Bland truths and bare lies in Bhutan PM’s memoir – Southasia Weekly #69
This week in Himal
This week, Maximillian Morch writes about Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay’s political memoir, which promises insight into Bhutan’s democratic evolution but falls short in addressing the expulsion of Lhotshampas and other critical questions.
Don’t miss Harsh Mander’s essay on the political erasure of India’s Muslims by the Hindu Right.
We’re also excited to announce the launch of a new podcast series titled ‘Partitions of the Heart: Conversations with Harsh Mander’ exploring Muslim life and death in Modi’s India. Click here to listen to the first episode!
For the next episode of the State of Southasia podcast, host Nayantara Narayanan speaks with media development expert and former editor of Minivan News J J Robinson about youth protests and the shifting political culture in the Maldives after a young woman’s fall from an apartment building.
And finally, we’d like to invite all fiction-lovers to join the first panel event of Fiction Fest, which will be held on 9 June, 2025 at 7:30 PM IST (10 AM EST). Sign up here for the Zoom link. We look forward to seeing you there!
This week in Southasia
Bangladesh lifts ban on Jamaat-e-Islami
On 1 June, Bangladesh’s Supreme Court lifted a ban on the country’s largest Muslim party Jamaat-e-Islami, more than a decade after former prime minister Sheikh Hasina had banned it. The decision paves the way for Jamaat-e-Islami to contest planned general elections, slated to be held by June next year. The decision is a turnaround for the political party, which had previously struggled to earn more than 10 percent of the vote, in part due to their protectionist and conservative approach, and also partly due to history as during Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War, the party aligned with forces opposing independence.
In the aftermath of the student-led July protests which unseated Hasina’s regime, the Jamaat-e-Islami saw an opportunity to position itself as a ‘pro-revolutionary’ force, championing progressive and inclusive ideals, which has won it more supporters. This has included relief efforts after floods in the wake of the protests. Jamaat-e-Islami has also spoken out about minority rights, in stark contrast to previous hardline positions. The lifting of the ban on the Jamaat-e-Islami party comes after the acquittal of leader ATM Azaharul Islam who received a death sentence from the Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal for ‘rape, murder and genocide’ while supporting Pakistani forces during the 1971 war. However, main opposition party Bangladesh Nationalist Party has continued to distance itself from the Jamaat-e-Islami, raising questions about the party’s positioning in the run-up to elections.
From 2013, Javed Jahangir writes in the aftermath of violence pitting Bangladesh’s police against the Jamaat-e-Islami, sparking peaceful protests that opened up a discussion about the place of religion in Bangladesh’s politics.
From the archive (March 2013)