Some Updates About Bangladesh

I sympathize with the people of Myanmar; I hope their government gets over their paranoia and starts thinking about their duty towards their people instead. However, I must say I am relieved that Nargis missed Bangladesh. If it had hit our country, the military government would have immediately used it as an excuse to indefinitely postpone the elections. Chief Advisor Fakhruddin Ahmed even had the sppech written out to that effect. By the grace of the almighty, this particular storm missed us and the election was not delayed. However, the cyclone season is just starting; let us see if our luck holds.

 With the announcement of the Supreme Court Bar Association that they will boycott the Appellate Division for part of the 15th of May, another very important step has been taken in exposing the unfortunate condition in our country today. The Appellate Division recently took two divisions, one declaring that individuals arrested by the government under the Emergency Powers Regulations (EPR) have no right to bail, and another one saying that the government could prosecute anyone, for any crime, even if it was committed before the promulgation of the EPR. Taken together, these decisions have virtually allow the government to keep any individual locked up indefinitely, even for alleged offenses committed twn or twenty years ago, and even if there is just the suspicion of wrong-doing. Practically, this gives legal cover for the government’s strategy of detaining political leaders and activists without any specific charges being brought against them.

Spare a thought for Moeen U. Ahmed. By now, the entire army top brass has understood that the best they can hope to get out of this misadventure is to survive it. However, the young officers who did the groundwork for this junta: the majors who have been leading the joint forces teams and the colonels who have been torturing people in DGFI torture cells, are adamant about not giving any quarters to the political parties. The junior officers say that they were told that if they did what they were told to do, the country would be rid of Khaleda and Hasina fore good. So, why should they leave their mission unfinished and allow these two leaders to reappear on the stage? If necessary, some of these men are still ready to do to these two leaders and Tareq Rahman what was done to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and to Ziaur Rahman during the first decade of our independence. These officers may just as easily turn on their seniors at any time. All in all, the chain of command in the Bangladeshi Army is more frayed now than any time I have seen previously.

I am glad Saifur Rahman was allowed to leave Bangladesh. Out of his three sons, Shafiur Rahman was already abroad, and he managed to get Kaisar Rahman out as well. His daughter and son-in-law have also managed to leave the country.

The GATCO case saw the most serious rift between Moeen and ACC Chief Hasan Mashud Chowdhury yet. Moeen was not convinced that Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan and Saifur Rahman had to be implicated in the case, despite being told repeatedly that this already threadbare case would lose all credibility if these two former senior ministers were left out of the chargesheet. There was also some disquiet about former Sargodhian Kamal Uddin Siddiqi also being indicted with the rest. Things should also get interesting once Motiur Rahman Nizami gets arrested, which I am greatly looking forward to. Jamaat is finally about to attend the party.

All in all, the government is rapidly running out of new moves to make. As previously predicted, the coming summer months will be difficult.

Updated 1: I hope everyone notices how our fearless military government, normally so cavalier about locking up men and women, is dithering about the arrest of Matiur Rahman Nizami, Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami. Let there be no confusion about the quarters this military government fears to cross.