Awami League is far from finished in Bangladesh, the flight of its leader Sheikh Hasina from the country and all the repressive measures against Awami League leaders notwithstanding. With Chief Advisor of the interim government Mohammed Yunus announcing that the elections in Bangladesh will take place in February next, that’s why it has now become important for the aspirants to power in Dhaka to fend off the challenge of Awami League; through political violence if necessary.
The interim government has already taken the first step to ward off any direct challenge from the party by banning the activities of Awami League which now cannot take part in the election process. It still remains to be ensured, however, that there is no indirect challenge from Sheikh Hasina’s party either; by way of Awami League leaders participating in the elections as independents or as candidates of its political allies.
Islamist parties like Jamaat-e-Islami and National Citizens Party want to ensure the elimination of the challenge of Awami League which is the stumbling block in the way of taking Bangladesh down the path of fundamentalist Islam. The main opposition party Begum Khalda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party is also interested in this as, in the absence of Awami League from the election scene, they are hoping to bag the votes of the liberal and nationalist sections of the people of Bangladesh.
The strength of this section in the polity of Bangladesh is not inconsiderable; Awami League is estimated still to have 40 percent of vote share. The party is in disarray but still has presence across Bangladesh through its village and ‘mohalla’ committees. It has strong local leadership in all the 64 districts of Bangladesh. No other party, neither the BNP, can boast of such a network. That’s why Awami League has been able to hold about 50 protest rallies since its latest ban on May 10.
One incident which has created consternation among the vested interests working to eliminate Awami League from the political scene was in the Gopalganj district, the stronghold of Sheikh Hasina, on July 16. Awami League supporters challenged a “March to Gopalganj” programme staged by National Citizen Party. The ensuing violence left five people dead; a clear message that Awami League will not take a back seat in Bangladeshi politics. Since August 2024, when the Sheikh Hasina government fell, Awami League has organized nearly 50 demonstrations; a measure of its continued ability to mobilize support.On September 7, right in the heart of Dhaka, more than 1,000 activists of Awami League staged a protest march near the Parliament house, shouting slogans in support of their leader Sheikh Hasina. In the week before, thousands joined a march in Tejgaon while several hundreds of Awami League supporters gathered at a rally at Gulistan a week earlier.
Allies of Awami League like Jatiya Party, the political party formed by former President of Bangladesh H. M. Ershad, have been causes of concern for the Islamist parties and groups. Efforts are on to neutralize the Jatiya Party through political violence. Jatiya Party is an ally of Awami League. In 2008, Jatiya Party was a member of the grand alliance led by Awami League. Jatiya Party offices, too, had been attacked in the wake of the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government. When Awami League was banned there was the demand that Jatiya Party, too, be banned. Now the demand for banning the Jatiya Party has become louder following a series of political clashes within the first week of September between Jamaat-e-Islami and Jatiya Party; clashes which had the hallmark of a planned event.
On August 29 evening, a clash erupted outside the office of Jatiya Party at Bijoynagar in Dhaka when a rally of the Islamic party Gono Odhkiar Parishad was passing by. While Gono Odhkiar Parishad leaders alleged that supporters of Jatiya Party had attacked the procession. Jatiya Party leaders claimed that their members were holding a meeting at the party office to discuss future programmes when the party office was attacked by Gono Adhikar Parishad supporters.
The twist to the tale was that the police and the army promptly intervened in the clash and resorted to a baton charge; leaving, of all persons, President of Gono Odhikar Parishad Nurul Haque seriously injured; needing admission to the ICU of a hospital. Gono Adhikar Parishad General Secretary Rashed Khan promptly announced that on the next day. August 30, rallies were taken out in all the districts of Bangladesh in protest against the attack on Nurul Haq. Not unexpectedly, on August 30 Jatiya Party offices were vandalized and set on fire in Rajshahi, Khulna, Tangail, Mymensingh, Thakurgaon and Gaibandha.
This was followed up two days later with the demand from Jamaat-e-Islami and its ally National Citizen Party, formed by leaders of Students Against Discrimination, to the Mohammed Yunus government that the activities of Jatiya Party be banned. The series of events was thus a conspiracy to pave the way for banning the Jatiya Party, too, on the eve of the elections. It is not surprising that the BNP sees in this “the unholy efforts of evil forces” to create the ground for thwarting the poll.
To ensure that Awami League leaders cannot contest the elections in Bangladesh even as independent candidates or as nominees of a friendly political party, the interim government on September 4 announced the incorporation of a new clause in the International Crimes Tribunal Act of 1973 to disqualify a candidate from contesting an election if a charge sheet had been filed against the person for committing crimes against humanity.
Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has already been framed by the interim government under the charge of commission of crimes against humanity. Most leaders of the Awami League are also either imprisoned or on the run, facing similar charges of crime against humanity; and also corruption. According to one report in January this year, 131 VIPs of the Awami League government were in prison under different charges; among them ministers, MPs and government officials. The message from the liberal and democratic sections of the Bangladeshi people is thus loud and clear. Awami League is down but not out. Islamic fundamentalist forces will not finally hold sway in Bangladesh.