Not Division, Unity is the Path to Freedom for a Nation
Bangladesh was born not in comfort – but in fire, in blood, and in tears. Built upon the sacrifice of three million martyrs, this nation has proven once again across decades upon decades that its spine cannot be broken, its consciousness cannot be extinguished. The recent mass uprising has brought sovereignty and justice back to the center of national life. But history teaches a cruel truth time and again – the enemies of a liberated nation do not vanish the moment a revolution succeeds. They return wearing new masks, infiltrate from within, and sow poisonous thorns of division exactly where the flowers of unity once bloomed. Today Bangladesh stands at precisely such a terrifying and decisive crossroads – and if the right path is not chosen at this moment, the debt owed in the blood of the martyrs can never be repaid.
Modern enemies no longer send armies across borders. Today’s weapons are subtler, more invisible – and in many ways far more terrifying. Hostile intelligence agencies operate through what experts call “influence operations.” It is a carefully planned and coordinated propaganda war – whose aim is to distort public opinion, spread social division like wildfire, discredit legitimate governments and install their preferred compliant forces at the centers of power. Through social media, hired journalists and foreign-funded influencers, false and distorted narratives are spread to destroy public trust in the government. Hindu-Muslim divisions, regional identities and political fault lines are turned into weapons to pit citizens of the same soil against one another. Rumors of economic catastrophe are spreading to pour the poison of panic into the minds of ordinary people. Under the golden wrapping of “human rights” or “democracy promotion,” NGOs and legal institutions are funded to carry out hidden foreign agendas. And most despicably of all – a shameless attempt is made to retroactively delegitimize the sacred sacrifice of the very martyrs whose blood made this revolution successful. These are not imagined threats – these are documented and repeatedly tested strategies of regional powers including India’s intelligence agency RAW, witnessed from Nepal to Sri Lanka, from the Maldives to Myanmar. Because Bangladesh shares more than four thousand kilometers of border, it is the largest and primary target of this hostile activity.
The question of Indian hegemony can no longer be hidden behind the veil of diplomatic courtesy – the time has come to say it directly and with courage. For decades upon decades, an influential section of Bangladesh’s political establishment held on to power not based on genuine popular consent – but on the strength of New Delhi’s patronage and active support. The relationship was purely transactional – in exchange for political loyalty came protection, a diplomatic shield, and the ruthless suppression of genuine democratic accountability. Bangladesh’s national interests have been sacrificed time and again on the altar of India’s strategic calculations, and the people of this country have been forced to accept it in silence.
The Farakka Barrage has deprived Bangladesh of its rightful share of the Ganges for decade after decade. Bangladesh’s farmer cannot get water for his fields, the fisherman cannot find fish in his river, nature cannot reclaim its natural flow. The Teesta water-sharing agreement – promised for decades, delayed again and again- stands as the most glaring proof of how trivially India regards Bangladesh’s sovereign interests. In trade too, the same double standard applies – India freely enjoys access to Bangladesh’s markets and transit corridors yet simultaneously erects high walls of non-tariff barriers to keep Bangladeshi goods away from its own markets. The BSF has been killing Bangladeshi citizens year after year with near-total impunity- innocent farmers, cattle traders, ordinary pedestrians. Each killing is a blatant violation of Bangladesh’s sovereignty and the human dignity of its citizens. And the deepest wound of all is the direct and unrelenting interference in internal politics – supporting preferred parties, secretly funding media, and deploying intelligence assets to keep in power only those governments loyal to its own interests, regardless of what Bangladesh’s voters decide.
This is not anti-India sentiment – it never was. The people of Bangladesh share centuries-deep cultural, linguistic and human bonds with ordinary Indian citizens. But there is a world of difference between friendship between two peoples and laying one state’s sovereignty at the feet of another. The first must be cherished, the second must be resisted with firmness – and this resistance is itself the proof of true sovereignty. The mass uprising that transformed Bangladesh’s political landscape did not come suddenly – it was the inevitable explosion of unbearable grievances accumulated over years and years. A young person who had never touched a weapon stood with an open chest before bullets. Workers left their factories and took them to the streets. Mothers stood before government buildings shielding their children with their own bodies. The martyrs of this revolution joined forever the glorious legacy of the martyrs of 1971. But within hours of the interim government taking responsibility, the machinery of destabilization began to turn. Social media was flooded with deliberately provocative content – a carefully calculated plan to paint the new government as “anti-Hindu” or “Islamist,” to terrorize the minority community and manufacture artificial alarm in India and Western circles. Every incident of communal tension was amplified a thousandfold and served up to the public. Narratives of economic fear were spread to paint a false picture of governmental incompetence.
Some will say that speaking of national unity means silencing criticism or covering up the government’s failures. This is the most fundamental misreading. Unity does not mean blind obedience or a compulsion to agree. A healthy democracy needs vigorous debate, strong opposition voices and fearless journalism. The martyrs did not give their lives for some new authoritarianism dressed in revolutionary language – they gave their lives for a Bangladesh where the government is the servant of the people, not its master. But the difference between legitimate dissent and artificially manufactured division driven by foreign influence must be clearly understood. The first strengthens democracy, the second serves only foreign interests. Whether Hindu or Muslim, from Dhaka or Sylhet, supportive of the revolution or not – no Bangladeshi has any interest in allowing their beloved country to become a stage for foreign intelligence operations.
The dreams of the martyrs were specific, concrete and pulsating with life. A Bangladesh where every child regardless of background receives quality education and equal opportunity. An economy that gives proper dignity to the sweat and labor of workers and farmers – not merely a handful of oligarchs and their foreign patrons. A justice system that fearlessly and impartially ensures the delivery of justice regardless of party affiliation. A foreign policy where relations with India, China, the United States and the Muslim world are built on equal terms and equal dignity – not as a supplicant seeking mercy, but as a sovereign nation. These dreams cannot be fulfilled in a country paralyzed by artificial division, dependent on the charity of foreign patrons, and destined to become the target of intelligence operations the moment it dares to walk its own independent path.
To reach these goals, specific steps must be taken now. The institutional capacity must be built to identify and publicly expose foreign influence operations. Independent journalism must be supported and the factories of disinformation run on foreign funding must be brought under strict accountability. On the questions of Teesta, border killings and fair-trade terms, a firm yet mature diplomatic position must be taken with India. Strategic relations with China, the Gulf states, ASEAN and the Western world must be deepened to ensure that no single power can ever again hold Bangladesh’s foreign policy hostage. And above all, a truly independent judiciary, an impartial election commission and civil administration free from party influence must be built – because these are the true and impenetrable fortress walls of sovereignty.
The blood of the martyrs was not shed so that Bangladesh would break one chain of subjugation only to enter another cage of dependence. They did not pour out their precious lifeblood so that foreign intelligence agencies could determine this country’s future from their air-conditioned embassies. They gave their lives for a Bangladesh that stands tall with its head held high, speaks its own truth in its own voice, shelters its minorities within its embrace and maintains relations with the world as an equal – not as a beggar at the door. Bangladesh’s enemies are betting that this nation will one day grow tired, sink into division and forget what it once fought for. Let us stand united and prove – that bet is wrong, forever.
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Opinion Desk.
