SAPThe aftershocks of Bangladesh’s July Revolution continue to reverberate throughout South Asia, affecting domestic politics and regional relations.
At the epicenter in Dhaka, Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus and his interim government are moving forward with reform efforts even as they attempt to stabilize the economy and ensure accountability for the crimes committed during former Prime Minister’s 15-year rule.
Bangladesh’s public continues to debate the timing of national elections and the role that members of the former Prime Minister’s party will play in the country’s politics going forward. While maintaining a focus on implementing reforms, the interim government also continues efforts to attract foreign investment and address concerns about the risk of a resurgence in terrorism.
While Chief Advisor Yunus received a hero’s welcome in New York at the UN General Assembly, relations with neighboring India remain tense.
To date, diplomatic contacts between India and Bangladesh have continued at the working level, but without the high-level engagement that the Interim Government has enjoyed with other international partners.
Former PM Hasina’s continued presence in India and ongoing information warfare about the status of Bangladesh’s Hindu minority community present obstacles to normalizing relations.
In Pakistan, supporters of detained former Prime Minister Imran Khan have expressed hope that “people power” will help him emerge from prison and regain political power.
The Pakistani regime has responded with an iron fist, while grappling with a number of other perennial domestic challenges. On the international front, Pakistan has extended an olive branch to Bangladesh and welcomed the end of the Hasina regime while also trying to improve relations with India.
In so doing, Pakistan also has to balance its relationship with China, which is also witnessing a thaw in its relations with India.
Even as the South Asian states reassess their domestic and regional relations, events in Washington have grabbed the headlines as President Trump celebrated a convincing electoral victory.
South Asia watchers have noted Trump’s warm embrace of Indian PM Modi and have argued that his election will give India a freer hand within the region. At the same time, some of Trump’s campaign promises (on trade, migration, and climate change) may lead to friction with India and other international partners.
As a practical matter, it will likely be some months before the Trump team is in place and focuses on its approach to South Asia.
In the meantime, the increasingly politically active South Asian diaspora in the U.S. is jockeying for position and attempting to build ties with members of the incoming Trump team.
Here at SA Perspectives, we are marking our own transition, as we bid adieu to founding Executive Editor Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey, who leaves to take on a new role as an Ambassador for Bangladesh’s interim government.
We wish Mushfique well in his new assignment as Abdur Rahim takes on the role of Executive Editor.
