 "‘Foolish, self-defeating’: Sheikh Hasina blasts ‘weak monarch’ Yunus for hurting India-Bangladesh ties")
Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said it was “foolish and self-defeating” of Muhammad Yunus to jeopardise the country’s ties with India.
In an interview with PTI, Hasina said that India has “always been Bangladesh’s most important international relationship”.
Last year, Hasina fled to India after weeks of anti-government protests and street violence spiralled out of control. The Islamist mobs that ousted him joined hands with the military to prop Yunus as the country’s unelected ruler.
Since assuming the charge, Yunus has presided over the mainstreaming of extremist Islamists who had been marginalised under Hasina’s rule. He has also freed several terrorists from prisons and failed to tackle cyclic attacks on religious minorities, including Hindus.
In political retribution, Yunus and his allies have banned Hasina's Bangladesh Awami League (BAL) under an anti-terrorism law.
Hasina said the ban on her party would be a “huge missed opportunity” as the country moves towards elections.
“Tens of millions of people support us…That would be a huge missed opportunity for our country, which badly needs a government ruling with the people’s genuine consent. I hope this foolish ban will be rescinded…Whether in government or in opposition, the Awami League needs to be part of the political conversation in Bangladesh,” said Hasina.
ALSO READ — ‘Elections without all parties can’t be credible’: Ex-Bangladesh PM Hasina on Awami League ban
After several delays, Yunus has announced elections will be held in Bangladesh in February 2026. But the legitimacy of those elections has already come under the scanner as one of the principal parties, BAL, has been outlawed and political retribution and anti-minority violence has continued in the country.
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View All‘Unelected, chaotic, and dependent on extremists’
Hasina dubbed Yunus as someone who was holding onto power with the support of extremists. And she linked that to his hostility for India.
“Yunus’ hostility to India is foolish and self-defeating in the extreme and reveals him for the weak monarch he is, unelected, chaotic, and dependent upon the support of extremists. I hope he doesn’t make too many more diplomatic missteps before exiting the stage,” said Hasina.
India-Bangladesh ties will survive Yunus, says Hasina
Despite Yunus’ actions, Hasina said the “broad and deep” relationship between India and Bangladesh should be able to withstand the “foolhardiness of the Yunus interlude”.
As for concerns about the current hostile environment in Bangladesh, Hasina reassured that Yunus’ regime does not represent what commonfolk think and India will remain the country’s “most important friend”.
“India is and will remain our nation’s most important friend,” said Hasina.
Hasina dismisses Yunus ‘kangaroo tribunal’
Hasina dismissed Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) where Yunus' prosecutors have sought a death sentence for her. She said the system was a “a kangaroo tribunal” controlled by her political opponents.
Hasina said, “They are trying to neutralise both me and the Awami League as political forces. The fact that they would use the death penalty to suppress their opponents reveals how little respect they have for democracy or due process.”
Hasina said that she has repeatedly challenged Yunus’ regime to prosecute her at the International Criminal Court (ICC) if the case is so strong.
“Yunus continues to duck this challenge because he knows that the ICC, a genuinely impartial tribunal, would certainly acquit me,” said Hasina.
As for her return, Hasina said that would depend on the restoration of “participatory democracy” and lifting of the ban on the Awami League and the conduct of free, fair, and inclusive elections in Bangladesh.
“The most important condition for my return to Bangladesh is the same condition that the Bangladeshi people require: a return to participatory democracy. The interim administration must rescind its ban on the Awami League and allow elections that are free, fair, and inclusive,” said Hasina.
Hasina thanked the Indian government for providing her refuge and said she was “immensely grateful to India’s government and its people for their kind hospitality”.
As for the protests that ousted her, Hasina said there were “many lessons to be learned from these terrible incidents” but “some of the responsibility” for the violence rested with “so-called student leaders (actually seasoned political firebrands) who whipped up the crowds”.
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