Excluding Awami League from Election Will Not Bring Stability to Bangladesh, Says Hasan Mahmud in Delhi

Melbourne. January 18: Excluding the Awami League, the party that led Bangladesh’s independence movement in 1971, from the upcoming national election will not bring stability to the country, former Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud said in New Delhi.

Speaking at a press interaction in the Indian capital, Mr. Mahmud, who served in the government of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2024, stated that any election held without the participation of the Awami League would amount to an “arranged process” rather than a genuine democratic exercise.

“Barring the party that led the war of independence and has governed the country several times will mean that the upcoming election will be nothing but an arranged one, and no stability will return to Bangladesh through such a process,” he said.

Mr. Mahmud also expressed doubt over whether the election, scheduled for February 12, would actually take place as announced by the Bangladesh Election Commission. The election campaign is set to begin on January 22, with interim leader Muhammad Yunus insisting that polls will be held “no matter who says what.”

Historic India–Awami League Ties

The former minister emphasised the long-standing relationship between India and the Awami League, describing it as deeply rooted in the history of the 1971 Liberation War.

“We had good relations, and we still enjoy good relations with India,” Mr. Mahmud said. “In 1971, you opened your borders for almost ten million Bangladeshis, but it was the people of India who opened their hearts to us at that time.”

He also noted that when Sheikh Hasina recently arrived in India, she received full protocol, which he described as a reflection of enduring bilateral goodwill.

Mr. Mahmud warned that India would act if any threat to its security or territorial integrity emerged from Dhaka, which is currently governed by an interim administration.

Global Campaign on Human Rights

Although the Awami League has been barred from contesting the election, Mr. Mahmud said the party had launched a global campaign to highlight what it described as serious human rights violations and abuses against minority communities over the past 16 months. He added that another media outreach event would be held in India in the coming days.

The interim government has accused Sheikh Hasina and Awami League leaders of orchestrating violence in Bangladesh while staying in India. However, India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told a parliamentary panel last year that Ms. Hasina had not received any Indian support for political activities.

Concerns Over Radical Elements

Former Education Minister Mohibul Chowdhury Nowfel, who accompanied Mr. Mahmud, spoke about the threat posed by radical elements released from prisons after the fall of the Hasina government. He said revenge attacks had claimed the lives of many police officers and created a “culture of impunity” that has made maintaining law and order extremely difficult.

Mr. Mahmud also criticised remarks by some student advisers suggesting the “separation of India’s northeastern states,” calling such statements dangerous and irresponsible.

The press interaction at the Press Club of India was organised by the International Crimes Research Foundation.

Report by Kallol Bhattacherjee, The Hindu