Flag of Bangladesh Nationalist Party. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The 16th of December 1971 was supposed to have resolved the Bengali civil war that engulfed Pakistan, India and pushed all of South Asia in war. It did not. Pro-Pakistan religious Bengalis fought for Pakistan, and Pro-Indian Secular elements fought for merger with India or at least a subservient state. 1971-1975 saw a civil war rage, within Muslim Bengal. Mujib Ur Rehman the doyen of democracy had banned all political parties had himself declared President of Life. His treaty of Friendship guarded with the Rakhi Bahni would have converted Bangladesh into a Bhutan, then a Sikkim and then merged into the Indian Union. Patriotic Bengalis killed Mujib and his family, but one survived.
The Bengali quest for an identity came into sharp question when the Hindu Bengalis of India refused to join the secular Bangladesh. At that point the BNP once again introduced the basis of the country on the Two Nation Theory. Bangladesh has vasilated between Secularism and Islamic identities.
Tarique Rahman, Senior Joint Secretary General of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The same sort of war rages in Pakistan too, but the question about the Islamic identity has been settled. There is a qualitative difference. The violence in Pakistan is a spillover of violence from Afghanistan, and is foreign sponsored because of the war in the neighboring country. The Civil war in Bangladesh could also be called due to external forces, because there is plenty of interference from Delhi.
India also is fighting the same battle. With the BJP poised for the next victory –very communal leaders like Modi want to make Bharat a Hindu state. Read about it in hinduunity.org.
The Awami League is in power through a fraudulent election sponsored through a judicial coup. Today the civil war continues with The Awami League leading the charge against the BNP and the Bangladesh Jamat e Islami.
The Awami League has jailed major figures of the BJI and is trying them under frivolous charges. It is hurting and killing folks across Bangladesh.
One person died in a knife attack as protesters from the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and supporters of the ruling party clashed in the old part of Dhaka. Another man was killed in the northwestern town of Enayetpur.
English: Begum Khaleda Zia, former Bangladesh Prime Minister and chairperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, is photographed as she appeared as the chief guest in a book opening ceremony on 1 March, 2010 at the Diploma Engineers Institute, Dhaka. ?????: ????? ????????????? ? ???????? ???????????? ???? ???????????? ???? ?????? ??????? ???? ?????? ????? ??????? ????????? ??? ????? ???? ???? ??????? ????? ? ?????, ???? ?????? ???????? ???????? ??????? ???????? ????????????? ?????????? ???? ????? (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The BNP held the rallies to demand early elections under a neutral caretaker government.
Police also clashed with protesters in the cities of Khulna, Rajshahi, Barisal and Sylhet.
The caretaker system was a constitutional clause that has been scrapped by the incumbent Awami League party. The last four general elections in Bangladesh were held under the caretaker government system.
The BNP and its 17 smaller allies demand the creation of the “Caretaker government”. The BNP and BJI have said they will not take part in any future elections unless the system is restored.
Hasina Wajed, the AL leader is in no mood to give in to the demands of the parties that are poised to win the elections.
