Sheikh Hasina: An Iconic Pro-Democracy Figure Turned Autocrat

 Islamabad, 6 August 2024, (TDI): Weeks of student-led protests turned into fatal, countrywide upheaval, prompting Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina Wazed, to step down and leave the nation.

Thousands of demonstrators attacked the 76-year-old’s official mansion in the capital Dhaka on Monday, and she fled in a helicopter to India, according to reports.

With over 20 years of total government experience, this unexpectedly ends the tenure of Bangladesh’s longest-serving prime minister, who took office in 2009.

Ms. Hasina, who started her political career as a symbol of democracy, is credited with supervising the economic development of the South Asian nation in recent years.

She has been charged with becoming authoritarian and repressing any dissent to her authority, nevertheless, in recent years. Under her leadership, the number of extrajudicial killings, disappearances, politically motivated arrests, and other atrocities has increased.

In an election that was widely criticized as a fraud and was skipped by the major opposition, she was elected to a historic fourth term as prime minister in January.

Also read: World Reacts to Bangladesh PM Hasina Wajid’s Exit

How did Sheikh Hasina get the power?

Ms. Hasina had a history in politics since she was born in 1947 into a Muslim family in East Bengal.

Her father was nationalist leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, dubbed the “Father of the Nation” of Bangladesh, who spearheaded the nation’s 1971 separation from Pakistan and went on to become its first president.

As a student leader at Dhaka University at the time, Ms. Hasina was already well-known.

In 1975, a military coup resulted in the assassination of her father and most of his family. During their time traveling overseas, only Ms. Hasina and her younger sister made it out alive.

Once she returned to Bangladesh in 1981, Ms. Hasina led the Awami League, the political party her father had belonged to, after living in exile in India.

During General Hussain Muhammed Ershad’s military regime, she teamed together with other political groups to organize pro-democracy street demonstrations. Ms. Hasina swiftly rose to national prominence, propelled by the popular rebellion.

1996 saw her win her first election to office. Her forging of a peace agreement with tribal rebels in the southeast of the nation and a water-sharing agreement with India brought her recognition.

However, her administration was also criticized for being overly deferential to India and for a number of alleged shady business dealings.

Later, in 2001, she was defeated by Begum Khaleda Zia of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), her erstwhile ally turned adversary.

Referred to as the “battling begums,” these two ladies had a dominant position in Bangladeshi politics for almost thirty years, having descended from powerful dynasties. A Muslim woman of high status is referred to as a “begum.”

Spectators claim that as a result of their intense rivalry, extrajudicial assassinations, bus explosives, and disappearances have become commonplace.

After a caretaker administration, Ms. Hasina eventually reclaimed her position in 2009 through elections.

Truly resilient throughout her political career, she faced multiple arrests during her opposition period and multiple attempts at assassination, one of which occurred in 2004 and resulted in hearing impairment. In addition, she has weathered multiple legal proceedings wherein she has been charged with corruption and attempts to drive her into exile.

Also read: Post-Bangladesh Incident, India Increases Border Security

What accomplishments has she made?

A different picture is painted of Bangladesh under sheikh Hasina. Since 2009, her leadership has allowed the Muslim-majority country—once among the world’s poorest—to experience real economic growth.

Its economy is currently expanding at one of the quickest rates in the area, even outpacing that of its massive neighbor, India. According to World Bank estimates, nearly 25 million people have been lifted out of poverty in the last 20 years, and its per capita income has tripled in the last ten years.

The bulk of Bangladesh’s exports are attributed to the garment industry, which has grown quickly in recent years to supply markets in Europe, North America, and Asia. This industry has played a vital role in the country’s economy.

Massive infrastructure projects, notably the $2.9 billion Padma Bridge across the Ganges, have also been completed by Ms. Hasina’s government using national funds, loans, and development assistance.

For what reason is she the subject of controversy?

After her party was re-elected for a fourth consecutive parliamentary term in a very contentious election, Sheikh Hasina faced her most significant challenge to date in the form of protests.

As she employed the police to aggressively crack down on protestors, killing over 200 and injuring many more, the unrest that started as a demand to remove quotas in public service employment evolved into a broader antigovernmental movement.

She had remained unyielding in the face of mounting calls for her resignation. She called for help to “suppress these terrorists with a firm hand” and denounced the demonstrators as “terrorists.” She also filed criminal charges against hundreds more people and locked them in jail.

After the epidemic, Bangladesh was struggling to keep up with the rising expense of living, which sparked unrest against quotas. Since 2016, the nation’s foreign debt has risen, its foreign exchange reserves have plummeted, and inflation has soared.

Opponents attributed this to the poor management of Ms. Hasina’s government and claimed that the prior economic prosperity of Bangladesh was a result of widespread corruption benefiting people connected to Ms. Hasina’s Awami League.

They claim that democracy and human rights were sacrificed in order for the nation to advance economically.

It’s a startling turnabout for a leader who once championed multi-party democracy that Ms. Hasina is now being accused of imposing oppressive authoritarian measures against her political rivals, critics, and the media.

Since Ms. Hasina retook office in 2009, rights organizations estimate that there have been at least 600 incidents of enforced disappearances and hundreds more cases of extrajudicial murders.

The US imposed sanctions on the Rapid Action Battalion, a renowned elite police squad accused of carrying out cruel extrajudicial killings, in 2021, claiming human rights breaches. Bangladesh’s security services have also long been accused of grave abuse and torture.

The number of arrests, monitoring, and harassments targeting human rights activists and journalists has increased. Critics claim that tight restrictions have impeded press freedom because they have been applied to journalists.

Moreover, Ms. Sheikh Hasina and her administration are charged with “judicially harassing” individuals through legal proceedings, including Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist Muhammad Yunus. His supporters claim that the proceedings against him were politically motivated, but he was imprisoned earlier this year and is currently facing over 100 charges.

Thousands of followers and some senior BNP leaders were detained in the run-up to this year’s election after antigovernmental demonstrations that rights groups claim were an attempt to weaken the opposition.

Claims of such abuses have been categorically refuted by Ms. Hasina’s government. However, it has also significantly curtailed international journalists’ access who wish to look into these claims.