Military rulers in Pakistan and Bangladesh (which was a part of Pakistan until 1971) seem prone to kicking their civilian opponents out of the country as soon as they come into power (thank God they are not hanging them any more!).
Pakistan’s General Pervez Musharraf sent former Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto packing to Saudi Arabia and London respectively soon after he snatched power in 1999 after a coup d’etat.
In Bangladesh, the country’s last premier Begum (lady) Khaleda Zia has packed her bags for an imminent departure into exile (to Saudi Arabia), a source close to the family said Monday, the day after her arch rival was barred from returning to the country (from London), reports Helen Rowe of AFP.
“Zia and her long-time adversary Begum Sheikh Hasina Wajed, the head of the Awami League and also a former prime minister, are being forced out as part of a corruption crackdown by emergency-ruled Bangladesh’s interim government.
“Sheikh Hasina, who was charged in absentia with involvement in political killings, was on Sunday stopped from boarding a flight from London’s Heathrow airport to Dhaka — in line with a government order for her to stay abroad.
“A source close to Zia’s family told AFP that Zia’s belongings stood packed and ready at her residence in Dhaka where she has been under virtual house arrest for the past week…
“The new (interim-)government, which has behind the scenes support from the armed forces (and reportedly of the USA), has pledged to clean up Bangladesh’s notoriously corrupt and dysfunctional political system before holding new elections before the end of 2008.”
So the Bangladesh interim-government has full one year not only to clean the “corrupt and dysfunctional political system’, but also to entrench themselves in the seat of power (as General Musharraf so successfully did in the name of providing a “clean” government).
If we agree with this logic then the USA and India should also hand over the governments to the military generals for “quick and clean” results!!!
For my earlier post on Bangladesh please click here…
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.