Anti-India or pro-Pakistan?
We know that in our country some political groups incessantly engage in blatant anti-Indian propaganda. We must be aware of the fact that “Anti-Indian political sentiment” can easily be translated into “Pro-Pakistan political sentiment”. Interestingly, the terms “Anti-Indian” and “Pro-Pakistan” often prove to be synonymous and we must try to investigate whether these political parties are actually “Anti-Indian” or “Pro-Pakistan”.
Let me clarify the issue even more specifically with some concrete examples. I think the leading Anti-Indian political party in Bangladesh is the Jamaat. Evidently, it's a “Pro-Pakistan” party, if we consider its apparent role of 1971. The BNP is another party which is popularly known for its consistent Anti-Indian propagandas and its persistent criticisms of its rival because of its rival's India-friendly policies. Interestingly, the BNP is currently a very close ally of a highly “Pro-Pakistan” party like the Jamaat.
The collective socio-political outlooks of these parties generally resemble the socio-political sentiments that characterize a religious fundamentalist nation like Pakistan. For instance, we know that anti-secularism, religious fundamentalism, religion-based politics, repression of ethnic minorities, patronization of religious extremism, are some of the most evident traits of an awfully fundamentalist nation like Pakistan. And it's not surprising that the “Anti-Indian” or “Pro-Pakistan” political parties of our country have often been characterized by these evil traits (both explicitly and implicitly). For example, we know that during the rule of the BNP-Jamaat regime, religious extremists got patronization from the government.
We frequently hear these anti-Indian political factions vehemently criticizing the government's India-friendly policies, as if they are the archrivals of India (like Pakistan). However, these parties seldom criticize Pakistan's shameless patronization of religious extremism and Pakistan's international lobbying against our initiatives to punish war criminals. We must always be cautious about the fact that many Anti-Indian sects in our country are actually “Pro-Pakistanis” in disguise. Their ultimate political aim is to transform this country into a mini-Pakistan.
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