Advocates of democracy in Bangladesh must have been in great mental confusion as the country had its poll on December 30. A third consecutive term to the secular Awami League is on the cards. On the other hand Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been authoritarian, cracking the whip to suppress individual freedom, jailed opponents and crushed dissent. The Opposition Jatiya Oikya Front, a motley group of parties is led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( BNP) which is right wing, Islamist and in cahoots with fundamentalists. It has fielded candidates from the banned, Jamat-i-Islami which had links with Pakistan against the liberation war in 1971. The Front is led by Kamal Hossain who was one of the authors of the new country’s first Constitution with his Oxford legal background. He is not contesting in the elections. BNP leader Khaleda Zia was imprisoned on corruption charges. Her son was also convicted and exiled.
Hasina has been in the saddle since 2009. There have been upheavals in the country but she has remained firm. The war crime trials caused international controversy. Several Jammat leaders were convicted and hanged. The party was banned. The election in 2014 was boycotted by the BNP. Hasina came to power again but her liberalism retreated into a cloud. Hasina gave asylum to nearly a million Rohingyas fleeing from Myanmar and won global applause. But she did not spare her critics. The plus points of Hasina’s regime are that the Bangladesh economy has grown at a healthy pace. Its human development indicators are the best in South Asia. Hasina is still, on the whole a popular leader.
Prime Minister Hasina is by and large friendly with India. Her government has turned its heat on safe havens of terrorists operating in North East India. She has backed India against Pakistan in their disputes. She has built ties with China without antagonising India. China has helped Dhaka with dollops of financial assistance. Delhi has avoided getting involved in the internal and international problems of Bangladesh. Only the dispute over Test waters causes discord between the two countries as also the lack of security of the border.
Meanwhile some issues between Bangladesh and India remained unresolved. The use of Chittagong port would have been a boon for land-locked North Eastern states such as Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura. This has not been vigorously pursued by the Indian Government for reasons best known to it. Even the border trade through Land Custom Stations (LCS) has not received much traction. This needs to be strengthened for mutual advantage.