On the dark afternoon of 5–8 August 2024, Bangladesh underwent a dramatic and controversial political upheaval: Sheikh Hasina, the country’s long-standing prime minister, was unlawfully removed from power and flown into exile following mass protests and what many have described as a military-engineered transfer of authority. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was installed as the head of an interim government amid swirling allegations of involvement by the CIA, Pakistan’s ISI, and various domestic actors. And yet, despite Sheikh Hasina’s immense contributions to national development, the global media, academic voices, and political elites remain conspicuously silent.
According to credible reports, the Bangladesh Army, led by General Waker-uz-Zaman, compelled Sheikh Hasina to resign on 5 August 2024, dismantling her democratically elected government and initiating the formation of an interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus. However, many allege that the true orchestrator of this transition was the American deep state, specifically the CIA. Despite the gravity of such claims, little international attention has been given to what could mark one of South Asia’s most significant extra-constitutional interventions in recent history.
Sheikh Hasina is far from an ordinary leader. Under her tenure, Bangladesh underwent what numerous analysts have called an “epic” developmental transformation. From infrastructure to energy, from economic diversification to enhanced regional connectivity, the scale of progress was substantial. However, these achievements have often gone unrecognised, both within Bangladesh and globally. Why has such silence prevailed?
Several factors appear to contribute to this lack of recognition. First, geopolitical discomfort may have played a role. Hasina’s approach to balancing relationships among global powers—without subscribing fully to any camp—may have alienated influential international actors. Secondly, there is a recurring media bias. Many Western outlets frame Bangladesh predominantly through the lens of human rights and governance challenges, largely neglecting the infrastructure boom and economic strides. Finally, the turbulence surrounding the 2024 protests dominated international headlines, effectively overshadowing the country’s development milestones.
Under Sheikh Hasina’s leadership, Bangladesh executed an ambitious suite of mega-projects that have transformed the nation’s physical and economic landscape. Among the most prominent is the Padma Multipurpose Bridge, a 6.15-kilometre-long structure funded entirely through domestic resources, inaugurated in June 2022. This bridge has significantly boosted regional trade and connectivity between southwestern districts and the capital, Dhaka.
The Dhaka Metro Rail (MRT-6) began operations between Uttara and Agargaon and is scheduled to extend to Kamalapur by 2025. This is the capital’s first metro system and is expected to serve as the backbone of future smart-city development. The Dhaka Elevated Expressway, inaugurated in September 2023, connects the airport with central Dhaka and has substantially eased urban congestion.
Another landmark is the Karnaphuli River Tunnel, South Asia’s first multi-lane underwater tunnel, set in Chattogram and slated to open in October 2023. This project is expected to stimulate industrial development and regional connectivity, especially towards Southeast Asia. The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, Bangladesh’s first nuclear facility built with Russian assistance, features a capacity of 2,400 MW and was partially inaugurated between late 2022 and early 2023.
Furthering energy and maritime capacity, the Matarbari Deep Sea Port and Thermal Power Complex, including a 1,200 MW coal-fired plant, is anticipated to be operational by 2026. With deep navigation channels, it is poised to support large-scale international trade. Meanwhile, the Mirsharai Economic Zone—also known as Bangabandhu Industrial City—has drawn over US$1 billion in investment and aims to employ over 775,000 people across its 33,800-acre expanse.
Projects such as the India–Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline, Khulna–Mongla Rail Link, Agartala–Akhaura Cross-Border Line, and the Rampal Thermal Power Plant (Maitree Project) highlight the focus on regional integration, many of which were jointly inaugurated with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In defence, the construction of BNS Pekua, the country’s first submarine base in Cox’s Bazar, has strengthened Bangladesh’s maritime capabilities in the Bay of Bengal.
Together, these initiatives have not only revolutionised the nation’s infrastructure but also laid the groundwork for achieving middle-income status, with ambitions of full development by 2041.
Bangladesh’s economic evolution under Hasina is no less remarkable. From a GDP of approximately US$102 billion in 2009, the economy expanded to over US$416 billion by 2022—an extraordinary fourfold increase. Per capita income more than tripled, and the United Nations formally recognised the country’s transition from a Least Developed Country (LDC) to a developing one.
The structure of the economy has shifted in alignment with global norms. Agriculture now constitutes just 13% of GDP, while industry and services represent roughly 35% and 52%, respectively. Export diversification, increased remittances, and declining dependence on foreign aid signal growing economic autonomy. Under the “Smart Bangladesh 2041” vision, the country aspires to rank among the world’s top 30 economies, with ambitious digital and environmental targets.
Despite these achievements, the aftermath of Sheikh Hasina’s removal has seen a calculated smear campaign. Corruption allegations—largely unsubstantiated—have been levelled by her political opponents, particularly groups opposed to Bangladesh’s founding principles. The Anti-Corruption Commission has launched inquiries into eight major infrastructure projects, with baseless accusations involving her family in alleged foreign money laundering schemes.
Simultaneously, the interim administration has enlisted international legal firms to scrutinise contracts, particularly those involving major partners such as Adani Power and Chinese companies, under the guise of transparency. However, many observers view this as a politically motivated tactic to discredit the Hasina era.
Perhaps most concerning is how media coverage tends to foreground these controversies while ignoring the sweeping progress achieved during her time in office. By focusing narrowly on political unrest and corruption narratives, the broader developmental story is often neglected or erased altogether.
Among her supporters, Sheikh Hasina is considered a modern-day Joan of Arc: courageous, determined, and misunderstood. As Bangabandhu’s daughter, she embodies the aspirations of a generation striving for prosperity through self-determination. She has been hailed as the “Idol of the Masses,” a poet of development in a lineage where Rabindranath Tagore represented cultural philosophy and Bangabandhu, the poetry of politics.
Her journey—from personal tragedy and imprisonment to national leadership—is seen as a testament to resilience. The lack of international recognition only deepens the injustice of her forced removal. Her story deserves to be told—not merely as political theatre, but as a chapter in the global history of transformative leadership in the Global South.
It is both disheartening and dangerous that major international media platforms, intellectual communities, and global leaders have failed to engage meaningfully with this narrative. Bangladesh occupies a pivotal strategic position, bordered by India, China, and the Bay of Bengal, and sits at the heart of ideological contestations between secularism and extremism. Ignoring this context is to risk erasing a significant development success story that defies typical postcolonial tropes of fragility and dependency.
There is a moral imperative to speak up—not to sanctify a leader, but to acknowledge a profound national transformation that occurred under her guidance. We must move beyond polemics and partisanship, and instead document the facts of a nation redefined by strategic vision, infrastructure investment, and economic reform.
Sheikh Hasina’s removal in August 2024 was not merely a political disruption; it was a symbolic rupture. It unleashed chaos: protests, political persecution, a refugee crisis, and severe economic instability under the de facto administration of Muhammad Yunus. In this environment, the very legacy of the projects and policies that lifted millions out of poverty now hangs in limbo.
And yet, her legacy remains—not only in memory but in steel, concrete, and electricity. It lives in the bridges that connect distant districts, in the tunnels beneath busy cities, in ports that welcome international trade, and in industrial parks that provide livelihoods. These are not abstractions; they are tangible monuments to a decade of transformation.
The world may remain silent, but history has the responsibility to record this chapter faithfully. Sheikh Hasina’s era was not without its flaws, but it represented one of the most significant development efforts in recent times. And for that, her name deserves to be remembered—not in whispers, but with the clarity and dignity owed to a leader who dared to build.