Maruf Hasan

For thousands like 21-year-old Saiful Islam, the outcome of the July 2024 student-led uprising in Bangladesh that ousted Sheikh Hasina was not just the fall of an autocratic and repressive regime but also the possible beginning of a broader restructuring of the state. Now, as a new government led by Tarique Rahman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) dilly-dallies over the country’s long-cherished democratic reforms, Islam feels betrayed.

Maruf Hasan Maruf Hasan is an investigative journalist based in Dhaka who has reported on Bangladesh for international outlets including The New York Times, Reuters, AFP, Al Jazeera Mubasher, Anadolu Agency and Dawn.

Tarique Rahman’s BNP, which swept to power in Bangladesh in February, has dragged its feet on key reforms that it had earlier agreed to with other political parties under the July Charter. IMAGO / Anadolu Agency For thousands like 21-year-old Saiful Islam, the outcome of the July 2024 student-led uprising in Bangladesh that ousted Sheikh Hasina was not just the fall of an autocratic and repressive regime but also the possible beginning of a broader restructuring of the state.