Possible involvement of foreign mercenaries in stirring 2024 violence in Bangladesh: Sheikh Hasina

New Delhi: Deposed Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in an exclusive interaction with IANS, did not completely rule out the possibility of a foreign hand being involved in the fall of her government in August 2024, apprehending role of mercenaries in stirring violence during the student-led agitation.

“I don’t know whether foreign powers had any involvement in Yunus’ seizure of power,” she told IANS on Wednesday; however, adding, “There are elements of the 2024 uprising that are unexplained.”

“There have been multiple suggestions that provocateurs, perhaps mercenaries from abroad, were involved in stirring up violence at the outset of the unrest,” she stated.

Sheikh Hasina, currently in India on exile, shared that in July 2024, she had established a Judicial Inquiry Committee to investigate these incidents.

The interim government led by its Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus that assumed power temporarily in Dhaka, however, stopped the probe, she said.

“As soon as Yunus took power, he halted this enquiry, no doubt because he knew that it would expose the meticulous plan he had organised to overthrow my government,” asserted the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the architect of Bangladesh’s independence.

“That decision alone raises serious questions about the motivation behind the protests, including the question of foreign involvement. Since then, there has been no serious investigation into the events of those days,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina further claimed that the ban on the Awami League has been an attempt by the Yusnus-led administration which, she insisted, knows that her party can return to power in a free, fair, and inclusive election.

“The Awami League remains the country’s largest and most deeply-rooted political party. Our history is inseparable from Bangladesh’s independence and from the remarkable development we achieved as a nation,” she said.

“The Yunus government knows that in any free, fair, and inclusive election, the Awami League would command overwhelming public support. That is the sole reason why they have banned us,” claimed Sheikh Hasina.

Pointing out that banning a political party is not reform; it is a direct assault on democracy and the fundamental rights of our people, she alleged, “Rather than face the electorate, they have chosen exclusion and repression. The forthcoming elections are nothing but a farce, a carefully-orchestrated mockery of democracy.”

Raising questions on the current law-and-order situation, the 78-year-old former premier of Bangladesh retorted, “Police are freely arresting anyone who attempts to purchase nomination forms unless they belong to or are approved by the BNP or Jamaat-aligned groups, while genuine independent candidates have been barred from entering the elections.”

According to her, “Under our government, we welcomed criticism and ensured that journalists could write without fear, in keeping with the tenets of democracy that requires a healthy competition of ideas where political opposition is welcomed, not criminalised.”

“Yet today, freedom of expression no longer exists. Anyone who dares to criticise Yunus’ government and the realities of life in Bangladesh risks imprisonment, intimidation, or death. Media offices have been set on fire simply for speaking the truth. This is not governance; it is rule by terror,” she charged.

Sheikh Hasina also told IANS that the world mistook Yunus for a liberal, but the persecution of minorities now would make them rethink.

“Yunus has long enjoyed the passive support of some western liberals, who wrongly thought he was one of them. Now that they have seen him place radical extremists from Hizb-ut Tahrir into his Cabinet, allow the persecution of minorities to go unchecked and dismantle Bangladesh’s constitution, they may be less forthcoming in offering their support,” she stated on an optimistic note.

More than a year ago, India banned the Hizb-ut-Tahrir saying the organisation aims to establish an Islamic state and a caliphate globally through terror. The group reportedly aims to establish Islamic rule across the globe, including Israel and India.

“What is clear is that Yunus has pursued a hasty and ill-advised courtship of foreign allies whose interests are at odds with Bangladesh’s prosperity. The current instability we are seeing in Bangladesh is the direct result of extremist elements who have been emboldened and allowed to dictate our foreign policy,” added Sheikh Hasina, alleging a foreign nexus.

Sheikh Hasina also mentioned Dhaka’s current diplomatic pivot and attempts at realignments.

“No unelected government has the authority to realign Bangladesh’s strategic direction or undermine decades of carefully-balanced regional relationships. Bangladesh’s sovereignty depends on democratic legitimacy. Without it, the country becomes vulnerable to external influence and internal manipulation alike,” she told IANS.

IANS