Hasina in Reuters interview indicates she or her family may not lead Awami League
The ousted PM says she ‘plans to remain in India’
Sheikh Hasina, ousted prime minister of Bangladesh, told Reuters today (29 October) from her New Delhi exile that she or her family need not lead the Awami League.
"It's really not about me or my family," Hasina said. "For Bangladesh to achieve the future we all want, there must be a return to constitutional rule and political stability. No single person or family defines our country's future."
Her son and adviser, Sajeeb Wazed, who lives in Washington, however, told Reuters last year he might consider leading the party if asked.
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Hasina, who fled to India in August 2024 following a deadly student-led uprising, said she would not return to Bangladesh under any government formed after elections that exclude her party, and plans to remain in India.
In an emailed response to the news agency, she also said, "The ban on the Awami League is not only unjust, it is self-defeating."
This is her first media engagement since her dramatic fall from power, leading to a ban on the political activities of her party, Awami League. TBS is running parts of her interview considering public interest.
The International Crimes Tribunal has concluded proceedings against Hasina, who faces charges of crimes against humanity over the violent crackdown on student protests in mid-2024.
Prosecutors allege she oversaw enforced disappearances and torture of opposition activists through clandestine detention centres run by security agencies.
The Tribunal has also banned broadcasting, publishing, and spreading any "hate speech" by the disposed prime minister in all types of mass and social media.
A few months ago, a Reuters reporter saw Hasina taking a quiet stroll through Delhi's historic Lodhi Garden, accompanied by two individuals who appeared to be her personal security detail. She acknowledged passersby with a nod as some recognised her.
"I would of course love to go home, so long as the government there was legitimate, the constitution was being upheld, and law and order genuinely prevailed," she said.
