• Latest
  • Trending

Bangladesh war crimes trials push opposition BNP and Jamaat-i-Islami into a corner

September 4, 2016
Image credits - Hassan Ali @RealHa55an / Twitter

Cricket kind of gets forgotten in IPL; PSL, LPL more rewarding: Dale Steyn

March 3, 2021
Image credits - Hakan Nural / Unsplash

New data show vaccines reduce severe COVID-19 in older adults

March 3, 2021
COVID body being brought for cremation in Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan government to go ahead with Iranaitivu Island for COVID-19 deceased burials

March 3, 2021
Lanka takes three crucial decisions to garner Indian and Muslim support in UNHRC

Lanka takes three crucial decisions to garner Indian and Muslim support in UNHRC

March 2, 2021
Image credits - DNA

Jack Ma loses title as China’s richest man after coming under Beijing’s scrutiny

March 2, 2021
Hope India votes in favour of Sri Lanka at UNHRC: Sri Lanka’s Foreign Secretary Jayanath Colombage

Hope India votes in favour of Sri Lanka at UNHRC: Sri Lanka’s Foreign Secretary Jayanath Colombage

March 3, 2021
A conversation with Bertrand Russell (1952)

A conversation with Bertrand Russell (1952)

March 2, 2021
Lankan government chooses Iranaitivu island to bury COVID-19 dead

Lankan government chooses Iranaitivu island to bury COVID-19 dead

March 2, 2021
Image credits - Mufid Majnun / Unsplash

Tokyo asks China to stop anal swab tests for COVID-19 on Japanese citizens

March 2, 2021
Image credits - Instagram: ICC

Virat Kohli joins Ronaldo, Messi in an elite list, becomes 1st cricketer with 100 million Instagram followers

March 2, 2021
Image credits - Mark Paton / Unsplash

One in four people will have hearing problems by 2050: WHO

March 2, 2021
Disciplined societies may have tackled COVID better, but there is a downside in all

China, U.S. should lift COVID-19 travel bans if herd immunity reached, Chinese epidemiologist says

March 2, 2021
  • About Us
  • Advertisements
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result
NewsIn.Asia
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • All
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
    Image credits - Hakan Nural / Unsplash

    New data show vaccines reduce severe COVID-19 in older adults

    COVID body being brought for cremation in Sri Lanka

    Sri Lankan government to go ahead with Iranaitivu Island for COVID-19 deceased burials

    Lanka takes three crucial decisions to garner Indian and Muslim support in UNHRC

    Lanka takes three crucial decisions to garner Indian and Muslim support in UNHRC

    Hope India votes in favour of Sri Lanka at UNHRC: Sri Lanka’s Foreign Secretary Jayanath Colombage

    Hope India votes in favour of Sri Lanka at UNHRC: Sri Lanka’s Foreign Secretary Jayanath Colombage

    Lankan government chooses Iranaitivu island to bury COVID-19 dead

    Lankan government chooses Iranaitivu island to bury COVID-19 dead

    Image credits - Mufid Majnun / Unsplash

    Tokyo asks China to stop anal swab tests for COVID-19 on Japanese citizens

    Image credits - Instagram: ICC

    Virat Kohli joins Ronaldo, Messi in an elite list, becomes 1st cricketer with 100 million Instagram followers

    Disciplined societies may have tackled COVID better, but there is a downside in all

    China, U.S. should lift COVID-19 travel bans if herd immunity reached, Chinese epidemiologist says

    “Agreements government has entered into should never be cancelled”: former Lankan PM tells Daily Mirror

    “Agreements government has entered into should never be cancelled”: former Lankan PM tells Daily Mirror

  • World
    • All
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United States
    Image credits - Mufid Majnun / Unsplash

    Tokyo asks China to stop anal swab tests for COVID-19 on Japanese citizens

    Image credits - Mark Paton / Unsplash

    One in four people will have hearing problems by 2050: WHO

    Disciplined societies may have tackled COVID better, but there is a downside in all

    China, U.S. should lift COVID-19 travel bans if herd immunity reached, Chinese epidemiologist says

    Image credits - Torstensimon

    Fauci urges Americans to get any of the three COVID-19 vaccines available

    Image credits - Joshua Sukoff / Unsplash

    Saudi crown prince approved operation to capture or kill Khashoggi: US intelligence report

    Image credits - Joshua Oluwagbemiga / Unsplash

    Gunmen take 317 schoolgirls in Nigeria’s latest mass abduction

    Image credits - Timothy Newman / Unsplash

    Biden launched airstrikes against Iran-backed militias in Syria to “send a message”

