Was Bangladesh’s Political Transition Brokered by the US? Leaked Recording Triggers Fresh Controversy

New Delhi- Months after the Sheikh Hasina-led government was ousted in Bangladesh following a student-led mass movement, a leaked US diplomatic recording has sparked a fresh political storm, reigniting debate over the circumstances surrounding the 2024 political upheaval in the neighbouring country.

The leaked audio has placed Washington at the centre of renewed allegations, with several leaders of the Awami League pointing fingers at the United States over its alleged role in facilitating a power transition in Bangladesh.

Published by StratNews Global, the recording features conversations involving a senior US diplomat discussing engagement with Islamist political forces in Bangladesh and assessing the country’s political trajectory in the post-Hasina period.

The disclosure has intensified demands for closer scrutiny of the US role in Bangladesh’s internal affairs and has also provided ammunition to Awami League leaders to launch sharp attacks on the Yunus-led administration, accusing it of collaborating with external forces.

Former Bangladesh education minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury, speaking at a recent event, said the leaked audio validates the Awami League’s long-standing claim that the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government was not entirely an organic development.

Sheikh Hasina was forced to flee Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, after a student uprising escalated into widespread violence, plunging the administration into chaos. Since then, she has been living in Delhi.

Chowdhury further alleged that the leaked conversation points to a “brazen conspiracy” to manage post-election governments in Bangladesh and warned of serious consequences arising from such external interference.

Strongly criticising the decision to bar the Awami League from contesting elections, he said that excluding a major political force would disenfranchise large sections of voters and result in an illegitimate government lacking a genuine public mandate.

— IANS