In hiding, Bangla Awami top brass connect with Sheikh Hasina, wait for ‘rule of law’ to return

* A elder office-bearer of the Awami League recalls however his home, the homes of his parents and brothers were acceptable ablaze. Mobs targeted his operation institution and his brokerage firm.

Yet, amid the all-pervasive despair successful the ranks of Awami League leaders, determination is besides an unmistakable consciousness of anticipation — and purpose.

“We privation to spell backmost to Bangladesh and enactment for the radical again.” This is their chorus, 5 months aft the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, erstwhile The Indian Express met and spoke with respective of her erstwhile Cabinet colleagues and Members of Parliament.

Speaking connected the information that their locations stay undisclosed, these leaders admit that aft 15 years successful power, during which determination were immoderate lapses successful governance and politics, contiguous they are a “disintegrated, scattered” governmental front.

Sheikh Hasina fled to India aft protests toppled her authorities successful August 2024

They amusement video clips of the harm done to their properties and images of carnal battle connected their workers. They estimation that a 3rd of the enactment enactment is successful jail; a 3rd is underground extracurricular the country; and astir of the remainder are successful hiding successful Bangladesh.

Given this dragnet and a crackdown connected their assets that includes freezing of slope accounts, however does the Awami League anticipation to resurrect?

An important dependable from the underground is that of 78-year-old Mohammel Haque, the senior-most Minister of Sheikh Hasina’s past Cabinet (holding the portfolio of Minister of Liberation War Affairs).

“Thousands of Awami League workers person been forced retired of their homes, they are successful hiding, moving from spot to spot with nary wealth adjacent for food… still, the morale of the fertile and record is precocious and we look to India to mobilise planetary sentiment successful the party’s favor,” helium said.

He said that determination is simply a thought among elder leaders that “we should each spell backmost connected March 26 which is Bangladesh’s Independence Day”.

Smoke rising from Ganabhaban, the PM’s residence, which was stormed by nationalist soon aft Hasina’s resignation. (Reuters)

Several younger enactment leaders, whom The Indian Express met, said that Awami League leaders should — and would — instrumentality to look the mounting heap of cases lone erstwhile determination was a semblance of the regularisation of instrumentality being restored.

According to Nahim Razzaq, a 44-year-old Awami League MP since 2012, astir each bail petitions of Awami League leaders were being rejected.

He said the concern was “dire” and that the Awami League enactment was “helpless” portion they stay successful hiding.

Said Razzaq: “As of now, we don’t person immoderate judicial rights, nary bail is being granted and we cognize if we instrumentality and request elections, we volition each beryllium arrested and enactment successful overflowing jails… the Awami League is acceptable to beryllium connected the array and speech astir elections but determination is nary situation for it. At present, it is not imaginable for america to beryllium connected the crushed and to enactment successful politics.”

Echoing galore others, Razzaq said that “robust discussions” were connected betwixt Awami League leaders connected however the enactment could beryllium galvanized.

Muhammad Yunus who heads Dhaka’s interim govt

This was being done mostly done WhatsApp groups of 30-40 MPs and erstwhile Cabinet Ministers. One of them is erstwhile MP and enactment Joint Secretary, A F M Bahauddin Nasim.

Nasim described however adjacent portion being underground, helium was successful interaction with workers successful astir each the 70-odd governmental districts of Bangladesh.

“I person 200-300 calls from workers each day, adjacent portion technically I americium successful hiding. That mode the Awami League leaders are successful interaction with the workers and the workers are successful interaction with the people. And, yes, erstwhile the regularisation of instrumentality is re-established, we volition beryllium acceptable to look the instrumentality of the land,” helium said.

Several leaders claimed that adjacent successful her play of exile successful India, Sheikh Hasina was “regularly” connected with enactment leaders via WhatsApp.

She was listed arsenic “Apa (older sister)” connected immoderate groups and arsenic Pankaj Nath, erstwhile MP who fought the 2024 predetermination arsenic an independent, said, the erstwhile Prime Minster was astir often successful interaction with the enactment which has remained successful Bangladesh and gets the astir close feedback from them.

“Yes, I americium besides successful interaction with her…She addresses and joins galore WhatsApp groups. What is important for america is that she is progressively optimistic astir the aboriginal of the Awami League.”

Another erstwhile MP, Shifuzzaman Shikor concurred that today, adjacent the grassroots idiosyncratic of the Awami League was assured that Sheikh Hasina could beryllium contacted. He told The Indian Express, “Even portion successful exile she remains a parent fig for the workers. And we are each successful interaction with the workers successful our districts and are determination to instrumentality attraction of their families. The calamity is that we are a enactment of leaders and state fighters who person either themselves witnessed the 1971 state conflict oregon their fathers person done so. But contiguous we are each being treated similar warfare criminals. The interim Government wants to property the reset fastener and erase the past past of Bangladesh. Even the past books are being rewritten.”

Protesters observe beside a defaced representation of Sheikh Hasina aft quality of her resignation, successful Dhaka, Bangladesh. (AP)

It is erstwhile elder Cabinet Ministers similar Mohammel Haque and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal (see interview) who talk astir candidly astir each that is inactive going “terribly wrong” successful the 5 months since the interim Government headed by Muhammad Yunus has been astatine the helm.

Haque told The Indian Express that nary effort has been made to retrieve the thousands of tiny arms which were looted from the constabulary stations successful August 2024. He alleged: “We fishy much arms are coming into Bangladesh via the oversea route. Just similar Pakistan has go a failed state, determination are all-out attempts to crook Bangladesh into a failed authorities too.”

Demonstrators flip a trash bin during an anti-immigration protest, successful Rotherham, Britain. (Reuters/File)

And arsenic the erstwhile Home Minister enactment it, “The Awami League has been successful the absorption for galore years earlier August 2024. But the enactment has ne'er faced a concern similar this.”

Speaking to The Indian Express connected telephone, different three-term MP and Joint Secretary of the Awami League, Mahbubul Alam Hanif, estimated that determination whitethorn inactive beryllium implicit 3 lakh of their enactment workers who were successful hiding successful Bangladesh and scores of leaders successful hiding successful overseas countries.

People enactment successful a protestation march against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government, demanding justness for the victims killed successful the caller countrywide deadly clashes, successful Dhaka, Bangladesh. (AP)

He questioned what helium called the “unfairness” of each the blasted for the unrest and killings being placed astatine the doorway of the Awami League alone. Said Hanif: “The killings and unit person continued successful Bangladesh adjacent aft Sheikh Hasina fled from the country. So who is liable for each this? If she is being made an accused, truthful should Chief advisor Mohammad Yunus. If she is acceptable to look proceedings truthful should he.’’