Analysis: Bangladesh's BNP seeks Hasina's liberal mantle before elections

"The split between the BNP and the Jamaat-e-Islami could dramatically reshape Bangladesh's political landscape. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the country's largest political party, is decisively breaking its decades-long alliance with the Jamaat-e-Islami, the South Asian nation's biggest Islamist group, repositioning itself instead as a liberal, democratic force before national elections. The shift comes 16 months after the toppling of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,"

"Addressing party supporters this week, BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rehman invoked the blood-soaked memory of Bangladesh's 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan, saying people saw what happened then. He did not name the Jamaat, but the reference was clearly understood across Bangladesh: The Jamaat had opposed Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan. He also accused the Jamaat of misusing religion to seek votes."

"By contrast, the BNP and Jamaat were pulled together by their shared opposition to the Awami League. But their ideological differences were never hidden: The BNP subscribed to a nationalist worldview, while the Islamic identity of most Bangladeshis is the raison d'etre of the Jamaat. Now, those differences have erupted into a full-fledged split between the parties that had ruled together in the last non-Hasina government elected in Bangladesh, between 2001 and 2006."

The BNP has decisively broken its decades-long alliance with the Jamaat-e-Islami and is repositioning itself as a liberal, democratic force ahead of national elections. The split follows the toppling of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina 16 months earlier after a mass uprising that protested her long rule and alleged human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, arrests of critics, and a brutal August 2024 crackdown. The BNP and Jamaat had previously allied in opposition to the Awami League despite ideological differences: the BNP’s nationalist stance versus Jamaat’s Islamist identity. The rupture reflects those longstanding tensions and could reshape party alignments and voter perceptions.

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