VIOLENCE in Bangladesh shows no signs of abating. A bus in eastern Bangladesh was bombed. Arson attacks on vehicles have claimed more than 50 lives since January. Khaleda Zia, head of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) called a nationwide blockade to protest against the undemocratic election last year which put Sheikh Hasina of the Awami League in the saddle. Khaleda Zia is under house arrest. The government cut off electricity, telephone, cable and internet connections of her house. They have since been restored. Some BNP leaders and members are in detention. But the party’s allies, the Jamaat-e-Islami and Hefazat-e-Islam are behind the spate of violent occurrences. Their offensive has been caused by the verdicts against Jamaat leaders for complicity in 1971 war crimes. The BNP has aggravated the crisis by turning their face against the electoral path and indulging in street agitation.
Bangladesh is as a result heading towards a collapse of governance. During the one year tenure of Hasina’s Prime Ministership, the country has made significant progress according to socio economic indicators. But if the opposition scuttles political functioning, governance will go totally off track. The Government and the Opposition are determined to follow a confrontationist policy. No doubt, the only way out of the crisis is in negotiations. The Awami League and the BNP must sit at a conference table. Trading allegations will only be counter-productive. India has the responsibility of impressing the fact on its neighbour. The US and Western powers should also speed up the process. A fresh poll can wait.
