The participation of Biharis and Islamists in atrocities against rebels, their supporters, and the Hindu minority is well-documented, as is the involvement of Awami League supporters in anti-Bihari atrocities. Bangladesh's independence from quasi-colonial West Pakistani rule was finally achieved in 1971, through Indian intervention, after the Pakistani military engaged in untold atrocities in an attempt to suppress an uprising it had itself provoked. But attempts at initiating a transitional justice process in the aftermath of the Independence War faltered, and factions within the Awami League and beyond continued to seek retribution against Islamists for war crimes.
In 2009, the Awami League won a decisive electoral victory. The Bangladeshi electorate may have sought to empower its leader Sheikh Hasina, but many members of the Awami League interpreted her victory as a popular mandate to fulfill their vision of a staunchly secular Bangladesh by banning and punishing Islamists. Yet, in many respects, Hasina's government delivered. Even in a sluggish international economic environment, Bangladesh displayed a healthy growth rate. Upward mobility has created an increasingly visible middle class. Hasina herself has demonstrated that she is not merely her father's daughter, but a powerful leader in her own right. However, much of her success has been jeopardized by a partisan and illiberal ideological agenda that targets political opponents, curtails political activity, and subjugates the judiciary.
This week's sham elections ought to serve as a reminder to Hasina and the Awami League that an electoral mandate is not a blank check and that, ideology notwithstanding, the priority for Bangladeshis is the future, not the past. A truth and reconciliation process is in order in Bangladesh, and only a leader of the caliber of Hasina is capable of initiating one. This will serve the cause of justice far better than the single witness hearsay testimonies that resulted in the death penalty for those found guilty of war crimes. For their part, the transatlantic community along with India should call upon Hasina to acknowledge the message of the failed electoral exercise and seek a compromise that restores Bangladesh to the path of a true developing, liberal democracy.
