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Militancy adds to political uncertainty

Haroon Habib

The upsurge in Islamic militancy in Bangladesh is set to cast a shadow over the next general election, expected in a year.

THE NEXT general election in Bangladesh is due only in January 2007, but it has already started dominating the political discourse. The concerns are centred round Islamic militancy, which saw an upsurge in 2005, endangering the country's fragile democracy.

The year witnessed an alarming escalation in the number of suicide bomb blasts that claimed the lives of dozens of senior Opposition politicians, journalists, cultural activists, judges, and policemen. Islamist militants have established a reign of terror by carrying out countrywide serial blasts and violent attacks on courts, offices, and other secular establishments.

A total of 396 people were killed in so-called "crossfire" during "shootouts" between "lawbreakers" and law enforcement agencies. Zealots continued their attacks on Ahmadiyyas across the country demanding that the small sect be declared non-Muslim.

The media were under tremendous pressure throughout the year. Senior Ministers and ruling party lawmakers repeatedly blasted newspapers for "tarnishing the country's image." Two journalists were killed, 142 injured, 11 arrested, four kidnapped and 53 assaulted in more than 500 incidents across the country. Besides, 249 journalists were threatened with death and cases filed against 130 others, according to human rights bodies.

Fears of snap poll

Against this backdrop, the mainstream political parties have already begun overt and covert preparation for parliamentary polls. Many observers believe the Khaleda Zia Government, suffering from an image problem due to escalation of Islamic militancy and the price rise, might call a snap election well ahead of schedule.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the Awami League, the Jatiya Party, the Jamaat-E-Islami, and the 11-party Left alliance, are the major players.

The Awami League has been abstaining from Parliament for nearly one year. Its lawmakers, including party chief Sheikh Hasina, will lose membership of Parliament if they fail to attend the winter session scheduled from the third week of this month. Article 70(1) of the Bangladesh Constitution stipulates that absence from Parliament for 90 working days at a stretch will lead to loss of membership. If the Awami League MPs resign en masse, the BNP and its allies will have to hold byelections in the present explosive political scenario.

The BNP Government's role in tackling the militancy has been criticised. It is accused of turning a deaf ear to the allegations against the Jamaat-e-Islami, its main political partner. Some Ministers and ruling party lawmakers are also accused of patronising militants with links to Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and other West Asian countries.

The New Year began with the Opposition agitating for the resignation of the Government, accusing it of harbouring Islamist militants and failing to govern the country efficiently in the last four years. The pro-liberation Opposition alliance has also accused the Khaleda Zia Government of a conspiracy to hand over power to a "third force."

The past year, which began with the assassination of the former Finance Minister, Shah Kibria, in a grenade attack, ended with a presidential ordinance on wiretapping. Skyrocketing prices of essentials and a series of `crossfire' killings were other problems. The Government, which had repeatedly denied the existence of militants, was forced to ban the Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh and the Jagrata Muslim Janata of Bangladesh.

Interestingly, the Government, on the one hand, urged all the Opposition parties to join in the national dialogue on terrorism, and, on the other, launched a campaign against the main Opposition party labelling it the "patron of the militants." The Khaleda Zia Government has also not abandoned its long cherished allegation that the Islamic militancy was sponsored from "a neighbouring country," which wants Bangladesh doomed.

Apart from the Opposition's allegations, the ruling BNP also faced tremendous pressure from within when a number of senior leaders categorically alleged that the Jamaat and many BNP leaders were the main force behind the militancy.

The 14-party Opposition combine has come up with 31-point proposal to reform the system of a caretaker government during elections and the electoral rules. They declared they would resist any election held without reforms. The Government has rejected the demand saying the election would be held under the existing system.

The 14-party alliance held a rally in Paltan Maidan on November 22 despite government obstruction and announced a 23-point common national programme with a pledge to establish a democratic country free from communal politics and extremism. The ruling BNP staged a similar show later. But uncertainty prevails over when and how the elections can be held as the ruling and Opposition parties stick to their stances.

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