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There’s a famous Bengali proverb: “Struck by ghosts while living in peace.” It’s a striking phrase. Human desire is centered around happiness. But when one finally attains happiness, do they fall into ruin? Is that even possible? Does it ever really happen?
First, we must understand: what is happiness? Much research has been done on the subject. Many believe that happiness is found at the peak of fulfilling one’s desires. But renowned economist Abraham Maslow rejected that idea and proposed the theory of a five-tiered hierarchy of needs. He explained that as soon as one need is fulfilled, a higher-level need emerges an endless cycle. Thus, achieving one particular desire doesn’t necessarily mean attaining happiness.
Happiness is, at its core, a psychological state. It's a feeling emotional response. How satisfied a person is with what they receive to meet a specific need determines their happiness.
Let’s say a person can afford to buy a bicycle. If they regret not being able to buy a motorcycle, they will be unhappy. But if someone is content with what they can afford say, that same bicycle they may find peace and happiness. It’s hard to say who finds happiness in what. As poet Kazi Nazrul Islam said: “Some want laughter, some want love, some want sweet words. Some want tears, and some desire pain.”
So just as we cannot determine exactly what people want, we also cannot determine what brings them happiness. Human wants are diverse, and so are the reasons and ingredients for happiness. Whether people understand happiness or not, everyone desires it. Yet not everyone attains it. There’s longing, regret, and sighs surrounding the pursuit of happiness. Sometimes we search desperately for happiness, and when we finally find a little, we’re terrified of losing it.
Much has been debated about what happiness really is and why people ruin their peace. Yet, in reality, some people truly seem to invite trouble in times of peace.
Consider the current state of our country. After a people’s uprising, we emerged from the grip of autocracy. We overcame an unbearable period marked by abductions, murders, extrajudicial killings, looting, and lawlessness to reach a relatively stable state.
Now, as the current interim government takes steps to reform corrupt and dysfunctional state institutions, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has suddenly become vocal about elections. Whenever a national issue arises, BNP leaders from grassroots to top present elections as the ultimate solution. Their rhetoric repeatedly emphasizes that no state crisis can be resolved without elections.
But during the fascist regime, their stance was quite different. At that time, BNP leader Begum Khaleda Zia was imprisoned on corruption charges since 2018 and was denied even basic rights like medical care. After the fall of fascism, she was released.
In her absence, her son Tarique Rahman living in abroad for 17 years served as acting party chief and was labeled a "fugitive" during that time. Many senior BNP leaders were also imprisoned, convicted of crimes including corruption, terrorism, and murder though some claim those charges were politically motivated.
After the fall of the fascist regime, many of these individuals were released through legal processes and became active in politics again. A few examples:
- Lutfuzzaman Babar, former State Minister for Home Affairs and a powerful BNP leader, was sentenced to death in the August 21 grenade attack case, received life imprisonment and a second death sentence in the 10-truck arms case, and eight years for corruption. After serving 17 years, he was released from Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj on January 16, 2025.
- Abdus Salam Pintu, BNP vice-chairman and former State Minister for Education, was arrested in the same grenade attack case. He was released after 17 years on December 24, 2024.
- Zakir Khan, former Narayanganj district Chhatra Dal president, had 33 cases including four murder charges. After being on the run for two decades, he served two and a half years in jail and was released on April 13, 2025. He is now politically active again.
Additionally, since August 5, prominent figures like Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Habibun Nabi Khan Sohel, Sultan Salauddin Tuku, Mirza Abbas, Amanullah Aman, and many others have also been released.
From January 6, 2009, to August 8 cases against BNP leaders and workers have been withdrawn under the Ministries of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs and Home Affairs.
So, while BNP once spent their days running between courts instead of political activism, today they enjoy relative peace, freedom, and the ability to carry out programs. But they can’t seem to accept this. They want elections, power, and a political environment where no one can oppose them.
It truly seems as though they are "struck by ghosts while living in peace." Based on the activities of BNP over the past nine months, it’s unlikely they’ll win the support of intellectuals. Their actions mostly involved extortion and land grabbing no constructive outcomes are visible.
Perhaps, deep down, they wish to become like the Awami League. That’s why some now ask: “If they act like this before gaining power, what will they do once they have it?”
BNP has, in fact, destroyed its own image.
Given the circumstances, I urge BNP’s leaders to pause for now. Give the Yunus government some time. Help rebuild the ruins left by Hasina. The constant call for protests is not the path to peace.
You are already in peace stay that way. Not just BNP leaders and activists, but we, the ordinary people of this country, also want some peace, a little rest, a little happiness. We do not wish to see anyone struck by ghosts again.
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Author: Md Sajon Mia,
UK-Based Bangladeshi Journalist
The opinion of the columnist is solely his own.
