New Delhi: Bangladesh is in for a difficult period ahead, given the current turmoil. In the past two days, the government led by Muhammad Yunus was exposed to several challenges with a major one involving Bangladesh’s consolidated military forces. The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Wakar-uz-Zaman’s address to the officers on Wednesday (May 21) came at a time when tensions have heightened between the Bangladesh Army and Yunus regime over holding elections, law and order situation in the country and the creation of a Humanitarian Corridor to the Rakhine State of Myanmar.

The proposed ‘Rakhine Corridor’ has emerged as one of the most contentious issues in Bangladesh with Zaman underscoring that Bangladesh Army will not allow anything that will affect the sovereignty and geographical stability of the country.

Yunus, meanwhile, reportedly considered resignation from his post amid escalating political unrest. A meeting was held on Thursday evening at Chief Advisor’s official residence Jamuna State Guest House during which Yunus expressed his frustration, claiming that he has no intention to continue and wishes to resign.

Student leaders turned political leaders, including Nahid Islam, Mahfuz Alam and Asif Sajib Bhuyian, held closed-door discussions with Yunus who claimed that Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which is now controlling judiciary, administration and street power, is accusing him of delaying the elections. Yunus reportedly said that would not like to hold a partisan election in such a situation, favouring one party to form the government.

According to the BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, the party has demanded the removal of interim government advisors Asif Mahmud, Shojib Bhuyain, Mahfuj Alam along with National Security Advisor Khalilur Rahman.

The party stated that, in order to uphold the neutrality of the interim government, these advisors must be relieved of their duties.

Analysts believe that Yunus has been deflecting from the actual issues and appears to be delaying the General Election process. With no democratic mandate, Yunus, supported by the student advisors and pro-Pakistan hardline Islamist parties, is jeopardizing the polity of Bangladesh in the garb of pursuing reforms.

“No doubt, without any political mandate, Yunus has been backsliding badly on democracy and reforms, increasingly suppressing opposition parties, stifling dissent, imposing restrictions on the media and supporting hardline pro-Pakistan, pro-Islamist lobbies, including Jamaat,” said one official.

Yunus government’s recent actions paint a far more complicated and disturbing picture.

According to experts, there is a veiled attempt to legitimise a sectarian extremist coalition under the guise of democracy. The primary goal of radical Islamists, including Jamaat and its allies, is to keep Yunus in power at any cost, as he is now their only hope for re-entering the state apparatus.

Observers, however, believe that Yunus’ dream of holding onto power is rapidly collapsing.

Under Yunus, Dhaka has quietly overseen the release of individuals affiliated with some of the deadliest militant outfits in South Asia, including Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI), Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), and Hizb-ut-Tahrir.

These groups have long been blacklisted not only by the Bangladeshi state but also by international counterterrorism frameworks. “Politically immature” Yunus released hundreds of ideologically-committed militants, many of whom retain digital access, sleeper network connections and sympathisers, risking the revival of dormant extremist cells, not just in Bangladesh but also within India’s vulnerable northeast.

“Yunus is not independent but indebted to the West and pro-Pakistan radical Islamists. It will be better to see Bangladesh without Yunus who is highly dependent on a small handful of men and the West who propped him up. Many of his current decisions have deeply split the Bangladeshi society. It is beyond his competence to handle Bangladesh,” said one analyst.

(The writer is an expert on South Asia and Eurasia. He was formerly with Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. Views expressed are personal)

–IANS

/as