    Image credits - Slash Gear

    Nestle expands plant-based products with new vegan KitKat bar

    Image credits - Joshua Sukoff / Unsplash

    Biden discussed renewed diplomatic efforts to end the war in Yemen with Saudi King Salman

  • Business
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Series
    Image credits - Joe Shlabotnik / Flickr

    Key winners at the 2021 Golden Globes

    Image credits - Gage Skidmore

    Chadwick Boseman Wins Best Actor at 2021 Golden Globes for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

    The film, a tale of an adolescent boy fighting human-eating demons, has amassed $313 million since opening on Oct. 16. © Koyoharu Gotoge/Shueisha, Aniplex, ufotable

    Japan anime movie ‘Demon Slayer’ lands in US cinemas

    Bengali Adhunik song Bela Hole Absan

    Bengali Adhunik song Bela Hole Absan

    Image credits - Steven Cordes / Unsplash

    Gotta catch ’em all: Pandemic sends prices soaring for Pokemon cards

    Image credits - Fixelgraphy / Unsplash

    Spotify to expand into more than 80 new markets including Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Maldives

    Image credits - AdamBMorgan / big-ashb

    Grammy-winning duo Daft Punk announces split after 28 years

    Image credits - LupEnd007 / rodrigoferrari

    Kim Kardashian files for divorce from Kanye West

    Nollywood meets Bollywood in love tale ‘Namaste Wahala’

    Nollywood meets Bollywood in love tale ‘Namaste Wahala’

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Science
    • Travel
    Image credits - Mark Paton / Unsplash

    One in four people will have hearing problems by 2050: WHO

    Disciplined societies may have tackled COVID better, but there is a downside in all

    China, U.S. should lift COVID-19 travel bans if herd immunity reached, Chinese epidemiologist says

    Image credits - Slash Gear

    Nestle expands plant-based products with new vegan KitKat bar

    India-made COVID-19 vaccine in Ghana

    India-made COVID-19 vaccine in Ghana

    Image credits - Stefan Spassov / Unsplash

    Japan appoints ‘minister of loneliness’ to help people home alone

    Image credits - freestocks / Unsplash

    Singapore trials Smartphone app offering mini check-ups

    First human case of H5N8 bird flu reported in Russia. Image credits - CDC

    First human case of H5N8 bird flu reported in Russia

    Image credits - LupEnd007 / rodrigoferrari

    Kim Kardashian files for divorce from Kanye West

    “What you say is not as important as the bookcase behind you”

    “What you say is not as important as the bookcase behind you”

    Swati Mohan spearheaded the attitude control and landing system of the Perseverance rover. (Image: Nasa)

    Swati Mohan, Indian-American scientist who led charge to land Nasa rover on Mars, was inspired by Star Trek as a kid

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • Tech
    Image credits - Benjamin Raffetseder / Unsplash

    China’s Xiaomi adds manufacturing muscle in India to boost phone production

    Image credits - freestocks / Unsplash

    Singapore trials Smartphone app offering mini check-ups

    Image credits - Fixelgraphy / Unsplash

    Spotify to expand into more than 80 new markets including Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Maldives

    Image credits - Nicole de Andrade

    Tech Tips: Signal lets users create groups with up to 1000 members, here is how to create one

    Whatsapp / Pic - India Today

    WhatsApp to switch off messages for all who reject new terms

    Image credits - Solen Feyissa / Unsplash

    Facebook news goes dark in Australia as content spat escalates

    Trending Tags

    • Sillicon Valley
    • Climate Change
    • Election Results
    • Flat Earth
    • Golden Globes
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Mr. Robot
  • Coronavirus
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • All
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
    Image credits - Hakan Nural / Unsplash

    New data show vaccines reduce severe COVID-19 in older adults

    COVID body being brought for cremation in Sri Lanka

    Sri Lankan government to go ahead with Iranaitivu Island for COVID-19 deceased burials

    Lanka takes three crucial decisions to garner Indian and Muslim support in UNHRC

    Lanka takes three crucial decisions to garner Indian and Muslim support in UNHRC

    Hope India votes in favour of Sri Lanka at UNHRC: Sri Lanka’s Foreign Secretary Jayanath Colombage

    Hope India votes in favour of Sri Lanka at UNHRC: Sri Lanka’s Foreign Secretary Jayanath Colombage

    Lankan government chooses Iranaitivu island to bury COVID-19 dead

    Lankan government chooses Iranaitivu island to bury COVID-19 dead

    Image credits - Mufid Majnun / Unsplash

    Tokyo asks China to stop anal swab tests for COVID-19 on Japanese citizens

    Image credits - Instagram: ICC

    Virat Kohli joins Ronaldo, Messi in an elite list, becomes 1st cricketer with 100 million Instagram followers

