In Dhaka, a new dawn and a gathering storm

On February 12, successful Mogbazar, a densely populated country successful Dhaka, hundreds of Jamaat-e-Islami cadres gathered together. Wearing colourful caps and good Oud, they watched the aboriginal of Bangladesh’s authorities being rewritten. While the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) won the election, securing 209 seats retired of 300, the Jamaat-e-Islami, the main challenger, won 68, its highest tally since the country’s independence.

Also read: Bangladesh predetermination results highlights

The polls were necessitated by a student-led uprising that ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina successful August 2024, aft which an interim authorities took complaint to oversee the modulation to a recently elected administration. Hasina’s Awami League was banned from the elections, marking a historical archetypal since 1971, the twelvemonth Bangladesh was formed.

Outside the constrictive alley, fruit, vegetable, and food sellers struggled to header with the abrupt surge of outsiders. After all, it was not each time that truthful galore radical showed up astatine the Jamaat-e-Islami’s headquarters.

The party’s multistorey office is hidden down a ample robust gate. Inside, visitors are greeted by a enactment of taps utilized for the ceremonial wazu, the ritual washing mandatory successful mosques. The enactment cadres are expected to not lone prosecute successful politics, but besides to strictly observe their spiritual duties. Between celebrations, they articulation prayers. Afterwards, they stitchery for a speedy luncheon of kachchi biryani accompanied by burhani, a soothing yoghurt-based portion with coriander and mint. The temper is unmistakably festive.

At home

There was a clip erstwhile the office was mostly quiescent with dedicated cadre successful achromatic salwar kurta carrying bundles of pamphlets and books and going astir their work. In 2024, the Hasina-led Awami League banned the organisation. Now, sharply tailored concern suits person entered the Jamaat, resurrected successful 2025.

For astir 1 and a fractional decades, Mohammed Fakhrul Islam, a barrister moving for the enactment successful the U.K., says helium stayed retired of Bangladesh, arsenic Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League governed Bangladesh. During this period, Jamaat-e-Islami built its governmental communicative astir the themes of discrimination, torture, and exile. Islam says helium did not return, arsenic coming location would person meant harassment oregon worse, detention nether immoderate instrumentality arsenic the enactment faced continuous pressures from the regime.

According to Islam, the Jamaat-e-Islami wants Bangladesh to beryllium “self-sufficient and strong”. He says the enactment expects India to “acknowledge the mistakes that it had committed by oversubscribing to the authorities that Hasina represented”.

Islam and his friends are not conscionable Islamists; they besides task themselves arsenic survivors of an oppressive regime. Oliullah Noman, Islam’s colleague, who was portion of the predetermination steering committee, says, “I was allowed to permission (the country) aft I served a situation term. They tortured maine successful prison.”

Noman works arsenic a elder exertion with Amar Desh, a paper launched successful September 2024 aft Hasina’s fall. The paper is edited by Mahmudur Rahman, who, similar Noman, was besides successful exile for respective years. Rahman returned from Istanbul aft 5 and a fractional years, and it was during his nationalist reception that Sharif Osman Hadi, the Islamist pupil leader, archetypal came to beryllium noticed for his organisational abilities.

Hadi, who was killed successful December 2025 successful Dhaka erstwhile helium was conscionable 32, shared with Oliullah a beardown absorption to Hasina, though for both, the caller past of persecution carries much value than the events of the Liberation War.

Oliullah and Islam judge that some the Liberation War of 1971 and the uprising of 2024 were akin successful essence. “Why did the Liberation War instrumentality place? It took spot due to the fact that of favoritism against Bangladeshis by the Pakistan government. Similarly, it was favoritism by the Sheikh Hasina authorities that prompted america to combat successful 2024,” says Islam.

On being asked wherefore Jamaat-e-Islami and Al-Badr were progressive successful the 1971 violence, helium says, “We did not reason Bangladesh’s freedom. We opposed the partition of our country. After all, who would privation to spot their federation divided?”

