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NDTV
05-08-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Bangladesh Grapples With Fraught Politics A Year After Ex-PM Hasina Fled
Dhaka: Bangladesh marks on Tuesday a year since long-serving former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled the South Asian Islamic nation following student-led protests, but it is still grappling with instability. Here are key tasks ahead for the country of 173 million governed by the interim administration of Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus. Deadly July Protests Led by the 'Students Against Discrimination' group, they initially targeted a quota system in public sector jobs but escalated into deadly unrest as protesters, demanding Hasina's resignation, clashed with security forces and supporters of her Awami League party. Protesters blamed the government for a crackdown that killed hundreds and injured thousands with unrest peaking on August 5 when Hasina was forced to flee to neighbouring India just before protesters raided her official residence. Yunus Takes Charge An interim government was formed and tasked with restoring stability and preparing for parliamentary elections. Yunus, 85, took charge as de facto prime minister. It promised sweeping institutional reforms but progress has been slow and fragmented, despite broad consensus on key reforms such as restoring a non-partisan caretaker government to oversee elections, depoliticising state institutions and overhauling the Election Commission. But deeper reforms have stalled in the face of sharp disagreements with political parties over proposals for constitutional change, judicial reform and introduction of a bicameral parliament. Political analysts point to a widening gap between public expectations and outcomes. Election, Includion And Contention Yunus' government is caught between the need for reform and pressure for early elections, its biggest challenge. Yunus has suggested February 2026 as a possible date after the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia called for a December 2025 deadline. Further strain has been added by the controversy over the exclusion of Hasina's Awami League party, after its registration was suspended, effectively barring it from contesting. Many want it to participate, despite its top leadership being prosecuted for alleged violations of human rights during the protests. Without broad political inclusion, the legitimacy of a vote could be suspect. The newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP), born out of the 2024 protests, is viewed by critics as being favoured by Yunus' administration, which the government denies. But the suspicion could also cloud the credibility of the vote. Changed Political Culture, But Fragile Gains Law enforcement remains a challenge, though analysts say freedom of expression has expanded since Hasina's exit while suspected forced disappearances during her tenure appear to have stopped. Political violence, mob attacks and harassment of journalists and minorities, especially women, are regularly reported. Mob violence claimed at least 199 lives between August 2024 and July 2025, says rights group Ain o Salish Kendra. New York-based Human Rights Watch warns that while some authoritarian practices have ended, the interim government has adopted troubling tactics of its own. Among these arbitrary detentions, mass arrests, and politically motivated prosecutions mostly targeted at supporters of Hasina's party, the group said. Torture in custody and use of the Special Powers Act continue, mirroring repressive tactics of the past, HRW said. The government denies the charges. July Declaration A charter, called the 'July Declaration' after last year's uprising, is set to be unveiled on Tuesday, laying out a roadmap for democratic reforms. Drafted by the government in consultation with political and student leaders, it aims to commit to electoral reform, constitutional changes, and institutional accountability. It is seen as both a symbolic tribute and a strategic blueprint for Bangladesh's political transition. But critics warn it could remain merely symbolic without legal safeguards and broad parliamentary consensus to help drive major change.
