Bangladesh is at a crossroads once again. Barely four years ago when Prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government came to power it faced its baptism of fire (agni priksha) with the mutiny among ranks of its elite security force Bangladesh Rifles (BDR). The government survived, but had to pay a heavy price. Over 50 BDR officers, including BDRchief..and his wife, were murdered by the mutineers.
This time when the Hasina government enters the last ten (10) months of its current term, the country is facing another agni priksha with an open revolt by powerful elements led by the Jamaat-i-Islami forces who never accepted Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan. In fact the Jamaatis collaborated with the Pakistani forces in the ‘genocide’ committed against the people of Bangladesh.Yet taking advantage of the democratic system the Jamaat lives on and continues to spread its fundamentalist message. Unable to accept the death verdict for two of its leaders and life imprisonment for a third for their war crimes in the country’s liberation struggle they have launched yet another terror campaign of forced hartals and protests bringing the country to a virtual halt. But this time the Hasina government is well prepared and determined to put the Jamaatis in their place.
But the Jamaatis are not alone. They are old allies of the opposition Bangladesh National Party of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. Begum Zia is seen in India to have played the Jamaat game by delivering a tactical snub to India during the just finished visit of President Pranab Mukherjee. She cancelled a pre-arranged meeting with Mukherjee on account of the situation in the country arising out of the hartal. But India must not take it to heart and continue its efforts to engage with the Begum’s party, and with other opposition groups like that of General Ershad’s Jatiya Party. It is important not to forget her condemnation of reported attacks on Hindu properties and temples during the recent turmoil in Bangladesh. Her alliance with the Jamaat should be seen as an electoral or political compulsion but not as an ideological togertherness.
Quite rightly President Mukherjee’s message at the end of his three-day visit was to tackle the current crisis in Bangladesh through talks and protection for all citizens, not just of government’s own supporters and minorities. Dhaka’s Shabagh Square’s movement may be voicing people’s demand for death sentence to Jamaat leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee instead of mere life imprisonment for his part in the 1971 Liberation war but it must not be allowed to get of hand and turn into mob hysteria. The Hasina government in its years of complete control must show some magnanimity to the rest of the opposition even if it is considering to ban the Jamaat-e-Islami party.
Meanwhile India must step up delivery of its promises of help to Bangladesh to shore up the country’s secular democracy. The revival of Kokata –Dhaka train(Moitree Express) over two years ago and delivery of some railway engines and equipment during President Mukherjee’s visit have been positive developments. But they could be seen as too little and too late by the people of Bangladesh. India needs to speed up and implement the 1974 land border accord and push forward Teesta river water sharing arrangement.
India’s slow pace to implement the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement, protocols for which were signed last September during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Dhaka are still hanging in the air as they require Constitution amendment in India. They need New Delhi’s ratification as these involve exchange of land in 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh and 51 Bangladeshi enclaves on Indian soil.
Bangladesh has already ratified the pact. But some of the Indian political parties for sheer opposition are blocking the peace process Only last week BJP president Rajnath Singh cast doubt on his party’s support for the Constitution amendment.
The BJP chief said that under the government’s ‘Enclaves,’ pact India could lose 13,000 acres of land while Bangladesh would lose only 3,000 acres, causing a net loss 10,000 acres of land to India.
Even if this calculation is true , the net gain to India and the people entrapped in the enclaves far outweighs any physical territorial loss. The improvement in the quality of life for the people entrapped in the enclaves cannot be measured in rupees and square yards of land. The saving on the reduction of Border Security Force could run into thousands of crores annually. The reduction of people smuggling, drug smuggling, cattle smuggling and cross border corruption cannot be measured in rupees and land acres.
Even more India needs to rise above petty calculations and show magnanimity and generosity of Indira Gandhi’s days , Instead of indulging in any short term reactions India should also remember the remarkable restraint and magnanimity shown by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government in the face of highly provocative murder of 16 Indian soldiers and dragging their bodies like animals dangling on bamboo sticks by Jamaat mentality Bangladesh Border Rifles men during April 2001cashes near Padua post on Meghalaya-Bangladesh border..
Hopefully, the multi-party delegation, including BJP’s Chandan Mitra, Mukul Roy of Trinamool Congress, Sitaram Yechury of CPI-M and others who accompanied President Mukherjee to Dhaka, will impress on their parties to clear the hurdles in the way of long lasting peace , prosperity and friendship with Bangladesh.
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