On Tuesday, the police arrested the former ISKCON priest and spokesperson of Bangladesh Sanatan Jagaran Mancha, Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, on sedition charges and the court denied him bail. (PTI Photo)
Nov 30, 2024 18:14 IST First published on: Nov 30, 2024 at 18:00 IST
Unrest in Bangladesh
A string of incidents in Bangladesh this week have led to unrest across the country. This week began with clashes among students of different universities and attacks on two educational institutions and a hospital. Demonstrations by rickshaw drivers also resulted in the closure of the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway. Then, on Tuesday, the police arrested the former ISKCON priest and spokesperson of Bangladesh Sanatan Jagaran Mancha, Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, on sedition charges and the court denied him bail. As a result, his supporters protested outside the court and clashed with the police, leading to the death of the assistant public prosecutor Saiful Islam in Chattogram.
Deputy editor of Prothom Alo A K M Zakaria says, “All concerned sides are in consensus that it is the toppled autocratic government and their collaborators who are behind these incidents.” He calls for the government to “take responsibility for what occurred at the court premises” but also expresses “relief” that “the violence and clashes… could be curbed.” Commending the swift response, Zakaria recognises that “immediately after the incident, the leaders of the mass uprising were active, using social media to call for peace, order and communal harmony.”
The Daily Star (November 29) seems to agree with Zakaria, in part, saying, “Though these incidents may appear isolated, they form part of a broader pattern of instability following August 5.” Foregrounding the danger of “incendiary narratives on social media”, the editorial points out that “these digital battlegrounds are making conflicts more likely and resolutions more elusive.”
PTI-government tussle
The Islamabad police’s preparation in anticipation of the PTI’s “do or die” protest pushed the protestors back by two days. Initially scheduled to enter the city on November 24, the protestors finally managed to find their way in on the morning of November 26. Things looked promising that day until the Bushra Bibi-led supporters were forced to retreat Wednesday morning on account of clashes with the police and other military forces.
Dawn (November 28) slams both the PTI leadership and the Shehbaz Sharif government for their response: “Political immaturity has cost the PTI dearly once again… [the demoralised cadres’] disgruntlement is the price that the party must pay for failing to manage expectations.” On the other hand, “the government would be wise not to gloat. Nor should it contemplate extending its campaign of violence against the PTI and its leaders.”
Express Tribune (November 28) takes a graver view of the situation saying, “The outcome underlines that politics has failed.” Condemning the government’s “brute use of force”, the editorial says, “With PTI workers seen abiding by the limits of the Red Zone, a crackdown was unacceptable. The government should have waited for them to grow tired and fatigued in the chills of Islamabad.”
Underlining what both Dawn and Express Tribune also believe, The Nation (November 28) says that “the path forward lies in dialogue, not discord… Compromise, conciliation, and a willingness to abandon entrenched hardline positions are the only ways to achieve peace and stability.”
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Alarming gender-based violence
Last Sunday, the Home-Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF) held a session on women’s resistance against oppression at the Karachi Press Club (KPC). Nasir Mansoor, General Secretary of the National Trade Union Federation Pakistan, revealed alarming figures of gender-based violence saying, “85 per cent of women workers in Pakistan experience workplace harassment. The number touches 90 per cent for domestic help” (Daily Times, November 27). This Monday, November 25, also marked the beginning of the annual 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV).
From online harassment to the compounded assault on women from minority communities and disturbed areas, “women in Pakistan do not only battle misogynistic attitudes but also fight for democracy, children’s rights, equality, social and judicial justice and better social conditions” (Daily Times, November 27). The editorial urges the state to “go beyond lip service” and says, “What can change the scenario are economic opportunities for women, equal pay and a harassment-free workplace. These are not privileges but rights.”
Citing more disturbingly low figures of conviction rates for GBV crimes, News International (November 30) points to the need for interventions in the legal system: “If the state is truly serious about eradicating GBV, it will have to deliver much better outcomes. And there is also a high chance that this problem will only become more acute for Pakistan and countries across the world as we move forward… The imperative to increase both the legal protections against and resources available to tackle GBV has never been higher.”
