Why Bangladesh student leaders, Army look set for final showdown

With the leaders of last year's student agitation-turned-mass-upsurge now seemingly in open confrontation with the Bangladesh Army, the stage seems to be set for a final confrontation in the troubled country.

This was sparked by a Facebook post by Hasnat Abdullah, one of the top leaders of the new party, which was formed by student leaders called the National Citizens Party. In the post, he blamed the military leadership for pressuring them to accept the Awami League as part of Bangladesh's political landscape.

Interestingly, though Hasnat attacked the Army this week, he disclosed that the meeting between him and another student leader, Sargis Alam, on the one hand, and the Army chief, Gen Waker-u-Zaman, took place on March 11. So obviously, why did Hasnat take a good 10-12 days to come out openly against the Army? Has Hasnat's outburst got something to do with Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus' statement this week that the interim government has no plans to ban the Awami League?

Also Read: Bangladesh slams US intelligence chief Gabbard's remarks as 'misleading, damaging'

Student leaders isolated

Yunus said this during a meeting with a delegation from the International Crisis Group on March 20. His statement follows similar statements by leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which has alternatively shared power with the Awami League since the end of military rule in 1990.

That seems to isolate the student leaders and their new party along with their backers from the hardline Islamist groups who want to ban the Awami League and delay elections until the trial of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is completed, which gives them time to find some footing.

In his post, Hasnat Abdullah claimed that many political parties had conditionally agreed to the rehabilitation of the Awami League. Some would interpret this as a dig at the BNP.

‘Refined Awami League’

Hasnat further alleged that on March 11 at 2.30 pm, a meeting was held in the Dhaka cantonment to plan a new conspiracy under the name "Refined Awami League," which he claimed was entirely an Indian strategy.

According to Hasnat, during this meeting, which he and two student leaders attended, they were presented with a proposal to accept a seat-sharing agreement in exchange for endorsing the plan.

He stated that the proposal had already been offered to several political parties, some of which had conditionally agreed to rehabilitate the Awami League.

Also Read: Bangladesh: No eminent logic in 'election only after Hasina's hanging'

Hasnat claimed, "Those who will be part of the 'Refined Awami League' will, from April-May, start acknowledging the crimes of the Sheikh family, reject Hasina, and pledge to restore the original Awami League under Bangabandhu’s ideals."

He further added, "When we opposed this proposal, we were warned that obstructing the return of the Awami League would result in a national crisis, and we would be held responsible for it. The message was clear: Awami League must come back."

‘Over our dead bodies’

Hasnat later said that the Awami League can return "only over our dead bodies" and warned the Army if they tried to do it. “If you attempt to bring them back, you will bear the consequences."

Following this, they walked out of the meeting.

Hasnat also mentioned that during the July Movement, similar pressures were exerted on them by agencies and the cantonment to accept various prescriptions. However, they resisted and placed their faith in the people, leading to Hasina’s downfall.

Also Read: Bangladesh: Student platform that ousted Hasina forms political party

"Even today, I reject the pressures from the cantonment. I don’t know what will happen to me after this post. I may face pressure or even danger, but there is no room for compromise on banning the Awami League."

He urged, "Just as we resisted the cantonment’s prescriptions during the July Movement, if we stand together once again, we can defeat this Indian conspiracy to rehabilitate the Awami League."

India-US in tandem

The student leaders suspect that India has managed to get the US on the same page on Bangladesh and pressurised the military to push for early elections.

US National Intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard's fusillade against Bangladesh, while in Delhi, may have reinforced this feeling because she hammered hard on two sensitive points — attacks on minorities and surge in Islamist radicalism, apart from a serious breakdown in law and order.

The arrest of Rohingya militant leader Ataullah Jununi from Narayanganj near Dhaka within a day of Tulsi Gabbard's critique may not be just a coincidence. That the top military commander of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) was near the national capital at the time of his arrest points to something more than insurgent actions in Myanmar.

Also Read: Bangladesh Army chief warns troublemakers, says ‘anarchy of our own making’

Open secret – role of Rohingyas

It is an open secret now that the hardline Rohingyas played a major role during the anti-Hasina agitation. It already became evident when the student leaders demanded compensation for some Rohingya “martyrs” of the July-August Movement.

Since the fight is now in the open, the student leaders and their radical Islamist backers are likely to push for the removal of both President Shahabuddin Chuppu and Army Chief Gen Waker-u-Zaman. Gen Waqar, now that he is branded an Awami League and an Indian agent, may have no option but to end his pussyfooting and come out strongly to put the youth leaders in their place if they continue to punch beyond their weight. The interim government is Gen Waqar's creation and he is clear about early and inclusive elections.

(The Federal seeks to present views and opinions from all sides of the spectrum. The information, ideas or opinions in the articles are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Federal)