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Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule ended on Monday as she fled amid deadly protests that killed nearly 100 people. The military announced it would form an interim government. This crisis, as per former Ambassador Harsh Vardhan Shringla, is driven by deep economic problems and may be influenced by foreign powers read more
 "You can't rule out involvement of foreign powers, says ex-Bangladesh Ambassador Shringla")
Smoke rises from a fire that was set on the street during a protest by students demanding the stepping down of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, following quota reform protests, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, August 4, 2024. REUTERS
Former Foreign Secretary and ex-Ambassador to Bangladesh, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, has shared his insights on the ongoing political crisis in Bangladesh.
While talking to ANI, Shringla, while the immediate cause of the unrest appears to be the quota system issue raised by students, the situation is driven by several deeper factors including a possible foreign influence.
Shringla stressed the severe economic pressures facing Bangladesh. “COVID-19 has hit Bangladesh’s economy very hard. In addition to that, the Ukraine conflict has resulted in spiking the prices of essential commodities,” he noted. He explained that these challenges have led to a difficult balance of payments and significant inflation, which has fueled public frustration.
“Inflation has gone up by 17-20%. So, all of this is essentially now coming to a situation where people are expressing their frustration on the streets,” he said in an interview with ANI.
He also pointed out that the opposition parties, such as the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, have joined the protests and contributed to the violence. Shringla stressed that foreign powers opposed to Bangladesh’s interests might also be involved, suggesting that some external entities could be exploiting the turmoil.
“…I would also look at it as an economic factor and opportunists - whether it is the Opposition BNP or Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami…They have joined the protest and they have put in the violence in the protest. You can’t rule out the involvement of foreign powers who are inimical to Bangladesh’s interest and to our security also. You cannot rule out the fact that certain interests have been fishing in troubled waters. But I think the situation itself was a result of several underlying factors, inherent within Bangladesh.”
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