Bangladeshi Students Behind Uprising That Ousted Sheikh Hasina Form ‘Jatiya Nagarik Party’- wna24

Dhaka: Students in Bangladesh, who spearheaded the mass uprising that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last summer, are now diving into politics with the formation of the new Jatiya Nagarik Party.

The students aim to create new political space in a fiercely divisive dynastic political landscape. For decades, the country’s politics have been dominated by two former prime ministers and archrivals — Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia.

The announcement was made on Friday at a rally outside Parliament in Dhaka, where political reforms were pledged for a country that emerged in 1971 through a brutal war with Pakistan.

The new party formed by the students has been named the Jatiya Nagarik Party, or National Citizen Party.

A 151-member committee of the party was announced during the launch.

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Nahid Islam, a 26-year-old prominent student leader, was named as the head of the party. Nine other officials — all of them student leaders who rose to prominence during the mass uprising in July and August — have been named to top positions, according to Bangladeshi media.

Supporters say a party is needed to bring reforms to the country’s political culture of nepotism, and to tackle corruption and lack of democratic practices.

Islam declared that the party’s goal is to dismantle the “constitutional autocracy” and implement a new democratic constitution.

“We must eliminate all possibilities of restoring constitutional autocracy. Now is the time to dream anew, to march forward, and to build a new Bangladesh,” Islam said as he read out the declaration.

He said that the mass uprising wasn’t merely about ousting a government, but also about reshaping the entire political framework.

The party is committed to fostering a political culture where “unity prevails over division, justice replaces vengeance, and merit triumphs over dynastic politics,” Islam said.

After the formation of the interim government, Yunus repeatedly stated that he was appointed by the students who led the anti-Hasina uprising.

It wasn’t clear if Yunus had any direct role behind forming the new party, but many critics of Yunus said, mainly on social media, that the formation of the party is an effort to unveil a “king’s party.”

But Bangladeshi analyst Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah told The Associated Press: “Most probably it’s more than that.

“They have an aspiration to connect young people who felt disconnected in a great way with the mainstream political forces like Hasina’s Awami League party and Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party,” he said. “And, of course this new party has blessings from Muhammad Yunus.”

Kalimullah said the new party “most probably” has “a future.”