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Sheikh Hasina escapes popular uprising

By moinansari on | From rupeenews.com

THe unpopular Hasina Wajid.Image via Wikipedia

There have been 19 failed attempts in the country’s history–most of them against the Awami League. According to the Asian Development Bank More than half of the country’s 166 million people live on less than $1.25 a day.

The Bangladeshi military announced Jan. 19 that it had foiled a coup plot to unseat the shady government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The curent regime came to power as a result of a coup engineered by the Bharati sponsored army and supported by a corrupt judicial enterprise. Most question on how long can the cabal in power in Dhaka last? An army spokesman pinned the on mid-ranking officers “with extreme religious views” and a network of shadowy interests overseas. This is double-speak for the “the people of Bangladesh”. Dhaka is firghtened and running scared. Details remain sketchy, but several retired military officers have been arrested, and dozen others have been implicated in the plot.. Hundreds have gone fugitive in Hong Kong and other places.

Brigadier General Muhammad Masud Razzaq stated that the uprising was “Instigated by some non-resident Bangladeshis, some serving and retired officers with extreme religious views have tried to create disorder in the army.”

The Awami League has been perceived to be broadly aligned with India. The BNP, on the other hand, is placed on China-Pakistan axis, as well as being close to Saudi Arabia. The Daily Star of Bangladesh says “a breeze of change is blowing in Pakistan promising to take the wind of the sail of the right and far-right in Bangladesh. As Imran Khan’s political fortunes rise against the backdrop of army-political regime conflict and the Supreme Court’s interventions, his eloquence is drawing huge attention”.

Bangladesh, ostensibly formed on the mantle of “democracy” and Bengali nationalism is no stranger to military meddling> It has endured three coups and numerous army mutinies in its 40 years of independence. Dhaka sports long spells of military rule. The Hasina Mujib regime came into power in 2009 following an election that the cabal did not like. The caretaker military regime made sure that the Awami Leage would win the elections

Genral Moeen is the culprit. He is short on “democracy” and long on rhetoric. It was hoped the country had finally turned the corner on a legacy of discord and bloodshed–however is is apparent that it is busy conducting a witchhunt against Muslims.

The latest reality turn the historical page back to a grimmer chapter. It does raise concerns about the country as a whole. Just a few weeks after Hasina came to power, a popular uprising of the border security soldiers led to the cold blooded murder of 70 patriotic Bangladeshis. This led to mass pogram, as many as 800 military personnel still face trial for their involvement in the uprising. That crisis created suspicion between the civilian administration and elements of the military establishment.

Shiakh Mujib was gunned down by Bengali patiorts. Image via Wikipedia

During hree years of the Awami League rule, the bickering and enmity between the popular BNP and the Pro-Indian Awami League created colossal dissent in in the penury stricken nation which Henry Kissinger once called a “basket case”. The government is accused of suppressing dissent and unfairly clamping down on the religious parties. The opposition is hounded, ostensibly under the guise of war crimes tribunal. The Jamaat-e-Islami faces the brunt of the pogram.

Some reports implicate the Hizb ut-Tahrir in the coup plot–a clear sign of the Damocles sword hovering over the government’s head.On 14th August 1975, patriotic Bengali soldiers burst into the house of Hasina’s father — the puppet Prime Minister — Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and gunned him and other family members down in the thin dawn light. One an inspect the bullet holes in the walls and see the ochre stain preserved beneath a pane of glass marking where Mujib Ur Rahman died.

Even if this latest uprising has failed, there will be a next one. The government faces an uphill task. Survival will be a major test for the Awami League government.