Farhad Mazhar: Interim government lacks legitimacy under Hasina-era constitution

Poet and public intellectual Farhad Mazhar has dismissed the legitimacy of Bangladesh’s interim government, criticising it for retaining a constitution shaped under former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s administration—even in the aftermath of the July Uprising.

Speaking at a roundtable organised by the Imaginext Foundation at the National Press Club on Friday, Mazhar argued that the political transformation following the July Uprising had not yielded a meaningful break from the past.

“This mass uprising has not led us toward the creation of a new state,” he said. “Sheikh Hasina’s fascist constitution has remained intact. I do not think that is right.”

“I do not consider a government operating under this constitution to be legitimate,” he added. “I speak for the people. There is no question of unconditionally supporting this government.”

Mazhar positioned his critique within a broader ideological framework, condemning all forms of nationalism—including Bengali nationalism—as inherently fascist.

“One form of nationalism is Bengali nationalism, and its history is deeply entwined with fascism,” he said.

“There has been a popular uprising in Bangladesh against fascism, fascist forces, and a fascist state apparatus. Culturally, opposition to fascism is central to who we are. That means rejecting all forms of nationalism—religious or ethnic.”

“There is no place for nationalism in Islam,” he asserted.

Challenging the prevailing understanding of law and constitutional legitimacy, Mazhar said: “Law is made by the British; the constitution belongs to the people. When rulers craft a constitution that serves the looting mafia class, exploits the poor, and sustains the status quo, it cannot be considered a people’s constitution.”

“A legitimate constitution,” he continued, “is one where the people themselves take part in its making.”

Despite his broader criticism, Mazhar acknowledged a positive development under the interim government—the inclusive spirit of this year’s Pohela Boishakh celebrations.

“In addition to Bengalis, many smaller ethnic communities joined this year’s festivities,” he said. “It was a rare moment of national unity. Secularists, theists, atheists, Buddhists, followers of traditional religions—everyone participated.”