DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT

As Bangladesh aspires to a paradigm shift in governance after the July uprising, scholars from home and abroad yesterday warned that concentration of power, growing inequality, and the use of religion for political gains could undermine progress.

Speakers at the inaugural session of the Bengal Delta Conference 2025 said people remain disappointed as the power structure has not shifted significantly over the past year.

They cautioned that citizens will not accept such structures in the future, as they fail to deliver on people’s aspirations.

The Dacca Institute of Research and Analytics (DAIRA) organised the conference titled, “Bangladesh at the Crossroads: Rethinking Politics, Economy and Geopolitical Strategy”, at the Hotel InterContinental.

Prof Mushtaq Khan, economics professor at SOAS University of London, said the Hasina regime’s development model was based on extreme centralisation, where a handful of people decided everything. “Infrastructures were built on massive theft, with double or triple the real cost, leaving the country with unsustainable debt,” he said.

Such a model, he argued, cannot survive as it fails to create jobs, improve health and education, or meet the aspirations of millions.

He said both ruling and opposition politicians in Bangladesh must realise that people would not accept a return to the old settlement.

“The idea that we can return to the old politics after elections, with a few corrupt parties competing for spoils every five years, is also not feasible,” Mushtaq said.

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