The army in Bangladesh had initially hoped to get both women to live in exile like Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan. But that plan back fired.
DNA Analysis
NEW DELHI: It was evident soon after the arrest of Sheikh Hasina that Khaleda Zia would be the next target. She realised it too, because Zia, forgetting years of bitter rivalry, came out in open support of Hasina and condemned her arrest in the harshest possible terms.
Monday's action by the court was not unexpected. It is well known that the army-backed caretaker regime in Dhaka want the two ladies out of the way. They believe the two are responsible for the mess in Bangladesh. The only solution is to start for a clean slate and have responsible political formations.
The army had initially hoped to get both women to live in exile like Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan. But that plan back fired. The caretaker administration's attempts to get the widely-respected Nobel laureate Mohammed Yunus to start a political party also fizzled off.
The current plan is to get young middle rung leaders of the Awami League and Bangladesh National Party take over the reins and begin afresh. However, party loyalties are strong and whether the attempt at artificially creating a new leadership succeeds is yet to be tested. Authorities believe keeping both ladies behind bars may help the process.
Close neighbour India is caught in a bind. New Delhi is happy with the army-backed administration because the army is delivering where both the political leaders failed. The army is providing crucial help to India in solving the Hyderabad blast case.
The army is aware of India's security concerns and is willing to help. In return, India is not making much noise about the internal situation in Bangladesh. "National interests have to come first and a co-operative Bangladesh would be of great help,'' said a senior official.
Zia is no friend of India's and foreign office spokesman Navtej Sarna's comments refrained from criticising the arrest but hoped democracy would soon be restored in Bangladesh.
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