NEW DELHI (Diya TV) — Documents made available to The Sunday Guardian indicate a regime change plan sponsored by the United States to overthrow Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was initiated in 2019. The report claims this regime change plan was allegedly orchestrated by government-funded agencies of the US – the IRI, NED, and USAID – the same agencies which have been accused of secretly promoting democratic governance in developing countries through regime changes and funding alternate political movements within those countries.
The “Promoting Accountability, Inclusivity, and Resiliency Support Program” (PAIRS) ran from March 2019 to January 2021 over a period of 22 months. The report states in Bangladesh, the IRI played a pivotal role in aiding pro-democratic voices and fostering civic activism with greater participation from excluded communities such as the LGBTI community, ethnic minorities, and Bihari people. The program inspired artists, activists, and civil society organizations to produce and circulate political and social content.
According to internal documents, a sub-goal was to balance India’s power over the Awami League government of Bangladesh and Sheikh Hasina.
The International Republican Institute (IRI) implemented the PAIRS program as a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) implementing partner and one of the key grantee agencies of National Endowment for Democracy (NED). Funding was at high levels to implement the PAIRS program from both sides of the agencies mentioned, said the Guardian. Objectives were to strengthen the citizenry and increase the voices in favor of democracy in Bangladesh. It sought to discuss and hold forums through non-traditional avenues like art, music, and theatre.
During the program, the IRI granted aid to artists and civil society organizations, yielding 225 artworks that addressed social and political issues, ultimately reaching nearly 400,000 citizens. Apart from granting aid to three identified civil society organizations, the institution trained 77 activists and mobilized more than 300 citizens on several concrete policy proposals submitted to government officials.
Another similar report was released by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) in March 2024, which had many of the findings of the PAIRS program in relation to having lesser violence during the election period compared to other years.
The report emphasized Bangladesh’s democratic backsliding in IRI’s analysis, which painted both major political parties—the AL and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)—as culprits in the deterioration of democracy. The AL was portrayed as autocratic, while the BNP was described as divided and administratively dilapidated.
According to the report, political opposition in Bangladesh was silenced with harassment and imprisonment, and the commanding sectors such as business and the military remained under a tight leash by strategic economic and political appeasement. This is why regime change is still an uphill battle for opposition forces with the influence of the powerful groups cementing AL’s position.
The IRI’s program was designed to strengthen the voice of minorities and initiate the development of nonviolent political interaction. The core idea was inclusion and grassroots mobilization as a manner of gradually challenging very deep authoritative structures.
IRI, NED, and other US-funded organizations continue to work in Bangladesh, emphasizing institution-building for democratic institutions and increasing citizen’s voices. However, this has also concerned India and regional observers who do not want foreign interference in South Asia’s political dynamics.
