The winter session of Parliament concluded, but the Ministry of External Affairs issued no statement regarding Bangladesh. While there may be compelling arguments for and against this, it is certain that minority Hindus are being persecuted and their religious sites are being damaged in this neighboring country of India. Until a few years ago, we would not have expected such a thing from a friendly country like Bangladesh, as it emerged in 1971 with India’s support. On December 16, 1971, when Bangladesh replaced East Pakistan, a new country was drawn on the world map, and the then-world powers had to accept it. This country’s rise was taking place despite opposition from the United States, which at that time stood with a united Pakistan and deployed its Seventh Nuclear Fleet in the Bay of Bengal to oppose Indian forces. At that time, the Soviet Union stood with India and warned that any movement by the Seventh Fleet could trigger a nuclear war. In 1971, India scripted a new history in Asia. On December 16th, the day Bangladesh was announced, the winter session of the Indian Parliament was underway, and the news of its separation from Pakistan brought joy across India.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the hero of the Bangladesh Liberation War, returned to New Delhi after his release from a Pakistani prison. When he proclaimed “Amar Shonar Bangla” in the presence of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, every child in India rejoiced. Sheikh Sahib made the song “Amar Shonar Bangla,” written by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, the national anthem of his new country. Sheikh Sahib is called the Father of Bangladesh, a title that is now being attempted to be erased. Despite having a Muslim majority, he declared his country secular like India and gave every Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, and Christian the freedom to practice their religion. However, today’s Bangladesh is completely immersed in religious fanaticism, and Islamic fundamentalists are poisoning its very soul. I have had the privilege of visiting Bangladesh twice. The first time was in 2012 as part of a delegation of journalists accompanying the then President, Bharat Ratna, the late Pranab Mukherjee, and the second time was in 2018 to assess the national elections in this country. During these years, I witnessed Hindu men and women roaming freely on the streets of Dhaka and celebrating their festivals. I also saw Bangladeshis immersed in Bengali culture.
Even if religious fanaticism existed, I never saw it on display. The influence of Bengali culture on the Muslim population was clearly visible, as it is customary there to say, “Allah is great.” I also saw Muslim women shopping freely in the markets and malls. There was no sense that this country was separate from India, as its Bengali culture acts as a strong bridge between the two countries. But then, in 2012, I also had the opportunity to witness a protest in support of the martyrs of Bangladesh’s Liberation War in Shah Bagh, Dhaka. This protest was against the traitors who had sided with the Pakistani forces in 1971 and orchestrated the killings of nationalist Bangladeshis.
The Shah Bagh protest was a movement of the country’s young generation, demanding the execution of traitors. Sheikh Hasina Wajed, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s daughter, was in power at the time, and again in 2018. Her party, the Awami League, won a landslide victory in the early 2019 elections. Subsequent elections were held in 2023, but Sheikh Hasina’s party, the Awami League, also won. However, these elections were boycotted by the country’s main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, and European countries even dared to call them fraudulent. However, in the final years of Sheikh Hasina’s rule, radical forces began to rise in her country, particularly the Jamaat-e-Islami, a party that Sheikh Hasina had banned. The reason for the ban was that the party promoted religious fundamentalism and supported Pakistan, which had treated Bangladeshis like slaves until 1971.
owever, during the year 2024, forces like Jamaat-e-Islami suddenly gained strength and began inciting the country’s youth against reservations for the descendants of Liberation War martyrs, which escalated into a movement that led to the overthrow of Sheikh Hasina, who is currently seeking refuge in India. During Sheikh Hasina’s rule, relations between the two countries remained very close and friendly. It remains a mystery at whose behest, after Sheikh Hasina left her country, Muhammad Yunus, who had once faced serious corruption charges and had even been awarded the Nobel Prize, was appointed head of Bangladesh’s interim government. Yunus’s coronation took place under the shadow of the Bangladesh Army. Some analysts point to the US’s hand behind this. During his more than one and a half year rule, Yunus spared no effort in joining hands with all anti-India forces and allowed anti-India sentiments to fester in his country. The way Islamic fundamentalists have targeted Hindu Bangladeshis in particular, threatens to adversely impact relations between the two countries. However, India is exercising great patience and fulfilling its diplomatic duty. Bangladesh is currently operating under a caretaker government that lacks constitutional recognition, and national elections have been announced for February 12th next year. However, Yunus’s caretaker government has banned Sheikh Hasina Wajed’s Awami League party, preventing it from participating in the elections. Now, the only national political party left in the country is the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, whose leader, Tariq Rahman, returned from London yesterday.
He has lived in self-imposed exile in Britain for the past 17 years. Clearly, in the absence of the Awami League, this party will be the only strong contender in the elections scheduled for February 12. This party has previously held the ruling party of Bangladesh three times, and Tariq Rahman’s mother, Mrs. Begum Khaleda Zia, served as Prime Minister.
Another thing is that from 2001 to 2006, she was in power with the support of the Jamaat-e-Islami party. This suggests her party’s close ties with the Jamaat. It is also a fact that during Begum Zia’s rule, Islamic jihadist organizations in Bangladesh attempted to spread terrorism in India. Therefore, it remains to be seen what her son Tariq Rahman’s policy toward India will be if he wins the Bangladesh elections next year. Upon arriving in Dhaka, he has advocated for inclusive politics.
