The rise and fall of Sheikh Hasina
The violence that broke out in the middle of the movement against the government of Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh has turned into a war in a short time. As a result, Hasina had to resign from her post on Monday and leave the country.
Hasina left the country and went to India. On the other hand, the Bangladesh army has insisted on establishing peace in the country as soon as possible and forming an interim government. This is not the first time that such a situation has happened to Sheikh Hasina. Sheikh Hasina faced a similar situation after the assassination of her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the violent protests of 2008-09. But every time, Hasina overcame the challenges and came back to power.
Sheikh Hasina also survived two deadly attacks. The first attack on her was in 1975, when her father Mujib and her entire family were killed. Coincidentally, Sheikh Hasina survived because she was out of the country. However, the second attack on her was direct. In 2004, a grenade was thrown at her, injuring her badly. More than two dozen people lost their lives in this attack. However, Sheikh Hasina survived.
Sheikh Hasina, born in 1947, is the most influential and controversial face of Bangladeshi politics. With her decades of political experience, Sheikh Hasina has achieved great heights. Along with this, many controversies are also connected with her.
Hasina’s life and politics are directly connected with the history and background of Bangladesh. Her father Sheikh Mujeeb-ur-Rehman was the main face of Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan in 1971. That is, Sheikh Hasina experienced the freedom movement of Bangladesh closely.
This movement also helped shape his political ideology. During her father’s reign, Sheikh Hasina contested and won the vice-chancellorship of Eden College. Apart from this, she also held the responsibility of the student organization of her father’s party. However, after the murder of her father Mujib-ur-Rehman and his family in 1975, Hasina had to flee Bangladesh. After living outside Bangladesh for many years, Hasina finally returned to the country in the 1980s and entered politics here.
The extent of her father’s influence on Sheikh Hasina can be estimated from the fact that she named her political party Awami League in Bangladesh. She became the president of the party in 1981 and started politics as the leader of the opposition party. This fight of hers came in handy in politics and finally in 1996 she became the Prime Minister of Bangladesh for the first time. Her first tenure is considered a time of great reform for Bangladesh. During this period, economic liberalism emerged in the country. A large amount of foreign investment came to Bangladesh and the standard of living of the people also improved.
Under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh became an important center of textile industry worldwide. Hasina also laid great emphasis on education and health. Her plan to provide free books to school children took her a long way.
However, despite these achievements, Hasina’s tenure was not free from controversy. Her administration was noted for its confrontation with the judiciary. Sheikh Hasina was also accused of playing with the independence and autonomy of the courts. Many countries have criticized her for this. On the other hand, opposition parties have also accused Hasina of authoritarianism. Many human rights organizations also opposed Sheikh Hasina’s stance, especially towards the Islamic Jamaat-e-Islami party. Finally, in 2001, she had to suffer defeat at the hands of opposition party and rival Khaleda Zia.
What happened with Sheikh Hasina in 2024 is not new. Something similar happened in 2006, when the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government announced a snap election in October and switched to caretaker rule. During this, the Sheikh Hasina government accused the BNP government of unconstitutionally increasing the retirement age of the Chief Justice of Bangladesh.
The incident took a violent turn in no time and there were loud protests across the country led by the Awami League. However, the army later supported a caretaker government in 2007. However, this made the situation worse. At that time, the caretaker government also stopped Sheikh Hasina from returning to the country after her visit. Later, due to criticism of the entire incident from human rights organizations and pressure from various countries, Hasina was allowed to return. However, the whole controversy did not end here. After her return, Sheikh Hasina was sent to jail on charges of corruption.
After ruling Bangladesh for more than 90 days, the caretaker government installed by the military has finally decided to hold elections in the country. In the elections held on 29 December 2008, the Awami League and its coalition of partner parties captured two-thirds of the seats. BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, which were in power until 2006, had to sit in the opposition. In 2009, Sheikh Hasina again became the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
After this whole incident, Sheikh Hasina ruled Bangladesh for 15 years in three terms. However, regarding his victory, the opposition has repeatedly accused of irregularities in the election process and threats to political parties and independent organizations. Critics have also complained that Sheikh Hasina is trying to suppress the opposition in the government. However, her supporters continued to portray his image as progressive due to the ongoing development work and economic reforms in Bangladesh.
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