Bangladesh Army Proposes Rehabilitation of Refined Awami League in Bangladesh sans Sheikh Hasina

By New Age Islam Staff Writer 24 March 2025 Main Points · Student leader Hasnat Abdullah claims Army chief held talks with him over the return of Sheikh Hasina. · Army chief asked the student leader to accept Awami League return in politics. · Army chief warned that the students will be responsible for the outcome of their opposition. · Army proposed that second rung leaders of the Awami League will take charge. · Hasnat Abdullah opposed Army chief’s proposal. … On the night of 20th March, student leader Hasnat Abdullah created a flutter in Bangladesh by posting a statement on his Facebook claiming that on March 11 afternoon, he and his companions had held a meeting with army officers in cantonment (presumably with Army Chief Waqar-uz-Zaman) over the return of Sheikh Hasina to Bangladesh. Hasnat claimed that the army officer told him to accept the return of a 'refined Awami League' in Bangladesh politics. By a refined Awami League, he meant Awami League without Sheikh Hasina at its helm. The second rung leaders like Shirin Sharmin and Fazlur Rahman Tapas will lead the party and the party leadership will disown Sheikh Hasina. The army officer told him that a weak Awami League as opposition was a better political option and added that other opposition parties had agreed to the proposal. The army officer also warned Hasnat that if they opposed Hasina's return, only they will be responsible for the consequences. Hasnat replied how the country could accept Sheikh Hasina when she has not yet confessed to her crimes and has not asked for pardon. The army officer also said that the participation of the Awami League will facilitate an inclusive elections and therefore Sheikh Hasina must come back to which Hasnat retorted that with the Awami League in fray, no inclusive elections were possible and that the Awami League must be banned. This enraged the army officer and he said, "You know nothing, you lack wisdom and experience. We are here for the last forty years. “Hasnat said that Sheikh Hasina will only return on their dead bodies. After this the meeting ended abruptly and Hasnat left the cantonment with his colleagues. According to Hasnat, the army officer also said that he had accepted Dr Yunus as the head of the government reluctantly because he was a convicted person. How a convicted person can be the head of a democratic government, he had wondered. Hasnat Abdullah's post created a flutter in the political circles of Bangladesh and the students of Dhaka University came out in protest at night soon after the post. They said that Sheikh Hasina's chapter was closed and she would not be allowed to return. They said that it was a plan chalked out by India and the US and the army was being pitched against the people of Bangladesh. The next day, Islamic organisations including Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis staged a protest from Baitul Mokarram mosque. Other organisations also staged protests against the army's proposal. The Jamat Islami head Maulana Shafiqur Rahman also said Sheikh Hasina's chapter was closed after July last year and Awami League should be banned. Other student leaders like Naheed Islam said that people should be prepared for another battle. A section of the anti- Hasina and pro-Yunus lobby is now unhappy with Md Yunus for his reluctance to ban the Awami League. A couple of days ago, in a meeting with the International Crisis Group, Dr Yunus had said that the interim government had no plans to ban the Awami League. This has also caused anxiety among the students and other opposition parties. The students of Dhaka University protested against Dr Yunus' statement. The student leaders and the opposition have accused the Army Chief Waqaruzzaman of meddling in politics and supporting Sheikh Hasina. But some political analysts like Khondokar Ismail say that when the army danced to their tunes, assisted in the murder of Awami League leaders, allowed them to attack Sheikh Hasina's residence and Sheikh Mujib's house, they did not say the army was meddling in politics. When the army launched 'Operation Devil Hunt' and cracked down on Awami League leaders and cadre, they did not say that the army was taking sides. Now that the tables have been turned, they are accusing the army of interfering in politics. From Hasnat's post, it has become all the more evident that the army is prepared to bring back Sheikh Hasina to Bangladesh and is trying to create a conducive atmosphere by taking all the opposition parties into confidence. The opposition parties have realised that as long as Dr Yunus led government exists, the Pakistani lobby would not allow it to hold elections in Bangladesh and they will be out of power like the Awami League. And even if elections are held under the Yunus government, the elections will not be fair and transparent. Therefore, the BNP which had earlier thought that with Hssina's ouster, they will come to power, now want the old political set up to be restored and are ready to accept the Awami League as their opponents. In fact, a large section of the masses is in favour of Sheikh Hasina's return to Bangladesh as lawlessness, recurring violence, price rise and corruption of the student leaders have made them realise that the Yunus government has not been able to bring a positive change. Khondokar Ismail says that no Awami League or BNP leaders are in the Yunus government but Asif Mahmood and Mahfuz Alam, associated with the newly formed political party National Citizen Party are in the Yunus government. Therefore, free and fair elections are not possible under this unconstitutional government. It should be noted that Mahfuz Alam is the founder of Hizb-ut-Tahrir in Bangladesh. Khondokar Ismail further expresses the concern that the NCP, the Hizb-ut-Tahrir and other anti-Hasina groups may unleash violent protests against the return of Sheikh Hasina because they have accumulated arms and ammunition during the violent uprising in July and August. They attacked police stations and looted arms from there. Those arms and ammunition have not been recovered. They are in their possession. In the event of Sheikh Hasina's return, these groups and parties can start a civil war. Therefore, the student leaders and the leaders of militant groups should be remanded and the arms should be recovered. These leaders often warn of a civil war. This hints at their plans and intentions. The entire situation also brings out the dilemma of the Army Chief Waqaruzzaman. He is under pressure from the US to reinstate Sheikh Hasina and also anticipates violent backlash from the Pakistani lobby including militant Islamist organisations. Therefore, instead of staging a coup, Waqaruzzaman wants a political situation. But political analysts feel that Waqaruzzaman will have to overthrow the Yunus government and take charge of the government. Only then inclusive elections can be held and the democratic process can be restored in Bangladesh. How and when he does it remains to be seen but it seems it may happen before the 26th March, 2025, on Bangladesh's Independence Day when Md Yunus will be in China. 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