A new SMS flashed in my mobile phone. A friend and colleague reports, ” Tasneem Khalil picked up by the Army”.
The mere words ‘Picked up by army’ always evoke a series of overwhelming thoughts in my mind.
My flash back takes me to the historical events during the dawn of Bangladesh when intellectuals, journalists, professionals, politicians used to be picked up by the army and their cohorts. During those days and even during the years post independence, a lot more people were picked up and most of them never returned.
These same words remind me of two very good friends and ex-colleague. Drs. Ahmed Aziz and Ali Najar. Both are physicians of Iraqi origin and both are currently residing and practicing in North America. Although I worked with them at two different times and location, and they don’t know each other, they both had an exquisitely similar story. And both of them would wail when they would tell an identical story with similar passion, energy, anger and grief. Both of their brothers were “picked up by the army” of Saddam Hussein. Both these brothers never came back.
Writer Humayun Ahmed was picked up by the Pakistani army and was interned for several days. And this prolific writer never writes about this ordeal. Never. We wouldn’t have known that unless his brother another prolific writer Muhammad Zafar Iqbal mentioned about this in one of his writings.
I understood why writer Humayun Ahmed would not speak of that ordeal as I also would never talk of my similar personal experience during the last days of Ershad.
A very young journalist, blogger and activist Tasneem Khalil is now under the custody the Bangladesh Armed forces. His crime? Well, he wrote staff which generals in Armed forces do not agree.
Well, I also sometimes do not agree with what Tasneem writes, but that does not justify picking up somebody under the darkness of the night to an undisclosed location for an indefinite period without showing any reason or any court order. State of Emergency! Sate of Emergency for whom? Against whom?
The men, who have picked Tasneem up, are very powerful. They are very well equipped as armed forces, thanks to the people of Bangladesh who are quite generous in funding these forces who are supposed to protect the country from foreign invasions.
I am shocked how these very professional, educated and well trained forces are using their prowess to take the law at their own hand. Tasneem’s recent arrest is an example of this trend.
The people of Bangladesh, when they welcomed this military backed government on January 11, had a different expectation from these forces. The expectation was that, as this government preaches a war against all corruption, nepotism, illegal abuse of power, they themselves would not do the same things they are here to eradicate.
If Tasneem wrote something wrong, a rejoinder could have been sent, a rebuttal could be forced on the newspaper publishing it or a case could have been filed in a court of law for a transparent delivery of justice.
What would a business house or a government official have done if they didn’t agree with Tasneem’s wrting? Could they just kidnap him from his home and detain him at thier own good will? If not, they why this same common sense should not apply in case of Bangladesh Armed Forces?
But picking up someone from his home at midnight and detaining him in undisclosed location without any charges remind me of the brutal dictators of the past. This is not expected from a government made of honest, hardworking patriotic professionals and from a very well educated and professional independent defense force comprised of the smarter brains of the country.
Release Tasneem and all other who have been arrested by the joint forces and are being held without any credible charges.
May 11, 2007 at 12:48 am
we should stand besides Tasneem&Hisfamily
May 11, 2007 at 1:12 am
Rumi bhai,
Ei rokom obosthay apni eto shundor bhaabey kotha guli bolsen ta porey mughdho. Keep it up. Erokom sensible kothari dorkar asey ekhon.
May 11, 2007 at 1:17 am
Rumi bhai,
send this to dhaka to see if this can be printed.
Amra ei diner bhoy-e chilam. Eta aj shotti holo.
Asif
May 11, 2007 at 4:43 am
Agree with the Asifs.
May 11, 2007 at 7:48 am
UPDATE : The overwhelming empathy for Tasneem Khalil is remarkable. I, however, have got an update from Joint Forces. Tasneem Khalil has NOT been detained for his ‘fearless’ journalism. He has been identified as an individual who was spreading a seditious SMS, a campaign against military in the last few weeks. After a series of investigation about the chain of SMSs, it has been found that Tasneem was the originator. JF decided to know the motive behind such campaign and when asked him today, he confessed and said he was doing it just to get ‘fame’. His boss Mahfuz Anam went to meet the senior JF officials this morning and when Tasneem’s SMS and proofs of other anti-law activities were shown to him, he just escaped declaring his ignorance about those. Mahfuz Anam found it ‘very immatured’ about what Tasneem was doing in the past few days. Tasneem’s confession, apology and promise of not doing any subversive activities in the future are on tape.
Let us not jump on the conclusion whenever you see something you don’t want to see. There could be different explanation which you are not aware of. Thank you.
May 11, 2007 at 10:23 am
well what is your reliable source ABC?I think you wrote same in Salam Dhaka Blog. But your such explanation is really funny like another Moudud’s Haniken Beer story.
May 11, 2007 at 10:38 am
Dutta babu, I am the source myself !! If it is funny to you, then enjoy it. BTW, the beer is not ‘Haniken’.
OK guys….time to face the reality. Mahfuz Anam has just released a statement to UNB stating that Tasneem Khalil has been arrested NOT for his journalism, but for his other personal activities. Check this out with UNB or any newspaper editor.
