Bangladesh politics at a crossroads

The upcoming election will test Tarique Rahman’s leadership and his grasp of electoral politics.

The passing away of Begum Khaleda Zia, the first female prime minister of Bangladesh, on December 30, is going to leave a major void not only within the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) but also in the country’s national politics. She ushered in multiparty parliamentary democracy in Bangladesh when she was elected to power in 1991. Yet her legacy has been both: a reflection of the immense resilience of a young widow and also that of her controversial decisions. She steered the party that faced factionalism after her husband Zia ur Rahman’s assassination and provided much-needed leadership. She is credited with the institutionalisation of the Caretaker Government (CTG) in 1996. But she also undermined this in 2006 when she appointed President Iajuddin Ahmed to head the CTG without exercising other options provided by the constitution. She also established the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), which initiated ‘Operation Clean Heart’ in 2002, ostensibly to address the issue of terrorism within the country. It resulted in extrajudicial killings where those responsible were provided immunity from persecution.