Bangladesh: Political Trends and Key Players - Observer Research ...

ORF Strategic Trends
In fact, the party did not bother to adhere to its ideology and instead
chose, when it saw the need, to forge alliances with rightist and openly
communal parties. During the first Sheikh Hasina government (1996-
2001) AL tried to co-opt the JI during the opposition's boycott of
parliament, which considerably enhanced the political acceptability of
the JI. Days before the postponed January 22, 2007 election, AL
surprised many by forging an alliance with Khilafat Mazlis, a radical
Islamic political party.
However, despite its growing fascination with Islam, the party has also
taken a strong stand against religious extremism. Prior to the 2008
election, the party pledged to take action against the religious
extremism that had surfaced in the country during the time of BNP-JIled
coalition government (2001-06). In conformity with the electoral
promise, the party acted strongly against extremist groups and their
leaders after it formed the government.
The party's reaction to religious extremism had an inherent political
motive. Religious extremism in Bangladesh also existed during the
previous AL rule (1996-2001) and the party hardly took any action
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then. The need for the party's action against religious extremism has
emerged as AL was targeted by militant groups during the BNP-JI
regime. Again, it provided an opportunity to boost its image both
domestically and internationally and prove that it was different from
BNP, which was criticized for its inept handling of the issue of religious
extremism. On the issue of foreign policy, AL wants to pursue friendly
relations not only with the country's neighbours but as well as
developed countries which would help the socioeconomic
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