Hasina's passport plea and bus arson raise political temperature

For several days, buses have been set on fire in the capital and surrounding areas, as well as in different parts of the country. Occasional cocktail explosions have also occurred.

Meanwhile, news has come that the deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who is in India, has applied for a new passport and national identity card (NID) in order to return home.

Rumours of her return in December, and the arson and cocktail incidents before that, have created a sense of political heat.

In this situation, political analysts are advising the government to take effective steps in time. They fear that the rival positions of the political parties on the matter could push the situation towards conflict.

After the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August 2024, no major situation of conflict developed in the country's political arena. After the 13th national parliamentary election last February, differences between the government and the opposition have largely remained confined to statements, parliamentary debate and peaceful programmes, although on the reform issue the opposition has recently intensified its programmes and raised its voice to the level of threats.

In a crimes against humanity case over the 2024 mass uprising, the International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Sheikh Hasina to death in her absence last November. She was given the sentence on charges of ordering a lethal crackdown to suppress the student-public uprising. From India, however, she has been denying these allegations.

After the court's verdict, the government has been conducting diplomatic efforts to bring Sheikh Hasina back from India. The opposition is also vocal in this demand. In this situation, a few months ago Hasina told Indian media that she wants to return home in December.

Meanwhile, the international news agency Reuters reported yesterday, Monday, that in a letter sent to Preeti Rahman, the acting high commissioner at the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, Hasina's lawyers requested that she be issued a new passport and national identity card (NID).

Awami League leaders told Reuters that the date of Sheikh Hasina's return will be fixed after the necessary formalities are completed.

After the news of Sheikh Hasina's request for a passport and NID came out, fresh discussion has begun among the government and political parties. The government says that if Sheikh Hasina wants to return, the necessary measures will be taken under the existing extradition treaty between Bangladesh and India.

The matter also came up at yesterday's meeting of the BNP's parliamentary party. According to meeting sources, Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Tarique Rahman called on members of parliament to stay on the streets to face conspiracies. On Sheikh Hasina's return, he said there is an extradition treaty between the two countries, and the government will take the necessary measures following the rules, the law and prevailing practice.

However, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir described Sheikh Hasina's application for a new passport and NID as 'extremely laughable'. Responding to journalists' questions at the Foreign Ministry yesterday, he said there is a specific legal process if Sheikh Hasina wants to return. There is no scope to return on a new passport. He also said that under the extradition treaty between Bangladesh and India, the Indian government may be requested to hand her over to Bangladesh.

Alongside the exchange of political statements, the situation on the ground is also adding to the concern. Just as the activity of Awami League leaders and activists on social media and attempts at flash processions in various places are increasing, law enforcement agencies are strengthening security.

Incidents of buses being set on fire deep at night on roads and highways in and around the capital have created panic among ordinary people. Whether these incidents are directly related to the discussion of Sheikh Hasina's return is not clear. But the overall situation has created fresh concern in the political arena.

According to political analysts, the government needs to take a quick and clear position on how Sheikh Hasina will return, or by what process she will be brought back. If the political tug-of-war over the matter continues for a long time, the risk of conflict may increase. They advise that no side — the banned Awami League, the government or the opposition — should use this issue as a tool to gain political advantage.

Professor Mohammad Mujibur Rahman of the Institute of Education and Research (IER) at Dhaka University told Ajker Patrika, 'The country is now in a stable situation. This must not be spoiled in any way; that must be kept in mind. The main responsibility for this lies with the government.' The professor added that all sides will now try to take political advantage. For that reason, the government itself must take the main role. The government must take steps in such a way that no side gets the chance to destabilise the situation.