US, UK sheltering war criminals of 1971 Bangladesh genocide

Ahead of the 7 January general election in Bangladesh, the incumbent Sheikh Hasina government has come under intense attack from the Western lobby led by the United States and Britain to the extent that it is now being seen as an attempt by the proverbial “white man” to influence the election in India’s immediate neighbourhood.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

In September, the US administration imposed visa restrictions on an unspecified number of Bangladeshis for “undermining the democratic election process”. Members of law enforcement, the ruling party, and the political opposition were among those included, the US State Department said.

Similarly, Britain also asked Sheikh Hasina’s government to ensure elections are “free, fair, participatory and peaceful” thereby trying to give a message that the earlier polls were not free or fair.

What has raised more questions about the incessant targeting of Hasina by Washington and London is the fact while both these Western entities are speaking about upholding democracy, they continue to provide shelter and haven to 1971 Bangladesh war criminals including members of the dreaded Islamist outfit Jamaat-e-Islami, which has been calling for a regime change in Dhaka to bring back its iron brother, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to power.

The arguments being given by US and Britain to target Hasina too resonates with what Jamaat and BNP have been alleging, leading to further questions on whether Biden administration and 10 Downing Street were under the influence of the influential Jamaat lobby.

The BNP’s association with the Jamaat-e-Islami can be traced back to the time of Bangladesh’s first military dictator, General Ziaur Rahman who had established the BNP following the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in August 1975. The assassination of Rahman is now widely accepted as a part of an international conspiracy in which Pakistan and other Western powers were involved.

Under the subsequent leadership of Gen Zia’s successor, Khaleda Zia, and their son Tarique Rahman, key figures from the Jamaate-Islami were appointed as ministers, underscoring a close political collaboration between the BNP and the Jamaat-e-Islami.