Sajib Wazed Joy, the son of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, on Monday said that his mother will not return to politics. In an interview with BBC World Services, Joy, who previously served as an advisor to his mother, revealed that she left the country due to security concerns at the request of her family. Hasina (76) had resigned amid massive protests against her government and departed for London.
Joy emphasized that there would be no political comeback for his mother. He mentioned that Hasina had been considering resignation since Sunday and finally left Bangladesh at the behest of her family. According to Joy, his mother was disheartened by the protests against her government despite her efforts to transform the country.
He expressed her disappointment, saying, “She changed Bangladesh. When she took power, it was considered a failed state. But today, it’s considered one of the emerging countries in Asia. She’s very disappointed.”
Violent clashes erupted in various parts of Bangladesh on Sunday between protesters demanding Hasina’s resignation and supporters of the ruling Awami League. This followed deadly clashes between police and mostly student protesters that resulted in over 200 deaths.
At least 300 people have been killed in the country within the past fortnight. Joy defended the government’s actions, saying, “Police officers were beaten to death, 13 just yesterday. What do you expect from the police when the crowd is killing people?