Bangladesh’s ousted dictator vows to return home

By: Nava Thakuria

In a much-anticipated press conference by ousted Bangladesh premier Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi that drove relations between the two countries to a new low, Hasina reiterated that she intends to return to Bangladesh in December but did not disclose a specific date or travel plan, avoiding spelling out a roadmap. Her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, joined the briefing from the United States and acknowledged India’s continued support for his mother since she left Dhaka two years earlier, following the student-led uprising that ended the Awami League government.

Dhaka expressed dismay over Hasina’s appearance, charging that New Delhi had allowed a convicted individual to address journalists. Bangladesh’s foreign ministry objected to what it described as an opportunity for Hasina and her allies to attack the state and people of Bangladesh. The ministry said the event was an affront to Bangladesh’s sovereignty and an insult to those killed during the July Revolution, while adding that Bangladesh still sought a constructive and forward-looking relationship with India based on sovereign equality, mutual respect, non-interference and national dignity.

Reactions from Bangladesh over the Hasina event were sharp and strong, with the country’s home minister, Salahuddin Ahmed, criticizing New Delhi for allowing Hasina to repeatedly address the media, including some global news agencies, from Indian soil. Reiterating Dhaka’s wish for friendly ties with New Delhi, the minister argued that Hasina’s presence in India has emerged as a source of discomfort in bilateral ties between the two countries. Earlier, a statement from the Bangladeshi foreign ministry said that Dhaka was outraged over an absconder’s open press briefing in New Delhi. It asserted that “convicted mass murderer Hasina and her mafia enterprise will never have a place in the polity of Bangladesh.”

It also raised questions about the timing, as on that particular date the people of Bangladesh observed the second anniversary of the Monsoon Revolution that deposed Hasina’s autocratic government. Dhaka said New Delhi had been informed in advance about the potential negative consequences of the Hasina event on bilateral relations, but its concerns were not taken into consideration, which it interpreted as an insult to the July-August martyrs. Insisting on a constructive, mutually beneficial and forward-looking relationship with India based on non-interference in each other’s internal affairs and respect for national dignity, the statement described the Delhi program as detrimental to bilateral ties. It also called for Hasina’s extradition to Bangladesh under the 2013 extradition treaty without delay. When Dhaka repeated its demand for Hasina’s repatriation, New Delhi responded that the matter remained under legal scrutiny.

New Delhi responded that the event had been organized by an independent press club made up of journalists from Indian and international media organizations, and that the Indian government neither organized the briefing nor endorsed the views expressed. A foreign ministry spokesperson said India had no role in the program and added that, even if Hasina had been granted shelter, she was not permitted to conduct political activity from Indian soil against another sovereign state. New Delhi is not expected to press Hasina to leave India unless it receives assurances from Dhaka that she would be treated in accordance with due legal process after her return.

New Delhi clarified that Hasina’s event was organized by an independent press club comprising journalist-members from national and international media organizations and that the Indian authorities do not endorse any views expressed during the press briefing. The Indian authorities had no role in the program, a foreign ministry spokesperson said, adding that even though Hasina has been granted asylum, she is not allowed to pursue political activities targeting another sovereign nation from Indian soil. It is understood that New Delhi would not insist that Hasina leave India unless it receives assurances from Dhaka that she would be treated in accordance with legal provisions upon her arrival in Bangladesh. However, New Delhi reiterated that it does not endorse the comments made by either Hasina or Joy, both of whom were highly critical of the current BNP government in Dhaka.

Hasina, 78, has lived in New Delhi in self-imposed exile since August 2024. In what was billed as her first public media interaction in two years, she repeated comments already reported, saying that “whatever fate awaits” her, she would return home. Recalling the struggles of her father, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, during the 1971 liberation war and the sacrifices of the Muktijoddhas, or freedom fighters, Hasina said fear for her life would not determine whether she returned. She said December was an appropriate month because Bangladesh marks Victory Day on 16 December, commemorating the 1971 surrender of Pakistani forces.

