Embrace the Thriving Economy of Bangladesh in the Face of Political Crisis!

By Zeeshan Javaid

Rochester NY: Though he became a hero to some, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman met a tragic end when other members of his family assassinated the new nation’s founder in a military coup in 1975, barely four years after granting Bengalis their independence.

It was safe for Sheikh Hasina Wajid and her younger sister to live in exile in India for six years. In 1981, they came back to their home country and assumed leadership of the Awami League.

Combated the military dictatorship alongside General Hussain Muhammad Irshad and was instrumental in the fight to bring democracy back to the country.

Sheikh Hasina Wajid, who is 76 years old, has served as prime minister four times, the first from 1996 to 2001 and the rest from 2009 to the 2024.

The media, the National Party, and all other political groups are under Sheikh Hasina’s thumb, and even the judiciary is subservient to her.Joe Biden Announces Withdrawal from US Presidential Race

Also executed were eighty-year-old elders linked to Jamaat-e-Islami a Pakistan based politico-religious party having roots in Bangladesh too, who had previously been removed from prison for what they deemed a treasonous and national crime.

Before Sheikh Hasina took over in 2009, Bangladesh was among the world’s poorest and most undeveloped nations. Since then, the country’s economy has taken a dramatic turn for the better, and it is now one of the region’s most rapidly expanding economic giants.

Reports indicate that over the past decade, over 2.5 million people have been lifted out of poverty. The clothing business witnessed the most growth, and even larger investors from Pakistan flocked to Bangladesh.

As part of her massive development projects, Sheikh Hasina Wajid also made Bangladesh famous around the world with the $2.90 billion “Padma Bridge,” which is now sold in every Pakistani store under the brand name of imported garments.

Awami League was the only political party that ran in the most recent elections; the others were either banned or otherwise barred from participating due to the rising authoritarianism under their leadership.

This Sheikh Hasina Wajid reportedly was elected in a fraudulent process. The people of Bangladesh demonstrated that power truly lies with the people and that all forms of tyranny must come to an end once she assumed the position of prime minister, but before that could happen, a spark ignited the flame of freedom from the dark night of oppression.

Something else intriguing about this whole mess is that the army was always Hasina Wajid’s go-to when things went wrong, but when her government was the object of public outcry, the army also found its own existence threatened.

Both Pantra Badla and Hasina Wajid, the acceptance of this interim government formed by the army by the Bangladesh National Party and Jamaat-e-Islami is now up in the air.

Though it saddens greatly, the actions taken with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s statues in Bangladesh serve as a warning to the Pakistanis who are aiding the non-state actors in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

General Waker-Uz-Zaman, head of the Bangladeshi army, addressed the country and proclaimed the formation of an interim administration, urging the people to remain calm.

Monday, despite a countrywide curfew, massive masses defied the order and stormed Hasina’s palace in Dhaka, forcing her to board a military helicopter. Hasina controlled the country for almost twenty years.

According to Indian media, Hasina’s plane touched down at Hindon Air Base, which is close to New Delhi. According to the India Today news station, she was on board a Bangladesh Air Force aircraft that touched down at the Ghaziabad facility.

Nearly 300 people lost their lives in weeks of protests that the government attempted to quell, prompting her to step down. A curfew was imposed after a night of violent violence on Sunday that killed around 100 people.

Hasina was unable to give an address on Monday because of the massive throng that surrounded the prime minister’s palace.

According to a police official who spoke with the AFP news agency, at least twenty more persons lost their lives in the violence that broke out in Dhaka when demonstrators seized buildings.

Bacchu Mia, an inspector at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said, “We’ve got 20 bodies here,” although he did not specify how many people had died. However, other police officials and witnesses had reported mobs attacking rival groups in retaliation.

In spite of the bloodshed, the premier’s departure had spread by early afternoon, and the attitude on the streets had shifted to one of joy.

To continue its growth trajectory, Bangladesh must immediately hold free and fair elections after the imposition of all political limitations, in my view.