<h3 data-start="219" data-end="287">Islamists Rise Again as Bangladesh Politics Enters a New Phase</h3>
<p data-start="289" data-end="347">&nbsp;</p>
<p data-start="349" data-end="772">Bangladesh&rsquo;s political compass is veering sharply once again, as the echoes of last year's student-led revolution that overthrew the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government continue to reverberate across the country. Over the weekend, hundreds of thousands thronged Dhaka&rsquo;s Suhrawardy Udyan&mdash;an iconic site of <a title="Bangladesh elections" href="https://www.benefitnews24.com/international/yunus-seeks-us-backing-for-bangladesh-elections/15424" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bangladesh&rsquo;s</a> liberation history&mdash;not to celebrate the past, but to demand a radically different political future.</p>
<p data-start="774" data-end="1299">The gathering was led by the Jamaat-e-Islami&mdash;Bangladesh&rsquo;s largest Islamist party, historically controversial for its role during the 1971 war&mdash;and supported by an increasingly vocal alliance of &ldquo;anti-fascist&rdquo; groups such as the National Citizen Party (NCP), Islami Andolan Bangladesh, and Gono Odhikar Parishad. Their core demand? A proportional representation (PR) electoral system, a new constitution, and the dismantling of entrenched political hegemony&mdash;implicitly referring to Mujibist and pro-India ideological dominance.</p>
<p data-start="774" data-end="1299"><video controls="controls" width="300" height="150">
<source src="https://ibp-benefits.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/prod/news/uploads/videos/1752987181228_ssstwitter.com_1752984799912.mp4.mp4" type="video/mp4"></video></p>
<h3 data-start="1301" data-end="1357">A Shift From Hasina to Yunus: A Nation in Transition</h3>
<p data-start="1359" data-end="1733">Since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India following the 2024 uprisings, Bangladesh has entered a period of uneasy political rebalancing. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, now heading an interim technocratic government, is attempting to navigate between competing ideological forces&mdash;Islamist resurgence, anti-establishment coalitions, and Western diplomatic expectations.</p>
<p data-start="1735" data-end="2151">India, which has long held strategic stakes in Bangladesh through Hasina&rsquo;s secular Awami League, is watching this reconfiguration with concern. Dhaka&rsquo;s recent drift towards <a title="Bangladesh China" href="create?newsType=EnglishNews" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China</a> for infrastructure and military ties had already strained Indo-Bangladeshi relations under Hasina&rsquo;s later years. Now, the re-emergence of Jamaat&mdash;once considered a pariah&mdash;hints at a recalibration not just domestically, but geopolitically.</p>
<p data-start="2153" data-end="2449">For India, whose Northeast remains sensitive to Bangladesh&rsquo;s internal stability, the re-legitimisation of a party that opposed the country&rsquo;s liberation may be unsettling. Yet, the realpolitik calculus suggests New Delhi may be forced to deal pragmatically with whichever coalition emerges stable.</p>
<h3 data-start="2451" data-end="2490">Islamists Reclaim Historic Ground</h3>
<p data-start="2492" data-end="2808">Saturday&rsquo;s rally was symbolically significant. The Suhrawardy Udyan, where the Pakistani military surrendered to Indian and Bangladeshi forces in 1971, hosted Jamaat-e-Islami for the first time in over five decades. It marked not just the party&rsquo;s political resurrection but the retreat of liberal and secular forces.</p>
<p data-start="2810" data-end="3194">While Jamaat&rsquo;s top leadership had been tried and jailed for war crimes under Hasina, the current political vacuum has allowed the party to reposition itself as part of a broader democratic reform coalition. Their seven-point charter, submitted to the interim government, combines demands for fair elections with calls for religious and communal harmony&mdash;a strategic pivot in messaging.</p>
<p data-start="3196" data-end="3543">The rally saw speeches from several prominent voices. NCP&rsquo;s Sarjis Alam warned against the resurgence of &ldquo;Mujibist pro-India forces,&rdquo; urging unity among what he termed the &ldquo;soldiers of the coup.&rdquo; Meanwhile, NCP Secretary Akhtar Hossain accused the Awami League of &ldquo;cheating the nation&rdquo; and failing to protect religious freedom for all communities.</p>
<p data-start="3545" data-end="3755">This is not merely political rhetoric; it&rsquo;s part of a calculated attempt to build a nationalist, Islamic-centrist coalition that appears democratic on paper but retains deep anti-India, anti-West undercurrents.</p>
<p data-start="3545" data-end="3755">&nbsp;</p>
<p data-start="3545" data-end="3755"><strong>ALSO READ: &nbsp;https://www.benefitnews24.com/geo-politics/akhand-bharat-will-gulp-bangladesh/9440</strong></p>
<h3 data-start="3757" data-end="3809">PR System: A Rallying Point or Political Mirage?</h3>
<p data-start="3811" data-end="4182">The demand for proportional representation is emerging as the unifying plank across these disparate opposition forces. While it may appear to be a democratic aspiration on the surface, the underlying strategic logic is to dismantle the first-past-the-post system that historically favours dominant parties like the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).</p>
<p data-start="4184" data-end="4484">By pushing for PR, smaller Islamist, leftist, and fringe nationalist parties are aiming to institutionalise their foothold in the next parliament&mdash;perhaps even before elections, which Yunus&rsquo; government has tentatively scheduled for April 2026, though some opposition parties are pressing for February.</p>
<h3 data-start="4486" data-end="4527">The Indian Lens: A Diplomatic Dilemma</h3>
<p data-start="4529" data-end="4828">India finds itself in a difficult position. The fall of Hasina, once hailed as New Delhi&rsquo;s most reliable partner in South Asia, has not led to a stable pro-India alternative. Instead, Bangladesh&rsquo;s domestic politics is now a battleground where anti-India sentiments are once again being mainstreamed.</p>
<p data-start="4830" data-end="5192">China, for its part, has been quietly engaging with new players in Dhaka, seeking to expand its influence through economic and religious diplomacy. Meanwhile, the United States, having previously expressed concerns over democratic backsliding under Hasina, has so far been cautious in endorsing Yunus&rsquo; transitional rule, mindful of the growing Islamist presence.</p>
<h3 data-start="5194" data-end="5235">Bangladesh at the Brink</h3>
<p data-start="5237" data-end="5561">Bangladesh stands at a precarious intersection of faith, nationalism, and democratic aspiration. With the liberal-secular space shrinking and anti-India, Islamist-friendly narratives gaining traction, the future political architecture will not only reshape Dhaka&rsquo;s domestic scene but also recalibrate its external alliances.</p>
<p data-start="5563" data-end="5874">Whether the interim government can manage a free and fair transition without capitulating to radical forces remains to be seen. For India, the strategic imperative is clear: engagement without endorsement, vigilance without intervention. The shadow of 1971 still looms large&mdash;but so does the uncertainty of 2026.</p>
<hr data-start="5876" data-end="5879">

Anti racist rally in Bangladesh (image source: social media)

Rallying in Dhaka, Islamist and anti-fascist forces seek electoral reforms and PR system

Bangladesh at Crossroads as Islamists Gain Ground

Rallying in Dhaka, Islamist and anti-fascist forces seek electoral reforms and PR system

July 20, 2025 | 10:23 IST