Truth is unacceptable for rulers in Bangladesh
Sunita Paul
Bangladesh is a nation with many past histories of pride. It is the nation, which fought for mother-language and finally snatched the right from the mighty Pakistani authorities. In 1971, this nation fought a war of independence and just in nine months, snatched the victory thus making a glorious presence of a country named Bangladesh in the global map. Bangladeshis by nature are extremely courageous, hard-working and optimistic. But, unfortunately, this nation is continuing to witness administration by rough politicians for decades.
Right after the independence of Bangladesh, 75 million people in the country entrusted Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with the great responsibility of a ruler with the hope of seeing a ´Golden Bengal´ under the dynamic and charismatic leadership of Mujib. He (Bangabandhu) too promised a prosperous nation with right of expression, freedom of press and above all citizen rights. But, just in 4 years, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman decided to form one party rule thus banning newspapers, suffocating freedom of expression and abusing citizen rights under a heneous black law named ´Special Powers Act´. Thousands of political opponents were detained under SPA and many killed by the special paramilitary force named Rakkhibahini formed by the Awami League government under the leadership of the man, who is the founding father of the nation. In political history in the world, it will be impossible to locate a second leader like Mujib, who adopted series of laws and rules to suppress and repress his own people, just for the sake of safeguarding his rule.
There is no controversy regarding the towering high personality of Bangabandhu. He is the hero, who led the war of independence of the country sitting in isolated prison in West Pakistan. But, other than partisan people, no one supports what he did by forming one party rule named BAKSAL and suppression and repression of people as well suffocating freedom of press and expression.
During December 29, 2008 general election, Bangabandhu´s daughter Sheikh Hasina Wajed snatched landslide victory in the general election by defeating her arch rival Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the alliance. This time, daughter of Mujib promised changing the country into a land of infinite possibility thus announcing her ´Digital Bangladesh´ or ´Vision 2021´ projects. Electoral manifesto of Bangladesh Awami League attained high appreciation in Bangladesh and abroad for a number of reasons.
But, just in less than 100 days in administration, Awami League is unfortunately unmasking its very repressive face to the nation as well as international community. On April 11, 2009, ruling party lawmaker Captain (Retired) Giasuddin Ahmed and his thugs physically assaulted Abdullah Al Amin Biplob, a correspondent of vernacular daily The Shamokal. The ruling party MP reportedly threatened the journalist of refraining from writing anything against his misdeeds during the entire five-year tenure of the present government.
Similar attitude is witnessed in other cases too. Some hired intellectuals and so-called writers are continuing to publish malicious articles and commentaries on me, since I picked up the BDR massacre issue and started exposing many facts, where it was becoming crystal clear that many of the heavyweights in the ruling party were involved behind this tragic massacre.
A former ambassador belonging to Bangladesh Awami League quarter, wrote to a number of newspapers in the world, asking to refrain from publishing my articles, as this ambassador claimed, contents of my write-ups were not prolific. As he could not give a single example of any of my comments to be untrue, for obvious reason, international media are ignoring such ridiculous request and continuing to publish my pieces as they did for past few decades.
Some Awami League pals claim, I have picked up the pen since the BDR massacre! This is a lie of highest order. I have been writing for decades and even during 2005 of BNP rule, I was only one of those very few individuals who wrote against the misdeeds of BNP´s political office Hawa Bhaban as well as many of the king-stars of this hated building.
Many of my writings were refereed in a number of prominent newspapers in Bangladesh during that period.
I continued my pen during the interim government too.
But, none of these writing had ever been either questioned or criticized by Awami Leaguers. But, this time, when I am exposing facts behind the BDR massacre, there is visibly wild media war against me by a section of anti-army elements inside and outside Bangladesh. Entire scenario creates doubt in my mind about the sincerity of the ruling government in Bangladesh about publishing a real and neutral investigation report on the BDR massacre and punishing the culprits.
There is even rumor in Bangladesh that the government led by Sheikh Hasina Wajed may not at all allow the investigation report conducted by Bangladesh Army to see the light of sun.