Growing disappointment

That strand of unresolved past stretches from Mogbazar to Dhanmondi, astir 5 kilometres apart. Along the main roadworthy of Dhanmondi’s concern territory stands a mango histrion planted successful 1969 by Tajuddin Ahmed, the archetypal Prime Minister of the Mujibnagar authorities — the government-in-exile formed by Awami League leaders successful 1971. Ahmed, who became Bangladesh’s archetypal concern curate aft 1971, was 1 of 4 nationalist leaders killed by the subject connected November 3, 1975. This occurred conscionable months aft Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated connected August 15.

For much than 5 decades, the histrion has been witnesser to the storms that person blown done Bangladesh. The tract beside the mango tree, erstwhile the residence of Ahmed, known for his quality and organisational skills, is nary longer a home. Today, it has been replaced by a multistorey buying complex. The lone reminder of Ahmed is simply a ample poster of Sohail, his fitness-enthusiast son, who runs a gym astatine this address.

“If necessary, we volition combat different war. War is inevitable,” says Md. Nahid Akhtar Nahan, a protagonist of the Awami League, banned nether Bangladesh’s Anti-terrorism Act.

Nahan was a councillor of the Awami League successful Rajshahi and saw the highest of the powerfulness and authorization of the Hasina era. But helium besides noticed the informing signs aboriginal on. “She became perfectly intolerant of frank opinions. On aggregate occasions, we saw however Hasina apa utilized to flare up connected proceeding opinions that were anti-establishment. Her apical ministers were promoting the concern interests of individuals straight linked to Jamaat-e-Islami,” says Nahan, who has mislaid his location and spot to mob attacks.

He has nary occupation and fixed income, and depends connected friends and good wishers. “The Awami League is an emotion for us. We judge successful the tone of 1971 and the representation of Sheikh Mujib,” helium says.

Nahan emphasises that Bangladesh is present a battleground betwixt 2 opposing forces — 1 that upholds the tone of 1971 and the different that stands against it. He laments however Dhaka has changed. “Earlier, radical would people the Bhasha Andolan (mother lingua movement) of 1952,” helium says. This was erstwhile the constabulary changeable respective activists — including Abdus Salam, Rafiq Uddin Ahmed, Abul Barkat, and Abdul Jabbar — who demanded that Bengali beryllium recognised arsenic the nationalist connection of Pakistan.

“Every year, a monolithic publication just would unfastened connected February 1, culminating successful a large roadworthy amusement connected February 21. But nary more,” Nahan says. “It is arsenic if our emotions are nary longer important. The warfare of 1971 was borne retired of specified actions and we volition combat again if necessary.”

Pointing astatine the representation of Sohail with his bulging biceps, Nahan says the Awami League does not forgive betrayal. In the eyes of Nahan and his friends, Sohail did thing that an Awami League subordinate was not expected to do. “He met with the Chief Adviser, Mohammed Yunus. He was hoping to get thing successful return. But helium did not,” helium says.

Anger lone grew erstwhile Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, gave an interrogation to a occidental quality outlet. In it, helium said, “I person spent each my beingness abroad. I person been successful the U.S. for 30 years. I americium surviving peacefully here. Whatever volition hap successful the aboriginal is thing for the future.”

A protagonist of the enactment says the enactment cadre were livid and dismayed. He says, “We called each different and wept connected the telephone proceeding however Joy spoke astir the enactment of Sheikh Mujib.”

A pugnacious choice

In specified an atmosphere, the instrumentality of Tarique Rahman, 60, the president of the BNP, from exile successful London, has drawn appreciation from forces who are consenting to articulation hands with immoderate broadside for the involvement of stopping the Jamaat-e-Islami’s march. The BNP, which won a landslide triumph successful an predetermination that saw a elector turnout of 59.44%, has returned to powerfulness aft astir 2 decades.

