From exile, Awami League President and five-time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has unleashed a scathing attack on the fascist Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, accusing it of systematic persecution against party leaders and activists, engineering a sham election, and destroying Bangladesh’s hard-earned international cricket prestige—particularly by robbing the nation’s youth of T20 World Cup glory.
Highlighting what she termed the “biggest reform,” she expressed deep anguish over Bangladesh’s exclusion from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
During a recent virtual discussion, she said that the country has lost its slot due to the government’s refusal to allow the team to travel to India for matches, citing security concerns—a decision the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has attributed to official directives.
“Our cricket team can’t play in the T20 World Cup anymore,” she lamented.
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“Bangladesh earned a place on the world stage through my efforts. I worked hard to qualify us for Test status—visiting Australia, arranging training at their academies, and providing all support. Why destroy our youth like this? Why rob them of international cricket?”
The ICC recently replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in the tournament after the BCB refused to play in India, following government clearance denials amid diplomatic tensions. Hasina framed this as deliberate sabotage of national pride and youth aspirations under Yunus’ “meticulous design.”
Sheikh Hasina claimed the Awami League commands the trust of at least 50% of voters, yet the murderous Yunus administration is barring the party from participating in upcoming polls while unleashing daily arrests, killings, and disappearances of its supporters.
“There is no day without the arrest of Awami League leaders, workers, or those from Chhatra League and other affiliate organisations,” she declared. “Bodies are floating in rivers. Just days ago in Lakshmipur, a Chhatra League boy’s corpse was found in the river after having been missing for 10 days.”
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Sheikh Hasina alleged that over 100,000 Awami League activists have faced murder, torture, and extrajudicial killings under the current regime. She urged party supporters to compile and publicise lists of destroyed homes, livelihoods, and businesses in their unions and wards via Facebook and YouTube, exposing what she called Yunus’ “reforms”—economic ruin, loss of public safety, brutal attacks on minorities, looting, and driving people into poverty to consolidate power.
On the electoral front, Sheikh Hasina blasted the interim regime for banning the Awami League and Chhatra League “illegally” after seizing power through “robbery.” “What right does Yunus have to ban us and deny elections?” she asked.
“If 50% of the people can’t participate, and arrests continue despite election announcements, what kind of election is this?”
She accused the government of coercing public servants, police, army, and BGB personnel to enforce “yes” votes in any plebiscite, violating laws and rendering voting meaningless. “Why go to polling stations? They’ll beat, arrest, and torture you,” she warned. “Supporters shouldn’t vote—it’s humiliation. Pre-marked ballots from abroad are already arriving. This is the reality.”
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Sheikh Hasina contrasted this with the Awami League’s legacy: securing independence, language rights, socioeconomic progress, electricity in every home, healthcare, free education, scholarships, housing upgrades from huts to concrete, job opportunities, business growth, and the development of Digital Bangladesh, which offers over 8,200 services. “We advanced even at the union level—now all destroyed,” she said.
Calling for unity to resist and liberate the nation from this “state of emergency,” Sheikh Hasina vowed, “The people’s victory will come. It may take time, but we will remedy this. Stay united. InshaAllah, the masses will triumph.”
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