Sino-Pakistan axis gradually pushing Bangladesh towards the destination of Iran |
Bangladesh today stands on the edge of a transformation far more dangerous than many are willing to admit. What is unfolding is not a routine political transition, nor a democratic correction after years of flawed governance. It is the steady replacement of constitutional rule with revolutionary authority – a shift that carries grave consequences for Bangladesh itself, for India, and for regional stability across South Asia.
The violent removal of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024 marked more than the fall of a government. It marked the collapse of constitutional continuity. Whatever the failures of the Awami League, Hasina’s administration was elected, internationally recognized, and strategically aligned against Islamist extremism. Its downfall created a power vacuum that has since been filled not by elections, but by unelected authority.
Muhammad Yunus assumed power amid this chaos, not through popular mandate but through circumstance. What was initially described as a temporary, corrective arrangement is now being converted into something far more permanent. The proposed February 12 referendum lies at the heart of this transformation.
Marketed as an expression of “the people’s will”, the referendum is, in effect, a substitute for general elections. Its objective is not democratic renewal but political consolidation – granting Yunus extraordinary authority under the banner of revolutionary legitimacy. This is not an intangible concern. History shows that referendums held under transitional regimes rarely constrain power; they legitimize its concentration.
Bangladesh has been here before. Mass movements have repeatedly promised democratic rebirth, only to produce new forms of authoritarian control. What distinguishes the current moment is the explicit rejection of constitutional checks in favor of revolutionary justification. Courts, parliaments, and elections are portrayed as obstacles rather than safeguards.
The July 2024 unrest........