Sheikh Hasina will be back once democracy is restored, says son Sajeeb

Sheikh Hasina, who quit as prime minister and fled Bangladesh, will be back in the country as soon as democracy is restored, his son Sajeeb Wazed Joy said on Thursday and blamed Pakistan's intelligence agency, ISI, for fuelling the ongoing unrest in the country.

In an exclusive interview with PTI, Joy said that although 76-year-old Hasina would definitely return to Bangladesh, it has not yet been decided whether she will be back as a "retired or active" politician.

He also asserted that the members of the Sheikh Mujib (Sheikh Mujibur Rahman) family will neither abandon its people nor leave the beleaguered Awami League in the lurch.

He expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government for protecting his mother and appealed to India to help build international opinion and exert pressure to restore democracy in Bangladesh.

"Yes, it is true that I had said she wouldn't return to Bangladesh. But a lot has changed in the last two days following continuous attacks on our leaders and party workers across the country. Now we are going to do whatever it takes to keep our people safe; we are not going to leave them alone."

"Awami League is the largest and oldest political party in Bangladesh, so we cannot just walk away from our people. She will definitely return to Bangladesh once democracy is restored," he told PTI over the phone.

Terming Awami League an "all-weather ally of India", he said India must ensure the security of Awami League leaders in Bangladesh by building international pressure.

Joy also urged the interim government, headed by Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus, to restore law and order, noting that "the country is turning into a state of anarchy and becoming a second Afghanistan in the region."

He said he also expects the interim government to create a level playing field whenever democracy is restored and fresh elections are held.

"You cannot exclude the Awami League and have a representative democracy in Bangladesh ever. Whatever his (Mohammed Yunus) personal views are, he has said that he wants a government of unity and wants to move forward and not let the mistakes of the past cloud over the future. I hope he stays true to his word,"he asserted.

Prof Yunus took oath as the head of Bangladesh's interim government on Thursday and was administered the oath of office by President Mohammed Shahabuddin at a ceremony in Dhaka.

Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country following violent protests against her government over a controversial quota system in jobs. She flew to the Hindon air base, near Delhi, in a Bangladesh military aircraft on Monday.

Joy mentioned that once democracy is restored, either the Awami League or BNP will come to power, and the "Mujib family and Sheikh Hasina will be around."

"She has been in touch with all our party leaders for the last two days. My mother was going to retire anytime soon, so we thought now that she is gone, they (rioters) would leave our party people alone, but that did not happen. Instead, they started attacking," he said.

Declining to comment directly on whether he and his sister Saima Wazed, who is currently the South East Asian regional director for the World Health Organization, would enter politics, Joy said he would do whatever it takes to protect Bangladesh from total anarchy.

"I can't give a definite reply to this question. But I will do whatever it takes to save Bangladesh and protect the Awami League. The Mujib family would not leave them in a lurch," said Joy, the former Information and Communication Technology Advisor to Hasina.

Blaming Pakistan for fueling the unrest in Bangladesh, Joy said there is circumstantial evidence suggesting foreign interference and alleged involvement of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency.

"I am quite certain given the circumstantial evidence; I suspect Pakistan ISI's involvement. The attacks and protests were very coordinated, meticulously planned, and intentional efforts to keep inflaming the situation through social media. No matter what the government did to control the situation, they kept trying to worsen it, he said.

He also pointed out that the rioters attacked police with guns which could only be provided by terror outfits and foreign powers.

On reports of involvement of a US intelligence agency like the CIA, Joy said he had no evidence but added, "maybe, they are". He dismissed any Chinese involvement when asked about it.

Dismissing reports of Hasina seeking asylum in the UK or any other country as "rumours", Joy said the reports of her US Visa being revoked are also untrue.

"Nothing of this sort has been planned (seeking asylum). Sooner or later, there has to be a restoration of democracy in Bangladesh and hopefully, that will be between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Awami League. Then Sheikh Hasina will be back."

"At this point, she wants to go back to Bangladesh. It's a question of when rather than if," he said, hinting that the ousted Bangladesh PM will be staying at an undisclosed location in India for now.

Joy, who spent much of his childhood studying in India, appealed to the Indian government to ensure the quick restoration of democracy for stability in the region.

"I want to thank the Indian government for protecting my mother. I owe my heartfelt gratitude to Prime Minister Modi. If India wants stability in its eastern backyard, then they have to pressure the international community and take the lead to ensure the quick restoration of democracy," he said.

Speaking on the 'INDIA-out' campaign in Bangladesh, he said, "the anti-India forces are already very active, and with Awami League out of power, the ISI is now free to supply as many weapons as it wants to the anti-India forces."

Joy said India must act fast before anti-India forces gain more ground.

Refuting claims that Hasina ran away to save her own life, he said the family insisted on stopping the bloodshed.

"She was not willing to leave the country. The Prime Minister's security was ready to protect her till the end. But that would have led to hundreds of deaths of protestors who were marching towards the PM's residence. We convinced her for the sake of Bangladesh, we cannot let her get killed," he said.

"Our government was not weak, but my mother did not want to harm the students. Even after her leaving the country, the bloodshed has not stopped. The people will now understand the difference with and without Sheikh Hasina," he said.

The death toll in the anti-government protests in Bangladesh climbed to 440 on Wednesday, with the recovery of 29 more bodies of Hasina's Awami League party members across the country through Tuesday, taking the overall death toll to 469 in nearly three weeks since the protests began in July.