Amending the Constitution requires political governance

ZI Khan Panna is a veteran freedom fighter and senior lawyer. He serves as the chairman of the legal aid organization "Ain o Salish Kendra." His strong stance in various movements, struggles, and popular uprisings in Bangladesh is noteworthy. He played a direct role in the student-led uprising of 2024. In an interview with "Views Bangladesh," he discussed the activities of the interim government, the state system, and the students' uprising. The interview was conducted by Hasan Shahadat Touhid.

Views Bangladesh: In 2024, the interim government refers to the student-led uprising as a 'second liberation'. How do you view this?
ZI Khan Panna: They sometimes call it a student-led uprising and at other times a student army uprising. Their statements lack consistency. This is indeed killing—there's no doubt about that—but it's nothing compared to 1971. Nothing of this magnitude has happened since then.

Views Bangladesh: It started with the quota reform movement, then one-point demand. Is this part of their strategy?
ZI Khan Panna: This could be their good strategy. I can't say what their target is. What I see is that with an unelected government in place, the youth coming out to protest—did anyone know them? Did any political party recognize them? No. Why did the people of Bangladesh respond to their call? This movement that has happened should have been led by a political party. Neither the BNP, nor Jamaat, nor the Awami League understood where the nut of the younger generation lies.

I have been directly involved in every movement. I was also involved in this one to some extent. I have stated that, as a freedom fighter, I am against quotas. I did not fight for certificates, licenses, permits, or any benefits. I fought for the independence of Bangladesh, for it to no longer be a colony of Pakistan, but to be fully independent. That is what we all fought for. Our freedom did not come suddenly in 1952, nor in 1954, nor in 1969. It came in 1971.

New Interim Government's Chief Adviser Swearing In । Photo: Presidential Press Wing

Views Bangladesh: Where is Bangladesh heading?
ZI Khan Panna: Historically, two sides benefit from chaos: the leftists and the fundamentalists. This is a everlasting truth. Revolutions from the left or the rise of fundamentalists often start from disorder. I’m not saying which one will benefit this time. In any case, a government is coming in. I believe its fundamental responsibility is to create a level playing field as quickly as possible and to hand over power through free, fair, and impartial elections, regardless of who comes to power. A government is entering a state of chaos. What outline will this government provide?

As long as this government’s legitimacy is in question—I'm talking about legitimacy because, if we take "People's Wins People's Party," otherwise there is no legitimacy. Who gave it legitimacy? Someone has to formally grant it. Did the president give it? Does he have the authority to chose? Then who appointed Dr. Yunus? My question is, I don’t know who did. They might say something bogus like the people gave it, or the students did. But how many percent of the students are we talking about?

And there are such students, the six coordinators who were in the hotel of Harun, sitting there and writing statements that they withdrew, right? In that context, we lawyers initiated some movements. We filed cases. We too have been jailed and have endured torture. Yet, we couldn’t secure a single signature anywhere. That attitude wasn’t ours. Anyway, changing the Constitution does not benefit them. Changes need to be made in the law. Yes, there are certain areas in the Constitution that need amendment; however, amending the Constitution without a political government would not be appropriate.

Views Bangladesh: There’s a lot of discussion about the role of the police.
ZI Khan Panna: We need to restore the confidence of the police. Just changing their uniforms isn’t enough. The laws you’re teaching them are those meant to control the British sepoy rebellion. You need to motivate them by saying this is an independent country, and your duty is not to beat people, but to protect the public. If you motivate them this way, they will indeed change. Changing the uniform won’t make a difference. I’ve seen police wearing shorts during the British and Pakistani eras, walking around with sticks.

Now, the uniform has changed, but they are shooting. There are laws regarding the use of firearms; there must be a magistrate present to give orders, and a red flag must be raised to indicate that no one should advance further, etc. Instead, they shoot indiscriminately at people like Abu Saeed, who is simply showing something from afar. That’s fighting against unarmed individuals. That’s unjust. The police laws, penal code, and criminal laws were created in the context of the sepoy rebellion. If I don’t change those laws and just change the police uniform, what sense does that make?

Views Bangladesh: There are mutual disagreements among the political parties in India, but they all agree on Sheikh Hasina. What’s the reason for that?
ZI Khan Panna: This is an internal matter of India. Is Sheikh Hasina holding public meetings going there? Is she appealing to the people, saying, “They did this to me, they did that”? India has a certain softness towards Bangladesh because they sheltered one crore people during the war in 1971. They opened the border in a very difficult situation, while Myanmar did not. Moreover, we used to be part of a larger India that included India, Pakistan, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. There’s an subconscious connection to everyone. If Russia were to attack India, wouldn’t I be concerned? If people in Kolkata die in an earthquake, wouldn’t I feel sorry?

After Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation, victory procession at Shahbagh in Dhaka । Photo: wikipedia

Views Bangladesh: Many say that India's support for Bangladesh in 1971 was motivated by ulterior motives.
ZI Khan Panna: Those who say that are collaborators. What else can I say? Since Pakistan is India's enemy, and at that time we were also Pakistan’s enemy. That’s why "the enemy of my enemy is my best friend." This policy makes sense.

Views Bangladesh: India supported us in 1971, but the US also supported Pakistan—so that question arises as well.
ZI Khan Panna: Let me ask the question from another angle—during the war, whether it was one lakh, three lakh, or thirty lakh, the Pakistanis were committing atrocities in this country. That’s an undeniable truth. If that’s the case, then why didn’t America, China, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, or the Muslim countries of the Middle East intervene? Why didn’t they stop the killing of Muslims? At that time, over 88% of our population was Muslim. When did they recognize us? Only after August 15.

Views Bangladesh: There is often discussion about Bengali nationalism versus the nationalism of ethnic minorities. What is your perspective on this?
ZI Khan Panna: Bengali nationalism is for the Bengalis, not for the ethnic minorities. We should find common ground here. The Chakmas, Mongs, Boms, Garos, Manipuris, and Khasi people are all fighting for their rights. A Khasi individual was even the commander of the third largest freedom fighter group. We can have a universal nationalism, which could be Bangladeshi nationalism. Ziaur Rahman slightly modified it to promote Bangladeshi nationalism. This doesn’t mean I support Ziaur Rahman; I have to acknowledge that he did some good things. He fought in the war. If I say he didn’t fight, that would be a lie. He did some good things, but he also made some mistakes.

Victory cheers of students and people at the office of the Prime Minister । Photo: AFP

Views Bangladesh: Many are calling for a change in the national anthem for three reasons: first, the song was not composed about Bangladesh; second, none of Bangladesh’s citizens are the composers; and third, the music is copied.

ZI Khan Panna: Let’s assume Rabindranath Tagore is not Bangladeshi and that this song was written in the context of the Bengal Partition or is plagiarized. Should I then import a song from Saudi Arabia? Or from Pakistan—like “Paksar Zameen Sad Bad”? What should I do? Write a new song? The song that inspired me during the war and was part of the liberation struggle—what’s the problem with that now? Not everyone who participated in the Liberation War did so with full awareness. Some were dedicated, some were opportunists who thought they would win anyhow.

Views Bangladesh: What do you have to say about the destruction of shrines?
ZI Khan Panna: These are the Wahhabis who are destroying shrines—whose shrines are they destroying? Not Hindus', but the shrines of Muslims. They are demolishing the shrines of those who brought Sufism and the essence of Islam to this country. The Wahhabis were created by the British to fight against the Ottoman Empire, using Abdul Wahhab from Saudi Arabia. Their followers are starting this now. At one time, they even claimed they would destroy the Prophet's (PBUH) shrine. The British, however, advised against that, saying it would provoke all Muslims. The British were quite cunning and shrewd. That’s why they didn’t go to destroy anything in Medina. If you look into history, you will find that Yazid was a Muslim and he destroyed one-third of the Kaaba.

On the other hand, who set fire to Gazi Tyres and RFL? They say the owner of RFL is Ahmadiyya-Qadiani. So what was Jinnah? Jinnah was also Ahmadiyya. They say they are Muslims. After declaring themselves Muslim, do they have the right to attack me? Even if they don't claim to be Muslim, they have no right to harm anyone. They burned RFL to oust them. They set fire from outside while people were working inside the Gazi Tyres factory. We don't know how many people were burned inside. With so much media freedom, why hasn't this been reported? There is no emergency in the country now. Sheikh Hasina's tyranny is also not present. So whose tyranny is currently ongoing? Surely someone’s tyranny is at play. Otherwise, why wouldn’t it come to the media? Why can't I know that my country's assets have been burned? Then look at the situation of the workers in Ashulia. If these garment factories close down... I say, Sheikh Hasina has been able to escape, but these people won't find opportunities even if they go to the moon if anything happens to these factories. They won't be able to stay even on Mars.

Views Bangladesh: Is Bangladesh a secular country?
ZI Khan Panna: No, it's true that the majority is Muslim, but it’s not solely a Muslim country. The country is for the people; it doesn’t have to adhere to a specific religion. Let me say this: we understand halal and haram when it comes to food, but we don’t consider halal and haram in case of livelihood. We should be looking for halal and haram in our means of earning as well.