Want to return Bangladesh under caretaker Govt: Hasan
Senior Awami League leader and former Bangladesh foreign minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Saturday said his party is ready to return to Bangladesh and participate in national elections, but only if they are held under a neutral caretaker Government. Speaking at a press conference at the Press Club of India, Dr Mahmud said leaders currently living abroad, including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, are eager to return but fear political persecution under the current interim administration.
“Bangladesh is our country. We want to return with Sheikh Hasina and others who are outside Bangladesh. But elections must be held under a caretaker Government and the rule of law. The current Government is hostile, and there is a risk of revenge. We need a level playing field. Only then will we participate in the elections,” he said.
Dr Mahmud’s statement comes despite the Awami League having previously rejected the BNP’s demand for a caretaker Government before the earlier elections. The party currently faces major legal and political challenges in Bangladesh. The interim Government has barred the Awami League under sections related to alleged anti-Bangladesh activities and other charges, and the Election Commission has suspended its registration. Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said, “As long as the ban and deregistration remain in place, the Awami League cannot take part in the upcoming polls,” referring to the national election scheduled for February 12.
Despite these hurdles, Dr Mahmud claimed the Awami League continues to enjoy broad public support. “Our leader, Sheikh Hasina, is widely popular. The people of Bangladesh are living under fear because of the atrocities happening in the country,” he said. Party sources also said Awami League leaders have reached out to India and several other countries for international support to ensure their participation in the elections.
At the same press conference, Dr Mahmud accused the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) of producing a biased and methodologically flawed report on the July–August 2024 unrest in Bangladesh. He alleged that the report selectively used evidence, ignored key testimonies, inflated casualty figures, and overlooked violence against police, minorities, and Awami League workers. He announced that Bangladesh would submit a formal objection to the UN, calling for an impartial and comprehensive review.
Dr Mahmud also criticised the interim Government led by Muhammad Yunus for pursuing anti-India policies and allowing violence against minority communities. “Bangladesh is witnessing unprecedented incidents where citizens have been killed and burned—something rare anywhere in the world,” he said. He claimed the current administration was deliberately engaging in anti-India politics despite Bangladesh being bordered by India on three sides and stressed India’s role in Bangladesh’s Liberation War.
To illustrate rising hostility towards India, Dr Mahmud referred to a protest where a woman raised slogans like “Dilli na Dhaka” while wearing a saree from Kolkata, a shawl from Kashmir, and attire representing southern India or Delhi, which he said symbolised India’s deep cultural and historical links with Bangladesh.
The press conference was addressed by several senior figures, including Nijhoom Majumder, Barrister and Solicitor and Head of the Legal Team at the International Crimes Research Foundation (ICRF); Bangladesh Education Minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury Nowfel; Awami League representative Rabi Alam; Bangladesh Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud; and S Shakir, Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA).
