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Hasina’s Victory - India’s high hopes |
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The New Year was last week heralded in South Asia by two major developments - the Sri Lankan military victory over the elusive LTTE leader Prabhakaran, whose Kilinochchi headquarters was overrun by troops forcing him to flee to the Mullaitivu jungles and the election victory of Bangladesh leader Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League-led alliance. Her secular alliance squarely trounced the alliance led by Begum Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party [BNP] where its partner, Jamaat-e-Islami had a major say in its anti-India and pro-Islamist policy.
Ever since the elections were put off and the interim administration was handed to the caretaker Government of Fakhruddin Ahmed, both the warring Bangladesh Begums were in jail for most of the time while the military tried to carry out the electoral reforms. It even tried to carve out a new leadership from among the corruption-tainted leaders of the two parties. However, having failed to unseat the two Begums, it gave up the effort and the cases against them were either withdrawn or a clean chit was given to them to enable them to fight the elections. In a remarkably sweeping verdict, the Awami League has won 230 of the 299 seats which went to the polls as against 62 seats in the 2001 election. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party which won 193 seats in 2001, has now won only 29 seats and the Jamaat-e-Islami’s share has been reduced to just two seats from 17 in the last elections. With just 31 seats in the 300-member Jatiya Sansad, Begum Khaleda and her Islamist allies will have no influence on policy framing which is perhaps the best thing that could have happened to Bangladesh. By voting for the Awami League and its allies resoundingly, Bangladeshis have demonstrated that they want their country to be a modern Islamic democracy at peace with itself and its neighbours. This message has been given by the electorate by voting against the Jamaat, the fountainhead of Islamic fundamentalism in Bangladesh. They were hands in glove with such outfits as the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami [HuJI], the Jagrata Muslim Janata and the Ahle Haadith Andolan. The vote against them is rejection of the pathologically anti-India posturing of the Jamaat which identifies India as enemy number one of Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina, mindful of India’s concerns, has at her very first Press conference after winning, said she will not allow anti-Indian terror activities on her country’s soil. Her proposal to set up a Joint Task Force to look into allegations and investigate them is music to the ear, in New Delhi.
Only recently, the Home Minister had stressed in Parliament how concerned New Delhi was about the unbridled entry of nefarious elements along the Indo-Bangladesh route. New Delhi’s concern stems from the fact that investigations into several blasts in Indian cities have revealed a Bangladesh connection, almost as rule.
India no doubt is privately happy at the victory of Sheikh Hasina because of her party’s secular policies and of developing close relations with New Delhi. But, for obvious reasons, New Delhi is keeping some distance from her. As the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, the first President of Bangladesh, it is natural that she respects New Delhi and acknowledges the role played by India, in the liberation of her country from Pakistan rule.
New Delhi has high hopes from Sheikh Hasina. India would expect her to stop illegal immigration, allow the erection of fencing along the border unhindered, stop Bangladeshi soil to be used by North East insurgent groups for attacks, and hand over those who were being given protection by the previous regime. Of course, Sheikh Hasina would not like to be seen as overly pro-India because of the compulsions of politics at home and New Delhi understands this. But, in the end, her action on New Delhi’s complaints would guide Indo-Bangladesh relations to a new friendly course.
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