Sheikh Hasina’s Next Return Will Be More Glorious Than Ever

Bangladesh became independent in 1971 at the cost of a sea of blood. The Pakistan Army and their collaborators, the Razakars and Al-Badrs, carried out indiscriminate genocide in this country. They killed three million people. They killed intellectuals. They turned the entire country into a wasteland of destruction. But they could not defeat the extraordinarily courageous Bengali people. After nine months of bloody war, they were forced to surrender and accept defeat. Even so, their conspiracies did not stop. They continued various acts of sabotage, including secret killings and arson. Eventually came the horrific brutality of 1975. A section of the army joined the conspiracy. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Father of the Nation and architect of independent Bangladesh, was assassinated along with most of his family. Four national leaders who were detained in prison, along with many other leaders and activists, were also killed. Every possible attempt was made to wipe out the Awami League, which had led the Liberation War, and its political tradition.

At a time when the party had lost its direction like a rudderless boat, Bangabandhu’s daughter Sheikh Hasina took an extremely courageous decision. When every positive thought for the country and its people was being crushed under the boots of the military junta, she returned home and took charge of the Awami League. Since then, she has remained committed to a long journey of pursuing the difficult mission of public welfare. She has travelled a long and arduous road. She has faced death repeatedly. Yet she never lost courage. Removing obstacles step by step, she built a strong foundation for democracy for the people of the country. That sacred ground is once again under the control of the defeated forces. The Bangabandhu’s daughter was forced to leave the country. She has been in exile for more than two years. But she has announced that she will return next December. She will confront the forces of evil. If necessary, she will give her life. Once again, it is her infinitely courageous decision.

The ghosts of the defeated forces of 1971 are creating turmoil everywhere. They are unleashing violence. They are celebrating in a frenzy of bloodshed. They are attempting to turn Bangladesh into Pakistan once again. At the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) building, Bangabandhu’s portrait was taken down and a portrait of Pakistan’s founding leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah was put up. All the sculptures commemorating the Liberation War have been destroyed. Liberation War veterans have been made to wear garlands of shoes around their necks. They have been assaulted. Bangabandhu’s house at Dhanmondi 32 was demolished with bulldozers. All of this seems to be following the declaration by the “world swindler” Yunus that he would press the “reset button.” An attempt is under way to erase the glorious history of the Liberation War. But the people of Bengal have not died. Within hours, Jinnah’s portrait was taken down from the DUCSU building and torn apart. It was trampled underfoot.

As part of the activities of domestic reactionary groups and international conspiracies, a “powerful evil force” that has entrenched itself today is weaving one conspiracy after another. It is determined to undermine all the achievements of the Liberation War. Attempts are being made to Pakistanise the country once again. Conspiracies are being hatched against Sheikh Hasina, the Bangladesh Awami League and its leadership; propaganda is being spread, and lies are being manufactured day and night. Attempts are being made to mislead the Bengali people and the people of Bangladesh. We know that they failed in the past, and they will not succeed today either. The wisdom and determination that Sheikh Hasina has demonstrated in Bangladesh’s politics since 1981 can never be defeated. The ideals and commitments she has embraced cannot be defeated.

The contributions of the Awami League and Bangabandhu to Bangladesh’s political and socio-economic progress today are undeniable. So too are the contributions of Bangabandhu’s daughter Sheikh Hasina. She has been at the forefront of many of Bangladesh’s positive transformations. There is no denying that Bangladesh dreams of a better future around her. That is precisely what troubles the enemies of independence. They cannot tolerate Sheikh Hasina, the Bangladesh Awami League, or the Bangladesh that emerged through the Liberation War. That is why this evil force continues attempts to kill Sheikh Hasina. Attempts were made on her life in Chattogram and Kotalipara. On 21 August 2004, a grenade attack was carried out on Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital. Each time, the enemies were defeated by the love of the people of Bengal. Yet conspiracies against her did not stop. The latest attack came in August 2024.

She who is devoted to the “mantra of welfare,” who, in Rabindranath Tagore’s words, carries “the religion of humanity” in her heart, and whose mission is to serve the people—is indeed a child of immortality. By uprooting one and a half decades of misrule under militarism and “curfew democracy,” as well as a decade of misrule in two phases in the name of democracy, she has taken Bangladesh to an unprecedented height today. The determination with which she seeks to realise the secular and democratic political consciousness she upholds leaves us amazed. We witnessed this determination even during the period of the entrenched rule known as One-Eleven. Attempts were made then as well to keep her away from politics. False cases and prolonged imprisonment could not divert her from her goal. Her uncompromising attitude remains intact today. Today’s “meticulously designed” conspiracy too will disappear like camphor.

