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Monday, 23 August, 2004

 

The bane of Bangladesh

by our Internet desk, 23 August 2004

Hasina-Wajed-200 

Sheikh Hasina Wajed

Tension remains high in Bangladesh following Saturday's grenade attack on a political rally addressed by the leader of the opposition Awami League, former prime minister, Sheikh Hasina Wajed. At least 19 people were killed and about 150 wounded in the blast, for which the Awami League holds the government responsible. The attack has brought yet more instability to the already polarised nation.

Schools and many shops remained closed in the Bangladeshi capital on Monday, and several demonstrations and wildcat strikes were reported from other cities ahead of a two-day general strike called by the opposition Awami League. Police in riot gear are in evidence in Dhaka and other cities, a day after Awami League supporters vented their anger by attacking official buildings, including a railway station where they set fire to a train in protest at what they perceive to be government inaction after Saturday's grenade attack.

Public anger has been fuelled by statements from Awami League officials, including Sheikh Hasina Wajed, who narrowly survived the blast, sustaining only minor injuries. She was quoted as saying the attack was intended to kill her. "It was a well-planned assassination attempt," one of Mrs Hasina's aides told reporters, "because even as she was herded into the vehicle, shots were fired. It was a very well coordinated and well thought-out attack."

Government blamed

US Secretary of State Colin Powell condemned Saturday's attack and called for calm in a statement issued late on Sunday.

"The perpetrators of this heinous act clearly intend to undermine democracy in Bangladesh," he said.

Many of her followers are convinced that the government, led by Mrs Hasina's archrival, Khaleda Zia, is in some way involved - a sentiment echoed in the national media. Under the headline "Nation is terrorised," the editorial of the leading Independent newspaper concluded that "the nonchalance with which the government has treated these serious matters of security is stunning". The newspaper referred to a recent spate of bombings targeting the Awami League.

In June, two people died and nearly 100 were wounded in blasts at an Awami League rally at a town northeast of Dhaka. Early this month, a bomb exploded in the northeastern town of Sylhet, killing one person and injuring 30, but leaving the intended target, the town´s Awami League mayor, unhurt.

listen to the interview, 4'06"The country has become more polarised in recent years with the rise of Islamic parties in all sections of government," Bangladesh journalist Sakil Faizullah commented in an interview with Radio Netherlands. As a result, suspicion between the current Islamic-inspired government and the secular Awami League has deepened.

No conspiracy
Mr Faizullah stresses that the four-way coalition government led by Khaleda Zia's centre-right Bangladesh Nationalist Party includes the Jama'at-e-Islami, a fundamentalist reform movement that seeks to turn the country into an Islamic state. But, he hastens to add, there is as yet no evidence to support the Awami League's knee-jerk claims of an anti-secular conspiracy:

"The Awami League's popularity decreased after the 2001 election, but it's now improving. I think that is why all these attacks are going on mainly targeting the Awami League. But there is no sound proof that Islamic hardliners are directly involved in any of these attacks.

Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has strongly condemned the blast and vowed a thorough probe. She called for national unity and invited Sheikh Hasina for a meeting to express her sympathy at the blasts.

History of violence

khaleda_138 

PM Khaleda Zia

The longstanding animosity between the two women has been fed by their personal experiences with political violence, which has been a regular phenomenon in Bangladesh since independence in 1971.

In 1975, Sheikh Hasina's father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the then president, was assassinated by disgruntled army officers along with 17 others, mostly family members. Sheikh Hasina and her sister, who were out of the country at the time, are the only surviving members of the family.

In 1981, Ziaur Rahman, considered to be one of Bangladesh's most popular presidents and Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's late husband, was assassinated, also by army officers.
 

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