- The ousted leader claimed she could have remained in office had she been willing to compromise Bangladesh’s sovereignty
- Hasina’s son previously said protests were likely instigated by a foreign intelligence agency
LONDON: Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, now residing in India, has accused the United States of playing a role in her removal from power.
In a statement quoted by the Economic Times, Hasina claimed she could have remained in office had she been willing to compromise Bangladesh’s sovereignty, particularly by surrendering Saint Martin Island and allowing US influence over the Bay of Bengal.
“I resigned so that I did not have to see the procession of dead bodies. They wanted to come to power over the dead bodies of students, but I did not allow it”, the ousted Bangladeshi PM said.
“I could have remained in power if I had surrendered the sovereignty of Saint Martin Island and allowed America to hold sway over the Bay of Bengal,” Hasina stated, urging her countrymen not to be manipulated by radical elements.
Saint Martin Island, a small 3-square-kilometer landmass in the Bay of Bengal, is situated near the southern tip of Bangladesh.
Hasina expressed deep sorrow over the violence and unrest that followed her resignation on August 5, amid growing student protests against the controversial quota system for government jobs.
The unrest, which included killings, harassment, and vandalism, led to concerns for Hasina’s safety, prompting her to leave Dhaka on a military aircraft. She is currently under protection at an undisclosed location in India.
“My heart cries upon receiving news that many leaders have been killed, workers are being harassed, and their homes are subjected to vandalism and arson. With the grace of almighty Allah, I will return soon”.
“Awami League has stood up again and again. I shall forever pray for the future of Bangladesh, the nation which my great father strived for,” she said.
Hasina also addressed the ongoing student protests, clarifying that her previous comments were distorted to incite unrest.
“I have never called you Razakars. My words were distorted to incite you. Conspirators have taken advantage of your innocence and used you to destabilize the nation,” she said, urging students to view the full context of her statements.
Previously, during a parliamentary session, Hasina accused the US of attempting to orchestrate a regime change in Bangladesh.
Her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, echoed these concerns, suggesting that the recent protests were likely instigated by a foreign intelligence agency, though he refrained from explicitly naming the US
The United States has been consistently critical of Bangladesh’s human rights record and electoral processes.
Ousted leader’s son warns of chaos without swift polls
The son of Bangladesh’s toppled autocratic leader thanked New Delhi on Sunday for “saving her life”, accused caretaker authorities of allowing “mob rule” and warned of chaos ahead without swift elections.
Sheikh Hasina, 76, quit as prime minister on Monday after a student-led uprising and fled by helicopter to longtime ally India.
Her government was accused of widespread human rights abuses, including the extrajudicial killing of thousands of her political opponents.
Hasina’s son and former government adviser, US-based Sajeeb Wazed Joy, 53, criticised the interim government as “completely powerless” and composed of “figureheads”.
“Right now in Bangladesh, you have mob rule,” he told AFP in an interview from Washington.
He pointed to the ouster of top officials, including the chief justice, central bank governor and police chief, following protesters’ demands.
“If the mob tomorrow says, ‘no, we want this person in the interim government changed’, they will have to be changed,” he said.
‘Devolve into chaos’
Yunus has said he wants elections “within a few months”, but Wazed warned of risks if they were delayed.
“It’s in their best interest to hold elections… to have a return to a legitimate government that has the legitimacy of the people and true authority,” he said.
‘Excessive force’
Wazed sought to divert blame for his mother’s ouster onto others in government.
“Were mistakes made? Of course,” he said. “They were made by people at the bottom, or in the chain of command… Blaming my mother for it is unfortunate.”
While accepting that police officers who fired on protesters had gone too far, he argued that there was violence on both sides.
“Some of the police used excessive force but there were attacks on the police too — police members were killed as well. The violence wasn’t one-sided,” he said.
“And then as it escalated further, the protesters started attacking police with firearms, weapons.”
More than 450 people were killed in the unrest leading up to Hasina’s fall — 42 of whom were police officers, according to the national police chief.
Wazed alleged unidentified foreign forces had supported the protests. “I believe, at this point, it is from beyond Bangladesh,” he said.
“Only an intelligence agency would have the capability of smuggling and supplying weapons to protesters.”
It is not clear what Hasina will do next.
Wazed offered his “gratitude to the government of Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi for saving her life and keeping her safe”.
New Delhi saw a common threat in groups Hasina viewed as rivals and crushed with brutal force, including the BNP, according to analysts.
Hasina has been hosted in a secret safe house and hasn’t spoken publicly since arriving at a military airbase near New Delhi.
It isn’t clear how long she will now stay in India but Wazed said there “has been no such plans as of yet” of her moving to a third country.
