As if one Pervez Musharraf is not enough. If things go as planned, the world is now set to watch another general taking over a presidential palace in South Asia, sometime in 2008. Religiously following the blueprint by his Pakistani mentor, the Bangladeshi army chief, General Moeen U Ahmed, also plans to edit the country’s constitution in order to establish total military control over the parliament and the government.
Wherever the forest department is, there is no forest.
First published with photos by Amirul Rajiv/Forum.
In Bangladesh, amid the mindless ado about Professor Yunus and his new adventures and the interim government’s angelic mission aimed at rooting out corruption, the least reported aspect of the story is of the martial law that in now calling the shots from the Dhaka cantonment. As usual you are not going to read anything substantial on this in Dhaka newspapers, people are too busy hyping up Professor Y and the so-called “cleansing” drive ongoing.
Arnold Zeitlin — Visiting Professor, Department of Journalism, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies — recently circulated an email detailing his recent visit to Dhaka, that summarizes and analyzes a lot for many of the uninitiated in the Bangladesh story. Republished in a slightly edited form, with permission from the author.
To enjoy the protection of the law, and to be treated in accordance with law, and only in accordance with law, is the inalienable right of every citizen, wherever he may be, and of every other person for the time being within Bangladesh, and in particular no action detrimental to the life, liberty, body, reputation or property of any person shall be taken except in accordance with law.
Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Article 31.
No person shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishment or treatment.
Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Article 35.
Although technically you may call it extra-judicial — I will not say killing — but extra-judicial deaths. But these are not killings. According to RAB, they say all those who have been killed so far have been killed or dead on encounter or whatever crossfire, whatever you call it — people are happy.
Moudud Ahmed, former law minister, in an interview with NPR.
It was a question from a sister to the person who ordered her brother’s killing: “My brother, before you murdered him, did he have any last wish, any last word?” Jahanara Begum Rubi caught Lieutenant Colonel Emdad off-guard. The commander of RAB-7 in Chittagong was visibly shaken and kept mum for a minute before breaking the silence: “Our politicians, for them, we have to kill our children.”
Enemy of the state
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