Every time this country reached the brink of destruction due to the limitless conspiracy of the BNP-Jamaat alliance, the beloved country has returned from the ruins like a phoenix bird with the help of the people’s leader, Sheikh Hasina.
But their conspiracy never stopped. After the country’s hero, Sheikh Hasina, was thrown into jail in a false case on July 16, 2007, 13 more cases were filed against her in a very short period of time.
No one could meet her in the solitary prison at that time. She became very lonely and isolated due to her ill health. Yet she was not upset.
On the contrary, she wrote a diary regularly during her 331-day prison life and created a vision for building a future Bangladesh. Whenever anyone went to meet her, she instructed her to work for the countrymen and expressed her determination to return through another election victory.
On the first day after hearing the news of Sheikh Hasina’s arrest, four people in four districts of the country died of cardiac arrest. Movements, struggles, and protests continued every day across the country. A week later, on June 23, 2007, a demonstration was held in front of the US State Department under the leadership of Sajeeb Wazed Joy demanding the release of Sheikh Hasina.
The looting and power-hungry BNP-Jamaat are mainly responsible for creating this unrest across the country. After five years of their misrule, power was supposed to be transferred to an acceptable caretaker government in accordance with the Constitution on October 28, 2006.
But, to illegally retain state power, Khaleda Zia tried to appoint a relative of Bangabandhu’s two murderers and a former BNP leader as the chief adviser to the caretaker government. The Awami League strongly objected to this.
Bangabandhu’s daughter and then main opposition leader, Sheikh Hasina, demanded that a non-partisan and acceptable person be appointed to this position as per the constitution.
On the night of October 29, BNP-backed President Iazuddin Ahmed himself took oath as the chief advisor to the caretaker government, violating the constitution. As a result, a constitutional crisis was created.
In this turbulent situation, the Election Commission set the election date for January 22 at the behest of the BNP-Jamaat. Then, on December 10, in order to suppress Awami League leaders and activists, the military was deployed in the country on the orders of President Iazuddin Ahmed.
When the BNP-Jamaat alliance did not move away from the election schedule, Sheikh Hasina announced a boycott of the election on January 3, 2007. Then, on January 5, a report in the influential London-based newspaper, The Economist, called the upcoming one-sided election meaningless.
Meanwhile, taking advantage of the turbulent political situation across the country, some members of the military took the initiative to seize state power. On January 11, 2007, the chiefs of the three services and some other military members, led by Army Chief Moin U Ahmed, went to Bangabhaban.
On their advice, President Iazuddin Ahmed was relieved of his post of the head of the caretaker government and a state of emergency was declared in the country.
That night, they nominated Fakhruddin Ahmed as the Chief Adviser. Then, with Iazuddin and Fakhruddin in front, Moin U Ahmed and the military members started running the government. Then, by mass arresting politicians, they drew a long-term plan to seize power in the country.
Ominous bells rang across the country. A conspiracy was hatched to kill the physically ill leader Sheikh Hasina by filing false cases and imprisoning her in solitary confinement.
In August 2007, a terrible flood began in the country. At that time, Sheikh Hasina was spending her days in jail without medical treatment. When lawyers went to meet the leader about the case, she instructed Awami League leaders and activists to stand by the flood-affected people through them.
She even asked the government, under whose wrath she was being imprisoned, to cooperate with the government that would alleviate the suffering of the people. She said: โThis time’s flood has become more terrible than that of 1998. It is not possible for the government to deal with this situation alone. Everyone has to work together. Otherwise, it will be difficult to deal with the flood.โ
She instructed party leaders and activists to carry out relief activities on a large scale even from prison. This is why Sheikh Hasina is unique; she can despise her own life and politics for the needs of the people.
Meanwhile, the leader fell ill due to the disruption of treatment for her ears and eyes damaged by the grenade attack. But she was prevented from receiving advanced treatment.
In such a situation, the former prime minister expressed her anger in court on the last day of March 2008. She told the lawyers: โThey tried to kill me with a grenade attack on August 21. But they failed. Now they are trying to kill me without treatment.โ
She also said: โI was pregnant in 1971. The Pakistanis did not allow me to meet my parents or relatives. Now they are not allowing me to meet my relatives or medical services. I blame Allah and the people for the injustice done to me.โ
Being in the sub-jail, due to lack of proper treatment, her illness worsened over time. Finally, she had to stay in the hospital for about three weeks. In the second week of May 2008, while talking to lawyers in court, she expressed her anger about the rising price of goods in the country.
She also expressed hope that if the elections were held fairly, the Awami League would win by a huge margin.
Meanwhile, the caretaker government initially started harassing politicians, which took some time for the leaders and activists to handle the situation. During this time, sporadic demands for Sheikh Hasina’s release were regularly made in different parts of the country.
On May 27 and 28, the Awami League’s executive meeting decided that Sheikh Hasina should be unconditionally released and given the opportunity to receive medical treatment abroad. After this announcement by the Awami League, mass arrests began across the country. About 20,000 workers were arrested.
But still, they could not be suppressed. Finally, all the conspiracies of the army-backed government were thwarted in front of the personality of the people’s leader. They were forced to release Sheikh Hasina. On June 11, 2008, the daughter of Bengal, Sheikh Hasina, was released with honour. She was even taken to her residence, Sudha Sadan, by car.
After being released from jail, she took the initiative to change the fate of the people of Bangladesh. She announced an election manifesto called โDin Badler Sanadโ or โCharter for Changeโ. This was a public declaration of a perfect plan to build Bangladesh as a welfare-oriented state. Sheikh Hasina created the vision of this manifesto while sitting in solitary confinement, thinking about the beautiful future of the country’s people.
Thanks to the indomitable leadership of the people’s leader, Sheikh Hasina, the Awami League won the December 2008 election and formed the government. She established the International Crimes Tribunal to try the collaborators of the Pakistani Army, took initiatives to revise the Constitution and prevent the illegal capture of power and execute the sentences of Bangabandhuโs killers, improved the countryโs electricity generation and peopleโs access to digital tools, and stemmed terrorism and militancy.
Due to her visionary steps, Bangladesh has seen massive infrastructure development and has become a middle-income country.
But the conspirators and anti-Bangladesh forces always created obstacles through conspiracy. They tried to foil the elections in 2014, 2018 and 2024. Failing to do so, they created anarchy in the name of an anti-quota movement and captured power through terrorism across the country.
Nearly 10 months after the changeover, the people of Bangladesh have realised the conspiracy and the propaganda against the Awami League.
The five-time Prime Minister recently 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 โconspirator and mob kingโ 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. โWe did nothing wrong.โ
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 โsell out the country to foreigners.โ
She said that she never agreed to sell out Saint Martinโs Island or allow a military base in the Bay of Bengal. โI could have come to power in 2001 if I had agreed to sell gas. I gave shelter to 10 lakh Rohingyas on humanitarian grounds.
โI did not want conflict with the Myanmar government and did not allow insurgency and militancy using our land. Is this my crime?โ
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 โworld recordโ 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.
โThen they conspired to unseat the Awami League government and kill me and my sister, Sheikh Rehana, in 2024.โ
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