By Alina Fayaz

In a very sensational and for the first time, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has escaped Bangladesh in a very critical political situation. The 76-year-old leader who had been in power for over 15 years stepped down after weeks of demonstrations and increasing use of force. The resignation, declared by the Army Chief General Wakeruz Zaman, is a turning point in Bangladesh’s political history and the country is still struggling with instability.

The protests started in early July by students who called for the scrapping of a sensitive quota system for civil service positions. This quota system which provided a large number of government jobs for the descendants of war veterans was criticized for denying opportunities to many young people of Bangladesh. Eventually, this evolved into a protest against this system and quickly turned into an anti-government protest due to dissatisfaction with the rule of Sheikh Hasina.

The protests soon extended from Dhaka to other regions of the country due to other reasons such as corruption, human rights violation, and autocratic rule. It got worse when protesters engaged the police in disputes that resulted the use of force. It is stated that more than 300 people have been killed and 94 of them were killed in one day when the violence was at its highest. The government’s actions such as cutting the internet and implementing a curfew across the country did not help to calm the situation but rather escalated the situation.

The last nail in the coffin was when thousands of protesters attacked the official residence of Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka and vandalized it and reportedly even plundered the place. In a dramatic move, Hasina fled the country by helicopter, to India. She has fled the country under the pretext of military intervention leaving the nation of Bangladesh in disarray.

After Hasina’s resignation, General Wakeruz Zaman declared the formation of an interim government. This move is meant to bring law and order and to supervise a return to civilian rule. While some have welcomed the military’s intervention as a means to restore order in the country, others are worried about the prospects of democracy in Bangladesh. The military has always been involved in politics in Bangladesh, which is a tradition inherited from previous governments, and this makes one wonder whether the country will experience more instability and the future of democracy in the nation.

The reactions of the international community to the crisis have been as follows. The United Nations has appealed to the parties to remain calm and refrain from violence and has encouraged people to protest peacefully and negotiate. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also called for an open inquiry into recent acts of violence. The European Union and the United States have also supported this call, stressing the need to restore civilian rule and respect for the principles of democracy.

In the UK, the office of the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer condemned the violence and loss of life during the protests. At the same time, in Whitechapel, a district in London where a large number of Bangladeshi people live, people rejoiced because many saw Hasina’s resignation as a triumph of democracy.
Germany’s foreign ministry and Sri Lanka’s foreign minister have also expressed their desire for a quick restoration of order and democracy. On the other hand, two important actors of the region, Russia and India, have not made any official statement regarding the current events. India, which has been supporting Hasina’s government, has put out a ‘high alert’ along the border it shares with Bangladesh which is over 4,000 km long.

Sheikh Hasina’s absence means the closing of a rather questionable chapter in the country’s political history. Although her term in office was characterized by high economic growth rate and massive infrastructure projects, her administration was also associated with authoritarianism, corruption, and human rights abuses. Her critics accused the government of using force to suppress the opposition and students’ protests as signs of her growing autocratic tendencies.
The demonstrations that started over the civil service job quota system exposed other grievances with Hasina’s regime. The quota system, though reduced by the Supreme Court, remained a cause of protest due to the dissatisfaction with inflation, poor economic policies, and perceived diminishing of democratic rights. It revealed the social problems that existed in the country such as political oppression and economic disparity.

The current issues that Bangladesh has to face during this volatile transformation are the violence and the protection of the minority. The new government headed by General Zaman has a challenging task to bring the nation back to order, organize free and fair elections, and meet the protesters’ demands for change.

Changes in the geopolitical map of the world expose the dynamics of the international relations and the recent dramatic change in the relations between India and Bangladesh is a perfect example of this rule. It may be recalled that only two months back, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was given a red-carpet welcome in New Delhi, marking the beginning of a phase of strong bilateral relations. Today, however, the scene has changed dramatically. Hasina is confined to a base on the outskirts of Delhi, a sign of the escalating crisis in Dhaka after the January 2024 polls. Such a contrast clearly shows that there are no simple relations at work here and that the situation is much more nuanced. India’s response has been quite cautious, with a late statement that underlined the gravity of the situation. As tensions and polarization escalate within Bangladesh, the issues confronting New Delhi are multifaceted: the rights of the minorities, the situation of the Indians in Bangladesh, and issues of border security. India now has a strategic partner in a vulnerable position and the task before it is to adapt to this situation and reassess its position in the region.

The future of Bangladesh is still ambiguous as the country is at the crossroad. The measures that the interim government and the international actors will take will define whether this period of instability will result in positive change or more conflict. The international community’s involvement in the crisis is going to be critical in determining the future of Bangladesh and whether the country will be able to achieve a peaceful and democratic transition.

To sum up, the resignation of Sheikh Hasina and her departure have left Bangladesh in a state of uncertainty. The political situation in the country is rather unpredictable now, and the interim government has become responsible for the stabilization of the situation and the preparation for the transition to democracy. Thus, the future course for Bangladesh will depend on the performance of the country’s leaders and the global community in managing this period and addressing the factors that have led to the current unrest.

AUTHOR’S BIO: Alina Fayaz is a student of International Relations at Beaconhouse International College Islamabad, pursuing her degree alongside working as a writer, research, analysts and host at certain platforms

*Opinions expressed in this article are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of The South Asia Times