As Bangladesh struggles to maintain normalcy after days of violent strife last week following the death of Inqilab Moncho leader Osman Hadi, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has placed the blame for the violence entirely on the Yunus government.

Sheikh Hasina said that the killing of Osman Hadi was a reflection of the lawlessness under the present interim government.

“This tragic killing reflects the lawlessness that uprooted my government and has multiplied under Yunus. Violence has become the norm while the interim government either denies it or is powerless to stop it. Such incidents destabilise Bangladesh internally but also our relationships with neighbours who are watching with justified alarm. India sees the chaos, the persecution of minorities, and the erosion of everything we built together. When you cannot maintain basic order within your borders, your credibility on the international stage collapses. This is the reality of Yunus’ Bangladesh,” she said.

The former Bangladesh PM alleged that the government of Nobel laureate and Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has placed people with links to extremist ideologies in power.

“I share this concern, as do the millions of Bangladeshis who are prefer the safe, secular state we once were. Yunus has placed extremists in cabinet positions, released convicted terrorists from prison, and allowed groups linked to international terrorist organisations to take roles in public life. He is not a politician and has no experience governing a complex nation. My fear is that radicals are using him to project an acceptable face to the international community while they systematically radicalise our institutions from within,” she said.

“This should alarm not only India, but every nation invested in South Asian stability. The secular character of Bangladeshi politics was one of our greatest strengths, and we cannot allow it to be sacrificed at the whim of a few idiotic extremists,” she added.

Sheikh Hasina also said that Yunus’ ideologies and support for people with extremist links was a key reason for recently strained relations with India.

The Indian government has voiced concerns at the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh after it was reported that a Hindu Man had been lynched during the spiral of violence last week.

“The strain you are witnessing is entirely of Yunus’s making. His government issues hostile statements against India, fails to protect religious minorities, and allows extremists to dictate foreign policy, then expresses surprise when tensions rise. India has been Bangladesh’s most steadfast friend and partner for decades. The ties between our nations are deep and fundamental; they will outlast any temporary government. I am confident that once legitimate governance is restored, Bangladesh will return to the sensible partnership we cultivated over fifteen years, ” Sheik Hasina told ANI.

The former Bangladesh PM alleged that the Yunus government has manufactured this ideology by giving patronage to such people.

“This hostility is being manufactured by extremists who have been emboldened by the Yunus regime. These are the same actors who marched on the Indian embassy and attacked our media offices, who attack minorities with impunity, and who forced me and my family to flee for our lives. Yunus has placed such figures in positions of power and released convicted terrorists from prison,” she said.

“India’s concerns about the safety of its personnel are justified, I am sorry to say. A responsible government would protect diplomatic missions and prosecute those who threaten them. Instead, Yunus grants immunity to hooligans and calls them warriors,” she added.

Sheikh Hasina, who is currently living in exile in India, also criticised recent remarks by a Bangladeshi Politician who had claimed to want to “choke” India’s north east at the Siliguri corridor.

“Such statements are dangerous and irresponsible, reflecting the extremist elements that have gained influence under Yunus. No serious leader would threaten a neighbour upon whom Bangladesh depends for trade, transit, and regional stability. This rhetoric serves only ideological fantasies, not Bangladesh’s national interests. India has every right to view such statements with concern. These voices do not represent the Bangladeshi people, who understand that our prosperity and security depend on strong ties with India. Once democracy is restored and responsible governance returns, such reckless talk will end,” she said.

The former Bangladesh PM alleged that all this was a sign of Yunus trying to realign Bangladesh’s stated foreign policy framework which she says he has no right to.

“Yunus has no mandate to realign Bangladesh’s foreign policy. He was not elected, so has no right to make strategic decisions that could impact generations. Once Bangladeshis can vote freely again, our foreign policy will return to serving our national interests, not the ideological fantasies of extremists who have temporarily seized power. The ties between Bangladesh and India are fundamental and will endure long after this interim government is gone,” she said.

Even as her country struggles to come to grips with the rise of fundamentalist forces, Sheikh Hasina further says that she would only be in a position to return to Bangladesh when the nation has a legitimate government and an independent judiciary.

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.”