The Awami League chief and former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was arrested on grounds of extortion. In this case also the complainants have been direct beneficiaries of the powerful patronage of the benefactor(s). In the same logical sequence the complainant beneficiaries must have derived huge financial/material benefits from the alleged underhand deal(s). Sheikh Hasina and the other imputed accomplices are now behind the bars. The Investigation Officer(s) concerned is (are) looking introspectively into the allegations and is (are) expected to place his (their) reports/findings for due legal process to commence in the special court.

Although the complaint against Sheikh Hasina was reportedly lodged much earlier than the present emergency rule the case against her is likely to be tried in accordance with the provisions in the laws governing such rule. The Home Ministry was reported to have solicited the sanction of the court for transferring the case to the purview of emergency laws. Hasina's lawyers making comments on such a stance of the prosecution thought it untenable. They would prefer an appeal in the shape of a writ with the Appellate Division. Their most urgent objective is to get Hasina released on bail.

'The law will take its own course' so observed the Law Adviser Barrister Moinul Husein. Let it, and meantime, Awami League workers across the world are raising their voices against the arrest of their leader. Some leaders of the EC countries in England and Germany have expressed their resentment and even questioned the validity of her arrest. The general thinking has been that complaint against her could be properly investigated into even without taking her in custody. A leader of her stature, it has been contended, would not flee the country or go underground to evade arrest and legal punishment like ordinary offenders.

In the present situation it cannot be ruled out that the slowly brewing up commotion over the incidence may consolidate into a crisis. That will be very unfortunate and undesirable to say the least. The remark alluded to a leader of the European Community finding a weird semblance of the present state of affairs in the country with the existing rule in Pakistan sounds preposterous. It somehow coincides with a similar remark by one responsible person favouring Pakistani type of governance. To me all these are mere wishful thinking having nothing to do with the arrests of the political leaders.

A literal ecstasy pervading the bases of the two major political parties viz, Awami League and BNP, over reforms is gradually dying down. In this, the level of enthusiasm in BNP has been quite hectic where a turmoil has also set in on the wry remarks of the Chairperson Khaleda Zia made in her tele-conference with her supporters abroad. She was reported to have questioned the bonafide of the reformist part of the party led by the Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan.

With Awami League discussion on reform was yet to be on full party basis. Three of the presidium members namely, Abdur Razzaque, Tofail Ahmed and Suranjit Sengupta individually spoke to the press on their personal appreciation of the reform proposition. A leader like Motia Chowdhury contesting the approach of this trio came in an intellectual clash. However, Sheikh Hasina's sudden arrest and the decision taken by the acting president of the party Zillur Rahman have suspended all reform-related activities until Sheikh Hasina came back from jail.

Advocate Abdul Matin Khasru met Sheikh Hasina on July 20, 2007 in the sub-jail at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. According to him the Awami League Chief was very critical about the 'uncouth' manner of taking her into custody. She was also reported to have expressed doubt about a fair deal by the court. She thought that the whole process of the prosecution was a deliberate act on the part of some vested interest in the present government. The objective of such an 'intrigue' was, in her words, 'to debar her from contesting in next general election'. The nation is yet to have a definite corroboration of such a statement.

It was very unusual that Begum Khaleda Zia also made a public statement in favour of Hasina's release. The press release in her name sounded critical about the action taken by the government. Yet all her sympathies for Sheikh Hasina lost the desired pull because of her citing the bitter relationship over the past several years. Even though the acting chief of Awami League appreciated Khaleda's statement as befitting of a political leader of her stature, there have been many who took such stance for no better than a mere political stunt.

'Big business' has been an oft quoted connotation in the Western world, chiefly the United States, Great Britain and some of the European countries having democratically elected government. The term has been in vogue for over one century now commencing its ominous advent in the last part of nineteenth century in America. It stands for the big and mighty role played by the business community towards fund raising for their respective political parties. For long, their role has been confined mostly to the Republican and the Democratic parties who have been in power almost by rotation.

Raising funds for the political parties is not forbidden. It has rather some sort of limitation proscribed by law and must be, by all means, absolutely transparent and duly accounted for. Such party funds raised from the business community are usually voluntary contributions, not in any manner received through coercive methods, threats or under duress. There the ultimate beneficiary is the political party alone. All expenditures are subjected to regular audit and taxes payable on this account go to the national exchequer without much ado. Extortion is a term never heard of in these cases. The benefactor-businessmen comprising the 'Big Businessmen' wouldn't normally ask for any undue favour from the government.

Raising of funds for respective parties cannot be considered illegal if done within a duly authenticated legal frame-work. The deals must be very open and transparent and the contributions made by any section of the business community must also be free from tax liabilities of the contributors. In any case, such fund collection should be absolutely voluntary and without coercion. The intriguing term 'extortion' must now be consigned to the dead past once for all.

In the logical sequence party finds will have to be subjected to regular audit, their sources free from all encumbrances and all expenses pre-audited to be transparent. Only authorised person(s) will receive contributions to be deposited with the party account forthwith. This should also form an integral part of the reform of all the political parties worth their names. There must be a reasonable balance of the support dispensation between the benefactor business community and the beneficiary party concerned. A fair deal to every body will have to be ensured to evade corrupt practices. It is, however, premature to say if the allegation of 'extortion' against Awami League chief could be eventually treated within the ambit of the spelt out principles above.

Kazi Alauddin Ahmed is a management consultant.