Anti-government protests plagued Bangladesh earlier this month due to resentment over a quota system in which 56% of government positions in Bangladesh are to be reserved for various groups, including 30% for the descendants of freedom fighters who fought in the 1971 War of Independence, according to The Conversation. The controversial quota makes it difficult for unemployed youth citizens to gain civil service positions. Many of these jobs then went to supporters of the Awami League. This quota has been criticized for a long time and has been the reason for various protests. The quota system was abolished in 2018 due to a student mobilization. However, in June of this year, the country’s high court ruled that it was illegal, putting it back in motion and sparking a new round of protests, according to The Conversation. Then, in July, students and faculty held walkout protests from universities over new pension reforms that would reduce salaries. The protests, which initially began peacefully, soon became violent after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made a statement claiming the students were tied to pro-Pakistan collaborators during Bangladesh’s War of Independence. According to The Conversation, the violent protests involved the armed wing of the Awami League attacking students with tear gas bullets, with support from the police and the Rapid Action Battalion, a paramilitary group with a history of extrajudicial killings, torture, and enforced disappearances was deployed. About 266 people were killed, including at least 32 children. Students were also arrested and had to withdraw their demands to the police—part of this protest and the list of demands involved demanding Prime Minister Hasina’s immediate resignation. The violent outbreak led to a declaration of total noncooperation movements and another massive uprising. Thousands of protesters were gathered, and while this was happening, Prime Minister Hasina fled the country.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled from Bangladesh to India as an escape from the student uprisings. Many believed she had resigned as prime minister before she fell; however, her son confessed that she did not have time to do so. Her son Sajeeb Wazed told Reuters that “she had planned to make a statement and submit her resignation. But then the protestors started marching on the prime minister’s residence. And there was no time. My mother wasn’t even packed. As far as the constitution goes, she is still the prime minister of Bangladesh.” He also mentioned that. “ However, the president had dissolved parliament after consulting with military chiefs and opposition politicians; the formation of a caretaker government without the prime minister formally resigning can be challenged in court.” Both political sides agreed not to let vengeance lead the next election in Bangladesh. Wazed told Reuters that Hasina’s Awami League party would contest the next election, and if the Awami did not come into power, they would be the opposition party. In a recent statement by the chief of the main opposition party, Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Khaleda Zia, said there should be no “revenge or vengeance” after Hasina fled. Wazed said he was relieved by the statement, telling Reuters that he was “willing to work with the BNP… to have democratic elections in Bangladesh and restore democracy and to work with them to ensure that going forward, we have peaceful democracy where there will be free and fair elections.” Wazed said his mother is ready to face trial upon returning to Bangladesh. He also mentioned that she was preparing to retire this term anyway and that if the party wanted him to become the Awami League’s prime ministerial candidate, he would consider doing so. Wazed stressed the defence of his mother to Reuters, saying that she was not responsible for the deaths and injuries that were endured during the protests and that she did not order the people in her government to shoot. He also said that they did everything they could to have the police subside the violence, saying that they suspended all of the police officers who fired at students. He defended politics in Bangladesh by saying, “The political parties are not going anywhere. You cannot wipe us out. Without our help and supporters, you will not be able to bring stability to Bangladesh.”

With the ongoing protests and the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the current political future of the country is raising very concerning questions. According to the Times of India, analysts are comparing Bangladesh’s current climate and situation to the likeness and political landscapes of Afghanistan and Pakistan, both of which have also experienced extreme turmoil. During Hasina’s flee, the interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad did not ease the concerns about the stability and legitimacy of this new government. Muhammad is faced with the difficult task of transforming and leading a country after major protests that caused many casualties and deaths that have not subsided since the last Prime Minister fled. According to the Times of India, Muhammad is faced with restoring order and addressing the grievances that led to the protests, with the possibility of civil unrest if he does not implement effective reforms. Hasina’s policies have considerably shifted since she first took power, favouring the wealthy and the elite. These placed heavy grievances on the youth of Bangladesh, who are facing unemployment and are protesting about economic disparities as well as political repression. The students who face these issues and once were protesting are now gaining political victories as many are now in the new interim government, and their lack of experience can become a danger to the future of Bangladesh. This causes antennas to be raised for most analysts as they are beginning to compare the situation in Bangladesh to that in Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, after the Taliban took over, the country saw economic difficulties, humanitarian crises, and many civil disruptions. The future of Bangladesh now resides in the interim government to try and subside the civil unrest as much as possible to try and prevent plunging into a deeper, more irreversible state.