Party of ousted Bangladeshi PM Hasina planning protests

Bangladeshi PM Hasina; The party of Bangladesh's ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina may soon begin street agitation against the interim government of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, according to a party leader.

"We are planning to demonstrate and start our political activities," Shafiul Alam Chowdhury, organizing secretary of the Awami League, told VOA on Friday.

Chowdhury is among dozens of Awami League leaders who fled Bangladesh after a student-led mass uprising toppled Hasina's regime in August. The iron-fisted leader was serving her fourth consecutive term when she was forced to resign on August 5 and flee to India in a military helicopter.

Since the fall of the regime, dozens of party leaders have been arrested, many in connection with the violent crackdown on protesters that killed hundreds across the country between July and August. Thousands of Awami League workers and supporters have gone underground, fearing mob attacks.

On Wednesday, the interim government banned the Awami League's student wing, the Bangladesh Chhatra League, declaring it a terrorist organization.

Earlier this month, the Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal issued arrest warrants for Hasina and 45 others linked with the ousted regime.

Speaking to VOA over the phone, Chowdhury said the party is working to unite its ranks and is reaching out to other like-minded political forces to launch protests against the interim government.

"After two weeks or one month, we can move," the Awami League leader said when asked how soon his party was planning to take to the streets.

Major political parties in Bangladesh back the interim government agenda to reform institutions that they say the Awami League destroyed through massive political interference in the past 15 years.

However, political parties are also publicly pushing the Yunus government to ensure a swift return to democracy. One of the country's biggest political parties is dissatisfied with the progress so far.

"This government is going a bit slow," said Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, secretary-general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

"The election commission, they have resigned. But they [the interim government] have not formed the new election commission," Alamgir told VOA at his residence in Dhaka earlier this month.

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, secretary-general of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, speaks to VOA in Dhaka, Oct 6, 2024. Camera: Rubel Hassan.

Ten commissions, comprising civil society activists, retired officials and academics, are tasked with proposing reforms in key areas including the judiciary, police, constitution, electoral system, mass media and labor rights.

Six of the commissions announced in September must submit their proposals by December 31. However, reviewing those proposals, seeking political consensus for them and implementing them may take several months.

Alamgir, whose party has called out the interim government for embarking on reforms without a timetable, worries a delay in elections will prolong the political vacuum in the country, giving the rival Awami League the opportunity to regain lost political space.

"The fallen fascist Awami League, they have their support [base]. They are a very big, old political party, so they have support here. They will also get time to consolidate and create problems here," veteran politician Alamgir told VOA.

Bangladesh's election law requires the government to form a search committee that selects members for the election commission. The interim government recently announced it would follow the existing law but has not given a date for the formation of such a committee.

"Please try to understand that we are not a political force, and for the first time, we are working in a group," said Asif Nazrul, Bangladesh's chief law adviser, defending the interim government's slow progress.

"We don't have the necessary experience. We have commitment, we have a hardworking attitude, we have integrity," Nazrul told VOA late last month at his official residence in Dhaka.

Bangladesh Chief Law Adviser Asif Nazrul speaks to VOA in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sept. 28, 2024. Camera: Rubel Hassan.

One of the major handicaps of the interim government, analysts said, is that it lacks a supportive security and administrative system because much of what is in place is from the last 15 years of Hasina's rule.

"The government is operating without having full control of the law enforcement and bureaucracy," political analyst Zahed Ur Rahman said.

To rid the system of the remnants of the Awami League, the interim government has been transferring and reassigning police officers and bureaucrats in and out of the capital, Dhaka.

To chart a course for Bangladesh and calm political nerves, Yunus' team has been ramping up engagement with political parties. The Awami League so far has been shut out of the consultations.

"They should be given the political space. They should be given the right to do politics. They should also be given [a chance] to participate in elections in future. That's what I agree." said Rahman, who is also a member of the electoral reform commission.

But Rahman warned that bringing the Awami League to the table anytime soon could cause a backlash.

"Calling Awami League for [discussing] reforms, I think, will have some severe reaction in the society."

The Awami League is not interested in sitting down with the interim government either, Chowdhury said.

"This [interim] government is totally unconstitutional," he said. "If we protest them, demonstrate all over the country, this [interim] government will be no more." VOA/SP