India’s Headache : The Unending Political Turmoil In Bangladesh

After ruling the country for more than one-and-a-half decades, Bangladesh’s Ex- Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s party Awami League stands on the crossroad of existence. In a setback to Hasina, the country’s election commission has suspended the registration of her party Awami League, effectively barring the party from contesting the next general election.

The move by the Bangladesh Election Commission comes after the country’s interim government led by Muhammad Yunus banned the party under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Election Commission secretary Akhtar Ahmed said “With the home ministry’s ban on all activities of the Awami League and its affiliated organisations, the Election Commission has decided to suspend the party’s registration.” As of now, the party is officially disqualified and ineligible to contest any future elections in the country, until the ban is revoked and the party registration is restored by the election commission

According to Bangladesh’s election laws, a party needs to be registered with the election commission in order to contest the polls in the country. In a directive issued by the Election Commission, the party and its affiliates have been asked to prohibit from conducting any political activities, including publications, media appearances, online and social media campaigns, processions, rallies, or conferences till the International Crimes Tribunal completes the proceedings.

The Prime Minister in-exile, Sheikh Hasina after winning the historic fourth term in 2024 elections, faced deadly protests and mass uprising which forced her to flee the country in August 2024 to India and an interim government took over the administration of the country led by Muhammad Yunus.

Days after the interim government of Bangladesh banned the Awami League, India described the development as a “concerning matter” and urged the planned election in Bangladesh should be “inclusive”.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal drew a quick response from Dhaka with the press secretary of the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh interim government reminding that everyone should respect the “sovereign” will of Bangladesh.

Jaiswal added, “The ban on the Awami League without due process is a concerning development. As a democracy, India is naturally concerned at curtailment of democratic freedoms and shrinking political space. We strongly support the early holding of free, fair and inclusive elections in Bangladesh.”

Responding to India’s remarks, Shafiqul Alam, Press Secretary to Prof. Yunus said, the Awami League during its tenure had “severely squeezed” Bangladesh’s political space and “compromised” its sovereignty. He described the Awami League era as a “kleptocratic rule” “The wounds caused by the crimes against humanity perpetrated by this party are still fresh,” said Alam, arguing that the ban on the Awami League and its affiliates was necessary to safeguard national security and sovereignty of Bangladesh.
“Elections are entirely our internal matter. We urge all to respect the sovereign will of our people in matters relating to elections,” said Alam, accusing the Awami League of conducting “grossly farcical elections” in the past. Yunus has already announced that elections in Bangladesh would be held in December this year. Till then, the situation remains precarious in Bangladesh.