Tarique Rahman's Return Lights Up Hope for Nation

 
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman is coming back home today while the whole country is vibrating with joy and enthusiasm including BNP leaders and activists. Tarique Rahman's return at this crucial turning point of Bangladesh is highly significant while an interim government took oath on 8 August 2024 following the overthrow of the immediate past authoritarian regime on 5 August last year.

Bangladesh's political landscape was heavily jolted in August 2024 when a countrywide mass uprising led by youths toppled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who moved to India on 5 August 2024. Since then a lot of ups and downs in the country's political arena have taken place. It has to be admitted that law and order situation all over Bangladesh has been going through a horrendous phase for last one year and a half roughly.

It's Tarique Rahman's return to Bangladesh after a long period of 18 years in exile. Tarique Rahman belongs to one of the most decorated families in Bangladesh when we look at the country's history. His father former President and military trailblazer Ziaur Rahman and founder of BNP is a war legend who proclaimed the independence of Bangladesh on 26 March 1971 when he was a young and exhilarating army officer at that time. Moreover, Ziaur Rahman played a valuable part during the glorious Liberation War of 1971. His Z Force was a dire unit of valiant warriors who destroyed lots of Pakistan Army camps during the war.

While we acknowledge the role and contribution of Ziaur Rahman, we have to recall the outstanding leadership charisma of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman whose clarion call for independence struggle united millions of people across East Pakistan (present day Bangladesh) to fight for liberating Bangladesh from the repressive Pakistan regime. Bangabandhu is the architect of Bangladesh while Ziaur Rahman was a war icon but very unfortunately both these timeless leaders were assassinated on the soil of Bangladesh after the country's independence. In this way Bangladesh became distracted from the right pathway several times during last five decades.

BNP has in the meantime chalked out a series of political programs with Tarique Rahman in the middle like a cherry in the cake. It should be noted that Tarique Rahman's mother Begum Khaleda Zia is an indispensable and uncompromising figure in the democratic journey of Bangladesh. Begum Khaleda Zia was subjected to immense political vengeance during last 16 years and she was imprisoned from 2018 till 2024 but she did not give up her constant combat for democratic advancement and expanded the spirit and valour of her party members under all circumstances.

Tarique Rahman has certain huge assignments waiting for him to be carried out. First he has to halt forever vindictive political exercises in Bangladesh. We have seen how political retaliations, abusing power, demonizing law and order forces, adding partisan trademarks to intelligence divisions, violating human rights, hitting hard mass media, corruption, nepotism and anomalies in all sectors brought about the disastrous end to Awami League ruling period through the July Uprising in 2024. Law and order forces and intelligence wings should never be politicized. That's a very big lesson that emanated from the downfall of Awami League in August 2024.

Tarique Rahman has to uphold communal harmony and interreligious fraternity across Bangladesh with his own political sagacity and visionary leadership. He has to unite people from all walks of life under one roof comprising patriotism, integrity and humanitarian principles. Tarique Rahman himself was victimized by political opponents and suffered enormously during the overthrown ruling party's tenure. He was not even allowed to visit Bangladesh before the July Uprising to see his seriously ailing mother Khaleda Zia. For this reason Tarique Rahman has to implement the tough job of liberating Bangladesh's politics from the clutches of greed, violence, revenge and moral degeneration.

We have seen during last many years how most essential state organs like police force, judicial service, banks, financial institutions, stock markets etcetera were turned into Devil's hunting ground. This vicious scenario must not be allowed to repeat in Bangladesh. If bribery, corruption, loan scams and money laundering cannot be stopped, rule of law and good governance can never prevail in this country. This is something that Tarique Rahman must keep in mind with utmost caution and vigilance.

Divides and factions are widespread inside Bangladesh's political parties. Without bridging up these gaps and potholes, restoring democracy is going to be very difficult. Tarique Rahman has to stay on high alert so that nobody from inside his own party or from any corner of his family can cause him any harm. Establishing solidarity and eliminating discrepancies are mandatory things to do for avoiding such traps. On the foreign frontier, Tarique Rahman must keep up a solid balance between USA, Russia, China and India.

Just a couple of days ago the most heinous attacks were launched on two major daily newspapers in Bangladesh-Prothom Alo and The Daily Star. The offices of both these newspapers were burned down to ashes following the death of July revolutionary Osman Hadi. A video clip has meanwhile gone viral that Osman Hadi asked his followers previously to keep away from attacking Prothom Alo office. Even he told his party members to build up another ten institutions similar to Prothom Alo before assaulting the newspaper office but the assailants who torched The Daily Star and Prothom Alo offices had no respect for freedom of expression.

Mob violence has hit news headlines over and over again during last sixteen months. Mob gangsters attacked politicians, journalists, Sufi believers and even set fire on graves which appeared to be far more gruesome than the Medieval Ages. Gang rape, robbery, snatching, digging up dead bodies from tombs etcetera have escalated too in recent times. Law and order forces as well as the interim government are facing whetted critical reactions from people, particularly on social media for being unable to restrain the surge in criminal offences.

The rise of religious fanaticism is an explicit threat to peace and progress in Bangladesh. Tarique Rahman has to dive deep into this predicament as well. Without ensuring equal rights and socioeconomic justice, Bangladesh cannot secure prosperity.

Different foreign organizations like Amnesty International, Australian Parliament, US House of Representatives, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) etcetera have expressed grim resentment over the attacks on newspaper offices in Bangladesh.

Tarique Rahman is 61 years old now but we hope he can read the pulse of Bangladesh's people including youngsters. Tarique Rahman is arriving in Bangladesh on 25 December which is a universal event with the undying message of peace and love-the Christmas, the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ. Christmas is celebrated by people from all religious backgrounds, not just Christians. Even in Bangladesh and many more Muslim majority countries Christmas is a public holiday. Christmas every year comes back to us with the lesson to keep away from revenge and retaliations. Jesus Christ, when he was crucified, appealed to God about his assassins "Forgive them my Lord. They don't know what they do". We must sustain the epistles of friendship, forgiveness, reciprocal honour and unity from the life of Jesus Christ and all other divine apostles. Simultaneously, we have to uphold the vigour and ideals that 1971 taught us.

While concluding, I offer my best wishes to Tarique Rahman for his success in uniting the country's masses and thus driving Bangladesh forward.
Shoeb Chowdhury is an entrepreneur, author, poet, sports organizer and Chairman, Editorial Board of The Asian Age.