'Whatever fate awaits me': Hasina gets emotional in virtual address
What's the story
Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has announced her plans to return to Bangladesh, regardless of the consequences. In a virtual address on Wednesday, she said her return is not about power but about restoring development, secularism, and prosperity in her country. "They may put me in jail or kill me," but "I will go back home to be with my people." She said that while she was forced away from her country, she never separated from the people.
Personal loss
I never felt separated from my people, says Hasina
She explained that she chose to return to Bangladesh since the people have "suffered a lot," and she couldn't take it any longer.
"December is our victory month. So, I want to go back in the month of December. I know I may face anything," she said.
Hasina also spoke about her family, breaking down while recalling their assassination in a military coup in 1975.
Family
'This is not the Bangladesh we built'
"Before I speak about the present crisis, I pay my deepest homage to the father of the nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, to the salient national leaders, and to the three million martyrs of our war of liberation," she said.
She said for the last two years, she watched her beloved Bangladesh suffer. "This is not the Bangladesh we built, this is not the Bangladesh for which 3 million people sacrificed their lives in 1971."
Cultural erasure
Hasina accuses Muhammad Yunus of masterminding anti-government movement
Hasina accused Muhammad Yunus of masterminding the anti-government movement.
She quoted him as saying, "Muhammad Yunus himself said this was a meticulously designed movement, led by a mastermind."
"His own words expose the truth," she said, adding, "There was no visible or responsible leadership, instructions were given invisibly; it was organized, directed and used to create a path to power outside ballot box..."
Political persecution
Hasina seeks international support for Bangladesh's struggle for democracy
Hasina asked the international community to back her nation's "struggle" for democracy in Bangladesh.
She said the violence intensified after August 5, turning into a "campaign of political persecution."
She said that Awami League leaders and workers are being slain, kidnapped, and arrested from their residences, adding that no one who stood for the spirit of the Liberation War is safe.
Address
Hasina has been living in India since fleeing Dhaka
Hasina's virtual address was organized by the Foreign Correspondents's Club (FCC) of South Asia.
The Indian government has distanced itself from the virtual media interaction, clarifying that it does not endorse any statements made during the session.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "The government has no involvement whatsoever in it. Neither does it endorse any views that may be expressed at the forum."
Hasina has been living in India since fleeing Dhaka in August 2024.