Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed on Sunday rejected a report quoting his mother as having accused the United States of conspiring to oust her from power.
In a social media post, Wazed said that the “recent resignation statement” attributed to Hasina published in a newspaper was “completely false and fabricated”.
Wazed added: “I have just confirmed with her that she did not make any statement either before or since leaving Dhaka.”
On August 5, Hasina had resigned as Bangladesh’s prime minister and fled to India amid widespread protests against her Awami League government.
It was unclear which report Wazed was referring to.
Earlier on Sunday, The Economic Times and The Print quoted Hasina as having claimed in a message that she was ousted because she had refused to hand over the strategic Saint Martin Island to the United States. The island is Bangladeshi territory located in the Bay of Bengal off the coast of Myanmar.
The comments by Hasina had been conveyed through her close associates and made available to the newspaper, the report said.
In April 2023, Hasina had accused Washington of seeking a regime change in Dhaka.
“They are trying to eliminate democracy and introduce a government that will not have a democratic existence,” Hasina had told Parliament at the time. “It’ll be an undemocratic action.”
In Hasina’s purported message reported on Sunday, she also warned Bangladeshi nationals against being “manipulated by radicals”. She was also quoted as saying that if she had stayed in Bangladesh, more lives would have been lost and resources destroyed.
Further, Hasina was quoted as saying that she was pained about the alleged deaths of several party leaders, the harassment of Awami League workers and the vandalism and arson of their homes.
At least 500 people have died in mob violence, police firings and arson, in the run-up to Hasina’s resignation and the days after that.
According to the report, Hasina also said that she will “return soon”.
She claimed that she never used the term “razakar” for students who were protesting against a controversial quota scheme, according to The Economic Times.
“Razakar” is an offensive term in the country and refers to those who collaborated with the Pakistani military during Bangladesh’s 1971 liberation war.
Hasina’s alleged use of the term for the protestors during a news conference on July 14 is considered to have played a role in fanning the demonstrations.
Also read: