DHAKA—A fierce political dispute has emerged between Bangladesh’s newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP) and the country’s military over allegations of an effort to bring back the ousted Awami League (AL) into the nation’s political fold.
Hasnat Abdullah, a leader of the NCP—a party formed just three weeks ago by student activists who spearheaded the uprising against Sheikh Hasina’s regime—claimed in a social media post on Thursday night that the military was orchestrating a plan to rehabilitate the AL – an allegation many put question marks on it.
“The cantonment is conspiring to bring back the Awami League under a new guise,” Abdullah alleged, dubbing the effort a “Refined Awami League” initiative. According to him, the plan involves key figures such as former minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury, former Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury, and former Dhaka South City Corporation mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh.
Abdullah further claimed that on March 11 at 2:30 PM, he and two other individuals were invited to the Cantonment, where they were presented with a proposal to accept a power-sharing arrangement in exchange for supporting the plan.
“We were told that multiple political parties had already been approached and had conditionally agreed to the rehabilitation of the AL,” he said in the Facebook post, adding that the rationale given was that having multiple weak opposition parties, including a weakened Awami League, was preferable to a single dominant opposition force.
The Daily Times of Bangladesh could not independently verify Abdullah’s claims regarding the meeting, and no statement was issued by the military regarding these allegations.
Since the fall of the AL government on August 5, there have been widespread calls to ban the party from politics altogether. Student leaders and opposition groups have warned against any efforts to revive the party, demanding legal action against its leadership for their alleged role in the violent suppression of last year’s anti-government protests, which resulted in numerous casualties in July and August.
Under mounting pressure, the government banned Chhatra League, the student wing of the AL, in October.
As part of his campaign, Abdullah released a video titled Cantonment Intervention Trailer-1 on social media. The footage featured Asif Mahmud, an adviser to the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus, discussing the role of the Army Chief in the aftermath of Hasina’s ouster. The conversation reportedly took place during deliberations over the appointment of the chief adviser.
Abdullah claimed that the interview was recorded on March 15 but was not aired by television channels. “The version we have is being posted on social media,” he wrote in the Facebook comment section.
In the video, Sajib—a key figure in the uprising— said that the army had initially raised reservation about the appointment of Muhammad Yunus as the interim government’s chief in the immediate aftermath of the AL’s fall from power. The footage has sparked debate online, with many social media users suggesting that an attempt was being made to portray the military in a controversial light.
These developments came just a day after Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus assured a delegation from the International Crisis Group that his administration had no intention of banning the Awami League. He also reaffirmed that the next national election would proceed as scheduled.
Meanwhile, reactions from Bangladesh’s political opposition have been mixed.
Tarique Rahman, acting chief of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the AL’s primary rival, drew the attention of the interim government to this end.
“I want to say again that it would not be right for the interim government to take any steps that will allow the fugitive autocracy’s cohorts any scope to rehabilitate in the state or politics,” he said while virtually speaking at an iftar programme at Dhaka Ladies Club in the capital with eminent citizens and job holders.
But Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, a senior leader of the BNP, earlier, questioned on Friday why individuals with no history of wrongdoing should be prevented from participating in politics.
“If those leading the Awami League have no involvement in crimes, student killings, corruption, or money laundering, then why shouldn’t such leaders be allowed to function in politics?” Rizvi remarked at an Eid gift distribution event for underprivileged communities in Dhaka.
However, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman strongly rejected any attempt at AL rehabilitation, declaring in a Facebook post that the public would not accept it under any circumstances. He urged citizens from all backgrounds to remain cautious, united, and responsible, setting aside party affiliations for the nation’s greater interest.