Sheikh Hasina signals return to Bangladesh, challenges interim regime

New Delhi – Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who arrived in India on 5 August 2024 following the fall of her Government, has now indicated her intention to return to Bangladesh. She strongly criticised the recently held elections and spoke about what she described as injustice against her party, the Awami League. Hasina addressed a meeting of several Awami League leaders in Dhaka through an online interaction.

“I have to return to my motherland” – Sheikh Hasina

Hasina urged her party leaders to remain mentally and physically prepared, stating that they would have to return to their motherland and take to the streets to fight. “Pack your belongings; it is time to step onto the ground,” she told them.

She directly challenged the interim Government led by Muhammad Yunus as well as the newly formed administration under Tariq Rahman. She termed the Yunus-led Government “illegal” and said its directives carried no legitimacy. She warned that if the ban on the Awami League was not lifted, the party would chart its own course of action and take firm steps in response.

Hasina dismissed the recent elections in Bangladesh as a “farce” and alleged that the public had boycotted the polls. She claimed that the declared 60% voter turnout was fabricated and that ballot boxes had been filled in advance.

It may be noted that the Awami League has been banned, and a death sentence has reportedly been pronounced against Hasina.