Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made a tearful and defiant declaration in a virtual meeting with her relatives of murdered Awami League leaders, stating that she feels her survival has a heavenly reason. "Allah saved my life for a purpose," she proclaimed, swearing that those responsible for the violence against her party would eventually be punished.
Addressing India, where she has been residing since being removed from power after a countrywide revolt, the Awami League chief berated her political rivals, especially interim government chief advisor Muhammad Yunus. Without appearing on camera, Hasina blamed Yunus for taking advantage of the poor while accumulating a life of luxury overseas.
"Never loved the people," she claimed. "He gave out microloans at ruinous interest rates. We funded him, believing he was assisting the poor. But it appears he was only assisting himself. His desire for power is now driving the crisis in Bangladesh."
In her remarks, Hasina painted a grim picture of the current situation in her homeland, calling it a “terrorist country” and accusing the interim regime of silencing the press and unleashing violence on political opponents, journalists, lawyers, police, and artists.
“There is a total media blackout,” she claimed. “Rapes, murders, robberies—none of it can be reported. Any outlet that tries is immediately targeted.”
She also spoke of the trauma of witnessing her family being killed during the 1975 coup that murdered her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman—the founding father of Bangladesh—and her mother and siblings. "I lost all my belongings in one day. They would not even allow us to go back to our own nation," she claimed. "I think Allah has a purpose for saving me. Justice will prevail. That is my promise."
In deeply intimate moments, Hasina reflected on grieving fans who told of their loved ones' being killed in political violence. "These killers are not human beings. They will get justice. Allah will not allow this," she declared. To a woman describing her father's killing, Hasina vowed, "You will get justice, as I did after losing my own people. The day will arrive."
When questioned regarding her state of health, Hasina had this to say, "I am alive, son." And to another loyalist who longed for her return to office, she declared, "Allah will grant it. That is why I am still here. I am coming back.
Her remarks coincided with new diplomatic friction. During the recent BIMSTEC summit, interim Bangladeshi leader Muhammad Yunus is said to have questioned Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the whereabouts of the extradition request for Hasina. Yunus is also said to have blamed her for issuing provocative public remarks from Indian soil and asked New Delhi to "restrain her from destabilising the situation."
India has previously shown concern at reports of discrimination and violence against minorities in Bangladesh. But Yunus has rejected most of them as fake or exaggerated, describing them as "mostly fake news."
The escalating power struggle, full of emotive appeals and charges, continues to intensify Bangladesh's political crisis—with regional implications now attracting India.
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