Possible Involvement Of Foreign Mercenaries In Stirring 2024 Violence In Bangladesh: Sheikh Hasina | World News

NEW DELHI: Deposed Bangladesh 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, understanding the role of mercenaries in fueling violence during the student-led agitation.

“I don’t know if foreign powers had a hand in Younis’ seizure of power,” he told IANS on Wednesday. but he adds: “There are unexplained elements of the 2024 uprising.”

“There are many suggestions that provocateurs, perhaps mercenaries from abroad, fueled the violence at the beginning of the unrest,” he said.

Sheikh Hasina, who is currently in exile in India, shared that she established a Judicial Investigation Committee to investigate these events in July 2024.

However, he said that the interim government, led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, who temporarily came to power in Dhaka, stopped the investigation.

“Younis stopped this investigation as soon as he came to power, no doubt because he knew it would reveal his meticulous plan to overthrow my government,” said the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the architect of Bangladesh’s independence.

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

Sheikh Hasina also alleged that the ban on Awami League was an attempt by the Yusnus-led administration, which insisted that it knew that its party could return to power through a free, fair and inclusive election.

“Awami League remains the largest and most established political party in the country. Our history is inseparable from the independence of Bangladesh and the remarkable progress we have achieved as a nation,” he said.

“The Younis government knows that in any free, fair and inclusive election, the Awami League will have overwhelming popular support. That is the only reason why they banned us,” Sheikh Hasina said.

Pointing out that closing down political parties is not reform; Claiming that this is a direct attack on democracy and the fundamental rights of our people, he said, “Instead of confronting the voters, they chose to exclude and repress. The upcoming elections are nothing but a farce, a carefully prepared mockery of democracy.”

Raising questions about the current law and order situation, Bangladesh’s 78-year-old former prime minister hit back: “Genuine independent candidates have been barred from contesting elections, while the police freely arrest anyone trying to buy nomination forms unless they belong to or are endorsed by BNP or Jamaat-affiliated groups.”

According to him, “Under our government, we have welcomed criticism and ensured that journalists can write without fear, in accordance with the principles of democracy, which requires a healthy competition of ideas in which political dissent is welcomed, not criminalized.”

“But today freedom of expression no longer exists. Anyone who dares to criticize the Yunus government and the realities of life in Bangladesh risks imprisonment, intimidation or death. Media offices have been set on fire just for telling the truth. This is not governance, it is governance by terror,” he accused.

Sheikh Hasina also told IANS that the world thought Yunus was a liberal but the oppression of minorities would make them rethink.

On an optimistic note, he said: “Yunus has long enjoyed the passive support of some western liberals who mistakenly mistaken him for one of them. Now that they see him installing radical extremists from Hizb ut Tahrir in his cabinet, allowing the persecution of minorities to go unchecked, and dismantling Bangladesh’s constitution, they may be less outspoken in offering support.”

India banned Hizb ut Tahrir more than a year ago, saying the organization aimed to establish a global Islamic state and caliphate through terrorism. The group reportedly aims to establish Islamic rule around the world, including in Israel and India.

Claiming a foreign nexus, Sheikh Hasina said, “What is clear is that Yunus has hastily and imprudently started flirting with foreign allies whose interests conflict with the prosperity of Bangladesh. The current instability we see in Bangladesh is the direct result of extremist elements that have been encouraged and allowed to determine our foreign policy.”

Sheikh Hasina also spoke about Dhaka’s current diplomatic axis and realignment initiatives.

“No unelected government has the authority to realign Bangladesh’s strategic direction or undermine regional relations that have been carefully balanced for decades. Bangladesh’s sovereignty depends on democratic legitimacy. Without this, the country becomes vulnerable to both external influences and internal manipulation,” he told IANS.