Shibbir Ahmed, New York — Awami League President and former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed her desire to return to Bangladesh in December, calling for the restoration of democracy, voting rights, and the rule of law in the country.
In an interview with the Press Trust of India (PTI), Hasina said Bangladesh was going through a serious national crisis. According to her, democratic space had narrowed, the judiciary was being used for political retaliation, media freedom had been restricted, and law and order had deteriorated. She also said that minorities were facing insecurity, extremist forces had regained ground, and the economy had suffered. She said factory closures, rising unemployment, declining investment, electricity and gas shortages, and increasing prices were putting pressure on ordinary families.
Hasina said returning to Bangladesh could expose her to the risk of arrest, imprisonment, or even death. Referring to the killing of members of her family in 1975, her return to Bangladesh in 1981, and the grenade attack on August 21, 2004, she said those experiences had not changed her determination.
According to Hasina, the death sentence handed down against her was politically motivated and delivered without giving her an adequate opportunity to defend herself. She said many Awami League leaders had left the country to protect their lives, while those remaining in Bangladesh were also facing pressure.
Hasina said the Awami League maintained an organisational base across Bangladesh. According to her, the party was demanding democracy, the rule of law, the release of political prisoners, the withdrawal of what she described as false cases, protection for minorities, action against extremism, and economic recovery.
She said the Awami League wanted to return to power through free and fair elections. However, she added that the party would have to accept the people’s decision if voters elected another political party.
Hasina said Bangladesh’s foreign policy should be guided by the principle of “friendship to all, malice towards none.” She described India as Bangladesh’s closest neighbour and historic friend, while identifying China as an important partner. She also stressed the importance of maintaining relations with Japan, the United States, Europe, ASEAN, and the Muslim world.
She highlighted cooperation with India during her government’s tenure in security, connectivity, energy, trade, and border management. She referred to the Ganges water-sharing treaty, the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord, the Land Boundary Agreement, the exchange of enclaves, bus and train links, port access, and energy cooperation.
Speaking about the Teesta River management project, Hasina said it should be transparent, technically sound, and environmentally responsible. According to her, the issue was connected to water resources, agriculture, the environment, people’s livelihoods, and relations between Bangladesh and India. She said a solution should be pursued through dialogue and mutual respect to ensure Bangladesh’s fair share of Teesta waters.
Hasina described Bangladesh’s decision not to participate in the BRICS summit held in India as unfortunate and immature. In her view, the decision had harmed Bangladesh’s national interests and caused the country to miss opportunities for international cooperation. She said foreign policy should not be driven by personal considerations or political reactions, adding that Bangladesh needed to maintain balanced relations with different countries.
Hasina said Bangladesh’s economy had expanded from approximately $70 billion to $450 billion during the Awami League government’s tenure. According to figures she cited, per capita income had increased from $482 to $2,784. She said the poverty rate had fallen from 41 per cent to 18.6 per cent, while extreme poverty had declined from 25.1 per cent to 5.6 per cent.
She also said Bangladesh’s power generation capacity had increased from 3,782 megawatts to more than 28,000 megawatts. Among the development projects she highlighted were the Padma Bridge, metro rail, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, the Matarbari project, the Karnaphuli Tunnel, the Bangabandhu Satellite, roads, bridges, ports, economic zones, community clinics, and housing projects for landless families.
Discussing the current economic situation, Hasina said GDP growth had slowed, non-performing loans had increased, investment had declined, and unemployment had risen. She claimed that more than 500 factories had closed and over 20 million people had become newly unemployed.
She also said many industrialists and businesspeople were in prison or in hiding. According to her, the government was borrowing between Tk 7 billion and Tk 9 billion daily from banks, while the costs of various projects had increased by between 50 per cent and 250 per cent.
Addressing the measles situation, Hasina said there had been delays in procuring vaccines and that Muhammad Yunus had been warned about shortages of vaccines for children. She alleged that vaccines had not been procured on time and that the issue had not subsequently been addressed with the urgency required. Hasina claimed that more than 1,000 children had died and held Muhammad Yunus and Tarique Rahman responsible for the situation.
Speaking about the 2024 student movement, Hasina said her government had taken steps to resolve the dispute over quotas. She noted that the quota system had been abolished following the student movement in 2018. According to her, the protests continued in 2024 even after the demands had been addressed and later developed into a movement to bring down the government.
Referring to a statement by Muhammad Yunus, Hasina questioned who had been involved in planning, financing, and organising violence during the movement. She said a judicial commission had been formed to investigate violence on July 18, 2024, but alleged that it was discontinued after Yunus came to power. She further claimed that participants in the movement had received legal protection while numerous cases had been filed against Awami League leaders and activists. Hasina said an independent investigation was needed to identify those who ordered, organised, financed, or benefited from killings, arson, and other acts of violence.
Hasina said her government had taken initiatives to encourage the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to participate in the 2024 election. She claimed that Khaleda Zia had been invited for talks and that proposals had been made to include representatives of different political parties in the government during the election period. According to Hasina, the BNP rejected these proposals and boycotted the election.
She referred to incidents involving attacks and arson targeting vehicles, trains, schools, and polling centres at different times. She also mentioned the Hefazat-e-Islam movement in 2013, pre-election violence in 2014, the Holey Artisan attack in 2016, and the BNP’s participation in the 2018 election. Hasina said political parties should participate in elections and accept the people’s verdict in a democracy.
Hasina called on the international community to support democracy, human rights, the rule of law, political participation, and media freedom in Bangladesh. She said it would not be possible to build an inclusive Bangladesh by banning a major political party, keeping its leaders in prison, restricting media freedom, and excluding millions of people from the political process. In the PTI interview, Hasina reiterated her desire to return to Bangladesh and emphasised the restoration of democracy, voting rights, and the rule of law.
