Will have little effect

The death sentence issued against Sheikh Hasina has come as no surprise to Bangladesh watchers in New Delhi.

- Ashwin Ahmad

Pointing to the long rivalry between the former prime minister and Mohammed Yunus, the Chief Adviser of the current interim government in the country, a senior diplomat stated that the sentencing was the result of “vindictive politics,” prevalent in Bangladeshi political history.

The diplomat pointed out that this was not the first time a political leader had been targeted. Begum Khaleda Zia, chief of the main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) was arrested and then put under house arrest in 2020.

Her son Tarique Rahman, the interim chairman in the BNP, in London since 2008, has stated he will return soon to fight elections scheduled for early 2026.

"The fight is taking place at many levels. There is first the personal animosity between Hasina and Yunus which goes back till 2007. Then there is the ideological battle between the Mancha 71 (Platform 71) who broadly support Hasina, and the Jamaat-e Islami who expressed their support for Yunus. This is polarising Bangladesh and affecting the day-to-day running of the country," the envoy said.