Sheikh Hasina will be back in Bangladesh: Joy

Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled Bangladesh, will be back in the country as soon as the democracy is restored.
In an exclusive interview with PTI, his son Sajeeb Wazed Joy said this on Thursday.

Joy also blamed Pakistan’s intelligence agency, ISI, for fuelling the ongoing unrest in the country.

Joy said although 76-year-old Hasina would definitely return to Bangladesh, it is not yet decided whether she will be back as a ‘retired or active’ politician.

He also asserted that the members of the Sheikh Mujib (Sheikh Mujibur Rahman) family will neither abandon its people nor leave the beleaguered Awami League in the lurch.

He expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government for protecting his mother and appealed to India to help build international opinion and exert pressure for the restoration of democracy in Bangladesh.

“Yes, it is true that I had said she wouldn't return to Bangladesh. But a lot has changed in the last two days following continuous attacks on our leaders and party workers across the country. Now we are going to do whatever it takes to keep our people safe; we are not going to leave them alone.” Awami League is the largest and oldest political party in Bangladesh, so we cannot just walk away from our people. She will definitely return to Bangladesh once democracy is restored,” he told PTI over the phone.

Terming Awami League as an ‘all-weather ally of India’, he said India must ensure the security of Awami League leaders in Bangladesh by building international pressure.

With Bangladesh set to get an interim government, Joy also urged it to restore law and order, noting that “the country is turning into a state of anarchy and becoming a second Afghanistan in the region.” He said he also expects the interim government to create a level playing field whenever democracy is restored and fresh elections are held.

Inputs taken from PTI