Student leader to kingmaker – Nahid Islam becomes a vital cog in Bangladesh politics.
Dhaka (Bangladesh): Nahid Islam, one of the main coordinators of the anti-quota protests that eventually led to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation on Monday, has emerged as a key figure in the discussions for the formation of an interim government in the country. It is said, his role is pivotal in shaping the structure and composition of this transitional authority.
It was reported that Islam, Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin, and Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman were locked in significant discussions Tuesday evening on the structure of the new government following Hasina’s departure from the country.
On Monday, amidst the chaos in Dhaka, Nahid Islam, with unwavering determination, announced to the media his plan to propose an interim national government “within the next 24 hours.” His vision included fair representation from the student community and members of civil society, instilling a sense of hope for a more inclusive political landscape.
As a sociology student at Dhaka University, 26-year-old Nahid Islam was elected as the Secretary of the 31-member central committee in October 2023. His election was a testament to the strong support he garnered from the student community, a sign of the strength that unity can bring to a cause. The student body also included Akhtar Hossain, a former social services secretary of the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union.
As a student-led protest kicked off following the Bangladesh Supreme Court’s decision in July 2024 to cancel a 2018 government declaration abolishing all quotas for first—and second-class government jobs in Bangladesh, Islam, sporting the Bangladesh flag as a bandana, gradually became the movement’s poster boy. The 2018 declaration was a significant policy change that sparked widespread discontent among the student community.
In a televised address to the nation on the evening of July 17 following deaths and casualties during clashes between protestors and police, Hasina repeatedly urged the students not to fall prey to incitements by the vested quarters’ who were allegedly bent on ‘unleashing a reign of terror taking advantage of the situation’. These ‘vested quarters’ were believed to be political entities seeking to exploit the protests for their own gain.
Two days later, Islam, who had severely criticised the Hasina-led Awami League party, was reportedly abducted, released and abducted again a week later.
Meanwhile, the government formed a judicial inquiry committee headed by a High Court Justice to investigate the violence and deaths. Two Cabinet ministers were also assigned to hold talks with the protesting students.
However, a reign of terror was unleashed across the country in the following weeks, which the ruling government said was supported by anti-state elements and led by the armed cadres of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its “extremist ally” the Jamaat-E-Islami along with its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS).
The Hasina government believed that “systematic vandalisation” of public properties required “adequate expertise,” which the students do not possess.
However, as things ultimately panned out on Monday with Hasina leaving the country, Islam was hailed as a hero by thousands of supporters all over the country.
Within the next few hours, he was also engaged in discussions with the country’s army chief and tried convincing Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus to become the head of the interim government.
–IANS
