms haul.
It may be mentioned here that, on August 21, 2004, at the direct instructions of Tarique Rahman, terrorists of BNP along with members of militancy outfits such as Harkat-ul-Jihad (HuJI) had launched grenade attacks targeting Sheikh Hasina and leaders of Awami League. According to the court verdict, this gruesome attack was a well-orchestrated plan through abuse of state power. And all the accused, including BNP Senior Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman and former top intelligence officials, were found guilty and handed down various punishments for the grenade attacks that killed 24 people and injured scores. In the murder case, Tarique and 18 others were sentenced to life in prison.
Major General Gaganjit Singh, former Deputy Director General of India’s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), said BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman was the mastermind of 10 truck arms haul in Chattogram [Chittagong] in 2004.
Talking to India Today and a television channel in Bangladesh, he said the arms were being supplied under direct patronization of the then BNP-Jamaat alliance to use Bangladesh as a sanctuary.
Ten trucks full of arms seized at Chittagong in April 2004 were meant not only for the United Liberation Front of Assom (ULFA) but also for a few other rebel groups in India’s northeast to destabilize the country, he added. “But he was operating in close coordination with DGFI and some NSI officials who had close links with Tarique Rahman (current acting chairman of BNP) and his cronies in what was then referred to as Hawa Bhaban (political office of BNP)”, disclosed Singh.
Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey’s involvement in these terrorist acts as well as his connections with various terrorist groups including Al Qaeda evidently proves – he actually is a pseudo-terrorist or mercenary of foreign jihadist groups.
Sitting in the United States, Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey is running several organizations namely ‘South Asia Perspectives’, ‘Right to Freedom’, and ‘Just News’ from 1015 15th St NW, Suite 600, Washington DC, 20005, where two more former American diplomats namely William B. Milam and Jon Danilowicz are working as BNP’s agents. Convicted terrorist and acting chairman of BNP, Tarique Rahman has been secretly funding these organizations as well as his foreign agents – William B. Milam and Jon Danilowicz. Milam and Danilowicz have not registered as lobbyists thus violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
The US Department of Justice says, “Penalty for a willful violation of FARA is imprisonment for not more than five years, a fine of up to US$250,000, or both. Certain violations are considered misdemeanours, with penalties of imprisonment of not more than six months, a fine of not more than US$5,000, or both”.
Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey succeeded in getting press accreditation cards from the White House, State Department and the United Nations by falsely proclaiming as the “US Correspondent” of his website named ‘Just News’. In his application for press accreditation cards, Ansarey made the false claim of “Just News” being based in Bangladesh. But in reality, there is no existence of ‘Just News’ in Bangladesh. Instead, this website is funded by BNP while Ansarey is shown as its editor and publisher.
Lately, Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey has started poking into India’s domestic issues and has been repeatedly extracting answers from the State Department and the United Nations. In the US, Ansarey is seen almost regularly meeting Pakistan embassy’s staff, particularly Muhammad Asim Raza while he also meets others such as Muhammad Taqi and Jamal Nasir.
It may be mentioned here that BNP has been termed Tier-III terrorist organization by US courts, while its acting chairman Tarique Rahman is a convicted terrorist who has been living in the United Kingdom since 2007.
