It is the politics of blood that has, of late, been playing out in Bangladesh. What’s worse, there is no end in sight to the sanguinary chain of events. The immediate provocation was the execution of Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdul Quader Mollah, nicknamed the Butcher of Mirpur for his nefarious role during the 1971 war of independence, when he sided with the Pakistani forces. Of course, he was not sent to the gallows by a kangaroo court. He was properly tried and given an opportunity to defend himself. Yet, the fact is that justice in Bangladesh tends to side with those in power.
Mollah’s return to Bangladesh was possible only because then ruler General Ziaur Rahman had given amnesty even to those who conspired to assassinate father of the nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975. South Africa was faced with a similar problem—how to deal with the perpetrators of apartheid when it got independence from the white minority. The African National Congress, led by its visionary leader, the late Nelson Mandela, found a solution in the setting up of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, headed by Bishop Desmond Tutu. In sharp contrast, Bangladesh opted for the path of retribution that does not seem to have an end.
Elections in Bangladesh are just a month away but there is, as yet, little understanding between the ruling Awami League alliance and the BNP-led opposition on the modalities of conducting free and fair polls. India must not remain a mute spectator to the goings-on there. Its linkages to the Northeast make Bangladesh a key element of its Look East policy. India must, therefore, reach out to all democratic forces in Dhaka to remove distrust and break the cycle of violence plaguing the country. A peaceful and democratic Bangladesh can galvanise the region by serving as a conduit between South and East Asia. On the other hand, political instability will only strengthen the legacy of blood in Bangladesh.
Source: Newindianexpress