Virginia: Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has sharply criticised Dhaka’s request for her extradition and cautioned India about an escalating terror threat emerging from Bangladesh. Speaking to ANI, Wazed accused the interim government in Dhaka of dismantling judicial safeguards and enabling extremist groups to regain influence.
Wazed thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for granting asylum to his mother, who fled to India in August 2024 after what he described as assassination threats from militant outfits. He insisted that Bangladesh’s extradition demand lacked legitimacy, citing the removal of 17 judges, legal amendments without parliamentary approval, and the exclusion of her defence lawyers from proceedings.
“When there is no due process, no country is going to extradite,” he said, expressing confidence that Indian authorities would reject the request.
Sheikh Hasina, who headed Bangladesh for 15 years, faces several charges in her home country, but Wazed maintains that the interim administration has corrupted the legal process. He described her departure as a life-saving decision facilitated by India, claiming militants had planned to kill her if she remained in Bangladesh.
While acknowledging that the former government mishandled protests in July 2024, Wazed characterised the subsequent political turmoil as a “coordinated coup” rather than a public revolt. He accused the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus of freeing “tens of thousands of terrorists” previously convicted under Hasina’s rule.
He alleged that Lashkar-e-Taiba has begun operating openly in Bangladesh, linking its local networks to recent attacks in Delhi. “Prime Minister Modi is probably extremely concerned about terrorism from Bangladesh,” he said.
Tensions between India and Bangladesh have already been heightened due to issues involving border security and minority rights. Wazed further escalated his claims by accusing Pakistan’s ISI of supplying weapons to armed infiltrators who allegedly joined last year’s protests.
Wazed also referred to recent comments attributed to U.S. President Donald Trump, who reportedly said the Biden administration had spent “millions of dollars” on a regime-change effort in Bangladesh via USAID. While Wazed suggested Trump’s administration is more focused on countering terrorism and rising extremism in Bangladesh, he avoided commenting on any direct communication with Washington.
The ousted leader’s son painted a bleak picture of life under the interim Yunus government, claiming that “tens of thousands” of political detainees remain jailed without trial, including more than 100 former MPs. He questioned the absence of elections, citing polls that show the student-led political movement behind the 2024 protests has only two percent support.
“If Yunus is truly popular, why hasn’t he held even a single election?” he asked.
On allegations of corruption during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure, Wazed admitted corruption existed but argued it was not systemic, pointing to Bangladesh’s economic growth and its progress from least-developed status to a rising “Asian tiger.” He claimed such achievements would have been impossible under widespread corruption.
The interim government in Dhaka has not issued a response to Wazed’s accusations regarding judicial violations, the release of convicted militants, or the number of political prisoners currently held.
