After weeks of unrest and violent clashes in Bangladesh that resulted in Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fleeing to India, the internet is crackling with Bangladeshi celebrities voicing their jubilation – but they are not alone. Pakistani celebrities, too, have joined the fray and taken to social media to cheer on their Bangladeshi neighbours.
“This is how a nation is alive,” captioned actor and influencer Dananeer Mobeen on her IG Stories, posting her message on a screenshot of a news story announcing the PM’s resignation.
Lauding the latest development in the political turmoil in neighbouring Bangladesh, Mobeen also reposted the screenshot of a message by a separate user. “Protestors in Bangladesh have stormed the now FORMER Prime Minister’s residence,” wrote the user. “Her 15-year iron-clad rule collapsed like a house of cards in just a month, all thanks to the students of Bangladesh.”
Hailing from a country that has existed under the shadow of political turmoil since its inception, Pakistani figures of note could not help but register their empathy with the citizens of Bangladesh, who had been rebelling against the state for the past few weeks. A controversial quota of jobs in the public sector in Bangladesh had fuelled widespread anger, resulting in violent student-led clashes, nearly 300 fatalities, and the ultimate resignation of the Prime Minister after a contentious fifteen-year rule.
As well as Dananeer, other Pakistani celebrities posted similar celebratory messages on their social media. Taking to both Instagram and X for maximum reach, actor and director Khaled Anam posted his words of congratulations in both English and Urdu so that no one was left in doubt of his sentiments on the latest development.
“Salute and congratulations to the people of Bangladesh for their success against the war with tyranny and dictatorship,” wrote the Glassworker actor. May real democracy be restored “there” and “here”.
Wanting to make sure his messages were read far and wide, Anam also posted in Urdu. “Azadi Mubarak to Bangladesh,” wrote the actor [in Urdu]. “The rest of us can fill out their electricity bill, shabash!”
Meanwhile, director Nabeel Qureshi, too, added his own appreciative words as he lauded the power of a revolution and the will of the people engineering political change. Posting a collage of protesting Bangladeshi students and a photo of the former PM, the Na Baligh Afraad director penned, “That’s the power of students/ nation.”
Adding her voice to the list of public figures speaking up for the people of Bangladesh, VJ Anoushey Ashraf also took to her Instagram Stories to register her approval of the turn of events that led to the figurative toppling of the Prime Minister. Posting a screenshot of a news item bearing the headline ‘Bangladesh PM Hasina quits and flees as protestors storm palace’, Ashraf wrote, “How countries fight for their rights.”
Turmoil had been brewing in Dhaka for the past few weeks over job quotas in the public sector, which allocated a 30 per cent reservation for relatives of individuals who had fought in the 1971 war. What had started as peaceful student-led demonstrations escalated into violence, resulting in arrests, fatalities, a nationwide curfew, and internet shut-down. The unrest ended up proving to be the biggest threat so far to Hasina’s rule and ultimately led to her abrupt resignation. The trajectory of events that led to the end of the tenure of an unwanted ruler appears to have resonated with Pakistani celebrities, who hailed the power of the people to make it happen.
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