Opinion Amid fresh turmoil, Bangladesh’s interim government is floundering

What is the task of an interim ruling arrangement? It seems that the government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus has not even seriously asked itself the question. In the aftermath of the tumultuous students’ movement in Bangladesh and Sheikh Hasina’s ouster on August 5, 2024, the interim government’s role had seemed clear: To bring back the rule of law, and lay the ground for a free and fair election in order to ensure that the gains Bangladesh has made in recent years in economic, social and diplomatic terms are protected. The recent deaths of two student leaders and attacks on the country’s minorities point to a regime that has failed to step up to its task.

Yunus, who was in de facto exile at the time of the student uprising last year, was reportedly chosen to lead the interim government because of his status as a Nobel laureate, the fact that he was seen to have been persecuted by the Hasina government, and because he appeared to be above the political fray. Yet, under his watch, the Awami League (AL) — which, despite Hasina’s excesses, remains one of the primary poles in Bangladesh politics — has been barred from contesting the polls in February. As recently as September, thousands of AL workers and supporters protested the ban, an indicator that it is not a spent force. Banning the leading opposition party is not the only way in which the interim government has mimicked the mistakes of the Sheikh Hasina regime in its later years. The “International Crimes Tribunal” that sentenced Hasina to death was widely seen as partisan, composed only of Bangladeshi judges.

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The current juncture is volatile . The killing of Sharif Osman Hadi, one of the key figures in the anti-Hasina quota stirs, sparked a fresh wave of protests and attacks on minorities. Another student leader, Motaleb Sikder of the National Citizen Party, was shot this week. In this turmoil, India has become a convenient scapegoat. The Yunus government, if it wants to maintain a modicum of credibility, must be seen to calm the situation rather than fanning the flames, as it has done over the last year. It must ensure order and allow the AL to contest the elections. It is for the people to reject the party, or not, through the ballot. Protection must be given to the country’s besieged minorities. The Yunus government must know that the stakes are high, it cannot afford to fail.