Sheikh Hasina faces odds, but refuses to yield
Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina deserves fulsome praise for doggedly pursuing the trial of 1971 war criminals despite facing a violent Islamist backlash at home and growing international pressure. It is because of her commitment to this trial that those who had perpetrated genocide four decades ago and quite possibly believed that they had managed to get away with it, are finally being held accountable. The latest war criminal to be convicted is Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, who has been sentenced to death for committing crimes against humanity.
He is the seventh accused to be held guilty by the international war crimes tribunal that was set up by the Prime Minister in 2010. More importantly, he is the first politician from the principal Opposition, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, and also the first sitting Member of Parliament to be convicted. All the other convicts belong to the Jamaat-e-Islami party, an ally of the BNP but essentially a radical outfit that operated on the political fringe until it was recently de-recognised for failing to abide by the principles of the Constitution of Bangladesh. Since the war crimes tribunal began handing down sentences in January this year, the Jamaatis have resorted to large-scale arson and vandalism that has killed hundreds across the country.
They have also accused Prime Minister Hasina's Awami league Government of using the tribunal as a political tool to destroy the Opposition before the general election, which should be held at end of this year. With the conviction of Chowdhury, such accusations can only be expected to grow louder and more trenchant. The Awami league's dismal performance in July's mayoral election — which some consider to be an indication of the popular mood before the parliamentary poll — have not helped matters either. Add to that recent opinion polls which show the BNP in the lead and the Opposition's charge that the regime is desperate to stay in power. Ms Hasina faces a challenge.
She could have chosen the easy way out: Thrown up her hands and blamed the Islamists for disrupting the trial or appeased the Jamaatis and delayed or even subverted justice. But by persisting with the trial, she has chosen to rise above petty politics and put national interest above everything else. The war crimes trial is crucial for Bangladesh if the country has to come to terms with its bloody past. It is also a defining moment for the future as the Shahbagh movement (a direct fallout of the trial) proved — with the moderates pushing back Islamist forces and reasserting their Bengali identity.
Ms Hasina is aware of the side-effects of her drive for justice. Her differences with BNP chief Khaleda Zia over the need for a caretaker Government before the election, that has threatened another political crisis in Bangladesh, have only added to her troubles. Also, the Indian Government’s failure, for whatever domestic reason, to push progress on the Teesta water-sharing deal and the land border agreement, have put her in an embarrassing spot. After all, she has gone out of her way to address New Delhi’s concerns on security matters. She and the people of Bangladesh naturally expect New Delhi to respond in kind. It’s in India’s interests to strengthen this key ally’s hands.