New Delhi [India], August 5 (ANI): Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed on Wednesday said that “Bangladesh has become another Pakistan on India’s eastern front”, and raised concerns over the role of foreign intelligence agencies in Bangladesh.
Speaking ahead of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s virtual address at an event hosted by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC) of South Asia here, Wazed also questioned the death toll reported in connection with the July-August 2024 protests in Bangladesh, pointing to differences between figures cited by the United Nations and those cited by the previous administration headed by Muhammad Yunus.
“First of all, you have heard again and again about the deaths during July on this protest of 2024. You have various counts on the numbers. You have the UN number of 1,400, whereas the government number is 800-something. Who are these additional 600 people? Where did the UN get those names?” he asked.
“Our party has written to the UN. Our lawyers have written to the UN again and again. And today the UN has not provided any names,” Wazed added.
He alleged that the UN’s assessment covered only the period up to August 15, 2024, while noting that deaths continued beyond that date. “But more importantly, the UN only covers a period up to August 15 of 2024, but we know that the deaths continue, and what is most alarming, and this is something that I believe that the press, the international press, should really, really pay attention to,” he said.
Wazed also criticised the Yunus-led interim government, which has been replaced by Tarique Rahman government, over what “blanket immunity” for protesters accused of killings.
“You see, the Yunus regime, one of the first things they did was pass an ordinance which became law, called the Indemnity Bill, indemnifying all the protesters, everyone, blanket immunity, protecting them from any prosecution for any killings, that includes killings of civilians, that includes killings of our party members, and that includes killings of police officers,” he said.
“This is unprecedented. How can you have blanket legal protection for killings by anyone, especially killing the police officers? This is unprecedented. This is completely against all human rights, against all norms of decency,” he added.
Wazed alleged that tens of thousands of people have been jailed since August 2024, including Awami League members and leaders, and that that many were being held “without trial, due process or bail”.
“Secondly, what you have had since August of 2024, you have had tens of thousands of people behind bars, which are all now, on one hand, most of them, many of them are Awami members and leaders. Most of them are being held without any trial, without any due process, without any bail. Many of them are elderly in their 80s. Their health is failing. Many of them have died in police custody,” he alleged.
Turning to India’s security concerns, Wazed said, “What should concern India most is that Bangladesh has become another Pakistan on India’s eastern front. You have another Pakistan today on your eastern front.”
“Foreign intelligence service, especially ISI [Inter-Services Intelligence], has an open hand,” he added.
Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power in Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, following a student-led protest. She came to India and has stayed here.
Muhammad Yunus took charge of the interim government as Chief Adviser before elections took place in February this year.
India said earlier that it had nothing to do with Sheikh Hasina’s press conference.
“The interaction you refer to is being organised by a private media entity. The government has no involvement whatsoever in it. Neither does it endorse any views that may be expressed at the forum,” MEA Spokesperson Randhi Jaiswal said yesterday at the regular media briefing. (ANI)