Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has strongly criticised the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government over the fresh protests and escalating violence following the death of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi. Hasina has accused the administration of encouraging “lawlessness” and said that the Yunus administration it lacks the mandate to alter the country’s foreign policy.
Sheikh Hasina Reveals When She Will Return To Bangladesh
Hasina also spoke about the question of her return to the country. She outrightly rejected the demands from the Yunus government for her return. Hasina described such demands as an attempt at “political assassination.” These demands came after Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) sentenced her to death in connection with the “July Uprising, student-led protests that culminated in the ouster of her government.
“When Bangladesh has a legitimate government and an independent judiciary, I will gladly return to the country I have served all my life,” Hasina told news agency ANI, dismissing the extradition requests as coming from “an increasingly desperate and adrift Yunus administration.”
Former Bangladesh PM Reveals Why She Left The Country For India
Speaking about her move to India during the protests, Hasina clarified that her departure was aimed at preventing further bloodshed.
“I left Bangladesh to prevent further bloodshed, not out of fear of facing justice. You cannot demand my return to face my political assassination,” she said.
She also challenged the Yunus administration to take the charges against her to an international forum: “I have challenged Yunus to take his charges to The Hague precisely because I am confident an independent court would acquit me.”
Exile in India
Since July 2024, Hasina has been living in self-imposed exile at a secure location in Delhi, under full Indian security, according to her son Sajeeb Wazed.
In November 2025, a Bangladesh court convicted Hasina on all five charges of “crimes against humanity” linked to the July Uprising, sentencing her to death. The court ruled that she allowed atrocities against student protesters during the unrest.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
