Troops have been stationed across Bangladesh on Wednesday amid concerns of potential violence leading up to a national election, a contest the primary opposition party is choosing to boycott.
Soldiers, equipped with armored vehicles, have been deployed to temporary camps strategically set up across the capital, Dhaka, supporting civil authorities in maintaining peace and security.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has opted to abstain from the upcoming election scheduled for Sunday. This decision follows Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s refusal to accede to their demand for her resignation, insisting on transferring power to a neutral entity to oversee the polls.
Attributing the recent anti-government protests in Dhaka, which have persisted since late October and resulted in at least 10 casualties, Hasina consistently blames the BNP.
Also Read: PHC Grants Transit Bail to PTI Leader Zartaj Gul
The military clarified that troops would only intervene upon the request of polling officers, according to their official statement. Additionally, the navy has been deployed in two coastal districts, and the air force is set to provide helicopter assistance to polling stations situated in remote hilly areas.
Concerns among the public are mounting as they fear a resurgence of the violence that has gripped Bangladesh over the past two months.
“I don’t care which party is in power. I just want some peace so that I can earn and feed my family,” expressed Abdul Hamid, a 48-year-old rickshaw puller in Dhaka. “I don’t think after the election there will be peace. If there is political turmoil, it is difficult for us to survive. This is not a way of running a country. We are so confused about our future.”
Prime Minister Hasina, who has held tight control since assuming power in 2009, faces allegations of authoritarianism, human rights violations, curbing free speech, and suppressing dissent while imprisoning her critics.
Khaleda Zia, Hasina’s main rival and two-time premier, remains effectively under house arrest, facing what her party deems as fabricated corruption charges. Meanwhile, her son and BNP’s acting chairman, Tarique Rahman, resides in exile, refuting charges brought against him.
Hasina’s government is under increasing pressure from Western nations to conduct free and fair elections.