For many the biggest news out of Bangladesh right now may be Rohingya refugees, and they may be right for the news is being used as a fog of war by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to take out her opponents in a calculated manner.
In last week four arrest warrants have been issued against Khalida Zia, the ex PM of Bangladesh and arch opponent of Mrs Hasina, the Chief Justice has been effectively exiled and various figures from opposing BNP party booked.
And this may still not be a coup in the western sense of terms, Prime Minister may truly have been trying to save her country from both Islamist and elements of Pakistani Intelligence.
Last week Chief Justice S K Sinha was allowed to leave to Australia for treatment of Cancer. Now he faces a probe for “grave” graft charges and moral lapses, he was also accused of money laundering following his departure to Australia. Sinha, just before leaving for the safety of Australian shores, declared “”I am not sick (as claimed by the government) and I am not fleeing either”. Judiciary had conflicted with both the Government and legislature in July this year when the apex court delivered a verdict declaring void 16th constitutional amendment, scrapping parliament’s authority over impeaching Supreme Court judges.
The Bangladeshi history is full of deceit, coups and plots. For a young nation born in 1971, the palace intrigues are both high on frequency and deadly in body counts. For one Pakistan never swallowed its defeat in 1971 war with India and MuktiVahini. The hardiners inside the country who aligned with Pakistani forces during the war of Independence still see a mortal enemy in the progressive state that the country tried hard to be. The attacks on intelligence, terror bombings etc can all be widely attributed to the same disgruntled elements.
The saga of Chief Justice Sinha and that of Begum Zia’s warrants is far from over but what is certain is that Mrs Hasina is now the driving force of Bangladesh without too much of opposition and that may well turn out to be the best thing for the country
