There is a simmering divide in the political landscape of Bangladesh. It is
one that could potentially drive the country toward civil war. Critics of the
government contend that the government is on a witch-hunt to eliminate any
opposition to their policy, an action that undoubtedly will bear terrible
consequences.
Syed Abdul Bais, a human rights activist and a self-proclaimed ''agent of
change'' lamented the stance taken by Sheikh Hasina's government in its
relentless persecution of leaders of the Jamaat-e-Islami party. Abdul Bais
petitioned hard and fast for the release of Ghulam Azam following his arrest
by the Bangladeshi government in January 2012, but to no avail. Azam died a
couple of years later still incarcerated.
The All Parties Hurriyet Conference, an alliance of 26 political, social and
religious organizations, has also raised its concerns over the political
turmoil in Bangladesh. The current Chairman Syed Ali Geelani requested the
Bangladeshi prime minister to stop persecuting Jamaat-e-Islami members and to
immediately release all Islamic leaders held in prison without proof of any
crime. In a letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Geelani said that the
government action against the Jamaat-e-Islami leadership was ''uncalled for
and can prove detrimental for the country''. He added that the cases of
sedition being filed against Jamaat-e-Islami leadership in the country were
''fictitious''.
Charging that the Bangladeshi government's actions were generated by political
vendetta, Geelani said that all cases of war crimes were settled in the period
of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman following the independence of the country in 1971. He
referred to the actions of Bangladesh's founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
who released 195 officers guilty of war crimes after a meeting of the external
affairs ministers of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Bangladesh had charged 37,471 persons under the Collaborators Order but 34,623
people were later let off due to lack of evidence. Some 2,848 people were
brought to trial of whom 752 people were charged as guilty. Mujibur Rahman's
government later declared a general amnesty in 1973. Geelani now questions
Sheikh Hasina as to why people who were not even arrested during that period
are now being charged after 40 years, a clear indication that the actions are
political in their nature. He termed it a ''direct violation of international
laws and detrimental to the image of this country''.
Geelani further added that the Jamaat-e-Islami leadership removed itself
during the struggle for the creation of Bangladesh as it believed that the
country was being carved out with Indian support. Fearing that it would soon
end up as an Indian satellite state, Geelani said that had there been no
Indian input to the struggle, the Jamaat-e-Islami leadership would have
wholeheartedly participated in the liberation of the country.
Geelani charges that the suspicions of the Jamaat-e-Islami leadership of 40
years ago are realities today. India during the past 45 years has proved that
it is not a friend but a foe of Bangladesh. Had it been a friend it would not
have sponsored an insurgency in Chittagong.
Geelani also reminded Sheikh Hasina that if India had been sincere, it would
have done justice in water distribution to Bangladesh and its Border Security
Force would not be killing innocent Bangladeshis on a regular basis. He said
whatever the reasons behind the division of the subcontinent, every Muslim of
the world today wishes for a stable Bangladesh.
Jamaat-e-Islami leaders are well-wishers of the country and their patriotism
should not be doubted. Calling the arrest of people for their political ideas
''unacceptable in a democratic setup'', Geelani requested the prime minister
to allow Jamaat-e-Islami and other religious organizations to work in a
democratic way. He also asked international agencies to intervene in the
matter.
Bangladesh matters, but it must tread its waters carefully and judiciously.
Politically motivated killings and hangings will foster increased division.
With an estimated half of the population favoring the opposition, Sheikh
Hasina's government should put extra effort into forging peaceful alliances
with all political parties internally rather than seeking such externally.
— The author can be reached at talmaeena@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @talmaeena
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