America’s Sweet Revenge: The Beginning of the BNP Office Mian Arefin-General Suhrawardy Drama.

Dr. Syed Javed Salehuddin

1. Times24. Online news portal published an article titled Mian Arefin’s Statement (Part-2) on January 4, 2025. Earlier, on November 19, 2024, Times24 published another article titled Mian Arefin’s Statement on their online news portal. To understand the ongoing events in Bangladesh and the continuity of future events, we can get an idea of ​​the future if we go back a little and analyze these events.
2. Mian Arefin, who is an American of Bangladeshi origin and one of the members of the National Committee of the Washington DC Democratic Party of America. He had been trying for several years to free his motherland Bangladesh from the tyrannical Hasina government. He traveled to Bangladesh several times in 2022-2023 for this purpose and during this period he witnessed the real picture of the misery and human rights violations of the people of the country. Returning to the United States, he discussed with various international-American leaders to restore democracy in Bangladesh.
3. As part of this effort, he returned to the United States from Bangladesh in the third week of September, from mid-March to mid-September, 2022.
4. Returning to the United States, he personally met with Miss Kala, the State Department, on December 23, 2022, and explained in detail about the fascist government and their rule, during which Miss Kala took notes on these issues. Arefin sought the help of the US State Department to free Bangladesh from the hands of misrule and establish democracy in Bangladesh.
5. Mian Arefin observed various situations for about 6 months while in Bangladesh and met with all the major opposition leaders. In his words, “he considered them patriotic, very honest and loyal to the country”. He received an external response from all of them that “we need to change the fascist Prime Minister Hasina and establish a caretaker government that is acceptable to all Bangladeshi brothers and sisters.”
6. During this time, Mian Arefin met Miss Sophia (Foreign Affairs Officer) and Mr. Matthew Beh (Political Officer) of the State Department at the US Embassy in Dhaka in person at the American Club several times.
7. In addition, during this time, he spoke to many high-ranking military and civilian officials of Bangladesh.
8. He visited various police stations and upazilas of Bangladesh on his own initiative and spoke to them to understand the attitude of the general public and witnessed various incidents of corruption, extortion, and torture by Bangladesh Police Officers (OCs).
9. Mian Arefin did all this only to save his motherland Bangladesh from the hands of the dictator.
10. Mian Arefin traveled to Washington DC-Dhaka 4/5 times in 2022-2023.

11. He personally interviewed people from different walks of life and realized that everyone had the same opinion – “We have to save our motherland Bangladesh”.
12. While in Bangladesh, he met Lieutenant General (Retd.) Dr. Chowdhury Hasan Sarwardi, who was known in the army as an honest, patriotic, and trustworthy person and was persecuted by the Sheikh Hasina government, and discussed various issues with him.
13. At that time, he saw a good relationship between General (Retd.) Hasan Sarwardi and many honest and talented leaders of the Bangladesh government and the opposition. According to his statement, “We have held many meetings in this residence and it has been decided that we will all hold a big rally and block the roads of Dhaka to demand Sheikh Hasina’s resignation. We will continue our program until she resigns.”
14. He mentioned, “We all finally decided the date of the rally on 28 October 2023 and asked for help and support from the BNP.”
15. Arefin said, “I personally sent a message to Tarique Zia on WhatsApp and also contacted Mirza Fakrul and Mirza Abbas.”
16. He further said, “I personally went to the rally site to see the injured people after the government’s brutal attack on our rally on October 28. I also went to the central office of BNP to see the injured workers and spoke to the Bangladeshi media. During that time, I mentioned some things about the expectations of the United States for Bangladesh, Hasina’s rigged elections and the upcoming political changes.”
17. In his words, “On October 29, 2023, when I left for Washington DC, the Immigration Service detained me at Dhaka Airport. The next day, Lt. J. Sarwardy was also detained. We both spent about ten months in Bangladeshi prisons.”
18. While in the custody of DB Harun, rumors and false news were spread against me that ‘Mian Arefin is a fake person.’ This was done to damage my family life and integrity. It should be noted that I am a member of the US President’s Advisory Board, but I am not a personal advisor to President Joe Biden.”
19. When the quota reform movement began in Bangladesh in late June 2024, the government killed about 2,000 people to suppress the movement. Then, when people all over the country took to the streets, the fascist Sheikh Hasina resigned on August 5, 2024 and fled to India.
20. After Sheikh Hasina’s resignation, she and Lt. J. Chowdhury Hasan Sarwardi were released from Kashimpur High Security Prison in Gazipur district and Dhaka Prison.
21. Mian Arefin expressed optimism, “I think the extraordinary goodwill and support of the United States for the people of Bangladesh will continue.”

22. The people certainly remember the insulting statements, indecent behavior, attacks on their vehicles, etc. by high-ranking leaders of the ruling party against the Makin Ambassador in Dhaka Peter Haas, Dan Mozina and others who were in charge in Bangladesh during the Awami government. These diplomatic incidents are seen by a superpower like America as an attack on their country. Washington, America, never tolerates such incidents anywhere in the world. The previous government, by hurting America’s ego, has earned America’s enmity on its own. America does not spare anyone in these cases.
23. Everyone was aware of the activities of Mian Arefin and General Suhrawardy. BNP Acting Chairman Mr. Tarek Zia, Mizz Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Mizz Abbas and everyone else knew the matter of the 28th very well and the American Embassy in Dhaka also knew the matter. Because, after this incident, their reaction language was diplomatic language. Usually in these cases: if the mission is not successful, the parties involved deny everything. That is what happened in this case too. But, in general, this effort of Mian Arefin and General Suhrawardy was a high-level mission.
24. At first glance, behind this unsuccessful mission of theirs was the final decision to overthrow the fascist government. Both General Suhrawardy and Mian Arefin are brilliant people in their own fields with their own achievements. The countrymen did not see any kind of stubbornness or childishness in them.
25. It is worth mentioning here that General Suhrawardy was the first to speak out against the Sheikh Hasina government in the international media and spoke about various misdeeds of the government and various issues of Indian domination, which angered the government and the Indians.
26. America has taken sweet revenge for the insult to their country’s ambassador. Recently, this has been expressed through the Indian complaint made to the US Secretary of State. India has complained to America through its National Security Advisor Ojit Doval that the US is behind the fall of the Hasina government!
27. There is a saying in international diplomatic circles, “At the end of the day, America scores goals in world politics”!!

Author: Dr. Syed Javed Salehuddin is a Political Analyst and Lawyer of Bangladesh Supreme Court