Referring to the July-August 2024 unrest, Hasina alleged that organized groups had infiltrated the job-quota reform movement and transformed it into a campaign demanding her resignation. She said what began as a peaceful protest turned violent, with demonstrators attacking public infrastructure and law-enforcement personnel. Hasina argued that the escalation forced her to leave Bangladesh but did not sever her connection with the people. She also claimed that the February national election was stage-managed because the Awami League was barred from participating, leaving citizens, in her words, under fear, repression and economic hardship.

The government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus took charge in August 2024, after Hasina fled shortly before a mob entered the prime minister’s residence. Eighteen months later, the caretaker administration sponsored a general election in which Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party emerged victorious and BNP chief Tarique Rahman became prime minister. Since then, Hasina has faced numerous penalties in absentia, including a death sentence from Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal over alleged crimes against humanity during the July-August uprising. The Awami League has also been restricted from political activity and from contesting elections.

The interim administration demanded Hasina’s repatriation from India to face trial in Dhaka, and the BNP government has repeatedly asked New Delhi to extradite her under the bilateral treaty between the two countries. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first foreign leaders to congratulate Tarique Rahman before he took office, but New Delhi has remained non-committal on Hasina’s extradition. That cautious posture appeared to be reflected in Rahman’s recent first overseas visit, which included Malaysia and China but not India. He has been invited to New Delhi for the BRICS summit on 12-13 September, though Dhaka has reportedly not confirmed his attendance.

Dhaka is yet to confirm Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to India, with Bangladesh Deputy Foreign Minister Shama Obaed stating that the proposed trip to New Delhi was “yet to be finalized.” It is speculated that the Bangladeshi government has insisted on Hasina’s extradition before the prime minister accepts the multiple invitations from New Delhi to visit the country. Tarique Rahman received the first invitation months ago for a bilateral trip to India and was later invited to attend the BRICS Summit outreach session in New Delhi on September 12-13 in his capacity as the current BIMSTEC chair. It is believed that the prime minister conveyed his position to the Indian government during a meeting with Indian envoy Trivedi in Dhaka on August 10. Trivedi later returned to New Delhi to brief the Indian prime minister on their discussions.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh is set to hold a presidential election on August 20, with BNP stalwart Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir poised to become the country’s next head of state. As the BNP holds a majority in the Jatiya Sansad, the party nominee, who currently serves as a minister in Tarique Rahman’s cabinet, is widely expected to win the election and move into Bangabhaban in the coming days. A trusted ally of former premier Khaleda Zia during periods of severe crisis, including her illnesses, he effectively led the BNP while Tarique Rahman remained in exile for years. A grassroots BNP worker, Mirza Fakhrul endured repeated humiliations at the hands of the ruling Awami League leadership. The August 20 election became necessary after President Mohammed Shahabuddin, regarded as a Hasina loyalist, resigned prematurely on July 24.

In Dhaka the same day, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman inaugurated the July Uprising Memorial Museum, converted from the vandalized Ganabhaban complex at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, in the presence of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Yunus. Yunus said the museum would honor the courage and sacrifice of those killed in the 2024 revolution, now widely described by its supporters as a struggle for democracy in Bangladesh. He urged citizens to visit the museum and reflect on the vision of a new nation that rejects authoritarianism.

Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen also backed Hasina’s stated intention to return, saying after the audio address that the former prime minister should be guaranteed an impartial and internationally credible judicial process. Nasreen said she understood the pain of exile, having lived outside Bangladesh for more than three decades, and wished Hasina success in the next phase of her political life. She criticized the government’s restrictions on media coverage of Hasina’s New Delhi event as undemocratic and called for the ban on the Awami League to be lifted. At the same time, she reminded Hasina that, during her 15 years in power, she had not allowed Nasreen to return home because of opposition from radical Islamist groups—a position Nasreen said had later turned against Hasina herself.