Charismatic politician Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the architect of independent Bangladesh, returned home in 1972 with a dream of a “Sonar Bangla”โa prosperous, equitable nation. His assassination by the US-Pakistani bloc on August 15, 1975, shattered that vision, orphaning the young republic. Yet, his elder daughter, Sheikh Hasina, emerged as his worthy successor. Though an active student leader during her college days at Dhaka University, she formally joined the Awami League only after the sudden assassination of her father, the founder of Bangladesh.
Returning from exile in 1981, she transformed personal tragedy into national resolve, leading Bangladesh through five terms as Prime Minister (1996โ2001, 2009โ2024). As Awami League President, secularist, and democratic champion, Hasina’s 43-year journey exemplifies visionary foresight and unyielding courage, turning a war-torn land into a rising economic powerhouse.
Exile and Return: A Defiant Homecoming (1975โ1981)
The 1975 coup claimed Bangabandhu, his wife, three sons, and other relatives. Hasina and her sister Rehana, abroad in West Germany, survived by chance but faced six years of enforced exile in London and Delhi under hostile conditions. Denied even a final glimpse of their family, they endured isolation and threats from the military regime.
In February 1981, at the Awami League’s 13th National Council in Dhaka’s Eden Hotel, leaders unanimously elected the absent Hasina as party presidentโa farsighted decision amid dictatorship. Defying risks, she returned on May 17, 1981. Despite stormy weather, lakhs gathered at Kurmitola Airport. Overwhelmed, Hasina declared: “Having lost everything, you are now my family… I have come not as a leader, but as your sister, daughter, and a worker for Bangabandhu’s ideals.”
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This homecoming marked a milestone in Bangladesh’s democratic history, reigniting the spirit of the Liberation War and paving the way for secular, progressive governance.
Restoring Democracy: The Struggle Against Autocracy (1981โ1996)
Sheikh Hasina’s return ignited the democracy restoration movement. Facing arrests, house arrests, and assassination attempts (over 19 documented), she mobilised masses against Ershad’s regime. The 1990 mass uprising toppled the autocracy, culminating in the June 12, 1996, elections, where the Awami League secured a landslide victory.
Her first term (1996โ2001) delivered historic breakthroughs:
-Repeal of Indemnity Ordinance: Enabled trials for Bangabandhu’s killers.
-Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord: Ended decades of ethnic conflict, integrating indigenous communities.
–Ganges Water-Sharing Treaty with India: Secured equitable water rights after 25 years of disputes.
These acts embodied secularism and justice, healing national wounds.
Digital Revolution and Global Recognition (2009โ2014)
After the 2008 elections, Hasina’s coalition returned with a mandate for change. Executing Bangabandhu’s killers’ verdicts in 2009โ2010 symbolised accountability. “Digital Bangladesh” became a reality: ICT infrastructure expanded, e-governance reduced corruption, and broadband reached rural areas.
War crimes trials of 1971 collaborators began, upholding liberation ideals. Maritime victories against Myanmar and India affirmed sea boundaries, adding vast resources. The 2014 elections reinforced her mandate, focusing on women’s empowermentโfemale enrollment in education soared, and microfinance empowered millions.
Unprecedented Continuity: Mega Projects and Economic Surge (2014โ2024)
Sheikh Hasina’s third (2014), fourth (2018), and fifth (2024) terms created historyโcontinuous governance is rare in democracies. Self-financed icons like Padma Bridge (2022) defied World Bank withdrawal, symbolising resilience. Metro Rail in Dhaka eased urban chaos; Karnaphuli Tunnel boosted Chittagong’s trade.
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Infrastructure boomed: Hazrat Shahjalal Airport’s third terminal, Payra Deep Sea Port, and Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant. Per capita income tripled from $543 (2009) to over $2,800 (2024); poverty plummeted from 41% to under 20%. GDP growth averaged 6โ8% annually, even amid Covid-19.
Sheikh Hasina navigated global crises: Vaccine diplomacy secured millions of doses; incentives sustained garment exports. Her “Smart Bangladesh” vision by 2041 integrates AI, renewables, and inclusive growth.
Secularism, Women’s Empowerment, and International Stature
A staunch secularist, Sheikh Hasina countered extremism, promoting harmony in a Muslim-majority nation. Policies elevated women: 50% reserved local government seats, anti-dowry laws, and STEM scholarships. Bangladesh leads South Asia in gender parity indices.
