In a recent post on X, the son of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Sajeeb Wazed, refuted claims that his mother accused the United States of plotting to change the regime in Bangladesh. Wazed called such reports 'completely false and fabricated.'
He wrote on X, 'The recently published resignation statement in my mother's name is completely false and concocted. I have just confirmed with her that she did not make any statements before or after leaving Dhaka.'
Earlier reports suggested that Sheikh Hasina wanted to address the nation before resigning as Prime Minister of Bangladesh and fled the country on August 5 during violent student protests. In her undelivered speech, Hasina allegedly accused the United States of conspiring to change the regime in Bangladesh.
According to the previous version of the report, Sheikh Hasina revealed that she could have remained in power if she had given 'St. Martin and the Bay of Bengal to America.' The letter stated, 'If I had given St. Martin and the Bay of Bengal to America, I could have remained in power.' However, her son Wazed has now denied that his mother made such a statement.
It's noteworthy that St. Martin Island is located in the northeastern part of the Bay of Bengal and is the southernmost part of Bangladesh. In her undelivered speech, the 76-year-old leader said she resigned to avoid seeing a 'parade of corpses.' In an unidentified letter, Sheikh Hasina mentioned that more lives would have been lost if she had stayed in the country.
The letter stated, 'Perhaps if I were in the country today, more people would have died, and more property would have been destroyed. I removed myself; I came with your victory; you were my strength; you didn't want me, so I left and resigned.'
Hasina Clarifies 'Razakar' Comment
In the letter, the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh clarified her 'Razakar' comment and insisted that she never called the protesting students Razakars.
She stated in the letter, 'I want to reiterate to my young students that I never called you Razakars. My words have been twisted. I urge you to watch the full video of that day. A group has exploited your threat. I believe you will realize this one day.'
In fact, Sheikh Hasina made a statement in July mentioning Razakars. During a press conference at her residence on July 14, when asked about the student protests, she responded, 'If the grandchildren of freedom fighters do not benefit from the quota, who will? The grandchildren of Razakars?'
The word 'Razakar' is considered offensive in Bangladesh, as it refers to those who supported Pakistani military efforts to suppress Bangladesh's liberation war and are accused of committing atrocities. This statement angered the students. Furthermore, in her letter, Hasina mentioned that she would soon return to her country.
Tense Relations Between Bangladesh and the US
During Sheikh Hasina's tenure, relations between the US and Bangladesh were strained. Washington asserted that the January elections that brought the Awami League back to power were neither free nor fair. Months before stepping down, Sheikh Hasina claimed that conspiracies were being hatched to topple her government, accusing a 'white man's' plot to divide Bangladesh and Myanmar to create a new 'Christian country.'
In May, she said, 'If I allowed a certain country to build an airbase in Bangladesh, I wouldn't have had any problems.'
Protests and Unrest in Bangladesh
Amid student protests, violence erupted on August 5, leading to Sheikh Hasina's resignation and relocation to neighboring India, where she is currently residing. Following the violent uprising that led to the fall of the Awami League government, minorities, particularly Hindus, faced attacks in the Islamic nation. Since the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, more than 230 people have been killed. Subsequently, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus was sworn in as the chief of the interim government. Yunus will serve as the main advisor to the caretaker government tasked with conducting new elections in Bangladesh.
Appeal to Pay Tribute on Sheikh Mujib's Death Anniversary
Hasina's son appealed to citizens to pay tribute to Sheikh Mujib on August 15, the anniversary of his assassination. He said, 'You all saw how the house of the Father of the Nation of Bangladesh was burned by the crowd, in the same house Bangabandhu was killed, our entire family was murdered. It was a museum and now it has been destroyed. Bangabandhu is above politics; he is the Father of the Nation. Without him, we would have been slaves of Pakistan. On the night of August 15, when Bangabandhu was killed. I appeal to everyone who believes in the spirit of the 'liberation war' of Bangladesh, please go to Dhanmondi 32 and pay tribute to the person who freed us. Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu.'