The Star
05-08-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Factbox-Bangladesh grapples with fraught politics a year after former PM Hasina fled
DHAKA (Reuters) -Bangladesh marks on Tuesday a year since long-serving former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled the South Asian Islamic nation following student-led protests, but it is still grappling with instability. Here are key tasks ahead for the country of 173 million governed by the interim administration of Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus. DEADLY JULY PROTESTS Led by the 'Students Against Discrimination' group, they initially targeted a quota system in public sector jobs but escalated into deadly unrest as protesters, demanding Hasina's resignation, clashed with security forces and supporters of her Awami League party. Protesters blamed the government for a crackdown that killed hundreds and injured thousands with unrest peaking on August 5 when Hasina was forced to flee to neighbouring India just before protesters stormed her official residence. YUNUS TAKES CHARGE An interim government was formed and tasked with restoring stability and preparing for parliamentary elections. Yunus, 85, took charge as de facto prime minister. It promised sweeping institutional reforms but progress has been slow and fragmented, despite broad consensus on key reforms such as restoring a non-partisan caretaker government to oversee elections, depoliticising state institutions and overhauling the Election Commission. But deeper reforms have stalled in the face of sharp disagreements with political parties over proposals for constitutional change, judicial reform and introduction of a bicameral parliament. Political analysts point to a widening gap between public expectations and outcomes. ELECTION, INCLUSION AND CONTENTION Yunus' government is caught between the need for reform and pressure for early elections, its biggest challenge. Yunus has suggested February 2026 as a possible date after the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia called for a December 2025 deadline. Further strain has been added by the controversy over the exclusion of Hasina's Awami League party, after its registration was suspended, effectively barring it from contesting. Many want it to participate, despite its top leadership being prosecuted for alleged violations of human rights during the protests. Without broad political inclusion, the legitimacy of a vote could be suspect. The newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP), born out of the 2024 protests, is viewed by critics as being favoured by Yunus' administration, which the government denies. But the suspicion could also cloud the credibility of the vote. CHANGED POLITICAL CULTURE, BUT FRAGILE GAINS Law enforcement remains a challenge, though analysts say freedom of expression has expanded since Hasina's exit while suspected forced disappearances during her tenure appear to have stopped. Political violence, mob attacks and harassment of journalists and minorities, especially women, are regularly reported. Mob violence claimed at least 199 lives between August 2024 and July 2025, says rights group Ain o Salish Kendra. New York-based Human Rights Watch warns that while some authoritarian practices have ended, the interim government has adopted troubling tactics of its own. Among these arbitrary detentions, mass arrests, and politically motivated prosecutions mostly targeted at supporters of Hasina's party, the group said. Torture in custody and use of the Special Powers Act continue, mirroring repressive tactics of the past, HRW said. The government denies the charges. JULY DECLARATION A charter, called the 'July Declaration' after last year's uprising, is set to be unveiled on Tuesday, laying out a roadmap for democratic reforms. Drafted by the government in consultation with political and student leaders, it aims to commit to electoral reform, constitutional changes, and institutional accountability. It is seen as both a symbolic tribute and a strategic blueprint for Bangladesh's political transition. But critics warn it could remain merely symbolic without legal safeguards and broad parliamentary consensus to help drive major change. (Reporting by Dhaka bureau; Editing by Sudipto Ganguly and Clarence Fernandez)
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First Post
02-08-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Bangladesh interim govt to unveil ‘July declaration' on first anniversary of Hasina's ouster
The Bangladesh interim government of Muhammad Yunus on Saturday said it would unveil on August 5 the 'July Declaration', coinciding with the first anniversary of the ouster of then prime minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League regime. read more The interim government in Bangladesh, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, announced that it will formally present the much-anticipated 'July Declaration' on August 5, exactly one year after the fall of Sheikh Hasina's Awami League government. In a statement issued Saturday, Yunus's press team said the final draft of the declaration is ready and will be unveiled in front of representatives from all factions that supported last year's mass protests. 'The interim government has finalised the draft of the July Declaration. It will be presented on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, before the nation in the presence of all parties in favour of the mass upheaval,' the statement read. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The declaration seeks to give constitutional legitimacy to the youth-led movement that erupted in July-August 2024, ultimately forcing Hasina to flee the country. The Students Against Discrimination (SAD), a group that played a central role in the uprising, had long demanded formal recognition of the movement's political significance. More from World Rising Islamist nexus in Bangladesh should ring alarm bells in Delhi Information adviser Mahfuj Alam, whom Yunus earlier called the 'main brain' or the mastermind of what is dubbed the July uprising, meanwhile, said the much-anticipated July Declaration was now a 'reality'. 'It will be announced on August 5. I thank everyone for keeping this issue alive in the public conscience and helping pave the way for its implementation,' said Alam, who was one of the top leaders of Students Against Discrimination (SAD). The SAD led last year's violent campaign that eventually toppled the Awami League regime, prompting Hasina to flee the country on August 5, 2024. However, the idea for the July Declaration arose to SAD leaders by the end of December last year. A leading SAD figure, Hasnat Abdullah, now a top leader of the National Citizen Party (NCP), an offshoot of the SAD that emerged in February this year visibly with Yunus's blessings, on December 28 last year announced a 'declaration of the July Revolution' would be declared in the capital on December 31. