Why Jamaat-e-Islami’s win in Dhaka University rings warning bells for India

The pro-Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami has a history of building anti-Indian sentiments and fomenting trouble for the country.

Fast spread of Islamists

Dhaka University has long been regarded as the country’s political barometer. Shibir’s victory indicates the rapid and extensive spread of Islamists in post-Hasina Bangladesh.

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The roles of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Sheikh Hasina have been gradually erased from Bangladesh’s contemporary history by the Islamist-dominated caretaker regime in Dhaka, headed by Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus.

Pakistan’s Jamaat-e-Islami leader Hafez Naimur Rahman expressed hope that the “historic victory” of the students will help Bangladesh to liberate itself from “India’s conspiracy”.

Political implications

Students affiliated to the Jamaat have never had a serious presence in this premier university, which has had a rich history of spearheading Bengali nationalism and being at the forefront of the liberation struggle for the creation of Bangladesh.

The heritage institution’s control going into the hands of the Islamists, whose goal is to turn Bangladesh into an Islamic State, has led to serious concerns among elites and intellectuals in the country.

The fact that the Shibir succeeded in overwhelming its nearest rival, Chhatra Dal, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)’s students’ wing, less than six months before the February 2026 parliamentary election, is an additional worry for political parties.

Improved Pak-Bangladesh ties

The Jamaat-affiliated students were responsible for organising and leading the anti-Hasina protests in Dhaka last year that threw her out of power and forced her to flee to India.

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The Shibir’s victory also comes amid a fix in Bangladesh-Pakistan relations after a long period of hiatus.

In recent months, there have been regular exchanges of political, military, intelligence, and economic and trade delegations between Bangladesh and Pakistan, raising hope of building a robust partnership.

“Things are changing in a manner that we are unable to predict,” says Humayun Kabir, a former Bangladeshi diplomat and commentator in Dhaka.

Dhaka University's illustrious role

The Dhaka University was established in 1921 as a “splendid imperial compensation” to the Muslims who suffered the loss of the reunion of Bengal in 1911. In subsequent years it produced several talented scholars and leading political luminaries of the country.

During the 1971 liberation struggle, it became the centre of secular and nationalist thought and played a crucial role in the creation of Bangladesh from erstwhile East Pakistan. The institution drew national and international attention for being one of the major targets of the Pakistan army’s atrocities.

Now the political clock seems to have turned full circle as the Jamaat-e-Islami has backed the Shibir in taking control of the students’ body at the varsity.

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Why BNP should be worried

Since Hasina’s departure from Bangladesh’s political theatre and the disarray in her Awami League party, the BNP has seen itself as the party that is waiting in the wings to form the next government in Bangladesh.

It is the second largest party after the Awami League and has the advantage of mobilising resources better than the others, as it has been in power before.

But the rampant corruption that has set in the BNP’s rank and file, has often manifested in the form of violent clashes between rival factions over lucrative businesses left unattended by the Awami League’s hurried departure after Hasina was thrown out of power.

This has not gone down well with the people of Bangladesh, who were hoping for a fundamental change in the country’s politics after Hasina’s long rule.

Now they don’t see much difference between the BNP and the Awami League.

Also read: Mujibur Rahman had feet of clay in post-war Bangladesh

Precursor to Parliamentary polls

The victory of students affiliated to the Jamaat is also being seen as a sign of frustration by the general students who wanted a change in the environment of the campus that was hitherto under the control of either the Awami League’s or the BNP’s student wing.

The lingering hype of last year’s protest and the Shibir’s ‘clean slate’ in the Dhaka University, backed by a carefully planned and executed campaign, seems to have been the reasons behind this unprecedented victory of the Jamaat-affiliated students, say observers.

Political commentator Salehuddin Ahmed, however, challenges this view. He points out that the Jamaat students may have a clean image at Dhaka University but their role in Chittagong and Rajshahi universities, where they were in control, is extremely worrying.

There were regular attacks on students and teachers thought to have been close to Hasina. But when all this was being done in full public view, the students affiliated to the BNP were silent spectators.

Ahmed cautions, if the BNP fails to reform itself and improve its image, “the parliamentary election will also turn out to be like what happened in the Dhaka University.”

Also read: When Mujibur Rahman was branded India’s agent

India should be concerned

The steady growth of the Islamists in Bangladesh, reaffirmed by the results of the Dhaka University students’ election, should worry India. An anti-India stance in Bangladesh will only silence the moderate and secular sections and strengthen the Jamaat and other islamists’ hold on the country.

In the past, India had to face serious security challenges from anti-Indian regimes in Bangladesh. Hasina, despite being criticised widely for her autocratic and anti-democratic policies and methods, was effective in keeping the Islamists in check and safeguarding India’s interest. With her departure both the Islamist radicals and Pakistan’s intelligence network have the space to work together against India and foment trouble for India.

The government has tried to pacify the Northeast—Manipur in particular. But Myanmar remains unstable and it can always reactivate anti-Indian forces in the restive region.

The Dhaka University students’ election outcome should keep India on its toes.