What happened in Bangladesh?

 

What happened in Bangladesh?

For the past twenty days, the internal situation of Bangladesh has been the center of attention of the international media. In Pakistan, since our media does not get free time from its own circus and shuttles between Pindi and Adiala, ordinary Pakistanis are completely ignorant of the situation in Bangladesh. The prevailing system in Bangladesh has suffered a severe blow. This whole situation is understood in simple language.

The politics of Bangladesh has also been affected. After Sheikh Mujib, his daughter Sheikh Hasina Wajid has been competing against her rival Bangladesh National Party and Khaleda Zia and Annan has been holding power continuously. Khaleda Zia's last government was ended in 2007 by military generals imposing martial law. An interim government was established which held elections two years later. Awami League's Hasina Wajid won the elections and Khaleda Zia faced corruption cases. He was sentenced to seventeen years by the courts on corruption charges. In 2019, Khaleda Zia was granted a six-month parole at her home on medical grounds, and since then, the six-month period has been served six times. Khaleda Zia is under house arrest.

After Sheikh Hasina Wajid assumed power since 2009, Aaj Tilak has been in power continuously. In Bangladesh too, the army imposed martial law three times and made three unsuccessful attempts to overthrow the elected government in 1980, 1996 and 2011, which were caught. In other words, the role of the army has been "important" there as well. Hasina Wajid made the Bengali system a bit stronger on economic grounds and also gave privileges to the military generals so that the power could remain happy. During this time, the salaries of government employees were increased considerably.

Government job salary in Bangladesh is high. Therefore, these jobs have their own special importance. But one-third of these jobs are given to certain constituencies under the quota system, and one-third are reserved for families whom the Bangladeshi state considers heroes of the "war of freedom." The market for recommendations and bribes heats up for the remaining half of the jobs.

For the past few years, there has been public outrage over these job postings. Majority of people believe that this job system is biased and completely against merit. Therefore, this quota system should be abolished and jobs should be given on open merit. Exactly fifteen days ago, student organizations raised their nine-point demands in this regard and started protesting. A student rally was lathi-charged, tear gas was used, resulting in deaths.

The Bangladesh Supreme Court, taking suo motu notice of the law and order situation, ordered the government to negotiate with the students on these points. The government accepted the order. But on the other hand, he cracked down on the students again, acting cautiously. Hasina Wajid came on TV and gave an angry statement in which she compared the students who demanded their rights to the "volunteers" who helped the Pakistani army in 1971 and called them enemies of the country. It spread across the country and students across the country took to the streets.

To deal with this situation, once again the forces attacked the students. There were deaths. And things went to such an extent that a curfew was imposed across the country. Mobiles and internet services were jammed. Hasina Wajid, while addressing the forces committee, once again termed the students as terrorists and enemies of the country and issued instructions to the army to deal strictly with them. Government Law Minister Anisul Haq said in a press conference, "Right now we are showing restraint." There is also a limit to our tolerance."

The intensity of the mass protests reached such an extent that three hundred students were killed. Thousands were injured. The entire system of the country was paralyzed. Today the Army Chief has accepted the resignation of Hasina Wajid. The army has taken over the system of the country. Hasina Wajid has been sent in a military helicopter to the Indian city of Agartala where she will be a guest of the Indian state. Martial law has once again been imposed in Bangladesh. Time will tell when "democracy" returns there, whether it does or not. Student organizations have welcomed this move. It will be seen whether the demands of the students are accepted or not. A new type of military government is established or the military plans to take over the interim government and hold elections in a short period of time. Nothing is clear about this yet.

This whole scenario sounds familiar. The history of Pakistan is also full of more or less similar incidents.