Political unrest in Bangladesh

The Bangladesh war crimes tribunal has sentenced to death another Jamaat-e-Islami activist who was just 19 years old at the time of the 1971 war. He is the third Jamaat-e-Islami activist to receive the death sentence since the tribunal was set by the Sheikh Hasina government. Now as a result of political unrest and continuous strikes, the country and its people are paying a high price.

Public protests and strikes are becoming part of the daily routine in the country with more than half a million people gathered on the streets of the capital Dhaka to voice their anger against the government. 

Because of the brutal force used by security forces resulting in the death of hundreds of people, the protests are spreading outside the capital and things are going from bad to worse on a daily basis. Several videos clips circulating on social media show heavily armed police deliberately targeting unarmed protestors. Human rights organizations claim that the death toll is high because security forces are using live ammunition against unarmed protestors. 

Opposition parties claim that the government is trying to divert the attention of the people from important issues. Only last month more than one thousand people lost their lives when a garment factory collapsed during working hours. In another incident, ten people were killed in a fire in another garment factory.

The European Union has said that it has serious concern over the poor safety standard of the Bangladeshi textile industry which is the backbone of the country's economy.

Khawaja Umer Farooq, Jeddah