Deposed Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina admits ‘mistakes were certainly made’ by security forces during 2024 uprising

Fifteen months after leaving capital Dhaka in the midst of an uprising, Bangladesh’s deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that ‘mistakes’ were “certainly made” by security forces while responding to the ‘disordered situation’ during last year’s student-people uprising. In a written interview to The Hindu, Ms. Hasina who fled Bangladesh on August 5, 2025 said she has her “doubts” on whether the election in Bangladesh would be held in February 2026 saying that even if held, the polls would not be recognised as valid as her party Awami League remains banned. However, Ms. Hasina said that she has not called upon her supporters to boycott the election and cautioned against “yet more violent uprising”.

“Our security personnel on the ground were responding to fast-changing and violent circumstances. Mistakes were certainly made in the way some members of the security forces responded to the violence, but the decisions made by senior government officials were proportionate in nature, made in good faith and intended to minimise the loss of life,” said Ms. Hasina in her response to a question.  

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Ms. Hasina’s response came as the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Dhaka has been preparing to deliver a verdict on her and several top members of her deposed government. Ironically it was Ms. Hasina who after staging a return to power in 2009 had re-established the ICT to deliver justice for the individuals who had colluded with Pakistan Army in 1971. Ms. Hasina has recently approached the International Criminal Court seeking probe into reported violence carried out by elements that are close to the interim government led by Nobel laureate Prof. Mohammed Yunus. “A guilty verdict is pre-determined, and I will not be surprised when it comes. But the ICT is a sham tribunal controlled by my political enemies, who are intent on destroying the Awami League as a political force. The call for a death sentence serves the same murderous aim,” said Ms. Hasina who reiterated that she “did not resign” before leaving on August 5, 2024.

“To resign as Prime Minister, you have to submit a letter to the President. I never signed such a letter, nor did the President receive one,” she said.

Ms. Hasina accused the interim government of Bangladesh for not being responsive to domestic and international calls for holding election in the past fifteen months saying, “I am not confident that the February elections will go ahead,” and added, “Even if the elections take place, they will not be legitimate if the Awami League remains banned from taking part.”

She said, the interim government is “intent on clinging on to power at all costs”.

“They are not elected, they have no commitment to the principles of public accountability. That, rather than the timing of the poll, is the key issue,” said Ms. Hasina arguing that the ban on Awami League “is damaging for all parties” and emphasised that Awami League will campaign in a “peaceful” manner for holding an inclusive election.

“Let me be clear: I have not called for a boycott. The point I was making was that millions of Awami League voters will not vote at all if they are denied the chance to support their preferred choice,” said Ms. Hasina, explaining, “Whatever happens our campaign will be peaceful. The last thing Bangladesh needs is yet more violent upheaval.” The contest for political power in Bangladesh has sharpened in recent weeks after Mr. Yunus presided over a ceremony where several major political parties signed the July Proclamation, that aims to incorporate a set of guiding principles to govern Bangladesh in the coming years.

The political parties are divided over the path ahead regarding the July Charter with the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami demanding that a referendum should be held on the July Charter ahead of the election so that the election process could be guided by the Charter itself while the biggest political party Bangladesh Nationalist Party demanding that the referendum and the polls should be held together in February. BNP leaders have also said that the interim government does not have the authority to bring in the charter that could alter the constitution of Bangladesh.

Responding to the debate on the July Proclamation, Ms. Hasina said, “The country does not need a new charter. The charter does not reflect the voices of the people of Bangladesh… I am skeptical that the referendum will be democratic in nature.” She also described the July Proclamation as a “dangerous business” that “distorts” Bangladesh’s history which includes the role of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the 1971 Liberation War against the Pakistani military.

“You cannot eradicate history just because it is inconvenient. Our liberation struggle is something Bangladeshis are proud of, not ashamed of,” said Ms. Hasina.

The fifteen month long exile is the longest that Ms. Hasina has undergone since returning to Dhaka in 1981 when she ended her exile in Europe and India of around six years following the assassination of her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on August 15, 1975. However, she blamed the “prevailing political climate” for not returning at present. Ms. Hasina blamed the interim government for the reported growth of extremist movements in Bangladesh. “The fact that Yunus has appointed some extremists to his Cabinet also sends them an encouraging message and, no doubt, practical assistance too,” said Ms. Hasina.

In her observation on the interim government’s outreach to Pakistan, Ms. Hasina said, the people of Bangladesh will “never” forget the atrocities committed by Pakistani military in 1971 and said, “Of course, it makes sense to have a constructive relationship with Pakistan. But it must be measured and balanced, rather than pursued at headlong speed and with total disregard for our most important relationship, which is and always will be our relationship with India.”