Awami League President and five-time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged party leaders and activists to stand by the people, unite them, and launch a robust movement to oust the interim government, which she describes as illegal and led by “conspirator and mob king” Muhammad Yunus.
In her latest audio message, Sheikh Hasina labeled Yunus, his aides, and student coordinators as criminals, accusing them of plundering public funds, killing Awami League members, and looting their homes and businesses. She alleged that the leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Movement are now fostering discrimination across the country.
Sheikh Hasina noted that the anti-quota movement remained peaceful until July 15, but thereafter, protesters began attacking police, torching government buildings, and blocking roads.
She alleged that they targeted both police and military personnel, who have the right to self-defense. Her government, she said, took necessary actions to protect lives and property. “We did nothing wrong.”
She slammed the BNP for engaging in looting and terrorism and the Jamaat-e-Islami for murders and cutting tendons.
Sheikh Hasina firmly stated that she never agreed to “sell out the country to foreigners.”
She said that she never agreed to sell out Saint Martin’s Island or allow a military base in the Bay of Bengal. “I could have come to power in 2001 if I had agreed to sell gas. I gave shelter to 10 lakh Rohingyas on humanitarian grounds.
“I did not want conflict with the Myanmar government and did not allow insurgency and militancy using our land. Is this my crime?”
She further alleged that Yunus, his advisers, and coordinators would eventually flee the country, but those responsible for looting and killing would face justice. She criticised Yunus for failing to hold accountable those who killed police and Awami League members, instead granting them indemnity.
Sheikh Hasina highlighted that the Constitution includes provisions against usurpers of power. She argued that the interim government, having seized power illegally through acts of terrorism, would face consequences under the Constitution. They are attempting to revoke the Constitution to escape punishment.
She said that all orders and directives issued by Yunus are illegal, vowing to bring those responsible to justice.
She reported that Awami League leaders and activists are being arrested, sued, and having their homes looted. The police are failing to act against killers and looters, instead targeting Awami League members.
Sheikh Hasina said at least 137,000 Awami League leaders, activists, journalists, intellectuals, professionals, and freedom fighters are currently imprisoned. Approximately 80,000 cases have been filed, a “world record” by Yunus.
On the other hand, Yunus has released listed terrorists and militants from jail.
Sheikh Hasina also criticised Yunus for revising the International Crimes Tribunal Act, originally enacted to try collaborators of the Pakistani Army for crimes against humanityโincluding genocide, murder, rape, arson, and lootingโduring the 1971 Liberation War.
She condemned the appointment of Mohammad Tajul Islam, who stood for Jamaat war criminals, as the ICT chief prosecutor, asserting that he would face trial in the future.
Sheikh Hasina also noted the release of convicted war criminal ATM Azharul Islam, despite evidence of his crimes as an al-Badr commander in Rangpur.
She said Yunus and The Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam attempted to form a political party with Western support in 2007 and prepared a list of 70 people, a plan that failed due to a lack of public support. So, they conspired to disrupt elections in 2014, 2018, and 2024 but were unsuccessful.
“Then they conspired to unseat the Awami League government and kill me and my sister, Sheikh Rehana.”
She noted that freedom of expression is currently suppressed, with the media unable to operate freely due to the governmentโs repressive tactics.
Sheikh Hasina alleged that government agents are omnipresent and a team of 40 people at the Yunus Centre is producing propaganda for newspapers and social media.
Over the past 10 months, she said, more than 1,000 journalists have lost their jobs, at least 38 have been jailed, and many have been attacked for their reporting. She also noted that journalistsโ accreditation cards have been revoked, an unprecedented action in the countryโs history.
Sheikh Hasina called on Awami League leaders and activists to unite the people, save the country, and organise protests against the interim government. She emphasised that the Awami League, as a major political party dedicated to serving the people, cannot be eradicated. New leadership, she said, would emerge from within.
โWhoever is working on the ground is a leader. There is no time to sit idle. Every day is a day for action,โ she concluded.
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