Editorial
Arresting BNP figures is an outrage
Such provocation can only aggravate matters
The government's decision to arrest some senior leaders of the BNP and go looking for others has been not only outrageous and unwarranted but also blatantly out of step with rudimentary democratic norms. At a time when the nation is looking forward, despite the difficulties along the way, to move toward a resolution of the crisis, such a decision will not just put the clock back but create the perfect conditions as well for an escalation of the crisis.
The sweeping arrests on blanket charges conflict with rule of law and any semblance of decency and civility in politics. How senior leaders could be treated in such a ham-handed manner is beyond comprehension.
Those whose agitation has caused all this mayhem and chaos must take full moral responsibility for their action. But that cannot justify the kind of harsh measures adopted by the administration against senior leaders of the opposition. This can only push the opposition into taking harder line with the result of spurring more violence.
As it is, public support for the hartals has been low, given that they have upset business, turned education on its head and in the overall sense pushed the country further towards the brink. So where was the need to precipitate a fresh crisis?
There is yet time for both sides to pull back from the precipice. That time, we might add, is getting increasingly narrow. In turn, the chasm only gets wider and deeper, putting the future at unimaginable risk.
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