Untold Facts

‘ALL BNP’s Grenades’!

Nonsense
The Prime Minister of Bangladesh stated on the 21st August in a public meeting that all grenade attacks so far made were all done by the BNP! None of the sensible men and women would believe the rash statement of Sheikh Hasina, but her HUKKA HUA (the Bengali term coined first for them by BBC’s Serajur Rahman and then lifted by me) followers might do otherwise. That is what she wishes of those gullible to do, not for any substance in the content but for obvious show down against the BNP in the street of the genre of the 2006 October 28.

Use and misuse
Possession and use of arms at random and at will are exclusive privilege of the cadres of all parties concerned almost without exception, some more and some less, that became widespread since after 1971. The 1971 war opened the door for possession and use of arms by youths, first in the independence war and then after the 16th December, in particular, for self-aggrandizement and private material gains.

Ultras
Political divisions that almost ended after March 1971 except few splinter groups of ultra left led by Toaha, Abdul Haq, Matin, Seraj Sikder etc. took not long to resurface among the students based in Dhaka University and to the formation of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) in mid 1972. Although these elements fought united in 1971, soon after the formation of the JSD, they started to meet in encounters with the government forces whoever tried to contain them. In fact, the first post independence government (1972-mid 1975) had nothing of higher ideal to keep the youths in constructive calm and peace. They were massively unemployed, and so grabbed whatever they could lay their hands on irrespective of law, morality, ethics and values.

Partisan control
The government had only one mode of control not of the arms cadre of the ruling party but of the imagined opponents alone by using force of arms- police, BDR, Army and above all the unconstitutional killer force, RAKHSI Bahini. Other modes of peaceful socialization and control like education, schooling, and fair social work had all broken down in lawlessness and anarchy, on one side, and looting of public property by the ruling party cadres, on the other. The snapping of the corrupt and inefficient government on the 15th August 1975 by the successful army coup worked as wonders for containment of the bullies and anarchists of various persuasions. Comparatively peaceful scenario stayed for years into the early 1980s that started to break down once again as soon as General Ershad took over as a usurper in early 1982. It is well known that Ershad raised and promoted the bullies and terrorists that Hasina had her active associate role in that evil business of raising and sustaining terrorists for their own power base. The same scenario has once gain appeared here in Bangladesh from almost the day one of 2009 well manifested by the terrorists of party cares in government tender snatching of millions of Taka, rent seeking in million Taka figures, market syndicating and terrorizing and killing at random of all imagined and real political opponents.

Godfathers made
Earlier during her first term (1996-2001) Hasina raised her bullies and terrorists so much in huge number that she publicly asked in boast those bullies to go on killing the opponents at the rate of ten of the opponents for one of them if killed. Obviously they were all trained terrorists armed with almost all kinds of arsenals, grenades not being unusual. People still clearly dread the names of godfather terrorists like Feni’s Joyanal Hazari, Narayangnj’s Shamim Osman, Noakhali’s Abu Taher, Nurul Islam, etc. and of their terrorist use of huge arsenals including grenades. Justice Abdul Bari (Retired) as one man enquiry committee constituted later on by the government had some findings in 2005 of some bomb and grenade attacks at UDICHI function in Jessore, Ramna Batamul New Bengali Year’s celebration in Dhaka etc. during the first term of Hasina that found her not clean in those attacks but some clandestine indirect involvement.

Porous border
Grenades are not very big size arms. They are smuggled in through porous border into Bangladesh from India, particularly through the CHT areas. The ones more favored, as smugglers are those of the Awami League variety for Hasina is the most favored by Delhi/Kolkata/India.

Extremists
There are other extremist groups whose target is the Awami League Chief for her role in appeasement of India and of opposition to Islam. Use of grenades by these groups against Hasina may not be anything unusual.

Making enemies
Hasina is well known for making new enemies for she is very much unguarded in her deliberations. They may range from extreme left to extreme right. How come then that the BNP alone is her enemy?

Hidden agenda
But her blaming the BNP summarily may well have hidden agenda, that being her immediate plan to contain and crush the BNP not only through rousing irrational and undemocratic sentiments of her gullible followers but also for total subjugation of all opponent political groups, BNP being the main target, into one party dictatorship of the BAKSAL her father arrogantly did caring nothing for democratic aspirations of the people in early 1975.

Concern
There are many advisers Hasina maintains, and none like me should advise her in any matter. Even so, any patriotic citizen cannot but have own serious thinking about any important matter of the country. That is what democracy as well demands.

Provide positive motivation
There is no short cut to containing terrorism and terrorists in Bangladesh. The terrorists operating internally have their close operational links with many groups of similar persuasions from the other side of the border. Training and supply of arms are done not only inside remote areas of Bangladesh but also in similar areas in the neighboring regions and countries. Further, it is a fact that the groups operating are not simple rent seeking terrorists but politically motivated extremist, as well. Such political extremist cannot be easily contained unless they are given options for political programs. Unemployed lots without any serious political motivation can be provided with new job opportunities preferably at their own places through banking assistance and innovative productive local initiatives.

Give productive job
Hasina promised in her election manifesto to provide at least one job to one member of each family in the country. The task is not that mean one but a nearly impossible big exercise. Not only this. The government to be credible must maintain minimum neutrality of political affiliations for job creation and employment for the worthy ones alone. Should they fail in this effort, it would only be counter productive and useless to blame the BNP for all grenade attacks in the country.

Author: Dr.M.T. Hussain