Opinion Dhaka’s war within

After a Bangladeshi court decided to issue a warrant for the arrest of former prime minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief Khaleda Zia on Wednesday, the stand-off between Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League (AL) government and the opposition is expected to worsen. That Zia’s arrest was ordered after she failed to appear in court for the fourth time in two cases of graft is unlikely to mitigate the aggression of an opposition that has held the country to ransom through a nationwide blockade ordered by Zia last month to compel Hasina to call fresh elections. At least 100 people have been killed since, but neither opposition nor government has shown an inclination to soften up for a serious and sustained dialogue.

Having been out of power since 2006, and after its self-defeating boycott of the general election in January 2014, the BNP’s desperation to return to power is visible. Members of its alliance — especially the fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami and Hefazat-e-Islam — have been responsible for large-scale violence ever since verdicts began to be pronounced against Jamaat leaders in the 1971 war crimes trials. While not excusing the government for its high-handedness, particularly its detention of senior BNP leaders, the onus is on the opposition to own up to the breakdown in law and order caused by its agitation. Coupled with the war crimes verdicts, this is part of the larger battle for the identity of Bangladesh and Hasina’s government is undeniably on the moral high ground here.

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Despite progress on socio-economic indicators under Hasina, Bangladesh cannot afford a long-term collapse of its politics. Having the comfort of numbers and tenure, the government may not see any need yet to reduce the BNP’s self-inflicted pain. However, it is failing to restore normalcy. Given the extremist hold on the opposition space and a reckless BNP, Hasina cannot afford to not talk to Zia, while the refusal to compromise will certainly not serve Zia. With Prime Minster Narendra Modi likely to visit Dhaka soon and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee having just concluded a visit, India must resolve its own Centre-state differences to deliver on the Teesta waters deal and the land boundary agreement. It wouldn’t be wise to underestimate the positive impact these might have. Meanwhile, Delhi must urge the warring parties in Dhaka to talk.