Editorial
Avoid strong-arm tactics to tame opposition
Time to start political confidence building
DESPITE the fact that the 10 bail-seeking leaders of main opposition BNP were facing identical charges, a Dhaka court on Sunday came out with varying orders against them. As if by a stroke of luck, three of the leaders including Moudud Ahmed were granted bail, while the rest seven among whom was the party's acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islalam Alamgir were denied it.
Oddly enough, all those BNP leaders were facing charges like torching of vehicles, assault on police and obstructing the latter's work during an opposition-enforced agitation programme.
Though a few eyebrows were raised over it, the court's justification of granting bails to the three of the opposition leaders was that they were MPs.
Notwithstanding that, there still remains room for detractors to look at the whole proceedings as a demonstration of political agenda being played out to stop BNP leadership from functioning as opposition.
The allegations against which the senior BNP leaders have been arrested hardly stand to common sense, if only due to the social standing of the accused. The argument of their having provided the instigation for misdeeds like torching of vehicles or assaulting police are not supported with sufficient evidence.
But how long would these leaders of the opposition have to suffer this kind of harassment for allegations made on flimsy grounds? Have they not already gone through a process of oppression such as long detention, some of them having even been taken to courts in shackles?
They have already suffered a lot of ignominy and enormous amount of physical and mental stress. So, why drag it on thereby provoking more hartals and violent street agitations?
In the process, it is the people who are being forced to bear the brunt of yet newer forms of slanging matches between the ruling Awami League and the opposition BNP.
Obviously, there is strong element of political motivation behind all these repressive measures taken by the government against the opposition BNP, an impression that is hard to shrug off by independent observers.
Time is now to avoid the strong-arm tactics of harassment and intimidation but of taking the approach of confidence building between the ruling Awami League the opposition BNP.
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