Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed has denied reports claiming that his mother had accused the US of plotting regime change in Bangladesh and said she would have talked about it in her speech if she had the chance. In a post on X, Wazed called such reports “completely false and fabricated”.
He wrote on Twitter, ‘The resignation statement published in my mother’s name in a newspaper recently is completely false and fabricated. I have just confirmed with her that she has not made any statement before or after leaving Dhaka.’
Earlier it was reported that Sheikh Hasina wanted to address the nation before resigning as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and fled the country on August 5 amid violent protests by students and in her undelivered speech, Hasina accused the US of plotting regime change in Bangladesh.
According to an earlier version of the report, Sheikh Hasina revealed that she could have remained in power if she had ‘given away St. Martin and the Bay of Bengal to the US.’ The letter read, ‘If I had given away St. Martin and the Bay of Bengal to the US, I could have remained in power.’ However, her son Wazed has now denied that his mother said so.
It is known that St. Martin’s Island is located in the northeastern part of the Bay of Bengal, which is the southernmost part of Bangladesh. In her undelivered speech, the 76-year-old leader said that she resigned so that she would not have to see a ‘procession of dead bodies’. Sheikh Hasina said in the anonymous letter that if she had stayed in the country, more people would have lost their lives.
The letter reads, ‘Perhaps if I were in the country today, more lives would have been lost, more property would have been destroyed. I removed myself, I came with your victory, you were my strength, you did not want me, then I left myself, resigned.’
Hasina gives clarification on Razakar remark
In the letter, the former Bangladesh Prime Minister also clarified her ‘Razakar’ remark and said that she never called the protesting students Razakars.
She said in the letter, ‘I want to reiterate to my young students that I never called you Razakars. My words have been twisted. I request you to watch the entire video of that day. A group has taken advantage of your threat. I am sure you will be able to realise this one day.’
In fact, Sheikh Hasina had made a statement in July in which she mentioned the Razakars. During a press conference at her residence on July 14, when she was asked about the student protests, she replied, “If the grandchildren of freedom fighters don’t get the (quota) benefit, then who will? The grandchildren of the Razakars?”
The term ‘Razakar’ is considered derogatory in Bangladesh as it is used for those who supported the Pakistani army’s efforts to suppress the Bangladesh Liberation War and are also accused of committing heinous crimes. This statement angered the students. Apart from this, in her letter, Hasina said that she will return to her country soon.
Bangladesh has tense relations with the US
Relations between the US and Bangladesh deteriorated so much during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure that Washington said the January elections in which the Awami League returned to power were not free or fair. Months before she stepped down, Sheikh Hasina claimed “conspiracies” were being hatched to topple her government and accused a “white man’s” plot to separate Bangladesh and Myanmar and create a new “Christian country”.
In May, she said: “If I allowed a particular country to build an airbase in Bangladesh, I would have no problem.”
protests in bangladesh
Violence broke out on August 5 amid student protests and Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to neighbouring India, where she is currently staying. Minorities, especially Hindus, have faced attacks in the Islamic nation following the violent uprising that led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government. More than 230 people have been killed since the fall of the Awami League government on August 5. Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus was then sworn in as the head of the country’s caretaker government. Yunus will be the chief adviser in the interim government, which has been tasked with holding fresh elections in Bangladesh.
Appeal to pay tribute to Sheikh Mujibur on his death anniversary
Hasina’s son appealed to the citizens to pay tribute to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on his death anniversary on August 15. He said, you all have seen how the house of the Father of the Nation of Bangladesh was burnt by the mob, Bangabandhu was murdered in the same house, our whole family was killed. This was a museum and now it has been destroyed. Bangabandhu is above politics, he is the Father of the Nation. Without him we would have been slaves of Pakistan. The night of August 15, when Bangabandhu was murdered. I appeal to everyone, those who believe in the spirit of ‘Liberation War’ in Bangladesh, please go to Dhanmondi 32 and pay tribute to the person who liberated us. Jai Bangla, Jai Bangabandhu.
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