How India’s RAW helped unite two rival Begums to topple military rule in Dhaka
- Jayanta KalitaRajesh Sharma
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM Jan 02, 2026, 12:45 IST IST
After General Hussain Muhammad Ershad seized power in Bangladesh through the contentious March 1988 elections, India’s intelligence community grew concerned about deepening divisions within the country’s political landscape, particularly between Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League and Begum Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
This division persisted despite the fact that all major political parties, including the Awami League, BNP, and Jamaat-e-Islami, had boycotted the elections.
This division persisted despite the fact that all major political parties, including the Awami League, BNP, and Jamaat-e-Islami, had boycotted the elections.
