India offers Dhaka lesson in rule of law

JYOTI MALHOTRA

New Delhi, July 16, 2007 : India reacted unusually harshly to the arrest of its old friend, Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina today, and even offered the army-backed caretaker government in Dhaka lessons in democracy and due process of law.

MEA spokesperson Navtej Sarna, asked about India’s reaction, had a longish statement that he seemed ready and willing to deliver.

``We are closely monitoring the internal developments in Bangladesh including arrests of high level politicians in Bangladesh. In all such cases, it must be ensured that there is no violation of due process as established by law and that basic individual rights are fully respected,’’ Sarna said.

Clearly, the fact that Hasina is an especially close friend of External Affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee and even calls him ``dada’’ (Bengali for ``big brother’’), has considerably eased Delhi’s dilemma on Hasina.

Senior MEA officials have in the recent past been quite pleased about doing business with the army-backed government in Dhaka, saying ``Bangladesh is not Pakistan’’ and that Delhi can expect cooperation on all fronts, including in curbing insurgency.

But with Delhi now sermonising about the need for a ``peaceful, stable and liberal democratic Bangladesh’’ and even flagging milestones for a democratic roadmap, it remains to be seen how the army-backed government will react to these neighbourly concerns.

In fact, army chief Moeen U. Ahmed is scheduled to arrive in Delhi in late August, in what is to be an overt celebration of ties between the two sides.

Perhaps Hasina’s arrest at an unearthly hour in Dhaka had something to do with it. After all, Delhi could hardly sit quiet when Bangabandhu’s Mujibur Rahman’s daughter was produced before the chief metropolitan magistrate at 7.45 am, on charges of extorting over Taka 2.99 crore from a Bangladeshi businessman.

Her arrest comes days after she strongly criticised Fakhruddin Ahmed’s caretaker government and accused it of going beyond its designated role.

Clearly, Delhi’s stern advice to Dhaka today on the need to follow a democratic roadmap indicates that it believes that the extortion charges against Hasina are only trumped up

According to Sarna, ``India notes the roadmap’’ announced by the Bangladesh Election Commission on the holding of elections between October and December next year.

``We hope that this roadmap includes reconstitution of the Election Commission, electoral reforms, preparation of electoral rolls and delimitation of constituencies, leads to early restoration of democracy in Bangladesh,’’ Sarna said.

``It is our expectation that the people of Bangladesh will be able to participate in a process leading up to a free, fair, credible and democratic election,’’ he added.

In Dhaka, nearly a thousand anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) troops and armed police landed at Hasina’s Sudha Sadan house in Dhanmondi area and put her into a prison van. Awami League supporters changed slogans when Hasina came out of the court-room, after magistrate Kamrunnahar rejected her bail plea and sent her to jail. This turned out to be a sub-jail, a house earmarked for VIP detainees on the parliament premises.

Reports said Azam J Chowdhury, managing director of Eastcoast Trading Private Ltd, had filed a case at the local Gulshan police station on June 13 against Hasina and Awami League leader Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim for allegedly extorting over Tk 2.99 crore.

Three extortion cases have been separately filed by businessmen operating in the power sector against Hasina. She has also been charged with the murder of four people who died during protests organised by her party.

ENDS