May 11, 2007 at 11:11 am
How on earth could I have been so stupid!! And here I was thinking it was for his articles on Modhupur eco-park, on RAB crossfire deaths and torture, on some of the intelligence agencies acting as an in-between for Tareque Zia and Khatme Nabuwwat, JMB etc. etc. Thank you so much for enlightening me, so kind of you. Hey, but why was the Forum issue withdrawn?
Sorry but this story just won’t sell, i can see you guys are trying real hard, but please credit us with with more intelligence.
May 11, 2007 at 11:57 am
[…] Star journalist, CNN stringer and Blogger Tasneem Khalil was taken into military custody yesterday. Drishtipat has updates on the […]
May 11, 2007 at 1:32 pm
The whole thing is outrageous, and if they are tracking sms trails via cell operators than i guess they are taking a page out of uncle george’s book. This goes to show nothing much has changed when it goes to being in power in bangladesh. And if Tasneem was “immature” and fired of some “seditious” stuff to get
“fame”, the manner of his detention will ironically make him much more famous than whatever it is that was written.
May 11, 2007 at 3:41 pm
Dear ABC and anybody with the same background…
First let me be clear about our intentions…
1. Lets not discuss from WE and THEY point of view. I believe and I know you also believe deep inside that we are all bonded with one same blood.. The blood of one family called Bangladesh.
2. We are all “US”. And our goal is a better, livable, peaceful prosperous Bangladesh. May be as member of police/defence force you are doing your job and me as a NRB professional I am doing my job. But at the end of the day we all have the same passion, and same interest.
3. When we have the same interest, we definitely can and should discuss, not debate or quarrel. Discussion should include candid expressions of your feelings about us and at the same time we also should share our discomfort about you.
4. Believe me an open discussion will make us friends, not enemies.
5. That’s why, you have noticed that your comments are not moderated in this blog.
6. We want to hear from you and know about your concerns.
7. There has long been a big communication gap between smart young defence professionas and the other professionals. Let this DP blog be the staging ground for the first flag meeting.
8. Lets friendship, understanding, patriotism and nationalism prevail. We have so mnay problems in BD, we simply can’t afford to use our energy in internal fightings.
May 11, 2007 at 5:03 pm
An abbreviation of what, may I ask, is ABC?
It really is reassuring to know that the ABCs of BD are familiar with what is Smirnoff and what isn’t ‘Haniken’.
All the ABCs in BD need a reminding of where their livelihood comes from.
May 14, 2007 at 4:46 pm
ABC, if you have so much insider information and justification for military role, why don’t you enlighten us with your insightful answer?
Be advised these are multipart questions.
1) In entertaining road, rail, gas, coal, port demand from country to our west how much space left for army and interim entity before they hit the wall? Or meeting all these demands are part of barter deal for share in repatriated corrupt wealth? Or meeting these demand are part of future safe heaven?
If you recall immediately after 1/11, army establishment justified their involvement saying their UN mission/income was in jeopardy and they had to intervene. If one calculate UN mission income it would be roughly $200 to $220 million. Now question is, if BD army can listen to command of another country or organization for $200 million then what is the price tag BD army fixed for Bangladesh independence and sovereignty?
You may just be fetching information but I hope you are safe and sound yourself while you try to fetch these answers from man with stars in shoulder.
May 14, 2007 at 5:05 pm
Story of Tasneem is repeating itself just in different place, with different target and with different flimsy make up cases. Lastet victim is Brig (rtd) Hannan Shah. There was no complaint against Hannan Shah until he has spoken against motivated and conniving attempt to send Khaleda Zia in exile. And I see all are muted in their passion for HR. HR can not be selective and we can not be complacent in one case of HR violation and vocal against other. That’s just gives ABC ammunition to justify illegal acts of current interim entity. Just today there is another news about case against Anawar Hossain Monju for having alcoholic drink at home. Is this is the mandate of interim govt?? Is this is the best “doctors” and “barristers” and army can do?? Wow we have come long way, backward if count properly.
Bangladesh is going to loose significant portion of its GDP (around $2.3 billion by Citibank N.A), not to mention inflation and stagnated industrial growth. All these losses way supercedes all corruption by politicians in last 15 years. Well I have question to all “interim entity” enthusiasts – are you in peace with all illegal activities of this “interim entity”? Just so we don’t forget potato price has gone up to 22 taka/kg. It was less than 10 taka when last elected govt was in power. This is “gol aloo” we are talking about. It may not be much for many of us in western retreat but for general mass that’s a dire situation. And all these are done as Rumi Bahi described in name of “honestocracy”. Anyone analyzing ground reality deeper than what newspaper and talk shows are spreading, should able to dissect who is in top of the control chain, who is in the middle and who is at the bottom. As usual people of Bangladesh are in receiving end. This time there are couples of added bonus – people pay higher price then any time before and they can not talk anymore.
May 20, 2007 at 8:00 pm
guys encourage good work and crticise bad work.I believe this gov. has good intention unlike those so called democratically elected parties. Time has come to think, put urself their position and ask what you will do if you become an advisor or chief advisor, i will make those hasina and khaleda’s life hell, and show finger to us ambassader to shut off.
We had enough, everybody played with us in the name of so called democracy, we dont need this typo bullshit democracy.
liked your blog, good work, keep it up.