Following an uprising last year, competing factions are expected to hold large-scale protests in Dhaka on Thursday, marking the start of three days of political rallies in Bangladesh.
Since autocratic prime ruler Sheikh Hasina fled into exile after protestors stormed her palace in August, 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus has led an interim government. He has stated that elections will take place as early as December and at the latest by mid-2026.
A rally for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which is predicted to win the election, will take place in Dhaka on May Day.
BNP media officer Shairul Kabir Khan declared, “We are sure that this will be the most memorable grand rally in recent times.”
On Thursday, Jamaat-e-Islami will also march through the capital’s streets.
There will also be a gathering by the Jatiya Party, which was once close to Hasina’s government.
Since its offices were vandalized in October, purportedly for aiding Hasina’s Awami League in maintaining its hold on power, this will be the organization’s first outdoor political gathering.
The National Citizens Party (NCP), which was founded by students and organized the youth-led demonstrations that ousted Hasina, is scheduled to host a rally on Friday.
Nahid Islam, the head of the NCP, first served in Yunus’s temporary administration before leaving to start the party.
“We can increase public engagement through political programs,” stated Ariful Islam Adib, a senior NCP leader. “We anticipate 20,000 to 30,000 people at this rally, but it’s not about displaying strength.”
On Saturday, the Islamic seminaries’ platform Hefazat-e-Islam will host a “grand rally.”
Its chairman, Mamunul Haque, stated that the demonstration serves as a reminder to the government of the sacrifices that have been made and that they will utilize the occasion to make their demands known.
One important example of how conservative, religiously motivated activism is gaining momentum after years of repression is the removal of recommendations made by a government women’s commission to abolish discriminatory restrictions against women.
“We’re going to make four demands.” The most important of these is disregarding the Women’s Rights Commission’s recommendations,” Haque stated.
“We will take to the streets regardless of whether Muhammad Yunus is in charge or someone even more well-known,” he continued.
Accused of crimes against humanity, Hasina has disregarded a Dhaka arrest warrant and is still living in self-imposed exile in India.
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