Sheikh Hasina reveals possible path to staying in power amid Bangladesh crisis
Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has made startling revelations about her recent resignation, claiming that she could have remained in power if she had agreed to surrender the sovereignty of Saint Martin Island and allowed American influence over the Bay of Bengal.
These comments were disclosed in a speech she intended to deliver in India but was forced to abandon due to escalating violence in her home country.
In her undelivered speech, which Hasina had prepared for her visit to India on August 5, the 76-year-old leader described the dire situation in Bangladesh and the difficult choices she faced.
According to media reports, Hasina stated that her resignation was a measure to avoid witnessing further bloodshed, referring to the situation as a “procession of dead bodies.” Her departure from Bangladesh came as violent protests erupted in the country, prompting her to seek refuge abroad.
The former prime minister said she is pained over her party Awami League being targeted but said she “will return to Bangladesh soon“.
She said that she would pray for the future of Bangladesh.
“I resigned so that I did not have to see the procession of dead bodies. They wanted to come to power over the dead bodies of students, but I did not allow it. I resigned from the premiership. I could have remained in power if I had surrendered the sovereignty of Saint Martin Island and allowed America to hold sway over the Bay of Bengal. I beseech to the people of my land, please do not be manipulated by radicals,” her undelivered speech says.
The undelivered speech says, “If I had remained in the country, more lives would have been lost more resources would have been destroyed. I made the extremely difficult decision to exit. I became your leader because you chose me, you were my strength.”
The former Prime Minister’s remarks shed light on the immense political pressure she faced. She suggested that capitulating to international demands regarding territorial and strategic concessions might have allowed her to maintain her position.
The reference to Saint Martin Island and the Bay of Bengal underscores the geopolitical complexities that have influenced Bangladesh’s domestic and foreign policy landscape.
Hasina’s decision to flee was precipitated by the arrival of protesters at her residence, a situation that made it impossible for her to deliver her planned speech.
In May, Hasina had claimed that “conspiracies” were being hatched to topple her government and alleged a “white man’s” plot to carve a new “Christian country” out of Bangladesh.
Hasina had claimed that if she allowed a certain country to build an airbase in Bangladesh, then she would have had no problem.
As Hasina remains in India, the political turmoil in Bangladesh continues, with widespread unrest and challenges to the current administration.
The revelations provide a rare glimpse into the internal and external factors that contributed to her resignation and the intense political climate in Bangladesh during that period.
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