Bangladesh’s war crime tribunal has upheld the death sentence of Jamaat-e-Islami leader Motiur Rahman. Several Jamaat leaders are on death row after the tribunal’s formation. Amnesty International and human rights organisations have shown serious concern over the establishment of the tribunal and its harsh decisions.
Despite the growing tension between the government and opposition, Sheikh Hasina’s government is trying very little to calm the situation. The sentence of the Jamaat leader and the house arrest of opposition leader Khaleda Zia have fuelled anger. Public protests and general strikes are becoming a daily routine in the country.
Opposition parties claim that the government is trying to divert peoples’ attention from real issues. Only last year more than 1,000 people lost their lives when a garment factory collapsed during working hours. In a separate incident, 10 people lost their lives due to fire in another garment factory. The European Union has expressed serious concern over poor safety standards in Bangladesh’s textile industry which is the backbone of the country’s economy. The government should focus its attention on issues like these instead of frittering away its energy on less important matters.
Khawaja Umer Farooq
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