Dhaka: Bangladesh confronted an upheaval this 12 months with the ouster of long-time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a improvement that additionally solid a shadow over its historically sturdy ties with India. The relations may very well be strained additional: Bangladesh now seeks her extradition from India.
The removing of 77-year-old Hasina adopted weeks of protests led by college students over a controversial quota system in authorities jobs that escalated right into a nationwide marketing campaign calling for the top of her 16-year regime.
In August, tens of hundreds rallied towards what they perceived as political repression. The navy opted to not use deadly power towards the protestors whereas Hasina hurriedly left Bangladesh for India – simply months after she had secured her fourth straight time period as prime minister.
The anti-government protests resulted within the deaths of greater than 1,500 folks, together with college students, in confrontations between protestors and safety forces, in response to officers.
The 84-year-old Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who had been in a protracted row with the Hasina authorities, was favoured by the coed protestors to steer the interim authorities.
The relations between India and Bangladesh got here underneath pressure after the interim authorities headed by Yunus got here to energy on August 8.
There was a spate of assaults on minorities, together with Hindus, in Bangladesh in the previous few months. The arrest of a Hindu monk on sedition expenses additional added to India’s issues, which Overseas Secretary Vikram Misri conveyed to Dhaka when he travelled there earlier this month.
His journey was the primary high-level go to by an Indian official to Bangladesh since Hasina’s ouster.
“The Indian international secretary’s go to gave a sign that New Delhi is eager to take care of a standard relationship with Bangladesh accepting the modified actuality,” mentioned former diplomat Humayun Kabir, the pinnacle of the think-tank Bangladesh Enterprises Institute (BEI). He was apparently referring to India’s shut ties with the Hasina authorities.
In current weeks, Hasina has accused the Yunus-led administration of perpetrating “genocide” and failing to guard minorities, particularly Hindus.
The interim authorities has responded with a observe verbale, or diplomatic communication, to New Delhi in search of her extradition.
Bangladesh Worldwide Crimes Tribunal has issued arrest warrants for Hasina and her former Cupboard ministers, advisers, and navy and civil officers for “crimes towards humanity and genocide”.
The interim authorities has claimed that round 3,500 residents suffered from enforced disappearances all through Hasina’s tenure. Greater than 200 circumstances, together with that of homicide, have been filed towards Hasina since her ouster.
The destiny of Hasina’s as soon as omnipotent Awami League hangs within the steadiness as the coed leaders need it stored out of the following election, labelling the get together “fascist.” This, analysts say, might need implications on holding a reputable ballot with the participation of solely two main teams, the Bangladesh Nationalist Social gathering and the far-right Jamaat-i-Islami whose controversial historical past courting again to the 1971 Liberation Battle stays deeply embedded within the public consciousness.
“It’s but a bit tough to imagine what would be the state of affairs in the course of the subsequent election, by way of participation of main events,” mentioned Kabir, who beforehand served in India as a deputy excessive commissioner and later ambassador to the US.
With many Awami League leaders and activists imprisoned or in hiding, it stays unsure how the get together will perform its political actions.
In his Victory Day speech, Yunus made no point out of the founding chief and Hasina’s father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on the day that marks the Liberation of Bangladesh — and the give up of almost a lakh Pakistani troopers to Indian forces.
Bangladesh has began the method of erasing the picture of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from its foreign money notes because it phases out the outdated notes.
As an alternative, there can be pictures of non secular buildings, Bengali traditions and the July rebellion on new notes.
In keeping with the central financial institution, banknotes of Taka 20, 100, 500, and 1,000 are being printed on the directions of the interim authorities.
The interim authorities additionally cancelled a nationwide vacation on August 15, marking the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The interim authorities is but to announce a roadmap for the overall election. However within the Victory Day speech, Yunus mentioned it might happen on the finish of 2025 or the primary half of 2026.
“It seems that the interim authorities needs to linger its tenure to perform the reforms in several sectors,” political commentator and Nationwide Election Statement Parishad president Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah mentioned.
The Awami League regime for years claimed Bangladesh as a task mannequin for improvement with its regular financial progress. Within the decade earlier than the Covid pandemic the nation’s financial system grew by 7 per cent yearly.
The narrative, nevertheless, is now being questioned with a white paper by a state-appointed committee earlier this month that mentioned the event story was largely “overvalued” and underpinned by “cooked-up” GDP figures.
The Asian Improvement Financial institution in December slashed its progress forecast for the nation, whereas the World Financial institution mentioned half of all non-poor rural households have been prone to falling again into poverty.
The interim authorities made main reshuffles in forms, police administration and different state-run organisations by arresting, eradicating or sidelining folks believed to be near the ousted regime.
In 2025, the interim authorities faces the duty of restoring political and financial stability forward of the following elections.
