The biggest development since our last update was the passing of Begum Khaleda Zia, who was elected Prime Minister of Bangladesh multiple times. The three days of national mourning and the funeral were unifying moments for a grieving nation. Zia family members praised the Interim Government for all the thoughtful arrangements that it made.
Among the many things people admired about Khaleda Zia was the dignity she maintained even while being persecuted by Sheikh Hasina during some of the final years of her life. (The same could be said of Chief Adviser Yunus and many others who suffered under Hasina’s autocratic rule.)
Retired diplomat Ashraf ud Doula published an insightful analysis of the funeral and its aftermath in Counterpoint. Jon Danilowicz wrote his own solid commentary about the two funerals, one for Zia and the other for the martyred political leader Sharif Osman Hadi.
Since the funerals, election preparations and campaigning have been in full swing. The country has been largely peaceful, despite continuing provocations from the Awami League and its sympathizers. (In fact, a new report by Netra News titled “An Eye for An Eye” documents in chilling detail how Hasina has, from her base in India, been urging her followers to commit violent acts in Bangladesh to help return her to power. Fortunately, only a few people have responded to those incitements so far.)
The Interim Government has been making special efforts to encourage women and Bangladeshis living abroad to vote. Efforts to turn unfortunate crimes into political fodder have been helpfully debunked by the government and civil society groups. People seem to be tiring of the continued efforts to turn Bangladeshis against each another.
India sent its Foreign Minister, S. Jaishankar, to the funeral. While there, he had discussions with BNP leaders that augur well for improved bilateral relations, especially if the BNP wins the February 12 election. Jaishankar also exchanged a handshake with the speaker of Pakistan’s national assembly, representing a small step towards realizing Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus’ vision of a revitalized South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
Bangladesh-U.S. relations remain strong. Bangladesh’s National Security Adviser Dr. Khalilur Rahman had productive meetings in Washington and Brent Christiansen, the new U.S. ambassador to Bangladesh, was sworn in on January 9 and will arrive in Dhaka very soon. The new ambassador knows Bangladesh well from prior postings in Dhaka, and will likely help improve relations further. It is encouraging to see efforts to turn the U.S. against Bangladesh continuing to fall on deaf ears in Washington.
In the meantime, remittances from Bangladeshis abroad continue to come in at a record pace, signaling the growing confidence that the global diaspora has in the country at this particular moment. Recently the widely respected Finance Adviser (who serves as the nation’s interim Finance Minister) gave a sober but largely positive assessment of the country’s economy, which has stabilized since the Interim Government took power and has been showing many positive trends lately.
Finally, it is worth noting that Bangladesh’s government and society celebrated Christmas joyfully in late December. Despite Christians constituting less than 1% of the population, Christmas has been a national holiday for decades. But this year, special efforts were made to reinforce the secular and inclusive nature of the country.
