Sheikh Hasina vows Bangladesh return, says she fears nothing
Sheikh Hasina said her return is about restoring Bangladesh’s development, secular values and prosperity, not regaining political power.
- A high-stakes political gamble: Hasina’s vow to return despite a death sentence sets up a potential legal and security confrontation with Bangladesh’s authorities, testing both Dhaka’s resolve and New Delhi’s position.
- Awami League’s future on the line: The ban on her party and the cancellation of its registration mean that any attempt by Hasina to re-enter active politics will immediately clash with existing legal barriers.
- International dimension: By appealing to the global community, Hasina is trying to internationalise the issue, framing it as a struggle for democracy rather than a personal legal battle.
- Domestic polarisation: Her characterisation of the 2024 protests as an orchestrated, violent campaign will reinforce existing divisions, with supporters seeing persecution and opponents seeing accountability.
- India’s delicate balancing act: New Delhi must navigate between its historical ties with Hasina, domestic legal processes, and its relationship with Bangladesh’s current leadership, especially ahead of regional forums like BRICS.
- December as a flashpoint: If Hasina sticks to her timeline, her attempted return could trigger major political, legal and possibly security developments in Bangladesh, making the end of 2026 a critical juncture.
New Delhi: In her first public media interaction since fleeing to India, former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina has declared she is determined to return home in December, even if it means facing arrest or a death sentence. Speaking at a virtual press conference on Wednesday, August 5, the 78-year-old leader said her return is “not about power” but about putting Bangladesh “back on track of development, secularism and prosperity”.
A vow to return, despite the risks
Hasina, who has been living in India since August 5, 2024, was unequivocal about her plans. “I know, they may put me in jail or kill me,” she said. “I have decided to go and I will go to Bangladesh. The date of my return will be announced later.” Her statement marks a significant escalation in the political standoff between her and the interim government in Dhaka, which has been pressing New Delhi for her extradition to face trial.
Last November, a special tribunal in Dhaka sentenced her to death in absentia for alleged “crimes against humanity” over her government’s crackdown on student-led protests in 2024. Since then, authorities in Bangladesh have repeatedly asked India to hand her over, while Hasina and her supporters have dismissed the verdict as politically motivated.
“This is not the Bangladesh we built”
Hasina painted a grim picture of the situation in Bangladesh over the past two years. “For the last two years, I watched my beloved Bangladesh suffer,” she said, adding that “fear has entered homes, work places and educational campuses”. She insisted that the July–August 2024 protests that led to her ouster were not a peaceful student movement, but an “organised” campaign that turned reform demands into “violent political instruments”.
Quoting Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus’s own description of the unrest as a “meticulously designed movement led by a mastermind”, she argued that the protests were exploited by organised groups to serve a political agenda. “This is not the Bangladesh we built; this is not the Bangladesh for which three million people sacrificed their lives in 1971,” she said, invoking the memory of the Liberation War.
Calls for international support and political restoration
Hasina used the platform to call on the international community to stand with the people of Bangladesh in their “struggle for democracy and justice”. She demanded that the ban on her party, the Bangladesh Awami League, be lifted, that “false cases” against her and her party workers be dropped, and that freedom of speech be restored.
The Awami League was banned by the interim government in 2025 under anti-terrorism legislation, and its registration was subsequently cancelled by the Election Commission, barring it from participating in elections. Hasina’s planned return in December is seen as a direct challenge to these measures, with her supporters arguing that no democratic system can function with its largest political party outlawed.
Praise for India, tension with Dhaka
Hasina also hailed India’s role, saying, “India has always been a great friend of Bangladesh.” Her presence in India, however, remains a sensitive diplomatic issue, with Dhaka continuing to seek her extradition while New Delhi maintains that it will handle the matter in accordance with its laws and bilateral commitments.
For now, Hasina’s message is clear: she sees herself not as a fugitive, but as a leader in exile determined to reclaim her place in Bangladesh’s political story, whatever the cost.