How the world is reacting to Bangladesh's new beginning
From memes circulating on social media platforms to world leaders issuing statements, Sheikh Hasina’s ouster has created a buzz around the world
"When a big tree falls, the earth shakes."
These were the words uttered by Rajiv Gandhi in reference to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots following the tragic assassination of his mother Indira Gandhi.
To carry the metaphor on, there has been no tree bigger in Bangladesh than the recently ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who was the longest serving PM in the country's history.
On 5 August, after more than 15 years in power, Hasina resigned and left the country after a student-led popular uprising in which more than 300 people were killed and thousands were injured. Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus stepped up to run the country as the interim chief advisor after the Awami League government and the parliament was dissolved.
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Naturally Bangladesh's closest neighbour India felt the biggest impact. Hasina's decision to seek refuge in India was motivated not only by its geographic proximity, but also by her close ties to the Indian establishment.
Since 2009, India has supported the Hasina regime and helped it overcome adversity. India's policy toward Bangladesh was shaped by business interests and a desire to keep the country in its sphere of influence. For years, Indian policymakers, analysts, and media have argued that a change in Bangladesh's government would pose a security threat.
On Tuesday, India's foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said, "What was particularly worrying was that minorities, their businesses and temples also came under attack at multiple locations," he said. "The full extent of this is still not clear."
Jaishankar was referring to reports that had surfaced about attacks targeting minorities following Hasina's ouster.
The night before the Indian rumour mill was hard at work on social media mixing actual reports of violence on Hindus with fake and old news to paint a picture of absolute carnage. However, news of neighbours and students protecting Hindu establishments, temples and houses were conspicuously missing.
"Mohammad Yunus is not somebody who is likely to condone violence, especially against the minority population. There are many cases in which civilians as well as police safeguarded Hindu temples in Bangladesh. I am certainly hopeful that we will be in a position in calming down and safeguarding the minorities," said politician Shashi Tharoor while speaking to ANI.
"They [Indian policymakers, analysts, media] have tacitly suggested that stage-managed elections delivering victory to Hasina were preferable to free and fair elections that would have reflected Bangladesh's popular will," wrote Ali Riaz, non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council South Asia Centre and a distinguished professor at Illinois State University, in his Atlantic Council blog.
In the final days of her reign, the former PM insisted that the anti-government movement was orchestrated by "militants" and "terrorists" — a message that several Indian news outlets have echoed in recent days.
At the same time, Indian media has accused Bangladesh's legitimate political opposition parties, including the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, of colluding with Pakistan's main intelligence agency. Despite being anonymously sourced and devoid of any real evidence, such allegations are quickly becoming a staple of Indian media discourse.
This approach has now become an integral part of Indian media discourse and policy-making. Since Hasina arrived in India, the mass movement that deposed her has been portrayed as an Islamist uprising, and some in the Indian establishment are emphasising the violence in Bangladesh since her departure rather than the autocratic nature of her leadership.
"The meeting between Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Hasina at Hindon Airbase near Delhi upon her arrival also sends the message that India is most concerned with the security aspect," Professor Riaz further wrote in his blog.
However, after Dr Yunus took oath, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his wishes to him on taking over new responsibilities. The Indian PM hoped for an early return to normalcy and the safety of Hindus in the violence-hit country in a post on X.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also took to social media to welcome the interim Bangladesh government. She was earlier rebuked by the central government after she offered shelter to people in distress from Bangladesh.
The US administration and media has been more appreciative of the movement. The US government has already stated that the country stands ready to work with the new interim government as Dr Yunus arrived in Dhaka from Paris on Thursday to take the oath of office as the chief adviser.
Sheikh Hasina's relations with the Biden administration had been tense. The US was a vocal critic of the January elections in Bangladesh. The largest opposition BNP had boycotted the polls. The election has been dubbed a dummy election by observers.
Last May, the ex-Bangladesh PM had accused a "Western government" of trying to establish a military base in Bangladesh by force, without naming any country. It is widely believed she was alluding to the US.
In an article titled "She thought her grip was unbreakable. Bangladeshis would prove otherwise", New York Times wrote, "In recent years, Ms Hasina's power relied on two pillars: a relentless crushing of the opposition to the point that it could not mobilise and an entrenching of an all-encompassing patronage network that would protect her to protect its own interests in turn."
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on X that Hasina's violent reaction to legitimate protests made her continued rule untenable.
"I applaud the brave protestors and demand justice for those killed. It's critical to establish a balanced interim government that respects the rights of all and sets up democratic elections swiftly," Schumer said.
The Chinese government has said very little about what is happening in Bangladesh, however they welcomed the interim government in Bangladesh.
Chinese state media The Global Times, a nationalist tabloid, quotes experts who speculate about Western involvement in the chaos.
The Economist reports, there are hints of official thinking in state media and on the internet, with the situation referred to as a "colour revolution". Xi Jinping uses that term. China and its allies must prevent foreign powers, namely the US, from fomenting such revolutions, he stated at a Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting in 2022.
The UK media has been sympathetic to the protestors' cause possibly because of the large Bangali diaspora present there.
In Whitechapel, the London neighbourhood home to a very large Bangladeshi community, many took to the streets to celebrate, Reuters reports.
Waving their national flag and honking car horns, they chanted: "Bangladesh! Bangladesh!"
"Bangladesh has achieved its second independence now," Abu Sayem told Reuters. "We actually got our independence first in 1971 but autocrat Sheikh Hasina was ruling the country forcibly. She has snatched away our rights."
"It is a relief for us and I'm happy for my nation," Cab driver Ishtiaque Choudhury was quoted as saying in the same report.
Meanwhile, the UK has been non-committal about accepting Hasina's request for asylum. As per the UK's immigration law, "there is no provision" for people outside the UK to apply for asylum or temporary refuge.
Sheikh Hasina's desire to relocate to the United Kingdom, where her sister and niece live, has put the UK government in a difficult position. David Lammy, the UK foreign secretary, has called for a United Nations-led investigation into the recent violence. If this is held, it will likely hold Sheikh Hasina accountable to some degree and would look bad for the British government if she were then in the UK with the grant of 'political asylum'.
In Pakistan, social media memes praising Bangladeshi students and trolling Pakistani students for not being as brave have been making rounds on the internet.
Nasif Tanjim is a journalist.
