In a fiery virtual discussion with Awami League leaders and activists, party president and five-time prime minister Sheikh Hasina has urged party members to unite and build resistance against what she described as an “illegal power grab” following the events of 2024.
Speaking from exile in India, Sheikh Hasina recounted personal survival stories, accused the current administration of widespread atrocities and corruption, and issued a strong call for grassroots mobilisation to protect the country.
She began by reflecting on her narrow escapes from danger, stating that divine intervention had saved her from grenade attacks, bombings, and gunfire in the past. “If they had just half an hour more, they would have killed us,” she said, referring to a recent incident where she and others barely escaped from Ganabhaban. “Even now, it amazes me how we survived this time.”
She sharply criticised comparisons between the 1971 Liberation War and the “armed terrorist actions” orchestrated by “conspirators” in 2024.
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Sheikh Hasina alleged that perpetrators of killings, arson, and destruction have been granted indemnity, effectively absolving them of crimes, while Awami League leaders and workers face ongoing lawsuits, attacks, and torture.
Accusing the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus of failing to deliver on promises of development and poverty eradication, Sheikh Hasina claimed the regime has instead fostered “terrorism, corruption, and extortion.”
She highlighted rapid wealth accumulation by some officials, questioning how individuals could amass billions in assets within a short period. “Yunus himself is now fit for the museum, as people’s lives have become unbearable under this misrule,” she remarked.
Sheikh Hasina detailed alleged atrocities, including the killings of police officers, minorities, RAB personnel, and countless Awami League members. She spoke of bodies floating in rivers, torture in prisons, and the imprisonment of 20,000-25,000 students and freedom fighters. In contrast, she claimed war criminals, killers, terrorists, and militants have been released from jails, which are now filled with Awami League supporters.
Reaffirming the Awami League’s pivotal role in Bangladesh’s independence, Sheikh Hasina cited international documents and 1971 newspapers crediting Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the party for declaring and achieving freedom. “No one else could have liberated this country,” she asserted.
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Criticising the economic downturn under the current regime, Sheikh Hasina pointed to shortages of fertiliser for farmers, factory closures leading to worker unemployment, loss of garment orders, visa restrictions, and a decline in UN peacekeeping rankings. “What development have they achieved? Only the development of jihadism, terrorism, corruption, and the annihilation of the Awami League,” she said.
In her concluding appeal, the party chief called on activists to unite at every level, identify local perpetrators, and build strong resistance. “If you stand united with courage, they won’t be able to do anything. They will find no escape,” she declared. “I am alive today, perhaps for you and for the people of Bengal. Inshallah, justice will be served one day.”
She emphasised mobilising farmers, workers, and the general public, urging activists to secure their areas first. “We will not bow to the defeated forces. With whatever we have, we will stand together and resist,” she said.
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