THE blood of the innocent bore fruit and Sheikh Hasina fled from Bangladesh to India. Now the question arises, what will be the outcome of Bangladesh’s revolution and Sheikh Hasina Wajid? A memory comes to mind. It must have been around 1991-92 when the martyred Benazir Bhutto established the SAARC Opposition Forum, inviting opposition leaders from all member countries to Karachi. Among them was V P Singh, who wore a Jinnah cap, came from India. A guest from Nepal was a member of the Communist Party. Mr. Anuradha came from Sri Lanka. There were a few other guests as well. Press Club invited them a day before the SAARC Opposition Conference. All the leaders mingled freely with journalists, chatting informally and enjoying tea here and there.

Except for one guest, whose face was painted with displeasure and whatever she said was dipped in venom. This was Sheikh Hasina Wajid. It seemed as if these neighbouring countries’ leaders had come for a friendly match, so they could engage in informal diplomacy for themselves and their countries. But Sheikh Hasina’s case was different. When Secretary of the Press Club invited her to speak with a pleasant smile, she got up from her chair with a sudden jerk and spoke in an unpleasant tone, saying, “I just want to say why Pakistan doesn’t return our assets.” The next day at the SAARC Opposition Conference, she said the same thing in the........

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