Rabindranath Tagore wrote: “Man’s responsibility is the responsibility of the great human being; there is no limit. His dwelling is in the field of endless endeavour... A country is not merely geographical; a country is also mental. Through the unity of people with people, this country is created through knowledge and through work... We too have sacrificed the present for the future of the country. We will not personally enjoy that future... Those whose joy, whose hope, whose glory lie in the future are the ones who create human civilisation. Remembering them, humanity has known itself as a child of immortality, understanding that its creation and its character transcend death.” These words of Rabindranath Tagore apply equally to Sheikh Hasina. She has devoted her present to the future of the country. She does not personally seek to enjoy the present. That is why, just as she knows the green landscape of Bengal, the people of Bengal know her. Her deep bond with the Bengali people seems to stretch across generations. She holds a permanent place in the trust and existence of the people of the country. She is always by the side of the people.

When we look at Sheikh Hasina’s personal and family life, we see that the “religion of humanity” has been her mission. Her father, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, has secured a permanent place in the hearts of the Bengali nation as a “universal and timeless human being.” Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of this great human being who devoted his life to the people, has also dedicated herself to their welfare. Born into a political family, she was therefore initiated into the “mantra of welfare” from childhood. Borrowing Rabindranath Tagore’s words, one could say of her that she is “ever established in the hearts of the people.”

Rabindranath Tagore wrote: “Human beings exist with two aspects: one is their individual life, and the other is their universal life. A living being clings to its immediate existence; life revolves around the centre of immediate needs. Within the human being, the existence that has transcended that life exists with an ideal. This ideal is not like food, nor is it like clothing. This ideal is an inner call; this ideal is a profound directive.” It was in response to that inner call and profound directive of her father’s ideals that Bangabandhu’s daughter returned to her ancestral homeland, ignoring the bloodshot gaze of the military junta. She was completely alone—many may have felt so. But the fact that a child of the soil cannot be consumed by loneliness in her own homeland was proven in 1981. At that time, there was a great need for someone who could show the people the way to freedom. That was the only demand of the time. She returned to this desolate Bengal not merely to meet the demands of the time, but to once again show the freedom-loving people the path to liberation. The pull of the soil and the immense love of the people gave her extraordinary courage and strength that day. It was through that strength that she was able to make the decision to defy militarism. That day, the people of Bengal welcomed her through a sea of tears. The vast sea of people made it clear to her that she was not alone. This nation was with her. In response to that love and trust of the nation, she declared that her life was dedicated to ending the suffering of the people of Bengal. That day, she gave herself completely to the nation. By shaking the foundations of “curfew”-controlled democracy, the foundation for a new liberation of the people was laid that day.

After that, during her long political career, she served as Prime Minister five times. She took the country to an unprecedented height. Her patriotism and humanity have received international recognition. In recognition of the international importance of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord, Sheikh Hasina received the UNESCO Peace Prize on 22 September 1999. For her outstanding contribution to agriculture, Sheikh Hasina was awarded the Ceres Medal. UNESCO also honoured her with the Peace Tree Award. Beyond international achievements, her greatest achievement is the trust and love of the people of her country.

But various conspiracies, both domestic and international, have once again blocked her path. In 2024, she was removed from power through a “meticulously designed” conspiracy. She was forced into exile. Meanwhile, continued attempts are being made to sell off the country through various secret and open agreements. Sheikh Hasina had become a target of those who opposed her because she refused to hand over St Martin’s Island, Chattogram Port and a corridor, or to grant unilateral ownership of gas and mineral resources in the Bay of Bengal. Today, Yunus, their favourite, has fulfilled all their demands. The BNP government has given legitimacy to those arrangements. But as long as a Sheikh Hasina remains alive, and as long as the soldiers of Bangabandhu remain alive, none of the conspirators’ dreams will be fulfilled. Not a single inch of Bangladesh’s soil will be handed over to any foreign power. Drawn by the pull of the soil and the people, Sheikh Hasina will return soon. And Sheikh Hasina’s return this time will be even more glorious. Even more radiant.

She is at the forefront of all of Bangladesh’s positive transformations. Bangladesh dreams of a beautiful future around her. She is a symbol of the people’s trust in this country. On her birthday today, we offer her our respectful homage. May she live a long life.

Author: M. Nazrul Islam; President of the All-European Awami League