Bangladesh is in upheaval again, as hundreds of protestors gathered to storm the Presidential Palace on Tuesday the 22nd of October. The demonstrators are reportedly angry at President Mohamed Shahbuddin’s recent comments. The President had claimed that there was no documentary evidence to support the fact that the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had resigned before leaving the country. The controversy comes as the political situation in the country continues to deteriorate rapidly, as the Jamaat-e-Islami, the BNP and the Awami League continue to clash in a tense power struggle threatening to send the nation into complete chaos.

The BNP and the Jamaat

Since August 8, with the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, 84 year old Nobel laurete Muhammad Yunus flew in from the USA to take charge of the interim government, currently in control of Bangladesh. But behind the scenes the politics of Bangladesh is now becoming an outright power struggle between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Jamaat. The BNP is one of the two dominant parties in Bangladesh, along with its archrival Awami League. Initially a centrist party, it later moved towards more right-wing politics. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party led by Khalida Zia and her son Tarique Rahman, advocates a mix of Bengali and Islamic customs. The party is also known for its very pro China stand.

On the other side of the clash is the Jamaat-e-Islami, the largest Islamist political party in Bangladesh. The Jamaat-e-Islami was founded in pre-partition British India by Syed Ab’ul Ala Maududi in 1941 as a movement to promote Social and Political Islam. The Jamaat opposed the creation of a separate state of Pakistan for the Muslims of India. Instead advocating for the whole of India to be reclaimed for Islam.

In 1971, paramilitary forces linked to the party collaborated with the Pakistan Army in mass killings of Bangladeshi nationalists. Post the independence of Bangladesh, accused of war crimes, the radical party was banned. But the ban was lifted after a few years and its leaders returned to continue their work of Islamization of Bengal. The party has in the past allied with the BNP to assume power.

While the BNP is a right leaning party the Jamaat is a complete radical Islamist outfit, that seeks to make Bangladesh an Islamic state on the lines of Pakistan. The Jamaat is also looking to impose Sharia laws and use Urdu as the primary language replacing the local customs and dialects in the process.

Ban on the Awami League

The Muhammad Yunus-led interim government in Bangladesh is currently looking to bar ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party from political participation. The Awami League and other like-minded parties will be put under legal and administrative ban on their involvement in political activities. Mahfuj Alam, student activist and special assistant to chief adviser Yunus, informed. “Those who had taken part in the last three elections and come to parliament illegally deceived the people, and the interim government will, of course, put obstacles to their political participation.”

According to the report by Bangladesh’s largest circulated daily, in a dialogue between 10 political parties and Yunus, the parties had demanded a ban over the participation of the Awami League and its allies in the awaited national elections. It is to be noted that members of 14 parties, considered to be allies of the League, were not part of these discussions or any conversation about the upcoming elections.

So far the Dhaka High Court on September 1 dismissed a writ petition seeking ban on the Awami League and cancellation of its registration for its alleged involvement in the killing of students and general people during the student-led mass upsurge

Reason for the current Protests

In scenes reminiscent of the storming of Sheikh Hasina’s residence, protestors on Tuesday attempted to storm the Bangladesh presidential palace, known as Bangabhaban. The masses were eventually deterred by the Bangladesh army that blocked their way with barricades. Witnesses and TV footage showed demonstrators, representing various groups, clashing with police as they tried to enter the palace. The police eventually fired sound grenades to disperse the crowd, prompting army troops to intervene to assist in getting the situation under control.

The protesters are unequivocally demanding the resignation of President Mohammed Shahabuddin. The President in an interview with the Bangla daily Manab Zamin last week, had stated he had no documentary evidence that Sheikh Hasina had resigned before fleeing the country on August 5 amid the student-led mass protests.

The current demonstrations are being led by the anti discrimination student movement, the same outfits that forced the ouster of the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government. The protesters have now accused Shahabuddin of “falsehood”, asserting that his remarks constituted a violation of his oath of office. They have handed the President, a seven-day ultimatum to step down and are demanding the scrapping of Bangladesh’s 1972 Constitution.

The President Mohamed Mohammed Shahabuddin also known as Chuppu, is the 16th and incumbent President of Bangladesh. A jurist, civil servant and politician, he was elected unopposed in the 2023 presidential election in the nomination of the then ruling Awami League. The Awami league is the party of Sheikh Hasina and hence the President is considered by many protestors as an Awami loyalist.

Demands of the Protestors

Hasnat Abdullah, one of the coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Students Movement, said that a deadline for Shahabuddin’s removal has been laid in their five-point demand which also includes the scrapping of Bangladesh’s 1972 Constitution, a ban on the Bangladesh Chatra League (BCL) the student arm of the Awami League.

“Our first point (of the five-point demand) is immediate scrapping of the ‘pro-Mujb (Bangladesh’s founding leader) 1972 Constitution’ which kept Chuppu (president’s nickname) in office, the (1972) Constitution will have to be replaced by writing a new one against the backdrop of 2024 mass upheaval.”  Hasnat Abdullah said.

Future proposed Action

“Decisions regarding the next president will be made based on consultations with all political parties. If we remove Chuppu without determining who the next president will be, neighbouring countries might seize the opportunity to conspire against us; they could interfere with our internal affairs at any time, citing the absence of a president. Thus, we will select the next president based on the advice of the political parties oppressed for the past 15 years. The protestors would return to the streets with full force if the government failed to meet our demands by this week.” Abdullah warned.

Incidentally, earlier in a televised address on the night of August 5, President Shahabuddin had claimed he had received the resignation of Sheikh Hasina, “You know Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has tendered her resignation letter to the president, and I have received it.” He had made the statement while he was surrounded by a number of military leaders, including the Army Chief General Waker uz Zaman. It seems in the recent interview he has backtracked on that previous statement.

Law affairs adviser Asif Nazrul condemned President Mohammed Shahabuddin’s interview comments as “falsehood” and a breach of his oath, suggesting the interim government may reevaluate Shahabuddin’s fitness for office. Following a nearly 40-minute closed-door meeting with Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, Nazrul, along with information ministry adviser Nahid Islam, faced media speculation regarding the potential methods for removing the president.

Bangladesh has been on a constant boil since the student led movements ousted the Sheikh Hasina government. Sheikh Hasina has maintained that her elected government was ousted by a regime change operation conducted from overseas, namely through the United States. She also alleged that the USA is aiming to get hold of St Martin island off the coast of Bangladesh to establish a military base. With the current evolving situation, it remains to be seen how long the politics in Bangladesh will continue to sustain this volatile atmosphere, before it is overrun by complete chaos.