Amid the chaos spreading in Bangladesh, PM Hasina finally had to resign on Monday. She had to leave the country to save her life and now the army has taken over the responsibility of running the country. However, before all this, India had warned about General Zaman a year ago. Before being appointed as the Army Chief of Bangladesh on June 23, 2023 last year, top Indian officials had warned Sheikh Hasina about General Zaman’s inclination towards China. Hasina has had to pay the price for not heeding the advice of Indian security agencies by appointing General Wakar-us-Zaman as the Army Chief.
Instead of stopping the growing protests in the country, General Zaman warned Sheikh Hasina to leave the country. Hasina, who has been the Prime Minister for 15 years, was given only 45 minutes by the army. The junta also released BNP leader Khaleda Zia. This is proof that now Islamic organizations like Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir will come forward in the radical politics of the country. Earlier, Sheikh Hasina had indicated in April 2023 itself that she did not want to contest the general elections to be held in January 2024. However, she reluctantly entered the election fray after her supporters asked her to. Knowing well the threat of Islamists and Western agents, Hasina did not want anyone in her family to succeed her because she knew that her opponents would kill her. In this way, Hasina was a strong wall against the Islamists, which finally collapsed on Monday due to the machinations of the army.
Radical students may turn against the army
Even though the army and zealous hardliners are celebrating the departure of Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh itself is on the verge of economic crisis like Pakistan, Maldives and Sri Lanka and will need help from Western countries to overcome it. Given the rate of unemployment, hardliner students associated with JEI may turn against the army.
Big challenge for India
On the other hand, Sheikh Hasina’s resignation is not good news for India. It is feared that the fundamentalist regime will pose a threat from the eastern front. The Modi government will give its full support to form a stable interim government in Bangladesh. All of India’s neighbors except Bhutan are currently facing political turmoil and the situation is expected to worsen in the future. The only option left for India is to protect itself from cross-border challenges through better security and intelligence.
