Bangladeshi Premier Hasina terms opposition BNP as terrorist outfit!

 -Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal

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In an extremely objectionable manner, Bangladesh leader Sheikh Hasina has called the opposition party BNP as a terrorist militant outfit and a corrupt party that ruled and ruined Bangladesh. While visiting New York on 03 October, Sheikh Hasina has categorically ruled out the possibility of any midterm election and holding any dialogue with opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, as she finds nothing wrong in the country after January-5 election which the opposition parties boycotted. 

Bangladesh Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York organised the press conference at its office on 03 October. Talking about dialogue with BNP, now out of parliament as it boycotted the January-5 national election, Hasina said she has nothing to do as per the parliamentary form of democracy for the party which is outside parliament. ‘Why dialogue? With whom?’ she questioned about the definition of opposition party as per parliamentary democracy.  Hasina slapped a volley of questions on the opposition BNP leader Khaleda Zia: Why there should be a midterm election? What are the problems for which we should go for a midterm election and for whom the midterm election? Is it to put the BNP party in power that was created by power usurper Ziaur Rahman?  Khaleda Zia is yet to answer them.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Hasina Sheikh has been a very practical and extremely clever manipulator who has evolved a ruthless strategy to stay perpetually in power. Sheikh Hasina has been in office as PM since January 2009. She previously served as Prime Minister from 1996 to 2001, and she has led the Bangladesh Awami League since 1981. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father and first President of Bangladesh, and widow of the nuclear scientist Wazed Miah.

In 2007, Hasina Sheikh was arrested and jailed for corruption and charged with murder. She returned as Prime Minister after a landslide victory for the Awami League-led Grand Alliance in 2008, when they took two-thirds of the seats in parliament. In January 2014 she became the prime minister for the third time after winning the 2014 parliamentary election, which was boycotted by the main opposition BNP-led alliance. Hasina is considered one of the most powerful women in the world, ranking 47th on Forbes' list of the 100 most powerful women in the world. For the better part of the last two decades, Hasina's chief rival has been BNP leader Khaleda Zia. The two women have alternated as non-interim Prime Ministers since 1991.

The three major parties in Bangladesh are the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Bangladesh Awami League and Jatiya Party. Another important player is the Jatiya Party, headed by former military ruler Hossain Mohammad Ershad. The Awami League-BNP rivalry has been bitter and punctuated by protests, violence and murder. Student politics is particularly strong in Bangladesh, a legacy from the liberation movement era. Almost all parties have highly active student wings, and students have been elected to the Parliament.

On understanding with the then military rulers, Hasina had made “spiritual journey” to Saudi Arabia (Mecca etc) after jail life  for her crimes perhaps thinks she has obtained “divine right” to rule Bangladesh life time. She has tried all tricks to keep the reign with herself.  Her tactics have the opposition parties at bay and even the main opposition BNP to boycott general polls, giving a free hand Hasina needs to stay in power endlessly.  “It was Almighty Allah’s blessings that they (BNP) couldn’t return to power; Bangladesh was saved,” she told a grand civic reception organised by the Universal Civic Reception Committee at a New York Hotel. 

Hasina now feels over confident about her indefinite power as she has been doing everything possible to belittle and undermine the role of opposition. She is fast moving towards making Bangladesh one party ruled nation.  

It appears Hasina seeks one party system and claims Bangladesh to be a normal country, if not a paradise on earth, which is advancing economically as well. She has advised the opposition BNP to be cool and mind their business. While  visiting  New York  last week,  Sheikh Hasina, has categorically   ruled out the possibility of any midterm election and holding any dialogue with Bangladesh Nationalist Party, as  she  find   nothing wrong in the country after January-5 election which the opposition parties boycotted.  