Zakir H. Chowdhury, the caput of the BNP’s younker chapter, says galore Awami League supporters voted for the BNP. He explains the electoral authorities by pointing to the confederation betwixt the Jamaat-e-Islami and the student-led National Citizen Party. “Some Awami League voters archetypal considered voting for the Jamaat. They believed that a beardown Jamaat would jeopardise interior security, prompting radical to request the instrumentality of the Awami League arsenic their saviour. But they changed their minds connected seeing its confederation with the leaders of the 2024 uprising — they truly hatred them,” helium says.

Barek Kaiser, a media commentator, says it was a pugnacious prime for Awami League supporters “They voted for the BNP. It was similar having a dense boulder connected their chest. It was not casual for them to enactment their main opponent.”

A short-lived spring?

The Jamaat-e-Islami chief, Ameer Shafiqur Rahman, accrued media engagement up of the 2026 elections. His purpose was to rebrand the enactment from a rigid Islamist radical to a much moderate, mainstream governmental entity. But the outreach has not been capable to easiness the increasing anxiousness successful Dhaka astir what the Jamaat whitethorn beryllium readying successful the months ahead.

The party’s highest tally earlier this predetermination came successful 1991, erstwhile it won 18 seats successful the polls held aft the overthrow of President Hossein Mohammed Ershad, which brought Khaleda Zia of the BNP to powerfulness for the archetypal time. Zia died past December. Rahman is Zia’s son.

The Jamaat-e-Islami’s power and parliamentary beingness dwindled thereafter. Its worst signifier began aft 2009, erstwhile an Awami League government, strengthened by a sweeping electoral victory, acceptable up the International Crimes Tribunal to effort respective Jamaat leaders for their alleged complicity successful the 1971 killings. As a result, respective elder figures were executed.

Along with the euphoria of the BNP’s victory, suspicion and fearfulness present tally heavy successful Dhaka. A erstwhile pupil person from Chittagong University says, “Only those who person studied astatine Chittagong and Rajshahi University cognize what the Jamaat’s pupil helping is susceptible of. If they imagination of imposing Shariah successful Bangladesh, they volition bash it whenever they find the opportunity.”

At the moment, however, the Jamaat is acold from introducing Shariah instrumentality successful Bangladesh. Its contiguous extremity is to absorption connected the modulation of powerfulness from the interim authorities to the BNP-led one. It has already voiced its grievances, viewing the triumph of the BNP arsenic a informing sign.

Ameer Shafiqur Rahman says his enactment is disappointed by the outcome. He blames authorities for being biased against his party. “We are not satisfied with the process surrounding the predetermination results,” helium said aft the party-led Islamist bloc got an unprecedented 77 seats. “From candidates of the 11-party confederation narrowly and suspiciously losing successful assorted constituencies, to repeated inconsistencies and fabrications successful unofficial effect announcements, the Election Commission’s reluctance to people elector turnout percentages, and indications that a conception of the medication leaned towards a large party... each this undoubtedly raises superior questions astir the integrity of the results process.”

Along with the nationalist election, voters were asked to determine connected an ambitious and wide-ranging law betterment bundle nether the July National Charter (Constitutional Amendment) Implementation Order, 2025. The citizens voted ‘yes’ successful favour of it. The projected changes successful the referendum see establishing a neutral interim authorities for the electoral period, restructuring the existent parliament into a bicameral legislature, expanding women’s representation, strengthening judicial independence, and introducing a two-term bounds for the Prime Minister.

“Parliament is the ultimate organ and laws are made by Parliament. The referendum wants changes successful the parliamentary system. Nothing similar that volition beryllium allowed (by Parliament members),” says Chowdhury of the BNP.

On the different hand, Jamaat has made it wide that it wants the projected referendum to incorporated the July Charter into the 1972 Constitution of Bangladesh.

With the BNP readying to marque its presumption clear, the Jamaat seeking to asseverate its parliamentary spot and unafraid a greater relation successful nationalist authorities and India-Bangladesh relations, and Awami League cadres mobilising for a imaginable confrontation, Dhaka looks little similar the tract of a concluded electoral contention and much similar the staging crushed for different governmental showdown.

“We are successful a warfare zone,” Kaiser says. “We conscionable had an election. But we mightiness soon extremity up with a existent conflict.”