Sheikh Hasina Returns to Politics, Criticizes Bangladesh Government

Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday made her first public media appearance in two years from New Delhi, saying she would return to Bangladesh by December despite fears she could be arrested or even killed. The virtual address, held on the second anniversary of her ouster, came as India reiterated it had no role in the privately organised event. The press event was held at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia in New Delhi. The former prime minister of Bangladesh fled Dhaka two years ago after facing widespread student-led protests and has been living in India since then. Ahead of the event, India reiterated that the media interaction was being organised by a private entity and said the government neither had any role in it nor endorsed the views expressed there. Bangladesh had earlier expressed concern that the event could affect improving bilateral ties. In a virtual interaction with the media in Delhi, former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina said, “For the last two years, I watched my beloved Bangladesh suffer…This is not the Bangladesh we built; this is not the Bangladesh for which 3 million people sacrificed their lives in 1971.” She added, “Let me begin with the truth about July and August 2024. It was not a peaceful student movement. From the beginning, my government tried to resolve the issue peacefully through dialogue, legal process, and patience. But behind the language of reform, organised groups were working to turn students’ demands into a violent political instrument.” Speaking emotionally about her family’s legacy, Hasina broke down while remembering her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and other family members killed in the 1975 assassination. “They want to erase Mujibur Rahman,” she said. The Awami League President added that the ban on her party should be lifted ⁠and ​reiterated that she would return to her country. When asked about her plans to return to Bangladesh, Hasina said she will return to Dhaka by December this year. “They may arrest me on my return; they may even kill me … still, I have to go,” she maintains. In a message to the global community, Hasina said, “I call upon the international community and all the friends of Bangladesh to stand with the people of Bangladesh in their struggle for democracy, justice and peace. A stable Bangladesh matters for South Asia and for the Bay of Bengal.” Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed on Wednesday said that “Bangladesh has become another Pakistan on India’s eastern front”, and raised concerns over the role of foreign intelligence agencies in Bangladesh. Speaking at the event, Sajeeb Wazed also questioned the death toll reported in connection with the July-August 2024 protests in Bangladesh, pointing to differences between figures cited by the United Nations and those cited by the previous administration headed by Muhammad Yunus . “First of all, you have heard again and again about the deaths during July on this protest of 2024. You have various counts on the numbers. You have the UN number of 1,400, whereas the government number is 800-something. Who are these additional 600 people? Where did the UN get those names?” he asked. “Our party has written to the UN. Our lawyers have written to the UN again and again. And today the UN has not provided any names,” Wazed added. He alleged that the UN’s assessment covered only the period up to August 15, 2024, while noting that deaths continued beyond that date. “But more importantly, the UN only covers a period up to August 15 of 2024, but we know that the deaths continue, and what is most alarming, and this is something that I believe that the press, the international press, should really, really pay attention to,” he said. Wazed also criticised the Yunus-led interim government, which has been replaced by the Tarique Rahman government, over what “blanket immunity” for protesters accused of killings. (With inputs from agencies)