Virginia, USA: The son of Sheikh Hasina, the ousted prime minister of Bangladesh, has harshly criticized Dhaka’s plea for extradition, dismissing the court case against his mother and alerting India to the growing threat of cross-border terrorism. Speaking since his mother was transported to India in August 2024, Sajeeb Wazed Joy expressed his sincere appreciation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for granting her sanctuary in an interview with ANI, stating that extremists had planned to kill her.
Wazed contested the validity of Bangladesh’s request for extradition, claiming that the charges against his mother had frequently violated legal standards. “They terminated 17 judges before the trial, amended laws illegally without parliamentary approval, and barred her defence attorneys from court proceedings,” he stated. “When there is no due process whatsoever, no country is going to extradite.” Citing Dhaka’s lack of appropriate legal procedures, he expressed confidence that Indian authorities would deny the plea.
Wazed maintains that the interim government has seriously undermined the legal system, despite the fact that the former prime minister is facing numerous accusations pertaining to her 15-year term. Wazed described the events leading up to her departure and gave India credit for sparing her life. “My mother’s life has been practically rescued by India. The Islamists had intended to kill her if she hadn’t fled Bangladesh, he claimed.
Wazed acknowledged that his government had mismanaged the initial protests in July 2024, but he characterized the ensuing unrest as a planned “political coup” as opposed to an unplanned rebellion. Wazed said that the temporary Yunus government had freed “tens of thousands of terrorists” who had been found guilty under Sheikh Hasina’s leadership, allegations that are likely to worry Indian security services. Alleging connections between Lashkar-e-Taiba’s local sections and recent terror strikes in Delhi, he asserted that the group is currently operating freely in Bangladesh.
He stated, “I think Prime Minister Modi is probably very, very concerned about terrorism from Bangladesh,” making a clear connection between India’s security concerns and the political unrest in Dhaka. Concerns about border security and minority rights have already strained relations between the two neighbors. Wazed escalated his accusations by claiming that militants who infiltrated last year’s riots were armed by Pakistan’s intelligence service.
“Without a doubt, these weapons had to have been supplied from somewhere in the subcontinent and the only possible source is ISI,” he declared, citing footage of armed protesters. He also cited remarks made by US President Donald Trump, who supposedly claimed that USAID cash was used to spend “millions of dollars on regime change in Bangladesh” during the previous Biden administration. Wazed declined to disclose any direct communication with current US officials, but he said the Trump administration seemed “more concerned about the threat of terrorism and the rise of Islamism in Bangladesh” than its predecessor.He said that “tens of thousands of political prisoners” are still detained without charge or trial, painting a bleak image of conditions under the interim administration headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. “For more than a year and a half, an unelected administration has been in charge. “Everything has been done in an undemocratic manner,” he stated, noting that among those jailed are over 100 former members of parliament. Although it has not disclosed an election schedule, the interim administration has defended its extended term as essential for changes after what it describes as years of authoritarian leadership. Wazed questioned the legitimacy of the government and asked why elections haven’t been held if Yunus has sincere public support. He highlighted polling data that revealed just 2% of voters supported the political party of the student movement.”If Muhammad Yunus was popular, then why would he not have held one election and then run the country with legitimacy?” asked the man. In response to accusations of corruption in his mother’s administration, Wazed acknowledged the existence of corruption but maintained that Bangladesh had greatly improved under her direction. He cited the nation’s designation as a potential “Asian tiger” and its removal from the list of least developed countries as proof that corruption had not been widespread. “This level of development and economic growth would not have been possible with major corruption,” he stated.Wazed’s claims regarding the number of political prisoners being held, the release of terrorists who have been found guilty, and court abuses have not yet received a response from the interim administration.
