August 7, 2024
DHAKA – Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India after resigning as prime minister of Bangladesh in the face of a mass protest, has not decided yet about her next destination, said her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy.
Joy in an interview with German based international broadcaster Deutsche Welle said the five-time prime minister is upset as she couldn’t believe that people, for whom she and her family did so much, ccould stage an attack and she would need to leave the country “disgracefully”.
When the interviewer asked about Hasina’s plan for asylum in United States, United Kingdom, he said, “These are all rumors. She has not made a decision on that yet. She is going to stay in Delhi for a little while.
“My sister is with her. So she is not alone”, Joy said.
The video interview was uploaded to the Facebook page of Deutsche Welle at midnight.
Asked about her escape, and how Joy felt during that time, Joy said his mother didn’t want to leave.
“I was worried not because she was leaving Bangladesh, but because she didn’t want to leave Bangladesh. We had to convince her.
“I said this is not a political movement anymore, this is a mob … they are going to kill you,” said Joy.
Asked if the military or anyone set any timeframe for her to leave, Joy said there was no such deadline given by anybody.
“But there was a time estimate that the protester will reach the prime minister’s residence… so there was no deadline set, though there was an estimate that if we don’t move within this timeframe, then we won’t be able to move,” said Joy.
Asked about why she did not announce her resignation, Joy said time is needed for some preparatory works for transition of power.
Asked whether Hasina’s leaving the country poses risk to Awami League activists, Joy said attacks on the Awami League men started before the fall of the government.
He said attacks took place in Dhaka and different places, some of them were killed.
“All are blaming the government and Awami league [for the violence]. It is not right”.
Asked if he has any plan to join politics now, he laughed and said “There is no such plan right now. This is the third time a coup d’état was staged against our family”.
He said that all of his family members, except Hasina, are staying abroad for a long time and they are settled at their respective lives.
He said that he worked hard for last 15 years for making digital Bangladesh without taking any pay. “I don’t have anything to say. If the people of Bangladesh do such thing we have nothing to say”.
Asked about whether Sheikh Rehana and or any other family member will join politics, Joy said: “It is not their duty anymore”
“It seems that they are trying to finish Awami League and if election even held, there is a doubt whether they will allow AL to participate in it,” he said, adding that, “I cannot say my leaders and activists to come out or gathered at this dangerous period as they may face torture. Saving their lives is my first duty”.
He, however, said that Awami League will not go extinct. “If AL takes part in a free and fair election, AL will win it.”
He said that no one discussed with AL about the interim government. “If they held an election without AL, would half of the country’s people accept that election? Supporters of AL will never accept it.”
When his attention was drawn on to the fact that Nobel Laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus would be the chief adviser of the interim government, Joy said: “I do not have comment on it”.
He said civil society has been trying for a long time so that he gets a chance to lead the country. And he is now getting that scope.
“I want to see how he leads the country. Leading a country is not so easy,” he added.
He said through the media he can see that looting is taking place and the situation is similar to Syria.
“I do not know how the country will progress; it seems that the situation [of Bangladesh] will be like Pakistan”.
“People will soon start saying that Sheikh Hasina’s rule was the golden period of Bangladesh”, he added.