International
Ousted Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina to Return Home, Says Son
Eko Hot Blog reports that Sheikh Hasina, the ousted Prime Minister of Bangladesh, will return to the country when elections are declared, according to her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy.
Hasina, who resigned and fled to India earlier this week amid massive unrest, will come back to Bangladesh as soon as the interim government decides to hold polls, Joy told the BBC.
The military-backed interim government, led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, was sworn in on Thursday, with 16 advisers, including two student protest leaders.
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Joy, an IT expert living in the US, worked as an adviser to his mother during her tenure as Prime Minister from 2009 to 2024.
“Absolutely, she will come [to Bangladesh],” Joy said. “Whether she comes back into politics or not, that decision has not been made. She is quite fed up with how she was treated.”
The student-led movement that ousted Hasina began as a protest against quotas in civil service jobs and escalated into massive unrest following a brutal police crackdown. Joy is confident that the Awami League, Hasina’s party, will win if elections are held.
“I am convinced that if you have elections in Bangladesh today, and if they are free and fair and if there’s a level playing field, then the Awami League will win,” he said.
Hasina became Prime Minister for a fourth consecutive term in a controversial election held in January 2024, which was boycotted by main opposition parties.
Her son termed the current interim government as unconstitutional and demanded elections within 90 days.
Joy was circumspect about his political ambitions but expressed anger over the ransacking of their ancestral homes, including a museum dedicated to his grandfather, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding leader of Bangladesh.
“No decision has been made in this regard. I never had political ambitions,” he said. “But under these circumstances, I am quite angry, I will do whatever it takes.”
Joy is in touch with party supporters who are upset and outraged over recent events. “If 40,000 protesters or so can force the government to resign, then what happens if protests are held by the Awami League, which has millions of supporters?” he asserted.
Hasina and her sister have been stranded in Delhi since Monday, with India being a strong supporter of the Bangladeshi leader. Joy denied reports that she was seeking asylum in the UK, UAE, or Saudi Arabia.
“Those questions about her visa and asylum, they are all rumors,” he said. “She’s not applied anywhere. She’s staying put for the time being, watching how the situation unfolds in Bangladesh. Her ultimate goal is always to go back home in Bangladesh.”
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