Awami League President Sheikh Hasina’s Speech at the International Strategic Dialogue- “Reinventing Bangladesh: A World Crisis to Overcome

Distinguished guests, respected participants, Ladies and Gentleman, a very good day to you. I thank you for having me in this July gathering.

Bangladesh, a peaceful moderate Muslim country, is on the verge of crumbling. It became the 35th largest economy in the world from no-where in just 15 years rule of Bangladesh Awami League. The Yunus-led illegal government destroyed the achievements just in one year.

I pay my deep homage to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, other slain national leaders and 3 million martyrs of our war of liberation. I recall with profound respect those who extended their support to our struggle to free Bangladesh from the occupation of the Pakistani forces. Although Bangladesh earned its independence through huge bloodbath, its democratic and development journey was not smooth, rather treacherous and thorny. On August 15, 1975, I lost my whole family, my father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, my mother, my 3 brothers, 2 sister-in-laws; a total of 18 members of my family was brutally assassinated. My sister and I survived the carnage as we were in Germany.

Since 1975 we were in exile for 6 years. When I returned to y home, Bangladesh, all the killers of my family were present there and were given immunity. I had no right to ask for justice. All the war criminals were released from the jail.

Under those circumstances I returned home to serve my people in 1981. In my absentia, Bangladesh Awami League elected me as President. Although I can tell you honestly, that I was not ready to become President but it was my party people’s desire and I thought that my father and my family sacrificed their life for this nation and it was my responsibility to fulfill my father’s dream.

For a long time, the country was ruled my military dictator. Power changed not through democratic process but through coup and counter-coup. That was the situation. So my aim was to establish democracy, regional harmony and economic emancipation of our people which was my father’s aim. He wanted to establish Bangladesh as a poverty free, prosperous country for our people.

The Awami League believes in secularism, non-communal politics, democracy, and equal citizenship. Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman founded Bangladesh as a homeland for all people: Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, indigenous communities, and every citizen. After 21 years, in 1996, we formed Government for the first time. I tried my best to assist our people. I increased food production and Bangladesh became self-sufficient in food. We increased our electricity and for healthcare and education we took many steps. It was my conviction that I will do something for my people. At the end of our five-year term in 2001, Bangladesh attained sufficiency in food production, power generation increased to 4300 MW and literacy rate to 65.5%. Other socio-economic indicators marked huge improvement. But in 2001 elections, I could not come to power for a second time.

Between 2001 and 2006, under the BNP-Jamaat government, Bangladesh became a breeding ground for terrorism and violent religious extremism. Harkat-ul-Jihad, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, and other extremist networks gained space, shelter, and confidence. It conflicted with our ideology of Bangladesh’s war of liberation.

When the Awami League came to power through the people’s mandate after 8 years, in the 2008 election, we formed the government in 2009 and made counterterrorism a national priority. We enacted the Anti-Terrorism Act in 2009, strengthened the legal framework against terrorist financing, money laundering, militant recruitment, and extremist networks. Institutions were built, like Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit, Anti-Terrorism Unit, Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit and others. We improved intelligence coordination, developed the capacity of law enforcement agencies, formed national coordination structures on militancy prevention and created anti-terrorism tribunals. We worked with religious scholars, teachers, families, young people, and community leaders and understood that terrorism cannot be defeated by force alone. It must also be defeated through education, social awareness, religious counter-narratives, financial control, cyber monitoring and community resilience.

In July-August 2024, Bangladesh entered a dangerous phase. An elected government was overthrown through a meticulously designed movement by Muhammad Yunus, which was carried out under the cover of the quota issue. They used violent extremists who were active participants, organisers, and beneficiaries.

460 Police stations were burned down by these outlaws leading to a collapse in Law enforcement in many places. Police were brutally murdered and hanged from over-bridges.

Prisons were attacked. Convicted and accused militants escaped or were released on bail. All the terrorists, killers, those who were in jail were released like the leaders of banned terrorist organisations Ansarullah Bangla Team, Hizb ut Tahrir, Harkat ul Jihad and Jammat ul Mujahideen Bangladesh.

Religious institutions of Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, Ahmaddiyas and Sufi shrines and dargahs and other minority religious sects, socio-cultural institutions were attacked and destroyed. Not only institutions but people were also not spared. This was an assault on the historic religious harmony of Bangladesh.

Extremist leaders began to reappear in public life.  Their logic was brutal: create dead bodies, create outrage, and the government will fall. Dr Yunus, Tarique Rahman and Jamaat pursued the movement with that objective. It was a meticulously designed operation, not a spontaneous student protest.

On 18 July, I formed a Judicial Inquiry Commission to investigate every death, every bullet fired and every act of violence and arsenal. There is a question, if Dr Yunus and his regime truly wanted justice, why did they suspend that inquiry? Why were they afraid of an independent investigation? Those who committed the real killings have been protected by the Interim Government. They were given indemnity. That indemnity itself tells the truth. If they had committed no crime, why did they need immunity? Giving them protection only proves who the real killers were. Tarique Rahman continues what his predecessor had started and denies the victims justice.   

Since August 2024, there is no law and order in the state. A former Chief Justice was implicated in false cases, handcuffed and taken to prison. The Chief Justice and other judges were attacked with machetes, Chinese axes, sticks and firearms and forced to resign.

You can imagine in a country where lawyers, journalists, cultural activists and my party Bangladesh Awami League activists have been beaten to death, hacked with sharp weapons, arrested, tortured; Women and girls have also been raped and killed, an environment of terror has been unleashed.

A country that we developed from 2009 achieved graduation to a developing country in 2021. We improved our people’s lives. The poverty level reduced to 18.7% and the extreme poverty level reduced to 5.6%. Our people actually used to live a peaceful, secure, and prosperous life. Unfortunately, within these last two years, economically, this country has been shattered, and all the achievements have been destroyed. Poverty has been increasing; now people’s lives are in danger, and they have no security in their homes or on the streets. But those who are in power are enjoying the power, making money, and they don’t bother about people. Even 100s of children died because they couldn’t get their vaccine.

My message today is simple. Bangladesh does not need reinvention through extremism, violence, or the destruction of its secular foundation. Bangladesh must be restored through democracy, constitutional order, religious harmony, development, and security. A stable and democratic Bangladesh is good for South Asia and the world. A secular and peaceful Bangladesh is essential for global security.

Thank you very much.

Joi Bangla

Joi Bangabandhu