Prothom Alo points out that while angry protestors have marched toward the Indian mission in Bangladesh, “no untoward incident has taken place.” (AP Photo)
Dec 7, 2024 16:29 IST First published on: Dec 7, 2024 at 16:29 IST
Indian media’s allegations
The arrest of former ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das in Dhaka last month and the killing of a lawyer on court premises have led to a flurry of allegations from Indian media calling Bangladesh “unsafe” for minorities, particularly Hindus. In response to the incidents in Bangladesh, the country’s High Commissions in India were attacked. At the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata, an effigy of Muhammad Yunus and the Bangladeshi flag were burned in addition to protestors breaking through barricades and intimidating the staff. Leaders from the Hindu Sangharsh Samiti attacked the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala, vandalised property and removed the Bangladeshi flag. The media in Bangladesh has expressed concern over these developments and the devolution of Delhi-Dhaka ties.
In his December 6 column, The Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam discusses the Indian media’s portrayal of Bangladesh as a “Hindu-hating country”. Highlighting the student-led demonstrations that prompted the removal of Sheikh Hasina and the power of the public in choosing its own leader, Anam lauded the people for doing “something in weeks that others took months if not years to accomplish. That was the power of July.” By disparaging Bangladesh, “what India is doing is refusing to acknowledge that we have the right to change our government democratically… While the regime change may not have followed the usual electoral route… it was democracy in full play.”
Prothom Alo (December 4) seems to agree with Anam’s analysis saying, “India’s consistent behavior towards Bangladesh since the August 5 student uprising and the fall of the dictatorship is not friendly and good neighborly.” The editorial points out that while angry protestors have marched toward the Indian mission in Bangladesh, “no untoward incident has taken place.” Moreover, “West Bengal and Tripura are two Indian states bordering Bangladesh. As Bengali speakers, the people of these two states have very close ties with the people of Bangladesh.”
A more draconian Act
In 2016, the PML-(N) government had introduced the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) in the backdrop of the 2014 Peshawar Army Public School (APS) attack that killed 150 people, of which at least 134 were students. At the time, this Act was perceived as a safeguard against hate speech and harassment. However, over time, it has been censured by activists, journalists and others as yet another way to stifle free speech. Earlier this week, the government proposed changes to this Act including the formation of a new Digital Rights Protection Authority to regulate content, monitor social media platforms and take action against people and/or websites for hosting “prohibited” content. The media is sceptical of these changes and warns against a potentially “more draconian” Peca (Express Tribune, December 4).
According to Dawn (December 4), “It is simply another attempt to suffocate dissent.” The editorial acknowledges that “misinformation is a real issue” but it also believes that “the more [the state] clamps down on legitimate discourse, the more it fosters a climate of rumour-mongering and conspiracy theories.”
Express Tribune (December 4) points out the restrictions placed on “traditional media” and the “government’s unhealthy obsession with controlling the narrative [that] has eroded the credibility of traditional media, pushing news consumers towards social media where they get to consume what they believe is right.” In agreement with Dawn, Tribune also says that “silencing dissent and curtailing free speech in the name of combating fake news will only contribute to democratic backsliding in the country. In a healthy democracy, people are free to speak, even if their speech is uncomfortable to others.”
PTI’s continuing abdication
The Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) decided to abstain from the All-Party Conference called by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on December 5 to discuss the various issues faced by the province including continuing violence. The party’s reason to skip this meet was that as part of the federal government, the Governor too was complicit in attempting to place a ban on the PTI. This decision has been condemned by many due to the dire situation of the region and PTI’s apparent inability to contain it.
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The Nation (December 6) states that PTI has “consistently prioritised political theatrics over governance” and has “utterly failed to fulfil its core responsibility: governing the province effectively.” Slamming the party’s absence at the conference meant to discuss solutions to the terror in KP, the editorial says, “This abdication of duty is unacceptable. Regardless of political grievances, no party has the right to neglect the people who elected them. Governance is not optional—it is an obligation.”
News International (December 4) cites data from the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) on the incidents of terrorism in November and overall in 2024 to “underscore the challenges the nation faces on the security front and the difficulty in curbing the terror resurgence”. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) continues to be the worst affected with “50 militant attacks that resulted in 71 deaths and 85 injuries.”
The editorial concludes by reiterating that “this is no time to destabilise the country over partisan politics. Whatever disagreements there may be, the terror problem threatens us all and has to be prioritised.”
adya.goyal@expressindia.com
