The Bangladesh Tragedy of July–August 2024

The July–August 2024 period epitomizes the tragic and untimely demise of a Bangladesh once luminous with boundless promise and soaring aspirations under the visionary leadership of Honourable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

In what history will surely record as a season of calculated betrayal and democratic regression, the nation witnessed not merely a geo-political cabal but the dismemberment of its hard-earned developmental trajectory, its constitutional ethos, and the very ideals that inspired its birth in 1971.

For more than a decade and a half, under Sheikh Hasina's able and dynamic stewardship, Bangladesh ascended steadily—like a phoenix rising from the ashes of a past marred by poverty, extremism, and political instability. Her premiership was not simply about governance; it was a renaissance. Through vast infrastructural expansions, inclusive social programs, a vibrant export economy, digital transformation, and bold counter-extremism initiatives, the country emerged as a South Asian development miracle. The World Bank, the IMF, the UN—none were shy in their accolades. But even more compelling was the lived transformation in the eyes of the ordinary Bangladesh’s people, who saw hope where there had once been only hardship.

It is this Bangladesh—ambitious, thriving, and unapologetically sovereign—that was suddenly and violently betrayed by forces both within and without. What took place in July and August 2024 was nothing short of a manufactured coup, executed not by tanks on the streets but by whispering conspirators in tailored suits and foreign capitals. In an era where regime change is more often orchestrated in press briefings than in battlefields, Sheikh Hasina was ousted through a sinister collaboration of international actors, domestic traitors, and opportunists masquerading as saviors of democracy.

Leading this orchestration was none other than Dr. Muhammad Yunus—an economist-turned-politician whose veneer of Nobel-laureled virtue hides an unquenchable thirst for power. Having long nurtured resentment toward Sheikh Hasina’s principled stance against his financial irregularities and opaque dealings, Yunus aligned himself with the geopolitical designs of Uncle Sam and their regional proxies. The narrative of 'restoring democracy' became the fig leaf behind which this cabal dismantled a legitimate, popularly elected government.

The absurdity was staggering. In the name of democratic salvation, they subverted the will of millions. In the name of reform, they unstitched the fabric of our constitutional continuity. And in the name of stability, they invited chaos to dine at the heart of the Republic. The nation watched in stunned disbelief as the most pro-people administration in its post-liberation history was cast aside with neither a credible mandate nor a moral justification.

But the damage extends far beyond politics. What perished in those dark weeks was not just a government—it was the vision of a self-reliant, pluralistic, and forward-looking Bangladesh. A country that had become a model for development in the Global South was suddenly thrust into administrative paralysis, economic uncertainty, and ideological disarray.

Within weeks, the nation’s institutions were vandalized from within. Jamaat-e-Islami loyalists, long exiled from power for their war crimes and anti-liberation stance, found safe passage back into the corridors of power. The very forces that had once opposed violently the creation of Bangladesh were now writing its policies, issuing judicial verdicts, and influencing its educational syllabi. Communal harmony—painstakingly rebuilt after decades of blood and betrayal—began to fracture under the weight of an ascendant reactionary alliance. Temples, churches, and even progressive mosques were not spared from intimidation.

Meanwhile, international development partners, long invested in Bangladesh’s rise under Sheikh Hasina’s leadership, began to retreat. Foreign direct investment stalled. The garment sector—a crown jewel of our export economy—reeled under policy confusion and labour unrest stoked by political opportunists. Mega-projects like the Padma Bridge, Metrorail, and Rooppur Nuclear Plant stood half-dreamt, their completion imperiled by the absence of visionary oversight. The once roaring “Digital Bangladesh” initiative flickered under the weight of administrative incompetence and institutional sabotage.

What makes this moment all the more painful is the sheer contrast between what was and what now is. In Sheikh Hasina’s Bangladesh, there was dignity in dreaming big—and dreaming together. The girl from a remote village in Rangpur dared to dream of becoming an engineer. The fisherman’s son from Barisal believed he could attend university. Women, long sidelined by patriarchy, entered the workforce in unprecedented numbers. Under Sheikh Hasina, development wasn’t an abstract metric—it was an awakening of the nation’s soul.

And now? We are reduced to whispers. To fear. To looking over our shoulders. Freedom of expression has become a minefield. Dissent is silenced not by debate but by detention. The Fourth Estate, once bold and probing, now treads cautiously under the shadow of an unelected regime. The very Constitution, forged in the crucible of 1971, is being selectively rewritten to accommodate the ambitions of a few and erase the sacrifices of millions.

Let us be clear: this was not a peaceful transition. It was a usurpation—legally dubious, morally indefensible, and historically disgraceful. It was a hijacking of the people’s mandate by a minority elite too weak to win ballots but too powerful to accept loss. The involvement of foreign interests—particularly the intelligence apparatchiks of the West—has been both glaring and grotesque. The strategic calculus is familiar: replace assertive nationalists with pliable puppets to serve geopolitical convenience. But Bangladesh is not a pawn. It is a nation born of fire, forged by sacrifice, and destined for dignity.

History shall not be kind to the architects of this calamity. Just as the collaborators of 1971 were eventually unmasked and held accountable, so too shall those who authored the July–August 2024 betrayal be named and shamed. Their legacy shall be written not in the ink of triumph but in the indelible stain of treachery.

But all is not lost. The spirit of Bangabandhu lives on. In the hearts of millions, the vision of a golden Bangladesh still flickers. The memory of Sheikh Hasina’s leadership—of her courage, compassion, and clarity—remains etched in the national conscience. This is but a season, however cruel. And seasons, however long, do change.

We, the children of 1971, must rise again. Not with weapons but with will. Not with vengeance but with vision. Let this July–August not becomes a period of perpetual mourning, but the genesis of a new awakening. Let us reclaim the dream that was stolen and resurrect the promise that was buried.

For Bangladesh is too precious to be left in the hands of pretenders. Its destiny belongs to those who love it, serve it, and believe in it—not those who hijack it for personal glory or foreign applause.

Let history record: in July–August 2024, Bangladesh was wounded. But it was not defeated.

Written by: Anwar A. Khan 

The writer is an independent political analyst based in Dhaka, Bangladesh who writes on politics, political and human-centred figures, current and international affairs.

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