7 months ago
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Ousted erstwhile Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said her instrumentality location hinges connected the restoration of "participatory democracy", lifting of the prohibition connected the Awami League and the behaviour of free, just and inclusive elections.
In an exclusive email interrogation to PTI from an undisclosed determination successful India, Ms. Hasina besides accused the unelected Mr. Yunus medication of "endangering ties with India and empowering extremist forces".
Contrasting her overseas argumentation with that of the existent interim government, she said the “broad and deep” narration betwixt Dhaka and New Delhi should beryllium capable to withstand the "foolhardiness of the Yunus interlude”.
Ms. Hasina thanked the Indian authorities for providing her refuge and said she was “immensely grateful to India’s authorities and its radical for their benignant hospitality”.
“The astir important information for my instrumentality to Bangladesh is the aforesaid information that the Bangladeshi radical require: a instrumentality to participatory democracy. The interim medication indispensable rescind its prohibition connected the Awami League and let elections that are free, fair, and inclusive," she told PTI.
Ms. Hasina, Bangladesh’s longest-serving premier minister, near the state connected August 5, 2024, aft weeks of convulsive anti-government protests. The monolithic agitation forced her resignation and eventual determination to India, paving the mode for the Yunus-led interim administration.
Asked whether her authorities mishandled the protests, the 78-year-old person said, "Obviously, we mislaid power of the concern and that was regrettable."
"There are galore lessons to beryllium learned from these unspeakable incidents, but successful my view, immoderate of the work is besides connected the alleged pupil leaders (actually seasoned governmental firebrands) who whipped up the crowds."
Ms. Hasina besides rejected reports that she had called for a boycott of the polls, scheduled for February adjacent year, and insisted that immoderate predetermination excluding the Awami League would deficiency legitimacy.
“Tens of millions of radical enactment us...That would beryllium a immense missed accidental for our country, which severely needs a authorities ruling with the people’s genuine consent. I anticipation this foolish prohibition volition beryllium rescinded...Whether successful authorities oregon successful opposition, the Awami League needs to beryllium portion of the governmental speech successful Bangladesh," she said.
Asserting that India has “always been Bangladesh’s astir important planetary relationship”, Ms. Hasina accused the interim authorities nether Mr. Yunus of jeopardising ties with New Delhi done what she called “foolish and self-defeating” diplomatic missteps.
“Yunus’ hostility to India is foolish and self-defeating successful the utmost and reveals him for the anemic monarch helium is, unelected, chaotic, and babelike upon the enactment of extremists,” she alleged.
“I anticipation helium doesn’t marque excessively galore much diplomatic missteps earlier exiting the stage.”
To Indians disquieted astir the existent hostile situation successful Bangladesh, Ms. Hasina offered reassurance, “The interim authorities doesn’t correspond what our countrymen and women think. India is and volition stay our nation’s astir important friend.”
Ms. Hasina besides said she was prepared to basal proceedings nether planetary supervision “even astatine the International Criminal Court” but alleged that Yunus has avoided specified a process due to the fact that an impartial tribunal would acquit her.
“I person repeatedly challenged Yunus’ authorities to prosecute maine successful the International Criminal Court, if it is truthful assured of its case. Yunus continues to duck this situation due to the fact that helium knows that the ICC, a genuinely impartial tribunal, would surely acquit me,” she said.
She dismissed Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal, which has initiated proceedings against her and wherever prosecutors are seeking the decease penalty, arsenic “a kangaroo tribunal” controlled by her governmental opponents.
“They are trying to neutralise some maine and the Awami League arsenic governmental forces. The information that they would usage the decease punishment to suppress their opponents reveals however small respect they person for ideology oregon owed process,” she alleged.
According to Ms. Hasina, Mr. Yunus enjoyed “at slightest the passive enactment of immoderate occidental liberals” who wrongly thought helium was 1 of them.
“Now that they person seen him spot radicals into his cabinet, discriminate against minorities, and dismantle the constitution, hopefully they are withdrawing their support,” she said.
