Attack on Khaleda Zia's motorcade

Targeting the motorcade of Khaleda Zia does very little to validate the government's tall talk about the flourishing state of democracy in the country. When it talks about a free and fair parliament election, its contrary actions demonstrate every little signs of the manifest preconditions to achieve what the government consistently brags about – a vibrant democracy. The reluctance, indeed the resistance, of the ruling party to accord any political space to the opposition is deeply worrying.

That the political space for the BNP has been gradually shrinking over the last several years is disturbingly evident. Political meetings and rallies by the party were prevented or not allowed on flimsy grounds. Even protest meetings were blunted. And now attempts were made to force abort a humanitarian effort by the party, by attacking the party chief's motorcade, causing injuries to many and damaging a large number of vehicles. Sure, the BNP wanted to get as much political advantage from Khaleda Zia's visit to Cox's Bazar as possible. And taking the road instead of flying was meant to do exactly that. But there is nothing illegal in it. So why the impediment?  Even a rally to protest the vandalism by the BNP was not allowed by the police. 

We are afraid the predictable government explanation, that the incident was the result of an internal feud within the BNP, cuts no ice at all. We must register our strongest contempt for the attack. This we think is nothing but to blunt the BNP as a viable opposition. When the BNP is constantly castigated by everyone who is anyone in the Awami League, was a physical assault on the party chief necessary? This does not demonstrate the strength of the Awami League, on the contrary betrays its weakness.