Sheikh Mujib's second daughter returns home
Naeem Mohaiemen
Sheikh Rehana: Welcome to politics
After prolonged absence, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's second daughter
Sheikh Rehana returned home on Dec 20. No one except a few senior Awami League
officials knew of her return. Even her sister, leader of the AL Sheikh Hasina
did not know of her sister's return. Only two days before this, Hasina had set
off for Brunei to meet with her sister. But before she arrived, Rehana had set
off for Dhaka via Singapore Airlines.
Experts think the politics of inheritance that Hasina has benefitted
from is now under challenge. There have been disturbances from within other
sources in the AL as well. Two months before the upheaval, two of AL's thugs,
Hannan and Liakoth were released from jail. Soon after, another renowned AL
thug Aorongo came back from India. This set off a power play between the
pragmatists in AL and those favoring strong arm tactics.
In the midst of all this, the AL's most controversial figure and a
near myth elsewhere, Kader 'Tiger' Siddiqui returned on 16 December after
exile of over 15 years. Up to last year, Sheikh Hasina echoed the call for
Siddiqui to be allowed back into the country. But last year she had a
conflict over the future course of the party. She also had a conflict with
his brother, Lotif Siddiqui. Since then she has lapsed into silence on the
subject of Siddiqui. Though the AL turned up in thousands to greet Siddiqui
at the airport, the AL leader was conspicuously missing.
So is Sheikh Rehana's return simply coincidence? Or is it another in
a series of moves designed to weaken the AL leader? The answer may lie in the
AL's maneuverings of the past. After Ziaur Rahman's taking over of power, the
leaderless AL [note: In addition to Mujib's slaying, four of its seniormost
leaders had been killed in the imfamous 'jail killings'] broke into three
factions. At the Feb 1st, 81 first council of the AL, two of these factions
became clear. One was led by Malik Ukil & Abdur Razzak, the other by Abdul
Mannan & Kamal Hossain. At this point, Dr. Hossain proposed Sheikh Hasina
as chairperson. She was elected unopposed. Hasina returned on the 17th of May
to bangladesh to take over the leadership.
From 1987 onwards, Hasina openly clashed with the senior leaders
of the party (esp. Mannan & Dr. Hossain). In the face of Hasina's obstinacy
on various issues, the senior officials of AL took various steps to weaken her
within the party. One official went to Bordhoman and informed Siddiqui of the
entire situation (according to reports). This same official went to London &
Brunei to meet with Seikh Rehana. Both of them were requested to return home.
Word of these efforts reached Hasina and she went to Brunei for 14
days to speak to her sister. Meanqhile Rehana's husband, Dr. Shofik Siddiqui
had already purchased an apartment in Dhaka at the encouragement of senior AL
leaders. Dr. Shofik is a supporter of later Sheikh Mujib but opposed to
Hasina. On 18 Dec, Hasina suddenly decided to go to Brunei again to head off
her sister's return. But her move turned out not to be quick enough. Her
sister is now back in the country, and once she has returned, it will be very
difficult for Hasina to force her to leave.
It seems inevitable that, Rehana will also, like Kader Siddiqui, announce
political ambitions. The stage is now set for a power struggle between the
senior leaders who profess that they want to end Hasina's dictatorial control
over the party, and Hasina herself. Both Hasina's sister and freedom fighter
Kader Siddiqui are likely to be used as pawns in this intrigue.
[Original article in Bengali written by Sharmin Akhtar]
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