Senior government figures have said the government was forced to detain top leaders of the BNP because of the widespread violence that took place during the series of hartals calling for a caretaker government.
If this is truly the case, then the ruling party needs to do more than just point fingers and blame the opposition. The AL should practice what it preaches by extending anti-hartal statements some members have made in the past and pledging not to call hartals itself, whether it is in government or opposition, after the next election.
Only by making and holding to such a clear pledge can it expect the BNP to make an equivalent pledge. The present destructive cycle of hartals can only be stopped if both sides agree not to rely on them.
The costs incurred by the nation through these destructive activities are incalculable. Not only are lives lost, and people maimed, but our economy suffers as the business sector is pushed to the brink and educational institutions are forced to stay shut.
We must end the harmful climate of fear and uncertainty fostered by the prevailing hartal culture.
To show they care about the country, the parties must cease destructive activities and pledge to refrain from calling hartals in the future. Only by doing this can either of our parties have any claim to the moral high ground.
