General strike sets Dhaka on fire. Two dead and almost 300 injured
Dhaka (AsiaNews) - Explosions, Molotov cocktails, burned cars, two dead and almost 300 wounded in two days in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, paralyzed by a hartal (general strike) called by the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Starting Sunday, December 9, the protest immediately gained violent connotations with BNP and Awami League supporters (socialists in government) clashing with sticks and machetes, forcing the government to order the closure of schools and deploy police throughout the city to stop the riots. Among the population, the climate is tense, especially after the fire at the Tazreen Fashion clothing factory, which killed more than 120 people and wounding hundreds. But local sources tell AsiaNews of an overall increase in common crime, which more often - as in the case of the general strike in progress - is accompanied by political violence.
For the BNP and 18 associated parties (among which the Jamat-e-Islami, the Islamic party) the "future" of the country is at stake is: the nationalist formation launched the hartal to call early elections and to form a provisional government as soon as possible, which by law is responsible for preparing the country for elections. The new general elections, in fact, are expected in January 2014. However, the Sheikh Hasina's Awami League wants annull the interim government and carry out its mandate to completion.
Thus, the political situation is in stalemate: the BNP and the Awami League will not seek a common ground for dialogue, to the point that the two leaders - Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina - do not speak to each other even during institutional meetings. Meanwhile, incidents of violence and conflict are a daily occurrence, especially among university students and in more rural areas. But behind individual episodes - mostly related to issues of land, or due to the hartal - many see a more political matrix, which attempts to undermine the social balance by fomenting a climate of revolt.
In this context, the chorus has become an issue of religious freedom: both sides speak of Bangladesh as a "tolerant" country and "open" to diversity. Yet the BNP continues to refuse to recognize the existence of the tribal groups, calling them only "minorities".
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