    Disciplined societies may have tackled COVID better, but there is a downside in all

    China, U.S. should lift COVID-19 travel bans if herd immunity reached, Chinese epidemiologist says

    “Agreements government has entered into should never be cancelled”: former Lankan PM tells Daily Mirror

    “Agreements government has entered into should never be cancelled”: former Lankan PM tells Daily Mirror

  • World
    • All
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United States
    Image credits - Mufid Majnun / Unsplash

    Tokyo asks China to stop anal swab tests for COVID-19 on Japanese citizens

    Image credits - Mark Paton / Unsplash

    One in four people will have hearing problems by 2050: WHO

    Disciplined societies may have tackled COVID better, but there is a downside in all

    China, U.S. should lift COVID-19 travel bans if herd immunity reached, Chinese epidemiologist says

    Image credits - Torstensimon

    Fauci urges Americans to get any of the three COVID-19 vaccines available

    Image credits - Joshua Sukoff / Unsplash

    Saudi crown prince approved operation to capture or kill Khashoggi: US intelligence report

    Image credits - Joshua Oluwagbemiga / Unsplash

    Gunmen take 317 schoolgirls in Nigeria’s latest mass abduction

    Image credits - Timothy Newman / Unsplash

    Biden launched airstrikes against Iran-backed militias in Syria to “send a message”

    Image credits - Slash Gear

    Nestle expands plant-based products with new vegan KitKat bar

    Image credits - Joshua Sukoff / Unsplash

    Biden discussed renewed diplomatic efforts to end the war in Yemen with Saudi King Salman

  • Business
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Series
    Image credits - Joe Shlabotnik / Flickr

    Key winners at the 2021 Golden Globes

    Image credits - Gage Skidmore

    Chadwick Boseman Wins Best Actor at 2021 Golden Globes for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

    The film, a tale of an adolescent boy fighting human-eating demons, has amassed $313 million since opening on Oct. 16. © Koyoharu Gotoge/Shueisha, Aniplex, ufotable

    Japan anime movie ‘Demon Slayer’ lands in US cinemas

    Bengali Adhunik song Bela Hole Absan

    Bengali Adhunik song Bela Hole Absan

    Image credits - Steven Cordes / Unsplash

    Gotta catch ’em all: Pandemic sends prices soaring for Pokemon cards

    Image credits - Fixelgraphy / Unsplash

    Spotify to expand into more than 80 new markets including Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Maldives

    Image credits - AdamBMorgan / big-ashb

    Grammy-winning duo Daft Punk announces split after 28 years

    Image credits - LupEnd007 / rodrigoferrari

    Kim Kardashian files for divorce from Kanye West

    Nollywood meets Bollywood in love tale ‘Namaste Wahala’

    Nollywood meets Bollywood in love tale ‘Namaste Wahala’

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Science
    • Travel
    Image credits - Mark Paton / Unsplash

    One in four people will have hearing problems by 2050: WHO

    Disciplined societies may have tackled COVID better, but there is a downside in all

    China, U.S. should lift COVID-19 travel bans if herd immunity reached, Chinese epidemiologist says

    Image credits - Slash Gear

    Nestle expands plant-based products with new vegan KitKat bar

    India-made COVID-19 vaccine in Ghana

    India-made COVID-19 vaccine in Ghana

    Image credits - Stefan Spassov / Unsplash

    Japan appoints ‘minister of loneliness’ to help people home alone

    Image credits - freestocks / Unsplash

    Singapore trials Smartphone app offering mini check-ups

    First human case of H5N8 bird flu reported in Russia. Image credits - CDC

    First human case of H5N8 bird flu reported in Russia

    Image credits - LupEnd007 / rodrigoferrari

    Kim Kardashian files for divorce from Kanye West

    “What you say is not as important as the bookcase behind you”

    “What you say is not as important as the bookcase behind you”

    Swati Mohan spearheaded the attitude control and landing system of the Perseverance rover. (Image: Nasa)

    Swati Mohan, Indian-American scientist who led charge to land Nasa rover on Mars, was inspired by Star Trek as a kid

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • Tech
    Image credits - Benjamin Raffetseder / Unsplash

    China’s Xiaomi adds manufacturing muscle in India to boost phone production

    Image credits - freestocks / Unsplash

    Singapore trials Smartphone app offering mini check-ups

    Image credits - Fixelgraphy / Unsplash

    Spotify to expand into more than 80 new markets including Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Maldives

