Something amazing happens in the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka, around sunset during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. The city’s streets of over 10 million people, known for its busy bust and choking traffic, are quietly transformed and empty.
But for parties who are well aware of the persuasive power of the perfect belly, sunset is their high period.
The Iftar Party, where loyal people cut off their fasting, was closely monitored until the end of Ramadan about what direction Bangladesh could take after the overthrow of its authoritarian leader last summer.
Who was in attendance in which party? Who was sitting next to who? In Bangladesh’s political void, the answers to these questions provided clues as to how new alliances would be formed, and even directions to change the geopolitical winds.
We were invited to ourselves to measure political temperature.
It was held at the rooftop restaurant by Gono Odhikar Parishad. Gono Odhikar Parishad is a small party that emerged from an early wave of student protests in 2018, and last year overthrew Prime Minister Sheikhasina.
The party arranged 600 people and 900 people appeared. I was given a plate of fried snacks and sweets. The waiter kept pouring the yogurt drink.
There was one thing that no one seemed to think about. How do I get hundreds of people on the top floor who haven’t eaten or hydrated for 15 hours? There’s no doubt that you’ll be climbing 8 planes on the stairs.
The crowd caught up in a small lobby painted like Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” tried to narrow it down to one elevator with a capacity of 18 people.
Elevator operators still had difficult tasks in this part of the world. A gentle man dyed red red, he sat on a plastic stool by the button. He loaded all the trips with the accuracy of a shopkeeper measuring grapes, offloading his body one by one, until the elevator didn’t exceed its capacity.
At the top, the restaurant was lively with people.
Many tables have been reserved for political parties or have been reserved for journalists. It was mainly male and sprinkled with women.
Sangheta Fuku, the youth division leader of the Young Party, said he attended five Iftar parties in the first two weeks of Ramadan.
“Each branch of our own party has youth wings, workers wings and human rights wings,” she said.
From her previous podium, the speech after the speech was not much guided by the fasting guest. The theme was clear: the country needed elections.
The timing of that election is at the heart of political disparity. Some people want that soon. Others want reform first to avoid repeating past equipment votes.
Dominating the news and naturally chatting in the Iftar party was a angst between the military in Bangladeshi and the student-led interim government.
Students are increasingly suspicious of Army Chief General Waker Uz Zaman. Some generals are relatives of Prime Minister Hasina and believe they are trying to open up space for the resurrection of the party, who has resigned.
Others suspect that the Army Secretary is seeking early elections as he cut his longtime opposition to Ms Hasina, the Nationalist Party of Bangladeshi, or the BNP.
Meanwhile, the party leaders suspect that students are using shaking against the government and on the streets to delay elections to buy time and organize them as political forces.
Another big topic in Dhaka is India – a huge neighbor who has long supported Hasina and has now given her shelter, standing on all the political bounces.
New Delhi broadly fixed Hasina’s downfall, about what is called a conspiracy between the main Muslim party Jamaat e Islami, portraying both as extremists.
However, in signs of change in times, Indian diplomats appeared at the iftar gathering of both parties.
“It’s a very busy time,” said Mia Gollum Palwar, Jamaat’s general secretary. “We feel this is our high time.”
He boasted that 39 diplomatic missions were represented at Jamaat’s Iftar Party.
Right next to the rooftop event at Gono Odhikar, a local branch of BNP was holding its own Iftar party under a tent in the schoolyard.
People were sitting at a round table when boxes of biryani and cans of soda were removed from the truck. The speakers on the main roads covered the names of dozens of high-ranking officials present.
Local BNP leader Ariful Islam Arif took his turn on the microphone on a crowded stage decorated with flowers, and he got emotional.
“I was in prison, so I missed this for seven years,” he said.
Saif Hasnat contributed to the report.
