Sheikh Hasina vows to return to Bangladesh, calls Muhammad Yunus 'mobster'

Sheikh Hasina has vowed to return to Bangladesh, accusing Muhammad Yunus of encouraging lawlessness, while Dhaka prioritises her extradition amid rising tensions

Exiled former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has vowed to return to Bangladesh, accusing the country’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus of being a “mobster” who has unleashed lawlessness and terror. In response, the Dhaka administration reaffirmed that securing Hasina’s extradition remains its top priority.

 

Hasina, who fled to India after being toppled in a student-led uprising on August 5, 2024, made a bold declaration during a Zoom interaction on Monday with the widows of four policemen killed in the July 2023 protests in Bangladesh. Expressing grief over their loss, she promised justice upon her return.

 

“The killings were part of his meticulous conspiracy to throw me out of power,” Hasina said, vowing, “I will return and avenge the deaths of our policemen.”

 

She further claimed that Yunus dissolved inquiry committees and deliberately incited violence, further accusing him of turning Bangladesh into a land of terror.

 

“They are destroying Bangladesh,” she said. Hasina also alleged she narrowly escaped an assassination attempt when her government was overthrown. “By the grace of God, I was kept alive to do something good. I will return and ensure justice for all of you,” she said.

 

Hasina blames Yunus for uprising, calls for justice

 

Hasina accused Yunus of orchestrating the unrest that led to her removal, linking him directly to the violence. The four policemen were killed when her administration tried to suppress the student-led protests in July-August 2023. What started as demonstrations against a controversial quota system quickly escalated into demands for her resignation.

 

In a teary speech, Hasina highlighted the destruction, claiming that 450 police stations were set on fire during the protests. She insisted that Yunus had admitted to conspiring against her. “The killings were part of his meticulous conspiracy to throw me out of power,” she reiterated.

Calling Yunus a “mobster”, she vowed to bring him and others responsible for the bloodshed to justice.

 

“This government that usurped power has to go. People have to ensure that. Human rights violations under him [Yunus] have been unprecedented. We have to ensure the people put him out of power,” she added.

 

‘Extraditing of Hasina is top priority’

 

Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s interim government swiftly responded to Hasina’s remarks, reiterating its determination to extradite her from India and hold her accountable.

 

“This is the government's top priority. We will continue our efforts to extradite Hasina to hold her trial in person,” said Shafiqul Alam, Press Secretary to Interim Leader Muhammad Yunus, on Tuesday.

 

Alam also questioned the future of Hasina’s Awami League, suggesting that the people of Bangladesh will decide whether it remains in the political landscape. However, he insisted that those accused of crimes under Hasina’s rule must face justice.

 

He cited a UN Human Rights report, which accused Hasina’s government of committing crimes against humanity, adding, “After the report of the UN and some reports of rights groups were published, pressure has mounted [on India to return Ms Hasina to Bangladesh].”