    Image credits - Nicole de Andrade

    Tech Tips: Signal lets users create groups with up to 1000 members, here is how to create one

    Whatsapp / Pic - India Today

    WhatsApp to switch off messages for all who reject new terms

    Image credits - Solen Feyissa / Unsplash

    Facebook news goes dark in Australia as content spat escalates

    Trending Tags

    • Sillicon Valley
    • Climate Change
    • Election Results
    • Flat Earth
    • Golden Globes
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Mr. Robot
  • Coronavirus
No Result
View All Result
NewsIn.Asia
No Result
View All Result
Home Around South Asia Bangladesh

Bangladesh war crimes trials push opposition BNP and Jamaat-i-Islami into a corner

Editor by Editor
September 4, 2016
in Bangladesh
Reading Time: 4min read
1 0
Share on WhatsApp

Smruti S Pattanaik

The hanging of Mir Quasem Ali, one of the leaders of the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) in Bangladesh on charges of committing war crimes during the liberation war of 1971, was expected after he refused to apply for Presidential mercy.

Even if he had pleaded for mercy it would have been rejected as had been the case in the past. The issues involved were grave as more than three million people were killed in the liberation struggle against the Pakistani state, its army and their local collaborators.

Quasem Ali is the fifth top Jamaat leader to be executed after the International War Crime Tribunals (ICTs) were set up in 2010 to look into heinous crimes committed against Bengali freedom fighters in 1971. Quasem Ali is believed to have been a top financer of the Jamaat.

But during his trial, as well as in the cases of others, questions were raised about the fairness of the judicial process. However, the persecution submitted a receipt to prove that Mir Quasem Ali had spent US $25 million to engage the US-based lobbying firm, Cassidy and Associates, to raise questions regarding the ICT and the fairness of its verdicts, and also lobby the US Congress and other foreign  organisations.

Stigmatization

The conviction of top Jamaat leaders will stigmatize the organization further though the Jamaat is reconciled to the fate of its top leaders. The party, which is currently de-registered as a political party by the Election Commission because the party constitution contradicts the Constitution of Bangladesh, will now face a larger political dilemma if it decides to contest the next election.

To be eligible to contest, the party has to make changes to its constitution which it promised to do in 2008 but did not do. The war crimes trials and conviction of its leaders will cast a long shadow on the electoral prospects of the party. Many younger members of the party therefore feel that the JI needs to clarify its stance during the liberation war, and if required, seek public apology if it decides to contest the election as JI.

Mir Quasem Ali, Jamaat leader and financier who was executed on September 3 for war crimes committed in 1971.
Mir Quasem Ali, Jamaat leader and financier who was executed on September 3 for war crimes committed in 1971.

Younger Leaders Worried

Though electorally it holds 8 to 10 per cent of votes; the Jamaat strongly argues that the trials have not dented its support base. It gives the example of the non-party based Upazilla elections where Jamaat-backed candidates were elected in many seats.

In spite of these victories, there is some thinking within the party regarding the future direction of Jamaat’s politics. The younger generation argues for a change in the name. The younger generation points out how the JI’s student organisation Chatra Shibir was successful when it re-emerged from the ashes of Chatra Sangha which had been stigmatized.

The demand for the Jamaat to rename itself as a new party to extricate itself from the stigmatized past due to its role in the liberation war is not new. Yet the older leadership of the JI has always been reluctant to accede to this demand, brushing aside any questions regarding its role in the 1971 war.

The emergence of JI as a strong force in Bangladesh politics in the 1991 election in which it won 18 seats in the 300-member National Assembly and later as a part of ruling coalition with two important ministries, has convinced the leadership that 1971 is now history.

It rejected the notion that the 1971 struggle was a “liberation war” and argued that it was a “civil war”. Therefore, there were no “war crimes” as such.

After the conviction of its top leaders, the JI is not inclined to form a new party. It feels that renaming or functioning as a new party will indirectly make it accept its role in killing Bengali freedom fighters in 1971. The party’s stance is that its leaders were not involved in the killings and that these trials and executions are politically motivated.

The Jamaat would wait for the government to ban the party. A ban will provide justification for the JI to rename itself.

Begum Khaled Zia, opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Part (BNP) leader
Begum Khaled Zia, opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Part (BNP) leader

Jamaat’s Hartals Have Failed

The Jamaat has called for a hartal each time its leaders have been hanged. But its hartals have not been very successful. People have no appetite for violent hartals. For more than a year now, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has kept itself away from JI hartals, though the JI is part of the 19-party coalition headed by the BNP.

