ISLAMABAD: Pakistanis on Tuesday said the recent ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government in Bangladesh offered a “lesson” or two for the Pakistani government to learn, amid a spiraling cost-of-living crisis in the South Asian country.
PM Hasina resigned and fled to India on Monday after 15 years in office as massive protests saw demonstrators breaching a curfew and overrunning her official residence. In a televised speech, Bangladeshi army chief, Waker-Uz-Zaman, declared he was taking charge, while President Mohammed Shahabuddin dissolved parliament on Tuesday, clearing the way for an interim administration.
In Pakistan, thousands of protesters have remained camped in Rawalpindi and Karachi in recent weeks, calling for a review of Pakistan’s loss-making agreements with independent power producers, reduction in power tariffs and revocation of additional taxes introduced in the last federal budget, amid rising costs-of living in the South Asian nation of 241 million.
Arab News spoke to a number of Pakistanis about the situation in Bangladesh and nearly all of them called it the power of a united populace, saying the growing resentment among the masses in Pakistan could lead to a similar unrest if the government of PM Shehbaz Sharif ignored their grievances.
“I think there is only one and the biggest lesson our leaders or government should learn that the power of the people they must acknowledge,” Dr. Wajid Zulqarnain, an academic, told Arab News.
“When people are united, they come forward for their rights. So, the power of people can never be denied, no government can stand against the power of the people.”
The ouster of PM Hasina’s government in Bangladesh was “alarming” for Pakistan too, according to Wajid.
“This is very alarming for us as well as rising prices and electricity rates mean our government must seriously address these issues,” he said.
Aamir Shehzad, who works as a barber in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, said it had become difficult for him to manage his finances in a monthly salary of Rs18,000 ($64.46), while receiving electricity bills as high as Rs22,000 ($78.78).
“If we continue like this, then Bangladesh’s situation can happen in Pakistan as well,” Shehzad said. “So, the government should come to its senses, provide relief to people, and think about people.”
Although inflation has decreased in Pakistan from a record 38 percent in May 2023 to 12.6 percent in June, rising costs of living, fueled by exorbitant hikes in energy prices, have remained a major issue for most Pakistanis over the past several months.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects only 2 percent growth this year, while inflation has been projected to remain close to 25 percent year-on-year before gradually declining in 2025 and 2026.
Tahir Dhindsa, a researcher and media professional, underscored the parallels between the recent turmoil in Bangladesh and Pakistan’s challenges.
“Bangladesh’s leader had long exploited national sentiments and elite capture, concentrating wealth among the top 20 percent, while the majority struggled,” he said.
Dhindsa stressed the issue in Bangladesh was not just poverty but gross inequality, urging such lessons must be heeded to prevent a similar situation in Pakistan.
“Fascism is not possible anymore and it seems difficult to hold your grip on the power with an iron hand or just by having a grip on the government,” he said. “I think there are lessons and I understand that the establishment is fully cognizant of that, what is happening there.”
Amna Zulqarnain, an artist, noted there had been a growing resentment among both students and the general public in Pakistan, and that urgent actions were needed to address the pressing issues like power tariff and inflation.
“People and youngsters are questioning ‘if Bangladeshis can mobilize for their rights and education, why Pakistanis can’t do the same’,” she noted.
But Dr. Shafqat Munir, an expert on social and political affairs in South Asia, said Pakistan’s context significantly differed from that of Bangladesh, noting that there had for years been a “balance among parties” rather than a single dominant force in Pakistan.
“Lesson is that, you know, people are the first. Certainly, we have to give the say to the people,” he said. “And second lesson is people and the state apparatus, if they are together, then they can bring a change. So, if people alone are there and state differently thinks, then we cannot correlate with Bangladesh.”