New Delhi: Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is currently in exile in India, has vowed to return to her country, as she called interim leader Muhammad Yunus of being a “mobster” who has unleashed lawlessness and terror. In response, Dhaka reaffirmed its commitment to bringing Hasina back from India and stressed that securing her extradition remains its top priority.
Hasina, who fled to India after her government was toppled in a student-led uprising on August 5, 2024, held a one-on-one interaction this week on Zoom with the widows of four policemen killed during last July's student uprising. During the conversation, the ousted leader condoled their tragic loss and promised redressal upon her return.
"The killings were part of his meticulous conspiracy to throw me out of power," she said, adding "I will return and avenge the deaths of our policemen." Accusing Yunus of dissolving all inquiry committees, Hasina alleged the interim government has "unleashed terrorists" to butcher people.
"They are destroying Bangladesh," she said. Hasina further claimed that she escaped an assassination attempt narrowly when her government was overthrown, stating, "By the grace of God, I was kept alive to do something good. I will return and ensure justice for all of you".
The four policemen were killed when Hasina tried to suppress the student-led protests last year in July-August. The moment which started as protests against a controversial quota system soon culminated in a call for her ouster. In a teary address, Hasina noted that nearly 450 police stations were also set on fire and said the killings were part of a larger conspiracy orchestrated by Yunus, who has since accepted there was a "design and conspiracy" to remove Hasina.
Soon after her Zoom interaction, Bangladesh's interim administration stressed that securing the former Prime Minister's extradition from India remains their topmost priority. "This is the government's top priority. We will continue our efforts to extradite Hasina to hold her trial in person," said Yunus' press secretary, Shafiqul Alam.
Casting a shadow on the future of Hasina's Awami League in Bangladesh, Alam said the people and political parties of Bangladesh will decide if the party should continue to exist in the country's political landscape.
Bangladesh seeks India's support to revive SAARCBangladesh's interim government's Foreign Affairs Advisor Touhid Hossain has sought India's backing to revive the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) at a meeting with Indian External Affairs S Jaishankar on the sidelines of a multilateral conference in Muscat. The South Asian regional grouping has been suspended for a long time due to the India-Pakistan conflict. "Hossain sought to initiate discussions for the renewal of the Ganges Water Treaty signed in 1996 and emphasized the need for convening the SAARC Standing Committee meeting and requested New Delhi’s support on the matter," a Bangladesh foreign ministry statement said after the two leaders met during the 8th Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) in Muscat, Oman, late last week. |
