Pakistan: Vitriol on the streets

The relationship between Pakistan and Bangladesh is probably at its most tense since the war that separated the two countries in 1971. Strong anti-Pakistan protests have wracked Bangladesh for the past two days now in reaction to the response emanating from Pakistan after the execution of Abdul Quader Molla, a leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), on December 12, 2013, by Bangladeshi authorities on war crime charges dating back some 42 years. When the execution took place, the National Assembly in Pakistan passed a resolution condemning the hanging, with the PTI and JI here leading the chorus. This has struck a wrong nerve with the people in Bangladesh who are fuming about how Pakistan is standing against the decision taken by the Bangladeshi authorities. The protests have become so venomous that effigies of PTI leader Imran Khan and the Pakistani flag were burned in the streets.

The political leaders in Pakistan need to get their house in order. Given the bitter history between the two countries, particularly related to the atrocities committed in the 1971 war, our leaders have to be more careful about the sensitivities that may be ignited when we intervene on the goings on in that country. Interfering in the decisions and policies made by another country, especially one that holds a decades old grudge, will lead to just such a volatile reaction. Also, what are we thinking speaking up for a man who, in essence, is a mass murderer? How can our National Assembly justify this support? Can we really blame the people of Bangladesh for their reaction? It is unfortunate that anyone holding the Islamist trump card, be they a preacher or a murderer, seem to get the backing of our politicians. So cowed are we by the right wing that better sense fails to prevail. We are jeopardising our bilateral relationship with a fellow South Asian Association Regional Cooperation (SAARC) country. Some $ 2 billion have been invested by Pakistan in Bangladesh and our businessmen are getting jittery. We are putting money, friendship and economic ties aside to offer our good grace to a man who has been charged with killing hundreds during the 1971 war. This is not just in bad taste but is also extremely foolish. We ought to think about the effect we are having on regional stability and security, not the appeasement of right wing forces and politicians.