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In the subsequent days, SAD leaders put in their efforts to popularise terms such as 'Second Republic' through the July Declaration. They planned a grand rally to announce the 'proclamation' to 'bury' Bangladesh's 1972 'Mujibist Constitution', and declare the Awami League 'irrelevant', sparking political tensions and speculations. Yunus's government initially preferred to distance itself from the move, calling it a 'private initiative', but in a surprise announcement later said the government itself would prepare the 'proclamation of July uprising' incorporating views of the SAD, all participating students, political parties and stakeholders. The proponents of the declaration say it is aimed at 'unifying the nation around last year's core values of anti-fascism, democratic resurgence, and state reform' but it sparked debate among political parties – not only over its content alone but also over whether it should be granted constitutional status. Former prime minister Khaleda Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said there was no scope to bring any change in the political process outside parliament, which does not exist in the country. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'There is no scope for constitutional amendments outside it (parliament),' he said at a party rally in the capital. The senior BNP leader said discussions regarding constitutional amendment were still underway but if any amendments were to be made to the constitution, they must be done through parliament. Legal experts said the existence of Bangladesh would be at stake if 1972 constitution is scrapped, as demanded by the SAD earlier. With inputs from agencies
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First Post
24-07-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Bangladesh: Former chief justice Khairul Haque detained in sedition, forgery cases
Bangladesh's former chief justice ABM Khairul Haque was detained here on Thursday in connection with three criminal cases including a sedition charge. read more Bangladesh's former chief justice ABM Khairul Haque was taken into custody on Thursday in connection with three criminal cases including one involving sedition, according to officials. Haque, who held the position of the country's 19th chief justice between 2010 and 2011, is widely known for delivering key judgments including the 2011 decision that deemed the nation's nonpartisan caretaker government system unconstitutional. The 81-year-old was detained from his residence in Dhaka's Dhanmondi neighbourhood by officers from the detective branch, Dhaka Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner Talebur Rahman told the media. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Haque faces charges in three separate cases. Legal proceedings are in motion,' Rahman stated, adding that he is expected to be formally shown as arrested in at least one of the cases before being presented in court. The cases against him were filed by different lawyers in August 2024, shortly after the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League government was ousted in a violent street movement led by the Students Against Discrimination (SAD) on August 5. At the time, Haque was serving as the chairman of the Law Commission, a post he resigned from on August 13. The first case, filed in Dhaka, accused him of fraud and forgery in allegedly altering the judgment annulling the 13th constitutional amendment related to the caretaker system. A week later an identical case was filed against him in river port town of Narayanganj, on the outskirts of the capital, over the same issue and in the same month, another case was filed in Dhaka by another lawyer over his alleged corrupt practices, illegal and fraudulent judgments. Haque had authored the lead judgment that declared the caretaker government system in 2011 as 'illegal,' calling the system contrary to the spirit of the constitution. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The initial verdict, however, suggested the next two subsequent elections could be held under caretaker governments while a number of leading Bangladeshi jurists strongly argued for retaining the system for the sake of the country's nascent democracy. The verdict passed narrowly, with three of the seven apex court judges dissenting and three concurring, leaving Haque with the casting vote. Legal experts and political commentators later criticised the ruling, arguing that it undermined democratic safeguards and paved the way for Hasina to retain power without a neutral electoral mechanism. Several analysts said the verdict gave Hasina a political weapon to cling to power as the end of the caretaker system meant an end to the mechanism of checks and balances, which ensured free and fair elections in 1991, 1996, 2001 and 2008. With inputs from agencies
The Print
09-06-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Ex-prez Hamid returns to Bangladesh after medical treatment abroad: Reports
Hamid's departure for Thailand on May 8 prompted a protest by the student group Students Against Discrimination (SAD) as he was allowed to leave the country despite being accused in a murder case. The 81-year-old, who served two terms as president during deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League regime, arrived at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 1:45 am, news portal Prothom Alo reported. Dhaka, Jun 9 (PTI) Bangladesh's former president Abdul Hamid returned to the country on Monday after receiving medical treatment abroad, according to media reports. Upon his arrival, Hamid was accompanied by his son and brother-in-law, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported. He was brought down from the aircraft in a wheelchair, the report said, quoting airport authorities. Earlier, Bangladeshi authorities promised punitive actions against officials who let the former head of state leave the country. Authorities also suspended two police officers and withdrew another from his assignment in airport immigration on charges of 'negligence of duty'. PTI GRS GRS GRS This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
