Sheikh Hasina’s son strongly opposes interim government in Bangladesh

New Delhi:

Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has stated that the recent protests in Bangladesh were likely instigated by a foreign intelligence agency, specifically suspecting ISI involvement.

Speaking to ANI, he said that the agitation was motivated by external forces and not by internal issues and criticized the way in which his mother’s statement was distorted to fuel the protests.

“I now firmly believe that this was instigated by a small group and most likely by a foreign intelligence agency. I strongly suspect ISI.

There was no reason for the protests to continue because the quotas were not imposed by our government and were restored by court order. Our government suspended the quotas around 2018, when the first protests against the quotas took place,” he said.

He alleged that protesters distorted Sheikh Hasina’s statement on Razakars, which led to the escalation of protests.

“When the protests started, they were peaceful. Our police provided security to the protesters. Then they took my mother’s statement, where she said that we didn’t want Razakars’ families to get jobs.

They took this statement and distorted it, saying that my mother said the protesters were Razakars. My mother never said that. But this was reported online. And then, in the middle of the night, a group – no one knows who did it – marched through Dhaka University chanting: “We are Razakars”. And that’s what happened. The other students, especially the Bangladesh Chhatra League, our supporting students and the pro-liberation students, were angry.

They attacked the protesters and that’s how the violence started,” he said, adding: “The police tried to stop the violence and in doing so, some police officers used live ammunition, which they were not authorized to do. Our government never ordered anyone to attack.

Our government has never ordered police to use live ammunition. We immediately called our student leaders and said, ‘Stop the fighting.’ The fighting stopped. We immediately suspended officers who used excessive force.”

He also questioned the presence of weapons among the protesters and emphasized that his mother, Sheikh Hasina, chose to leave her residence to avoid a potential massacre, prioritizing the lives of the students.

“They increased the demand for the government’s resignation. And when they did that, they started attacking the police with firearms. Where did these weapons come from in Bangladesh? How did the students get weapons? So, these were not students. This was a mob. This was militancy that was instigated to try to overthrow a democratically elected government,” he said.

“My mother left (even when) her security forces were heavily armed and prepared to guard the prime minister’s residence. But if the protesters had marched in their hundreds, they would have been killed. It would have been a massacre. And my mother she didn’t. She wants a massacre. That’s why she left,” he explained.

He added: “She came out to protect the lives of students.”

Wazed said the current interim government in Bangladesh, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, was “unconstitutional”.

“We want a quick restoration of democracy. Right now, this government is completely unconstitutional. There is no provision for a government selected by a small minority, because we have 170 million people in Bangladesh, and 20,000-50,000 protesters are a small fraction of the minority No one voted for this government, so it remains to be seen whether they will be able to restore law and order.

They have been in power for less than 24 hours,” he said.

“It’s one thing to take power in a coup; it’s another thing to govern. They don’t have the bandwidth of the people. Who will listen to them? Right now, there are two main political parties in Bangladesh. No matter what happens. yes, If you want democracy with 170 million people… we have 100 million followers. They didn’t vote or support this government. So, without their support, how are you going to govern? It’s another thing to have people following you,” he said.

He stated that 12 hours after coming to power, the interim government started making mistakes.

“In 12 hours they are already starting to make mistakes. They have already announced that elections are not a priority. The priority is to make judgments on the previous government to reform the country. But no one gave them a mandate to reform the country. They do not have a mandate from the people of Bangladesh. So who will support them?

He said the Awami League has always protected minorities and highlighted that the last 15 years have been the safest for minorities in Bangladesh. He added that the interim government had failed to keep minorities safe as they tried to flee the country.

“In the history of Bangladesh, only one government has kept the minorities of Bangladesh safe from all militancy and violence. That was the Awami League. The last 15 years have been the safest period in the history of Bangladesh for the minorities and for Bangladesh itself. And it was also the period of greatest growth in economic development. Even those who criticize Sheikh Hasina cannot deny this unelected government does not have the support of almost the entire population of Bangladesh. I want to do what I can to keep the minority safe, restore law and order to Bangladesh, and bring back democracy.

Bangladesh faces a fluid political situation with Sheikh Hasina, who submitted her resignation from office on August 5 following growing protests. Protests erupted in early July over demands to reform the quota system that reserves civil service jobs for specific groups, including descendants of 1971 war veterans.

The unrest intensified after students opposed a new policy that gives government jobs to descendants of freedom fighters, leading to violence, including attacks on state television headquarters and police booths in Dhaka.

(Except the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)