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina seems to be happy that the opposition boycotted the poll  and she won easily. Hasina has said in New York it was the Almighty Allah who helped the country by keeping a terrorist militant outfit and corrupt party like BNP away from power. When her attention was drawn to the recent remarks of BNP leader Khaleda Zia at a public meeting asking the ruling party leaders, including prime minister Sheikh Hasina, to get ready with their passports and visas so that they could flee the country hurriedly to avert public wraths, Hasina said she never fled the country.  Hasina said that Bangladesh was her birthplace while Khaleda Zia was born in a tea garden of Shiliguri (India). ‘So I do not need to take visa, she needs it.’   

On the question of BNP having been pushed to outside parliament, Hasina replied: ‘The party which is outside parliament is outside parliament; what can I do for that?’ In this connection without naming any party, the prime minister said if anyone boycotted the election, it was their decision, not mine; Hasina also said if a political party takes a wrong decision then that party has to pay for that mistake.

Hasina said BNP now has realised that they have made a great mistake by boycotting the January-5 general election.  The Prime Minister said the BNP leaders are now saying many things to justify their election boycott. “They’ll keep on saying all this because if a political leadership takes a wrong decision then that leadership has to pay a heavy price for that blunder.” “It was Almighty Allah’s blessings that they (BNP) couldn't return to power; Bangladesh was saved,” she told a grand civic reception organised by the Universal Civic Reception Committee at a New York Hotel.

In an oblique reference, the Prime Minister criticised the US government as two of Awami League men were killed on the roads by miscreants in the USA. She said if one person is killed in a country like Bangladesh, the US turns very much vocal about it.  “What’s the irony, we’ve got two of our activists killed on the roads here (USA),” she said. Nazmul Islam, vice-president of US chapter of Awami League, was strangled to death in New York in July last. She also mentioned another name, Belal, who was also killed by miscreants in Connecticut in 2012.

PM’s son and her ICT adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy while talking at the programme said it is rare in the world that a country developed like so fast this way. He also said no conspiracy will be able to remove the AL from its aim to develop the country.

Like Pakistan, Bangladesh also reeling under  the weight of power grabbing war among major parties  being led by selfish , corrupt and dynastic families. Dynasties of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and General Ziaur Rahman continue to fight for power in Bangladesh. Hasina‘s Awami League and Khaleda Zia’s BNP (Bangladesh National party) have been waging a survival war and both parties are corrupt and both leaders have gone to jail for their misdeeds and crimes. The Constitution of Bangladesh was written in 1972 and has undergone fifteen amendments is being ignored by politicians of the country.  

When the Muslim nations promote illegality and immorality as their base policy,   Islam falls a mute victim. Like Pakistan, Bangladeshi regime also promotes fake sports like cricket which sustains the fake records and rankings of cricketers, “achieved’ by misusing bowlers, mutual consent between teams and mutual 100/50 runs and scores.  By deliberately pampering fake sports parasitic people, Bangladesh, like Pakistan, cannot be a genuine Islamic nation. But Bangladesh does not calm to be an Islamic nation either.  Bangladesh, therefore, cannot be a normally genuine  Islamic nation. 

Upon her return  to power after visiting  Mecca for Umrah with the  help of  the then military rulers in Dhaka, Hasina has been very active  not only  in targeting  Muslims who  seek Islamic rule to root out corruption and other forms of anti-humanity crimes from the country but also belittle the role of opposition parties in the country. Hasina has misused state machinery, including security forces to perpetuate her misrule.  She is now thorough with the art of maneuverings, notwithstanding her jail term for her crimes, including corruption and associated murders.  

Back to the question: How would an incumbent prime minister of Bangladesh Hasina Sheikh call the opposition BNP party of Khaleda Zia, former Premier, a terrorist outfit, almost directly calling her as a terrorist? 

True, since her return to power, Hasina has been, in order to be in "good books" of all anti-Islamic nations in the West and East, targeting Islamist Muslims, by calling them all terrorists, putting them in jail. In the same speed, Hasina is now calling even opposition leader and ex-premier Khaleda Zia also as a terrorist. 

Clearly, eager to be the ruler for life time, Hasina does not  want  the main opposition in Bangladesh. So, Bangladesh is fast moving towards another genuine general poll and if BNP declines to contest again, Hasina would have the permanent laugh..