Hasina's Bangladesh return: How it will unfold is unknown, how it will end is known
When Sheikh Hasina landed at the airport in Dhaka, there was no relative to receive her. But, as she would recount years later, she "received
When Sheikh Hasina landed at the airport in Dhaka, there was no relative to receive her. But, as she would recount years later, she "received the love of millions of people." That was May 17, 1981. Hasina had taken an Indian Airlines flight to return to Bangladesh, ending six years of political exile in India. History has placed Hasina at the same crossroads, after 45 years. When Hasina returns to Bangladesh this time, it will be something no other political leader has attempted, and will be a victory in itself. Read Full Story Hasina's second exile in India began exactly two years ago — on August 5, 2024. Then the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, she got just two hours to pack up and take a helicopter as a murderous mob of tens of thousands marched towards her official residence in Dhaka. She didn't even get the time to record a departing message for her people. On Wednesday, the second anniversary of her exile in India, Hasina is set to make her "first public appearance", addressing the media via video in the evening. There's a gag on the Bangladeshi media from airing her speech, but in the age of social media, such bans have the lifespan of a bubble. These two years, living in a safehouse in New Delhi, Hasina hasn't held any public meetings or given any video interviews. Most of her media interactions have been via emails. In recent interviews, Hasina has expressed her resolve to return to Bangladesh by the end of this year. The return of the 78-year-old leader is crucial for the Awami League(AL), a party co-founded by her father and leader of the 1971 liberation movement, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The AL, which commands loyalty of around 40% of the country's voter base, is believed to imbibe the foundational ethos of Bangladesh. It is that principle for which hundreds of thousands of Muktijoddhas sacrificed their lives during the Liberation War of 1971. The assassination of Mujib on August 15, 1975, by members of the army is considered a murder attempt on the AL itself. However, being a mass people's party, the AL was revived after Hasina returned in 1981. But Hasina's fleeing Dhaka on August 5, 2024, is akin to a political suicide on behalf of the AL.
As protesters closed in on Dhaka's Gonobhaban on August 5, 2024, Sheikh Hasina resigned and left Bangladesh without getting to record the farewell address she had wanted. (Image: Social Media) The electoral process is the lifeblood of any political party, and the Awami League was barred from the general election that was held in February this year. However, more than the ban, it was Hasina's escape, amid allegations of having ordered a massacre, that dealt the party a body blow. It is only in the return of its netri (leader) that the Awami League will find its redemption. WHY SHEIKH HASINA'S RETURN TO BANGLADESH WILL BE HISTORIC "I may be killed. I may be arrested. I may be sent to prison," Hasina told news agency AFP in July. "I am fully aware of my fate. Still, I want to go back because my people are calling me," she said in the email interview. In November 2025, Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) sentenced Hasina to death in a trial held in absentia. She was accused of orchestrating the killing of 1,400 protesters during the agitation in July-August 2024. India Today Digital has reported how the anti-Hasina agitation, which began as an anti-quota protest, was hijacked by political elements and Islamic fundamentalist forces. Hasina's return will be unique because no political leader facing a death sentence has willingly returned to their native country from exile. What is also spectacular is that Hasina will be returning without any known sovereign pledges or guarantees. However, like Hasina, the government of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman seems prepared for her return. "She [Sheikh Hasina] says she will come. So let her come; we are ready," Zahed Ur Rahman, Tarique's adviser for information and broadcasting, was quoted as saying by Dhaka-based news outlet, Prothom Alo, on Tuesday. The PM's aide said that Hasina will be arrested the moment she sets foot in the country. A vandalised mural of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka after her 2024 ouster. (Image: AFP/Getty) A FATHER'S DAUGHTER: HASINA WILL BE WALKING IN MUJIB'S FOOTSTEPS Will Hasina be arrested? Hasina has been arrested earlier too, and she might emerge as a bigger hero from jail just like her father did. Mujibur Rahman was jailed by Pakistani President Yahya Khan in March 1971 and a military tribunal handed him the death sentence for waging war against Pakistan.
The BriefWire