Kathmandu [Nepal], September 12 – Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has accused interim government adviser Muhammad Yunus of being both a “beneficiary and active participant” in a political project aimed at weakening Bangladesh.
In an interview with The Print, Hasina described the country’s current situation as a “national crisis” and called for an independent investigation into the protests that ousted her in August 2024.
Hasina who fled to New Delhi after the uprising, said she plans to return to Bangladesh in December and face the legal cases against her including a death sentence handed down in absentia by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal.
She accused the interim government of political retaliation, weakening the rule of law and creating insecurity for minorities while saying the movement that began over public-sector job quotas was not entirely spontaneous.
Hasina also challenged the Bangladesh Nationalist Party government led by Tarique Rahman to lift its ban on the Awami League, release political detainees and hold an inclusive election.
She rejected the February 2026 election as neither free nor credible arguing that excluding the Awami League denied voters a genuine political choice.
Hasina also defended strong ties with India, saying stable relations were in Bangladesh’s national interest and based on geography, trade, security, rivers and shared history.
