By RATNAJYOTI DUTTA
NEW DELHI, 24 Jan: Ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday issued a five-point call to restore democracy in Bangladesh, demanding the removal of the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government and an impartial international investigation into the events that led to her ouster last year. Her appeal came a day after campaigning began for the country’s February 12 parliamentary elections.
Hasina, who has been living in India since fleeing Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, delivered the message through a recorded address played at a media interaction programme held at the prestigious Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia (FCC) in New Delhi. The event was organised by her supporters and attended by senior Awami League leaders, including former Bangladesh foreign minister, AK Abdul Momen, who joined online.
In her 10-minute address in Bangla and English, Hasina accused the Yunus-led administration in Dhaka of lacking democratic legitimacy and presiding over widespread chaos, violence, and corruption. She urged the people of Bangladesh not to lose hope, saying their democratic rights were steadily being eroded under what she described as an unelected and coercive regime.
Friday’s address marked Hasina’s first engagement with a collective media platform in India, though she has continued to issue recorded messages to Awami League supporters inside and outside Bangladesh during her exile.
Outlining her five-point plan, Hasina said restoring democracy must begin with the removal of the Yunus administration, which she termed illegal. “Free and fair elections will remain impossible as long as this interim government remains in power,” she said. Only after its removal, she added, could an inclusive political process—including the Awami League—return authority to the people.
Her second demand called for an immediate end to daily street violence and the restoration of law and order so that civic services could function effectively and the economy could recover. In her third point, she stressed firm guarantees to protect religious minorities, women, and other vulnerable groups, insisting that every citizen must feel safe within their own community. Her remarks echoed earlier concerns raised by the Indian government regarding the safety of Hindus in Bangladesh.
Hasina’s fourth point targeted what she described as politically motivated “lawfare,” accusing authorities of using legal mechanisms to intimidate, silence, and imprison journalists, Awami League members, and other opposition leaders. She urged restoring public trust in the judicial system and ending the use of state institutions for political repression.
In her final point, Hasina called on the United Nations to conduct a truly impartial investigation into the July–August 2024 events that led to her removal from office. She said uncovering the truth was essential for national reconciliation and healing.
Invoking her father and Bangladesh’s founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina warned that the country born out of the Liberation War now faced grave threats from extremist forces and foreign interests. She accused the current administration of undermining national sovereignty and urged citizens to defend the Constitution and revive democratic governance.
Hasina’s remarks come after dramatic political upheaval in Bangladesh following a student-led movement over education and government job quotas, which escalated into nationwide protests demanding her resignation, ultimately forcing her into exile. Subsequently, the International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka sentenced her to death over the July–August 2024 crackdown. The Yunus-led interim government has since banned the Awami League and its student wing, the Chhatra League, significantly reshaping the political landscape ahead of the elections.
