New Delhi, Jan 26 : Pakistan has been able to secretly strike a deal whereby Muhammad Yunus would be made the President of Bangladesh if the Jamaat-e-Islami comes to power. Since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, Yunus has been in charge of the country as the caretaker of the interim government. Bangladesh watchers say that Yunus has made several exceptions for Pakistan and now in return he wants an assurance that he would be made President once the February elections are completed.

Pakistan, on its part, had no hesitation in agreeing to this demand and even the Jamaat was on board.

Bangladesh watchers say that in addition to the support from Pakistan, Yunus is backed by several western forces and China, as they are aware that he can be arm-twisted.

Yunus has also made several exceptions for China, much to the dislike of India.

Under him, ties with India have nose-dived and if he becomes President then it would be extremely difficult for New Delhi to deal with Dhaka, the experts say.

While it is more than certain that current President Mohammed Shahabuddin would step aside if a Jamaat government is in power, it is yet to be seen what would happen if the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) comes to power.

Officials say whatever may be the outcome, Yunus would continue to enjoy a very important position that could wield influence in the government.

He is important for the West, Pakistan and China and hence he will be rewarded, the official also added.

It is thanks to Yunus that the Jamaat, which ideally would have come a distant second, is now in the running to form the government. Most of the policies that suit the Jamaat have been implemented by Yunus.

Further, he has been very generous with grants that have helped the Jamaat put in a lot of money into their election campaign.

Yunus was also instrumental in releasing terrorists and radical elements, which eventually helped the Jamaat. These elements are important for the Jamaat where there are radical voters.

To ensure that Yunus remains relevant and Bangladesh can be run as a radical nation, Pakistan and Jamaat are going all out.

While Pakistan can wield a certain amount of influence on the BNP, it is aware that if this party comes to power, it would want to have diplomatic relations with India.

Any India connection to Bangladesh is something that Pakistan as well as China would frown upon and hence the massive push is being made to ensure a Jamaat victory.

The President of Bangladesh has certain powers that would be helpful for Pakistan and the Jamaat. The President is the supreme commander of the armed forces. The President can dissolve Parliament and grant assents to Bills passed by the Jatiya Sangsad.

Further the President has the power to grant pardons, respites and also commute sentences. If Yunus is the President, then there is a lot of influence that the Jamaat or the Pakistanis can have on him.

An Intelligence Bureau official says that both Pakistan and the Jamaat will go to any extent to ensure that their influence over the country remains intact. The official adds that one can expect more violence and rabid lectures ahead of the elections.

To ensure this, the Jamaat is playing a double game to capture a large number of votes.

Recently some allies of the Jamaat walked out of the alliance. They said that they were upset that the Jamaat leadership would not impose Sharia as the official law if it comes to power.

A majority of the Bangladeshis want the country to be governed by the existing laws. However there are some who want the Sharia to govern the nation.

For this the Jamaat has another strategy. To capture the radical elements, the Jamaat has unleashed some of its leaders to speak about the Sharia law.

Afzal Hossain, Jamaat candidate from Barguna-2 constituency said that if his party is voted to power, it would not run the nation as per the Constitution. He clearly suggested that a Sharia law would be in place if the Jamaat came to power.

He also said that Bangladesh being an 80 per cent Muslim majority nation should not have a single leader from another community.

Another official said that there is a big push being made by the Jamaat to surge ahead and Yunus is going all out to support the party.

In Yunus the Jamaat and Pakistan see a puppet and hence they would be more than happy to make him President of the country once the elections are completed the official said.

/IANS