Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday said her country was “bleeding” and “on the edge of an abyss”, alleging that Bangladesh had been overrun by “extremist communal forces and foreign perpetrators”.
Addressing an event in New Delhi through an online audio message, Hasina, who has been living in exile in the Indian capital since fleeing Dhaka in August 2024, said the country founded by her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, had been reduced to “a vast prison, an execution ground, a valley of death”.
‘Nation Battered And Bleeding’
“Bangladesh stands today at the edge of an abyss, a nation battered and bleeding, navigating one of the most perilous chapters in its history,” Hasina said, according to ANI.
“The homeland won through the supreme Liberation War under the leadership of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, is now ravaged by the monstrous onslaught of extremist communal forces and foreign perpetrators,” she added.
“Our once serene and fertile land has been reduced to a wounded, blood-soaked landscape. In truth, the entire country has become a vast prison, an execution ground, a valley of death.”
Attack On Interim Government Chief
Hasina launched a scathing attack on Bangladesh’s interim government chief adviser Mohammed Yunus, calling him “a usurer, money launderer, plunderer, and a corrupt, power-hungry traitor”.
“Everywhere one hears only the cries of people struggling to survive amid destruction. A desperate plea for life. Heart-rending screams for relief,” she said.
“The murderous fascist Yunus, a usurer, a money launderer, a plunderer, and a corrupt, power-hungry traitor, has bled our nation dry with his all-consuming paradigms, staining the soul of our motherland.”
Claims Of ‘Engineered Conspiracy’
Hasina claimed she was forcibly removed from power through a conspiracy led by Yunus and his “anti-state militant accomplices”.
“On August 5, 2024, in a meticulously engineered conspiracy, the national enemy, the murderous fascist Yunus, and his anti-state militant accomplices forcibly ousted me, though I am the people’s representative directly elected,” she said.
“From that day forward, the nation has been plunged into an age of terror, merciless, relentless, and suffocating. Democracy is now in exile.”
Allegations Of Lawlessness And Minority Persecution
The Awami League chief, whose party has been barred from contesting the February 12 national elections, said Bangladesh was witnessing widespread lawlessness and persecution of minorities.
“The country is facing lawlessness, insecurity, and persecution of minorities, with mob violence, looting, and extremism spreading nationwide,” PTI quoted her as saying.
“Institutions have weakened, justice has eroded, and fear dominates daily life amid allegations of betrayal of national interests.”
She said the situation demanded unity to defend the Constitution, restore democracy, protect sovereignty and resist what she described as an “unelected and violent regime”.
Fresh Attack On BNP Ahead Of Polls
In a separate audio message shared on the Awami League’s Facebook page on Friday, Hasina also targeted rival Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the frontrunner in the upcoming elections.
She said she had never banned the BNP and had even invited its late leader Khaleda Zia to contest the 2014 elections together, a proposal she claimed was rejected.
“Regarding the 2024 election, they said they wouldn’t participate. We tried to bring them in, but they didn’t come; they boycotted it,” Hasina said.
“To this day, regarding the questions they raise about this election, have they been able to show that a single irregularity occurred? Or that there was violence or killings at any polling center? They can’t show anything.”
She further alleged that Yunus was using his money to spread “propaganda/disinformation all over the world”.
