Bangladesh News

As the curtain fell on the BNP-led alliance’s five years in office last night, Bangladesh entered a phase of political uncertainty seldom seen before with the main two political parties — AL and BNP — set to establish their supremacy even at the cost of physical attacks on each other.

What the future will hold depends much on whether former chief justice KM Hasan, who has been opposed nail and tooth by the AL for his alleged political bias, will take oath as chief adviser to the caretaker government (see commentary in separate column).

But as soon as Prime Minister Khaleda Zia ended his address to the nation last night, violence erupted in many parts of the capital and elsewhere in the country with the AL and BNP supporters locked in street fights. By 8 in the night, the district vice-president of Brahmanbaria BNP Advocate Habibullah was killed in a bomb attack and a Jamaat activist died in a clash in Gazipur.

The capital now hunkers down in apprehension of escalation of violence today as the two political archrivals have vowed to rule the streets in a show of their power.

The way the BNP-led alliance ensured the berth of Hasan at the helm of the caretaker government by extending the retirement age of Supreme Court judges, the collapse of the dialogue between the AL and BNP over the question of Hasan becoming the chief adviser and the AL’s subsequent determination to resist any election under the former chief justice exposed the fragile democratic façade under which the political parties operate.

The BNP and its alliance have weakened much in the past five years because of unbridled corruption, mismanagement and mishandling of key issues including power situation and prices of essentials and the AL has come stronger not by its own deeds but by the ruling alliance’s fragility.

The nation, waiting for a way out of the crisis from the prime minister’s last speech over the broadcast media, only sank into further disappointment as Khaleda Zia failed to show any light at the end of the tunnel.

The question that now looms large in public mind is how the end will come to the situation. It seems nobody, not even the politicians, have the exact answer.

Despite the uncertainty and the possible fallouts, Bangabhaban — the residence and office of the president, and the cabinet division have completed preparation for administering oath to the chief adviser of the next interim government.

As the electoral reform dialogue between the BNP and AL collapsed on the question of Hasan, the president will now invite the former chief justice to assume office of the caretaker government in accordance with the constitution.

But the current electrifying political situation has spawned uncertainty as to what will happen next. The question that now rings around the corners is whether Hasan would take oath as the chief of the next caretaker government, ignoring the 14-party hostility towards him or decline the post.

Some political analysts however still believe that the former chief justice is unlikely to take office of the chief adviser.

The AL-led 14-party and a number of professional bodies yesterday urged the president not to appoint Hasan as the caretaker government chief to save the country from an imminent confrontation. They also urged the former chief justice to express his inability to take over.

On the other hand, the BNP ruled out formation of the caretaker government without Hasan as chief adviser as it says a constitutional vacuum would be created if the former chief justice does not take oath that might halt the entire election process.

“As the situation has evolved, it is not at all possible to drop KM Hasan…if Hasan does not take oath, a constitutional vacuum and complexity will be created. This may disrupt the whole election process,” BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan told a hurriedly called press briefing on October 25.

Amid such obstinacy, both the BNP and AL have made massive preparations to establish their supremacy in the streets.

Sensing deterioration of the law and order situation, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) have already banned rallies, processions and demonstrations with oars, poles and sickles in the capital. In the capital, a 40,000 strong law enforcing team comprising police and BDR members will be deployed in addition to Rab personnel.

As political violence broke out in the capital and outside, the inspector general of police yesterday directed all the divisional commissioners and district superintendents of police to throw security nets around the residences of political leaders.

14-PARTY’s PREPERATIONS
In its last minute preparation, the 14-party yesterday directed its grassroots leaders to enforce blockade on all highways to disconnect divisions, districts and upazila headquarters from each other and to make the capital completely cut off from the rest of the country.

The 14-party will hold a grand rally on Paltan Maidan today and lay siege to the capital. Its leaders and activists have been asked to gather on Paltan Maidan today with oars and poles, defying the police ban.

The 14-party has asked the mayor of Sylhet City Corporation, Badruddin Kamran, also an AL leader, to block the Dhaka-Sylhet highway.

Chittagong City Corporation Mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury yesterday announced an indefinite general strike in the port city from tomorrow. He has threatened to paralyse the port city and capture Laldighi Maidan this morning to foil a BNP rally there. The 14-party will also blockade the Dhaka-Chittagong highway.

BNP PREPERATIONS
The BNP has directed its grassroots leaders and activists to remain active in the streets from today. It will hold a grand rally today in front of its central office at Nayapaltan. BNP Chairperson and outgoing Prime Minister Khaleda Zia will address the rally.

The Dhaka city unit of the BNP held preparatory meetings in the last two days to ensure huge gathering at the rally.

BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan at a party meeting yesterday urged leaders and activists to face ‘any situation boldly’. “We are not afraid of anybody’s threat,” Bhuiyan said, referring to the 14-party muscle flexing.

Jamaat-e-Islami, a key component of the alliance, is going to hold a rally in the capital today at the north gate of the Baitul Mokarram mosque.