The two political parties have, for the time being, separate political programs. Within the BNP, there is a section that is opposed to the party’s coalition with JI. However, the BNP is yet to take a decision regarding its tie up with Jamaat. The BNP points out that the coalition was an election time tie up and that they are not ideological partners. This is a stance that serves both the JI and the BNP.

Will Jamaat Be Banned?

The two political parties need each other to score electoral successes.  But their future relations will depend on whether the Hasina government will ban the Jamaat. The government may decide not to ban the Jamaat as the BNP-Jamaat alliance will help Hasina accuse the BNP of supporting terrorism and militancy.

Both BNP and the JI are currently politically weak, with hundreds of their cadres behind bars. They will find it difficult to put up successful street fights  after their three months hartal in 2015 failed. During that agitation, more than 100 people were burnt alive when petrol bombs were thrown at public transport and government vehicles. The BNP and JI realise that such actions only trigger more repression by the government.

Sheikh Hasina Wajed, whose father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman led the war of liberation in 1971 and was assassinated with 16 members of his family by army officers in 1975
Bangladesh Prime Minister and Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina Wajed, whose father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman led the war of liberation in 1971 and was assassinated with 16 members of his family in 1975

A demoralised opposition helps strengthen the Hasina government. While the BNP leadership remains weak and is unable to take a decision on an alliance with the Jamaat, the latter is in the process of electing a new “Amir”.

The war crime trials have caused irreparable damage to the BNP and JI and have undermined their future as coalition partners.

If the opposition is not able to organise themselves and raise relevant questions and hold the government accountable; with 6 per cent economic growth, there is nothing that can stop the Awami League from winning the next elections.

Dr.Smruti Pattanaik is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Defense Studies and Analyses, New Delhi, India

SendShareTweetShareShare
Editor

Editor

Recommended Articles

  • All
  • Recommend
A conversation with Bertrand Russell (1952)

A conversation with Bertrand Russell (1952)

March 2, 2021
Lanka, India, Maldives set up Maritime Security Secretariat

Lanka, India, Maldives set up Maritime Security Secretariat

March 2, 2021
Imran Khan adds new dimensions to ties with Sri Lanka

Imran Khan adds new dimensions to ties with Sri Lanka

March 1, 2021
Nawam Perahera in Colombo was a colour fest, though with fewer elephants

Nawam Perahera in Colombo was a colour fest, though with fewer elephants

February 27, 2021
COVID body being brought for cremation in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka finally allows burial of Covid-19 victims

February 25, 2021
Lanka-Pakistan ties to acquire a new look following Imran Khan’s visit

Lanka-Pakistan ties to acquire a new look following Imran Khan’s visit

February 25, 2021

Advertorial

  • All
  • Advertorial
Visual and Textual Analysis for Images with Reverse Search Tools

Visual and Textual Analysis for Images with Reverse Search Tools

January 3, 2021

Popular Now

  • UNHRC debate: A majority of countries spoke in favour of Sri Lanka

    UNHRC debate: A majority of countries spoke in favour of Sri Lanka

    70 shares
    Share 53 Tweet 7
  • Background to Lanka’s decision to lift ban on burying COVID dead

    32 shares
    Share 21 Tweet 5
  • India tells UNHRC devolution of power is critical for reconciliation in Sri Lanka

    47 shares
    Share 38 Tweet 4
  • Sri Lanka finally allows burial of Covid-19 victims

    15 shares
    Share 9 Tweet 3
  • India-made Indian Air Force planes in Lankan Air Forces’ 70 th. Anniversary celebrations

    13 shares
    Share 8 Tweet 2
  • About Us
  • Advertisements
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

© 2020 NewsIn.Asia - Lovingly maintained by DigitalArc.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
  • Around The World
  • Breaking News
  • Business
    • Exchange
  • Climate Change
  • Governance
    • Crime
    • Diplomacy
    • Defense
    • Human Rights
    • Politics
    • Strategic Affairs
  • Lifestyle
    • Books
    • Entertainment
      • Arts
      • Cinema
      • Gaming
      • Music
      • Movie
      • Series
      • TV
    • Health
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Travel
  • Culture
    • Ethnicity
    • Gender
  • Development news
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Coronavirus
  • History
  • National
  • Offbeat
    • Media
    • Music and arts across South Asia
  • Recommended
    • Headlines
    • Highlights
    • Top Picture
    • Top Story
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Cricket
      • LPL
      • IPL
    • Tennis
    • Formula 1
    • NBA
  • Tech
    • Instagram
  • United Nations
  • Weather
  • World
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United States

© 2020 NewsIn.Asia - Lovingly maintained by DigitalArc.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In