NEW DELHI: Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will return to her country once the new caretaker government announced elections schedule, her son said. However, it remains unclear whether she will run for office.
Hasina fled to neighboring India on Monday following weeks of deadly protests that compelled her to step down. A caretaker government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus was sworn-in on Thursday tasked to oversee the upcoming elections.
In an interview with the Times of India, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, who is currently based in the US, stated, “For now, she (Hasina) is in India. She will return to Bangladesh as soon as the interim government decides to hold elections.” He did not clarify if Hasina, 76, intends to run for election, noting, “My mother had planned to retire from politics after this term.”
Joy also shared his personal perspective, saying, “I had no political ambitions and was settled in the US. However, recent events in Bangladesh have created a leadership vacuum, compelling me to become actively involved for the sake of the party. I am now at the forefront.”
Hasina’s Awami League party is not represented in the interim government, following a student-led uprising against her long-standing rule, which resulted in approximately 300 deaths and thousands of injuries across the nation.
Currently, Hasina is staying in a secure location in New Delhi. There have been reports suggesting she might seek asylum in Britain, though the British Home Office has not confirmed this. India’s foreign minister revealed that he discussed the situation with his British counterpart but did not provide further details.
