The orgy of violence in Bangladesh appears to be abating with few incidents reported in the past couple of days. Instead, what now holds out hope for the beleaguered country is the installation of an interim government that will be in place till fresh elections are held – sooner the better. Significantly, the interim government is not in the hands of any political party representatives, but will be helmed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus as the chief adviser.
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President Mohammad Shahabuddin administered the oath to Yunus and 13 additional advisers on Thursday, August 8. The credit for choice of Yunus to head the new administrative apparatus must go to the students who had insisted on him and nobody else; they believe that his vision for a society free from poverty and unemployment aligns with the aspirations of the Bangladeshi populace. The students had led the protests that eventually saw Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster from power and her exit from the country in the wake of large-scale violence that left over 400 dead. Ironically, she was once seen as a messiah of the youth as she fought for meaningful democracy and for turning around the economy.
The developments in Bangladesh hold great significance for the North East with which the country shares a 1,879 km-long border. The region will remember that it was Sheikh Hasina who had dismantled the network of militants from the North East, particularly Ulfa from Assam, taking shelter in the country, arresting and handing them over to India. Before that, then Prime Minister Khaleda Jia of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) had described the Ulfa militants as “patriots” and had offered them her support. Given the prevailing dark mood in the country against Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League, it is highly unlikely that the party will make a comeback in the next elections which would then probably leave the door open for the BNP and its allies like the Jamaat-e-Islami. That should worry India and Assam. In the short term, Assam will need to be on guard against ingress of population from there, particularly Hindus, who are alleged to have come under attack, seeking safety.