Globally, she earned accolades: UN Champion of the Earth (2015) for climate action; UNESCO Peace Tree (2019); and UN recognition for her Community Clinic initiative. Hosting 1.1 million Rohingya refugees showcased her humanitarian leadership.
Challenges and Courage: Overcoming Adversity
Sheikh Hasina faced BNP-Jamaat boycotts, arson attacks (2013โ2015), and COVID-19. Her response: Stimulus packages worth 4% of GDP revived the economy. Assassination plots were foiled through vigilance.
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Critics allege authoritarianism, but electoral mandates (76% voter turnout in 2024) and transparent EVMs affirm legitimacy. Independent observers note reduced corruption via digital procurement.
The Betrayal: An Onslaught on Democracy (2024โ2025)
Yet, Sheikh Hasina’s legacy faced a sinister assault in 2024. What began as student protests over job quotas in July devolved into a month-long orgy of anarchy, orchestrated by a US deep state agentโNobel laureate Muhammad Yunusโalongside Jamaat-e-Islami, BNP, and complicit army elements. This jihadist-backed coup, far from spontaneous, was a meticulously designed regime change, as Yunus himself later boasted, exploiting youthful idealism to dismantle Bangladesh’s secular foundations.
On August 5, amid the chaos, assassins targeted Hasina and her sister Rehana at Ganabhaban, her official residence. She escaped death by a mere 20-25 minutes, fleeing to India as mobs stormed the premises, intent on slaughter. She later revealed: “Rehana and I survivedโjust 20-25 minutes apart, we escaped death,” attributing her fortune to divine will amid repeated plots.
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The illegal Yunus regime, lacking constitutional legitimacy and propped up by mob rule, has since unleashed a vendetta. It now stages a farce trial at the illegitimate International Crimes Tribunal-Bangladesh (ICT-BD), indicting Hasina in absentia on fabricated “crimes against humanity” charges related to the quota unrest, seeking her execution while shielding its own atrocities.
Sheikh Hasina decries it as a “witch hunt” and “weaponisation of the judiciary,” with over 500 witnesses marshalled in a sham process. Extradition demands to India go unanswered, underscoring the tribunal’s farce.
This cabal’s propaganda machineโfueled by Yunus’s backersโhas maligned Hasina’s illustrious career and that of Awami League stalwarts, painting them as tyrants to justify genocide. Since July 2024, a planned annihilation has claimed nearly 400 Awami League leaders, workers, and supporters: hacked to death, burned alive, or lynched in mob frenzies. On August 6 alone, 29 bodies surfaced, including families torched in their homes. Chhatra League, branded “terrorists,” faces mass arrests; party offices lie in ruins.
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Judicial violations abound: The ICT, once Hasina’s tool against war criminals, now perverts justice, jailing army officers for “disappearances” while exonerating jihadists. Press suppression is rampantโ294 attacks on journalists since August 2024, with 29 media outlets seized by BNP-Jamaat loyalists. Yunus’s regime patronises these very forces: Lifting Jamaat’s ban, freeing Razakar war criminals, and allying with BNP-army cliques once cornered by Hasina’s iron-fisted anti-terrorism policy. Under her watch, Bangladesh had neutralised jihadist threats; now, they thrive, plotting an Islamist theocracy akin to Afghanistan.
This coup isn’t reformโit’s revenge, unravelling Hasina’s secular edifice. Minorities flee pogroms; the economy teeters; democracy dies. Yunus’ “revolution” masks a deep state ploy to install puppets, but history will judge: Sheikh Hasina built Sonar Bangla; her tormentors sow seeds of ruin.
A Legacy of Transformation
From 1981’s tearful return to 2024’s global acclaim, Sheikh Hasina has embodied visionary courage. Thrust into politics by tragedy, she honoured her father’s legacy not by choice but by dutyโyet excelled beyond expectation.
Completing Bangabandhu’s unfinished work, she propelled Bangladesh from Least Developed Country status toward middle-income glory. Digital Bangladesh is achieved; Smart Bangladesh beckons. Insha’Allah, by 2041, her dreamโa prosperous, secular, democratic nationโwill stand tall on the world stage. Hasina is not just a leader; she is Bangladesh’s enduring beacon of progress. Even in exile, her spirit endures, a clarion call against the jihadist shadows engulfing her homeland.
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