Exiled Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Vows to Return to Bangladesh in December ‘At Any Cost’

DHAKA : Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has reiterated her determination to return to the country from India in December, saying she is prepared to face any consequences, including arrest, imprisonment or death.

In an email interview with the Associated Press (AP), Hasina alleged that at least 20,000 members of her Awami League party had been killed since August 2024, following her ouster from power. She also claimed that thousands of others had been arrested, tortured or forced into hiding, while many party supporters had lost their homes, businesses and livelihoods because of their political affiliations.

“If death is my destiny, I would rather die on the soil of my own country, among my own people,” Hasina told AP, stressing that her decision to return had not changed.

Hasina, who served as prime minister from 2009 to 2024, fled to India in August 2024 after a student-led mass uprising forced her from power. She has remained there ever since.