Dhaka: With elections approaching in Bangladesh, the Chief Advisor to the interim government, Muhammad Yunus, is struggling to keep the country of 170 million people united, a report detailed this week.
It added that sectarian violence has become commonplace amid concerns over a surge in radical Islamism, while the Awami League alleged that several of its members have been killed.
“And Yunus himself is facing accusations of abusing power and of lawfare after his government banned the Awami League from elections set to be held in February, blaming it for a 'co-ordinated violent activity' during the deadly protests last year,” a report in The Irish Times stated.
According to the report, one of the interim government’s first actions was to appoint Mohammad Tajul Islam as chief prosecutor to the country’s International Crimes Tribunal, tasked with holding those responsible for the killings accountable.
“In January, he brought charges against Hasina and 11 others in her regime relating to enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings that happened during her rule. Then, in July, a tribunal formally charged her with alleged crimes against humanity related to the Monsoon Revolution. Her trial in absentia ended last month, and a verdict is expected next week,” it mentioned.
In a written statement, Hasina described the proceedings against her as “a politically motivated charade”, which “have been brought by kangaroo courts”. At the same time, the report said, the students and other political groups intensified pressure on the interim government to remove the Awami League from politics completely.
Meanwhile, the report noted that several Awami League members accused Yunus of pursuing political vendettas. Mohammad Arafat, a senior member of the Awami League, alleged that “Yunus is clearly dividing the nation and proceeding with a sham election” and is “making a peaceful democratic transition nearly impossible”.
