Bangladesh, a nation in crisis

CRISIS CONCERNS: Sheikh Hasina says people should be allowed choose their own Govt right now.

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• Eye to eye with terror in Bangladesh

Keywords: Inside Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina

CNN-IBN presents a special edition of World 360 from inside Bangladesh. A country liberated from Pakistan 36 years back in 1971, Bangladesh today stands at the crossroads of democracy and military rule. When will elections be held here and when will democracy come back? Is the army running the entire show? We traveled inside Bangladesh to find the answers to all these questions.

January 11, 2007: After days of violent political protests on the streets, a new interim administration takes over with noted economist Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed at the helm.

The army rolls out on the street, a new anti-corruption drive begins and five years of corrupt governance by Khaleda Zia-led party four Islamist coalition makes them the prime target.

Khaleda's younger son Tareq Zia, alleged to have made millions of dollars from extortion and corruption, was arrested and many more were put behind bars. The interim administration had four months to conduct free and fair elections and give up power.

“I was a great supporter when it comes to declaring their objectives. But when it comes to delivering them, they falter,” said Editor of bdnews24.com, Toufique Imroz Khalidi.

But then the real script slowly unfolded: the Army, as it had done in the country's bloody history, was keen to show that they had the final say, like in Pakistan where two former prime ministers have been sent in exile by the military ruler.

A plan was floated to send two former prime ministers to exile and one Begum, Khaleda Zia was put under house arrest. Another, Shekh Hasina, who was visiting family members in the US and Britain, was banned from returning to the country.

Then, nobel laureaute Mohammad Yunus was propped up as the new political leader and the army branded him as the new saviour.

But then, the daughter of the father of the nation played the spoiler in the army's party.

Sheikh Hasina, against whom two criminal cases were slapped, was determined to come back. She challenged the ban and British Airways refused to give her a boarding pass from London to Dhaka.

International pressure mounted and the ban was lifted and at the Zia International Airport in Dhaka, Hasina came back to a hero's welcome.

“The moment there are no street fights, a good amount of stability is there. So I don’t see any ground for emergency to continue. But I don’t see any sign on the part of the Government to lift it,” said Editor of New Age, Nurul Kabir.

Barrister Mainul Hosein is the second most powerful man in the interim administration and what he told CNN-IBN exposes what many in the outside world suspects - Bangladesh today is under military rule.

“Without the backing of the Army, there would not have been any Government. With the backing of the Army, we are maintaining the constitutional façade,” he said.

Until January it was the world's fifth most populous democracy. Now it has been transformed into its second most populous military dictatorship, after Pakistan.

“After 1975, we had military rule, and they have destroyed each and every institution. In the name of reform, the should not kill time. They should allow the people to choose their own Government right now,” said Sheikh Hasina.

Democracy was extraordinarily messy in Bangladesh but many now feel that by throttling popular mainstream political parties and their leaders, Bangladesh's military-controlled regime is magnifying the problems that have haunted this nation.

Adding to the problems are the two begums, who have ruled this country in alternatively since 1991. Is there any future for the two housewives-turned-politician in Bangladesh's volatile political climate?

Thousands gathered on the streets of Dhaka when Shiekh Hasina came back to Dhaka. Ironically, it’s this comeback helped her bitter rival Khaleda Zia to stick on inside Bangladesh at a time when the world's third largest Muslim nation was almost on the verge of witnessing the end of an era as the two rival begums were being forced into exile by the military-controlled interim regime. But people power on the street has temporarily stalled the move.

Now that Shiekh Hasina is back home, it's clear that politics in this country Bangladesh cannot do without it's two begums.

“A lot of damage has been done do their image especially Khaleda Zia’s. No one believes that her son is not corrupt,” said Toufique Imroz Khalidi.

But with the ban on all political activities, the two begums, who served alternately as prime ministers since 1991, are struggling to keep their political dreams alive. Their bitter personal rivalry has kept the country in permanent turmoil.

Despite their similar political careers, the two begums live contrasting lives. Sheikh Hasina has been the torchbearer of a secular democracy while Khaleda Zia, who rose from the army cantonments, is seen as a corrupt leader who turned a blind eye to the growth of religious extremism.

Khaleda's autocratic style is now being challenged by her once-close allies. “She has to address the key issues which are affecting the party which include getting rid of the corrupt people, reforms,” said Dr Osman Farook, senior BNP leader.

¤A24 Hasina might have a political upper hand over her rival, but that's precisely why the government is angry with her… their honeymoon in charge of Bangladesh can turn violent if Hasina decides to start yet another agitation

“The people who are in jail have got back Hasina hoping that she can create some more disturbance and get them out of jail,” said Barrister Mainul Hosein.

For now, both the begums are lying low, paying the price for squandering opportunities to shape the destiny of their nation in better way.

What happens when you slam a case against thousands of unidentified supporters of a particular political party in a country under emergency? Well, it gives the security forces the right to pick and chose.

Thousands danced on the streets as Shiekh Hasina finally came back to Dhaka after 52 days, breaking all laws of a country under emergency, where any form of political gathering is banned.

Next day, two cases were slapped against thousands of unidentified people. Dozens of people were arrested.

Many feel it's a ploy to keep Awami League supporters indoors because Awami League, the party that fought for the independence of the country, is a formidable force when it hit the streets.

“Perhaps the Government is scared of the gatherings of the people,” said Nurul Kabir.

The Army has reasons to be concerned. Sheikh Hasina's party has once pulled down a military government from power.

Meanwhile, prices have been going up and up since the caretaker government took over and now it's can have political consequences for the interim government.

In Dhaka's biggest morning market, the anger bursts out because prices of essential food items have increased almost 50 per cent in the last four months.

The drive to clean up Bangladeshi politics by the army-controlled interim government is also taking a toll on the country's economy.

Slowly, the staple diet of common Bangladeshis are getting beyond their reach. Bengalis and fish are being forced to part ways, the craze to buy fish is fast diminishing and essential commodities like rice, pulses and vegetables are getting more expensive. Inflation is at an all-time high and all new foreign investments have been put on hold.

And as the price rises, the common man's disillusionment with the military-controlled government is also rising.

So far, the interim administration has ignored the alarm bells possibly because an unaccountable military regime is not answerable to the Bangladeshi voters.