Sheikh Hasina, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh and President of the Bangladesh Awami League, delivered a speech on the second anniversary of her departure from the country. During the event, she stated that the current state of the country is not the Bangladesh for which three million people sacrificed their lives in the 1971 uprising; she became emotional while saying this. She said, “I speak as someone who has spent her life with the people of Bangladesh, someone who was forced to leave her country, yet she has never truly been separated from her people.” Sheikh Hasina stressed that she is not concerned about her own future, but the future of Bangladesh, because the people of the country want security, development, prosperity, and peace.
‘I know they can kill me, but I will still go.’
Sheikh Hasina recalled that attempts were made to stop her when she returned to Bangladesh in 1981, and that she was arrested several times after her return, yet she never wavered in her resolve to return to her homeland. “I am not worried about my future; I am worried about the future of Bangladesh.”
Sheikh Hasina said, “I know I could be arrested, killed, or imprisoned if I return to Bangladesh, but I will definitely go back in December. The date will be communicated to you (the press) when the time is right.”
‘It was a well-planned protest’
Speaking about the protests in Bangladesh two years ago, Sheikh Hasina said, “For the past two years, I have seen my beloved Bangladesh go through difficult times. This is not the Bangladesh we created; this is not the Bangladesh for which three million people gave their lives in 1971. I want to begin with the truth of July and August 2024. This was not a peaceful student movement. From the beginning, my government tried to resolve this issue peacefully through dialogue, legal processes, and patience. However, under the guise of demanding reforms, some well-organized groups were trying to turn the students’ demands into a violent political weapon.”
Sheikh Hasina’s demands
- The ban on Awami League should be lifted.
- Political prisoners should be released.
- False cases should be withdrawn.
- Freedom of speech must be restored.
- Freedom of the press must be protected.
- The independence of the judiciary must be guaranteed.
- Law enforcement agencies should serve the people and not become puppets in the hands of the powerful.
‘We don’t want Bangladesh to become a failed state’
Before Sheikh Hasina spoke, leaders of her party, the Awami League, who are currently in exile, launched a scathing attack on interim government head Muhammad Yunus. Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Naufel, a former minister in Sheikh Hasina’s government, said, “We don’t want revenge; we only want justice. We appeal not to support religious extremism in Bangladesh. We don’t want Bangladesh to become a failed state.”