As squabbling politicians paralyse the country, will popular demand bring the army out of the barracks?
For a company that once ousted both the party presently in power as well as the main opposition, the Bangladesh armed forces in 1996 appear decidedly reluctant to do an encore. As the long-standing political crisis escalated into a national election entirely boycotted by the Opposition, some wondered whether a stretch of army rule might not be such a bad idea after all.
Mujib
The links between the armed forces and mainstream politics began to be forged in 1971, when, at huge risk, Bengali soldiers crossed over to the nationalist army. However, in newborn Bangladeash the military found it had no role to play other than when called occasionally to impound illegal weapons and ration cards. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country´s founding father, imposed one-party rule, national emergency and even raised the Rakkhi Bahini, a personal para-military guard. Taking advantage of the considerable socio-economic chaos, a section of the army assassinated Sheikh Mujib, killed most of his family members, and sent his party, the Awami League, packing into exile from power, which has now lasted 20 years.