‘Allah Kept Me Alive, I Will Return’: Sheikh Hasina’s Bold Message From India

Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has made an emotional vow to bring justice to those responsible for violence against Awami League members, stating, “Allah kept me alive for a reason.”

During a virtual interaction with family members of slain Awami League leaders and supporters, Hasina spoke with her camera turned off, offering a rare and intimate glimpse into her ongoing fight for justice. Recalling the trauma of losing her entire family, including her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in the 1975 coup, she said, “I lost my father, mother, brother, everyone in one day. And then they did not let us return to the country.”

The Awami League chief, currently residing in India after being ousted from power, accused Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus of deceit and power-lust. “He loaned out small amounts at high interest rates and used the money to live lavishly abroad. We could not understand his duplicity then, so we helped him a lot. But people did not benefit. He did well for himself. Then developed a lust for power that is burning Bangladesh now,” she said.

Hasina condemned the current state of Bangladesh, saying it has become a “terrorist country” where members of the Awami League, police, journalists, and even artists are being attacked. She claimed a media crackdown was silencing critical voices: “Rapes, murders, dacoities, nothing can be reported. And if it is reported, the TV channel or newspaper will be targeted.”

As grieving supporters described atrocities against their families, Hasina assured them of justice. When one woman described how her father was killed, Hasina replied, “You will do justice, the way I did justice after my parents were killed. We will find them, the day will come. I believe this, or I would not be alive.”

In a lighter moment, when a supporter asked how she was doing, Hasina responded simply, “I am alive, son.” To another who wished her a return to leadership, she answered, “He will. That’s why Allah has kept me alive. I am coming.”

Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s interim Prime Minister Md Yunus reportedly raised the issue of Hasina’s extradition with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the BIMSTEC summit. Yunus accused her of “making inflammatory remarks” and “trying to destabilise the situation in Bangladesh,” urging India to “restrain her from continuing to make such incendiary statements.”

India has previously expressed concern over alleged violence against minorities in Bangladesh. Yunus, however, dismissed those concerns, claiming the reports were “hugely inflated” and “the bulk of them were fake news.”