By Ali Hassan

The political unrest in Bangladesh is creating disharmony in the nation further leading the country to a destructive perspective as the current ruling party AL’s head Sheik Hasina and her senior members are not willing to leave their seats at any cost in the forthcoming elections. Bangladesh has paid much earlier and now facing the worst consequences in the form of autocracy in the state. The current government claimed to promote democracy in the state but in fact, it create fragility in democratic values in the state throughout its tenure. No doubt Bangladesh went through many developmental stages during the government of Sheikh Hasina but it has faced many rising challenges in long-term phases such as the mega projects were introduced by the current government but the heavy loans taken to govern these projects are leading Bangladesh to the economic crises as it is currently facing trade deficit which has reduced the import capability of the state. Moreover, the pro-Indian stance of the current government in Bangladesh has also ignited questions about the state’s sovereignty and also criticized within the state. Moreover, the rejection of other political parties and their prospective in Bangladesh has also remained a key element of the current ruling party which is again a threat to democracy.

Currently, the upcoming elections in Bangladesh have also created a point of critical concern for the ruling party and opposition. BNP headed by Begum Khaleda Zia is a major opposition party conducting different political activities in the state under democratic rights but still, the violence is being recorded throughout the state which is either due to the misconduct of the activists of the party or they are being stopped to utilize their democratic rights. In both cases, the failure of the government is concluded because of false policy options which are creating rivalries and become the reasons for violence by the establishment and the citizens within the state and not leading them to peaceful activities.

Moreover, following formal charges against over 2,300 members of the main opposition political party for three different offenses, including attacking Dhaka police, Bangladeshi police detained over 500 people on Thursday. In connection with the hours-long skirmishes on 8 December 2022 in the Naya Paltan neighborhood of the city, police brought 450 BNP activists and leaders in front of a local court and secured physical remands for 14. According to a senior police official named Arafatul Islam Khan, three different complaints have been brought against BNP officials and activists in relation to altercations with the Dhaka police in which one person was killed and numerous others were hurt. Further Police have accused BNP officials and activists of unlawfully assembling, assaulting police officers while they were on duty, and concealing explosives. Although According to a BNP delegation, the Golambagh field would be the site of the gathering on December 10. Ahead of the general elections next year, the BNP has organized divisional rallies across the country in an effort to galvanize anti-government opposition amid growing inflation and power and money crises. In order to reduce the magnitude of their public demonstrations, the BNP claimed that transport operators and workers had generally gone on strike in every region where they were staging rallies.

But this is how the public is being frightened as the elections are approaching so that the current government could set its destiny by itself. But the citizens of Bangladesh have witnessed the policy orientations of the government which are taking Bangladesh into decline according to the experts of the state. The restoration of democracy in the state is much more important for improvements and progress of the state. Whosoever comes in power and forms government or the government remains the same in Bangladesh, there is an essential need of changing policy orientations within the state and the policies set by the founder of the nation, Bangabandhu, must be implemented. Bangladesh is a Muslim state, it should not degrade the policy of Islam in the name of modernization as it is translating westernization whereas Islam is the complete code of life. Furthermore, the pro-Indian factor must be reduced and Bangladesh must polish its foreign policy objectives within the limits of state sovereignty. The resource allocations must be highlighted by the state’s concerned departments so that country’s economy could be improved and hence many of the current problems could be resolved in near future.