Sheikh Hasina, the former prime minister of Bangladesh, made her first public media appearance in two years on Wednesday from New Delhi, stating that she would return to Bangladesh by December despite concerns that she would be detained or even assassinated. Held on the second anniversary of her removal, the virtual speech coincided with India's reaffirmation that it had no involvement in the privately planned event.
The Foreign Correspondents' Club of South Asia in New Delhi hosted the news conference. Following major student-led protests, the former prime minister of Bangladesh left Dhaka two years ago and has been residing in India ever since.
Prior to the event, India reaffirmed that a private organization was in charge of organizing the media engagement and stated that the government neither participated in it nor supported the opinions voiced there. Bangladesh had already voiced worry that the incident would have an impact on strengthening bilateral relations.
Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stated, "For the last two years, I watched my beloved Bangladesh suffer," in a virtual interview with the media in Delhi.This is not the Bangladesh that we created, nor is it the Bangladesh for which three million people gave their lives in 1971.
"Let me start with the truth about July and August 2024," she continued. The student movement was not nonviolent. My government made an effort from the start to settle the dispute amicably through discussion, the judicial system, and patience. However, organized groups were attempting to transform student demands into a violent political tool behind the rhetoric of reform.
Hasina sobbed as she spoke passionately about the heritage of her family, recalling her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and other family members who perished in the 1975 assassination.
She declared, "They want to erase Mujibur Rahman." The president of the Awami League reaffirmed her intention to come home and emphasized that her party's ban should be lifted.
Hasina stated that she would return to Dhaka by December of this year when questioned about her plans to visit Bangladesh. "I have to leave even though they might kill me or arrest me when I get back," she insists.
"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," Hasina stated in a message to the world. The Bay of Bengal and South Asia both depend on a stable Bangladesh.
Sajeeb Wazed, the son of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, expressed concerns about the presence of foreign intelligence services in Bangladesh on Wednesday, claiming that "Bangladesh has become another Pakistan on India's eastern front."
Bangladesh has turned into another Pakistan for India, according to Sheikh Hasina's son
Speaking at the event, Sajeeb Wazed also questioned the death toll associated with the protests in Bangladesh in July and August of 2024, citing discrepancies in the numbers provided by the United Nations and the previous administration led by Muhammad Yunus.
First of all, you have often heard about the deaths that occurred during this 2024 demonstration in July. On the numbers, you have different counts. The government number is approximately 800, but your UN number is 1,400. These extra 600 individuals—who are they? He questioned, "Where did the UN get those names?"
"The UN has received a letter from our party. Our attorneys have repeatedly written to the UN. Additionally, the UN has not yet released any names, Wazed continued.
He said that the UN's evaluation only looked at the time frame up until August 15, 2024, despite the fact that deaths continued after that date. More significantly, he stated, "the UN only covers a period up to August 15 of 2024, but we know that the deaths continue, and what is most alarming is something that I believe the press, the international press, should really, really pay attention to."
Wazed also denounced the Yunus-led temporary administration, which has since been replaced by the Tarique Rahman administration, for providing "blanket immunity" to demonstrators who have been charged with murder.
