Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina son has expressed concern over the attacks on his mother’s party leaders and minorities in the country amid massive political turmoil.
Twenty bodies of Awami League leaders have been found across Bangladesh after Sheikh Hasina left the nation, following violent protests by students over giving job quota to freedom fighters’ children.
“All our MPs and ministers homes have been burnt. I will ask for the Indian government’s help in ensuring their safety,” Sajeeb Wazed Joy told NDTV in an exclusive conversation.
“This is not a political movement. If this is a political movement why are they killing people,” he said.
Right groups and community leaders have claimed that scores of Hindu temples, business establishments and temples in Bangladesh have been vandalised by violent mobs after the fall of Sheikh Hasina government.
“When Jamaat-e-Islami was in power last time, there were attacks on minorities regularly. Those have resumed. Burning, looting, killing people. Vandalising temples and parliament. The images you are seeing is not of democratic protesters, these are images of violent mob,” Mr Joy said.
On being asked, what the future of Bangladesh looks like, Sajeeb Wazed Joy said Bangladesh runs the risk of becoming like Syria. “I wanted to say Pakistan, but It looks more like Bangladesh is becoming like Syria.”
“They (people of Bangladesh) have made their future. They will have to live with it. It’s going to be bleak, economic growth is going to stop, militancy will continue,” he said.
Bangladesh’s Nobel-winning microfinance pioneer Muhammad Yunus has been named the head of the military-backed interim government after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina.
Sheikh Hasina – the daughter of Bangladesh’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman – was given a 45-minute ultimatum to step down as the Prime Minister on Monday, it is learnt.
Ms Hasina left state capital Dhaka in a military aircraft for India after resigning. Foreign Minister S Jaishankar yesterday said the government is giving time to Sheikh Hasina to “recover” and let them know about her next move. “At very short notice, she requested approval to come for the moment to India. We simultaneously received a request for flight clearance from the Bangladesh authorities,” he said.
Sources had earlier said wanted to go to London to claim sanctuary, but her son Sajeeb Wazed has dismissed the speculation.
Asked about multiple reports about UK’s “silence” her request for asylum and revocation of her visa by the US, Mr Joy said, “The reports about her requesting asylum are incorrect. She has not requested asylum anywhere. So the question of UK or US not responding yet is not true”.