But, neither government´s dubious attitude towards the BDR massacre or its maligning campaign against me will ever stop my pen. Investigation committees should carefully scrutinize each and every piece of information published in Bangladeshi and international press on this extremely sensitive issue.
Today, I have to raise few more fresh questions related to the BDR massacre:
1. Why the student wing leader of Bangladesh Awami League, Liakot Sikder is missing from public appearance?
2. Sikder appeared in a TV talk show on Ekushey Television right after the general election, along with Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Brigadier General (Retired) Hannan Shah and others leaving tears while stating ´brutal treatment´ by the army during the interim government´s tenure.
3. Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir said in the same program that ´proper actions will be taken against those army officers who were active during the interim government rule´.
4. Brig. Gen. (Retired) Hannan Shah gave descriptive statements containing anti-army sentiment.
5. Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Barrister Moudud Ahmed, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Mirza Azam, Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anie, Mirza Abbas, Salauddin Qader Chowdhury, Sajeda Chowdhury, Abdul Jalil, Barrister Fazley Noor Taposh, Lt. Col. (Retired) Faruk Khan, Suranjit Sen Gupta, Abul Hossain, Maj. Gen. (Retired) Subid Ali Buiyan, Sahara Khatun, Tanjim Ahmed Taj Sohel and many others gave extremely offensive statements in the parliament against Bangladesh Army.
6. Sheikh Hasina Wajed´s son and advisor Sajib Wajed Joy was active in lobbying against Bangladesh Army in United States and other countries. He even gave interviews to foreign media as well wrote several articles projecting Bangladesh Armed Forces as ´militancy infected´.
7. Although Bangladeshi investigators are checking cell-phone call list of the ruling party leaders, but, who knows if they were also using several SIM cards which were not properly registered? It is well known fact that in Bangladesh, it is easy to buy a cell phone connection even without providing any information on the user.
8. The ruling party is continuing to do everything to divert the attention of people from BDR massacre to anything else. Even recently Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed gave a strange statement saying Bangladesh was willing to launch a satellite. It is evidently understood that behind such sudden statement of the Bangladeshi PM was to even divert the global attention to ´satellite´ issue than BDR massacre.
9. Extortion, rape, murder, abduction and various forms of crimes are on high rise in Bangladesh since installation of the new government. In most cases, such crimes are conducted by ruling party men. For obvious reason, rulers in Dhaka are trying t ignore all such notoriety.
10. Brother of the home minister Sahara Khatun in a newspaper interview said, on April 10, 2009 when members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) entered his residential hotel in Dhaka for nabbing a gang of counterfeit money makers, his son named Polash stopped the RAB members of conducting the raid. At one stage, he introduced himself as the nephew of the home minister and threatened dire consequences if RAB members tried to raid his residential hotel. Later this young boy was arrested by RAB and the raid conducted thus finding huge volume of counterfeit currency as well as equipment for making such items. But, while the RAB men were supposed to leave the premises with the arrested people, including the nephew of the Home Minister, she phoned the RAB members instructing to leave her nephew. Such tendency and nepotism by a home minister will possibly give a picture of today´s Bangladesh under the rule of Bangladesh Awami League.
11. If the Home Minister could interfere in setting her nephew released from the charge of abetting making of counterfeit currency, should it not be suspected that the ruling government may do anything in salvaging their party men from the BDR massacre investigation?
12. Many of the pro-Awami League journalists in Dhaka have started saying that the BDR massacre crisis was already handled by the government. Do they want to mean by saying this that the rulers in Dhaka have successfully buried the investigation process of the massacre? Why Awami League leader Torab Ali Akhand is placed out of focus suddenly? Why there is no further information on his son, who was also arrested in connection to the massacre?
Unfortunately, truth is unacceptable for rulers in Bangladesh. The present government is no exception to it. This time, the ruling party, instead of using state machinery in repressing press, is using their hired intellectuals and ´obedient´ media in putting pressure on anyone exposing truth. This is a clear example of media terror by the rulers. And, there is no example of final survival of any government in the world, which suffocates freedom of expression.
American Chronicle | Truth is unacceptable for rulers in Bangladesh
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