End of Hasina’s era

Bangladesh is in a meltdown. After days of bloodshed and turmoil, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has reportedly resigned, and left the country. There is an air of ambiguity all around, as none are sure whether it is a coup d’état or the beleaguered head of government has given into adversity that made her continuity in government next to impossible. Likewise, Army Chief Wakeruz Zaman who has taken over the reins of power and promised to usher in a political dispensation after talking to all stakeholders is not too clear on the ground realities as protesters are in a frenzy mood, and incidents of arson, loot and plunder are the order of the day.

Reports that the fallen leader had flown to India and was assisted by the military has opened a new Pandora’s box of what’s next. The ousted Awami League’s leadership and the cabinet is nowhere in sight, nor is there any word from the jailed opposition leader Khaleda Zia and her party, or from the Jamaat-e-Islami. Things are in a state of flux in Dhaka and in other metropolitans of the country, and scenes of vandalism wherein the statues of Founder Sheikh Mujibur Rehman are being pulled down are disturbing. For many it was a déjà vu feeling as Sri Lanka too recently went the same way as it defaulted and crumbled. This speaks of the deep-penetrated disgust over the four-term iron-rule of Hasina and the controversial quota system in government jobs, which led to violent upheavals.

The South Asian Muslim state is in a serious socio-economic dilemma, and months of political wrangling and lawlessness has pushed it to the brink. The prime concerns for the democrats in a politically-conscious country is whether it is heading towards a second military rule, or it is also going to experience a hybrid module of power vacuum. The streets are in absolute mayhem as more than 300 people have died, and the situation necessitates a political solution to the discord at hand. Gen. Zaman’s submission that he will speak to President Shahabuddin to “resolve the situation” is promising, and one hopes the military is not tempted to take a plunge in the corridors of power.