Sunday, 10 August, 2025
Today, August 5, Bangladesh commemorates the heroes—mostly students and children—who sacrificed their lives in the historic July Movement that culminated on this day in 2024. Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has urged the nation to unite in building a Bangladesh where tyranny will never rise again. It was a victory wrenched from the jaws of oppression, a triumph forged from the depths of darkness.
Amid this solemn remembrance, anticipation is high that Dr Yunus may announce the long-awaited schedule for the next general election and formally proclaim the July Charter. Yet, a statement from his Information Adviser, Mahfuz Alam, has tempered public enthusiasm. In a Facebook post on Monday evening, Mahfuz warned that echoes of “1/11” are once again reverberating through the nation, a reference to the military-backed political crisis of January 11, 2007. He, however, assured, “July will prevail. The people’s struggle will not be defeated.”
Mahfuz Alam’s remarks have ignited a firestorm of speculation on social media, with many interpreting his words as a veiled alert of looming instability. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir echoed these concerns, cautioning that without unity and vigilance, Bangladesh risks plunging into another 1/11-style crisis. Addressing the “March for Justice” event at the Supreme Court Bar Association auditorium, Fakhrul observed, “We are walking a very thin line.”
The spectre of 1/11 looms large once more. That fateful day in 2007, amid violent political unrest, President Iajuddin Ahmed declared a state of emergency, scrapping the scheduled election and ushering in a military-backed caretaker government. The period became synonymous with political purges and an authoritarian interregnum.
Fresh fears have been stoked by the recent arrest of an Army personnel allegedly involved in mobilising ousted Awami League figures to destabilise the political environment, a tactic eerily reminiscent of 1/11’s prelude. Should such machinations succeed, the fragile democracy born from last year’s July Uprising may yet be strangled in its cradle, rendering the martyrs’ sacrifices in vain.
Observers warn that orchestrated narratives and disinformation campaigns are already being deployed to discredit the BNP, painting it as a force of extortion and instability. However, Tarique Rahman, in political exile for over 15 years following brutal repression under the deposed Awami League regime, has been steadfast in his commitment to discipline and reform. Since the regime’s fall in early August, he has led a purge of over 2,000 party members accused of corruption and misconduct. Still, Tarique recently cautioned, “Invisible enemies are slowly becoming visible. The conspiracy is far from over.”
With political scheming threatening to derail the July Movement’s momentum, there is palpable anxiety that the hopes of a just and democratic Bangladesh may be betrayed once more. The interim government’s ambitious reform agenda teeters under the weight of internal divisions, procedural bottlenecks, and polarised political agendas.
The proposed Proportional Representation (PR) electoral system remains a flashpoint. Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Consensus Party (NCP) have denounced delays in its adoption, accusing a single major party of obstructing a crucial reform aimed at ensuring fair representation. Meanwhile, the BNP has renewed its call for a constitutional amendment to permanently institutionalise the caretaker government system, demanding that no future government be allowed to repeal it without a national referendum.
For many, August 5 symbolises Bangladesh’s “second liberation”—a day when a betrayed and battered people shattered the iron grip of Sheikh Hasina’s autocracy. But that victory came soaked in blood, echoing the sacrifices of December 16, 1971, when a nation was born from a brutal war of independence.
Yet the shadows of the fallen autocrats linger. In his message marking the July Uprising Day, Professor Yunus warned of the persistent threats posed by those seeking to derail the nation’s progress. “Together, we will build a Bangladesh where tyranny will never rise again,” he declared, rallying citizens to unite beyond divisions.
But a crucial question looms: Will Professor Yunus truly announce the election schedule today and pledge to hand over power to an elected government? Or will political paralysis invite another 1/11, plunging the nation back into uncertainty?
On this historic August 5, the answer is poised to emerge—an answer that will determine whether Bangladesh steps boldly into its promised future or slips back into the shadows of its turbulent past.
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Today, August 5, Bangladesh commemorates the heroes—mostly students and children—who sacrificed their lives in the historic July Movement that culminated on this day in 2024. Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has urged the nation to unite in building a Bangladesh where tyranny will never rise again. It was a victory wrenched from the jaws of oppression, a triumph forged from the depths of darkness.
Amid this solemn remembrance, anticipation is high that Dr Yunus may announce the long-awaited schedule for the next general election and formally proclaim the July Charter. Yet, a statement from his Information Adviser, Mahfuz Alam, has tempered public enthusiasm. In a Facebook post on Monday evening, Mahfuz warned that echoes of “1/11” are once again reverberating through the nation, a reference to the military-backed political crisis of January 11, 2007. He, however, assured, “July will prevail. The people’s struggle will not be defeated.”
Mahfuz Alam’s remarks have ignited a firestorm of speculation on social media, with many interpreting his words as a veiled alert of looming instability. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir echoed these concerns, cautioning that without unity and vigilance, Bangladesh risks plunging into another 1/11-style crisis. Addressing the “March for Justice” event at the Supreme Court Bar Association auditorium, Fakhrul observed, “We are walking a very thin line.”
The spectre of 1/11 looms large once more. That fateful day in 2007, amid violent political unrest, President Iajuddin Ahmed declared a state of emergency, scrapping the scheduled election and ushering in a military-backed caretaker government. The period became synonymous with political purges and an authoritarian interregnum.
Fresh fears have been stoked by the recent arrest of an Army personnel allegedly involved in mobilising ousted Awami League figures to destabilise the political environment, a tactic eerily reminiscent of 1/11’s prelude. Should such machinations succeed, the fragile democracy born from last year’s July Uprising may yet be strangled in its cradle, rendering the martyrs’ sacrifices in vain.
Observers warn that orchestrated narratives and disinformation campaigns are already being deployed to discredit the BNP, painting it as a force of extortion and instability. However, Tarique Rahman, in political exile for over 15 years following brutal repression under the deposed Awami League regime, has been steadfast in his commitment to discipline and reform. Since the regime’s fall in early August, he has led a purge of over 2,000 party members accused of corruption and misconduct. Still, Tarique recently cautioned, “Invisible enemies are slowly becoming visible. The conspiracy is far from over.”
With political scheming threatening to derail the July Movement’s momentum, there is palpable anxiety that the hopes of a just and democratic Bangladesh may be betrayed once more. The interim government’s ambitious reform agenda teeters under the weight of internal divisions, procedural bottlenecks, and polarised political agendas.
The proposed Proportional Representation (PR) electoral system remains a flashpoint. Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Consensus Party (NCP) have denounced delays in its adoption, accusing a single major party of obstructing a crucial reform aimed at ensuring fair representation. Meanwhile, the BNP has renewed its call for a constitutional amendment to permanently institutionalise the caretaker government system, demanding that no future government be allowed to repeal it without a national referendum.
For many, August 5 symbolises Bangladesh’s “second liberation”—a day when a betrayed and battered people shattered the iron grip of Sheikh Hasina’s autocracy. But that victory came soaked in blood, echoing the sacrifices of December 16, 1971, when a nation was born from a brutal war of independence.
Yet the shadows of the fallen autocrats linger. In his message marking the July Uprising Day, Professor Yunus warned of the persistent threats posed by those seeking to derail the nation’s progress. “Together, we will build a Bangladesh where tyranny will never rise again,” he declared, rallying citizens to unite beyond divisions.
But a crucial question looms: Will Professor Yunus truly announce the election schedule today and pledge to hand over power to an elected government? Or will political paralysis invite another 1/11, plunging the nation back into uncertainty?
On this historic August 5, the answer is poised to emerge—an answer that will determine whether Bangladesh steps boldly into its promised future or slips back into the shadows of its turbulent past.
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