Bangladesh unrest

Political victimisation, combined with economic stagnation and a harsh state response, leads to significant turmoil

After days of relative calm, unrest has again gripped Bangladesh as protesters are calling on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign. The new round of protests came after thousands of people heeded a call by six top members of the group which organised protests last month, to return to the streets. The government in Dhaka also banned the opposition Jamaat-i-Islami and imposed blanket restrictions on social media platforms, denying people the right to express themselves and share information. Hasina has ruled Bangladesh since 2009 and won her fourth consecutive election in January 2024 after a vote without genuine opposition. Last month’s protests had stayed mostly peaceful until police and pro-government student groups began attacking demonstrators.

The combination of an economic downturn and a feeling of political disenfranchisement have led to a highly volatile situation in Bangladesh, similar to the conditions In Pakistan. However, our economy is much more precarious than Bangladesh’s. Given the prevailing political polarisation and the fact that the economic growth has fallen short of the expectations of many in Bangladesh, widespread protests were inevitable. Hasina does not maintain the same grip on power as before the eruption of the protests in July. The government needs to do the right thing and create space for opposition parties to operate freely to retain any semblance of a democratic society. The valid demands of the demonstrators should be addressed, and the deaths of protesters should be thoroughly investigated with full transparency.

The troubling situation unfolding in Bangladesh should act as a cautionary tale for other South Asian countries. Political victimisation, combined with economic stagnation and a harsh state response, can lead to significant turmoil. It’s crucial for all political forces to be permitted to operate freely according to democratic principles, and for the state to approach economic hardships with compassion and transparency.