A new platform named “Adhipatyabad Birodhi Nagorik Somaj” has been formally launched at an event held at the National Press Club on Monday. A seven-member committee has been announced to lead the platform, with political scientist Prof Dilara Chowdhury as the convenor and former diplomat Sakib Ali as the member secretary.
The other members of the newly formed committee are human rights and social activist and researcher Ruby Amatulla, Brigadier General (Retd) Hasan Nasir, entrepreneur and organiser Fahim Mashroor, retired government official Khan Mokhlesur Rahman, and activist Minhajul Abedin.
The launch event’s morning session was chaired by Prof Dilara Chowdhury and moderated by Fahim Mashroor. During this initial session, committee member Ruby Amatulla read out the platform’s official declaration, outlining its objectives and core commitments.
According to the declaration, the platform aims to raise awareness among the public and the state regarding the risks of hegemony, whilst building collective efforts to safeguard national sovereignty.
The organisers emphasised that the organisation is not directed against any specific country or group, but will actively vocalise against any form of internal or external hegemony.
Addressing the audience, convenor and political scientist Dr Dilara Chowdhury said the platform was established due to the urgent necessity of forging a national consensus on Bangladesh’s sovereignty in the post-July political landscape and shifting regional geopolitics.
She said any citizen who believes in independence, national dignity, democratic self-governance, and peaceful international cooperation is welcome to join. She reiterated that the platform does not target any specific political party or nation, but remains committed to opposing both internal and external hegemony.
The second session of the programme featured a seminar titled “Sovereignty Strategy of Bangladesh State in the New Global and Regional Geopolitical Context”, where former diplomat Sakib Ali presented the keynote paper.
The discussion drew a wide array of participants, including politicians, Members of Parliament (MPs), international relations experts, lawyers, human rights activists, former diplomats, and security analysts.
Speaking at the discussion, photographer and human rights activist Shahidul Alam remarked that the July student movement was directed not only against the autocratic Sheikh Hasina and her party, but also against Indian hegemony. He added that if India does not stop sheltering Sheikh Hasina, it will prove that India has not altered its hegemonic stance towards Bangladesh.
Former chief prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal, Tajul Islam, argued that Bangladesh’s sovereignty cannot be fully guaranteed without enhancing its military capabilities. He advocated for developing domestic drone-manufacturing capabilities, clarifying that the primary objective of such initiatives is to ensure self-security and not to attack any foreign nation.
Shafiqul Alam, editor of the Daily Wada and former press secretary to the Interim Government, warned that the nation’s sovereignty would remain permanently vulnerable if the majority of its food products and fuel must be imported from abroad.
Other discussants who participated in the seminar included Brigadier General (Retd) Hasan Nasir, reserved seat female MP Mardia Momtaz, AB Party General Secretary Barrister Asaduzzaman Fuaad, Janatar Dal leader Del H Khan, State Reform Movement’s Didar Bhuiyan, and politician Rita Rahman.
