Sajid Wazed Joy, son of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has claimed that a foreign intelligence agency was possibly behind the recent protests in Bangladesh, with the ISI particularly suspected to be involved.
Speaking to ANI, he said the unrest was driven by external forces rather than domestic issues and criticised how his mother’s statement was distorted to fuel the protests.
“I now firmly believe that this was all done by a small group and possibly by some foreign intelligence agency. I strongly suspect the ISI.
“There was no reason to continue the protests because the quota was not mandated by our government and was reinstated by a court ruling. Our government removed the quota in or around 2018, when the first quota protests took place,” he said.
He alleged that protesters had distorted Sheikh Hasina’s statement on Razakars, which led to the protests.
“When the protests started they were peaceful. Our police provided security to the protesters. Then they took my mother’s statement in which she said that we don’t want Razakars’ families to get jobs.
They twisted that statement and said my mother said the protesters were Razakars. My mother never said that. But it was spread online. And then, at midnight, some group – nobody knows who did it – marched into Dhaka University shouting slogans, ‘We are Razakars’. And that’s what happened. Other students, especially the Bangladesh Chhatra League, our student supporters and pro-liberation students, got angry.
“They attacked the protesters and that’s how the violence started,” he said. “The police tried to stop the violence and while doing so, some policemen opened fire, which they were not authorised to do. Our government never ordered anyone to attack,” he added.
Our government never ordered the police to use live ammunition. We immediately called our student leaders and said, ‘Stop fighting.’ The fighting stopped. We immediately suspended the police officers who had used excessive force.”
He also questioned the presence of weapons among the protesters and stressed that his mother Sheikh Hasina decided to leave her home to prevent a possible massacre, giving priority to the lives of students.
He said, “They intensified their demands for the government’s resignation. And when they did that, they started attacking the police with firearms. Where did these weapons come from in Bangladesh? How did the students get weapons? So these were not students. This was a mob. This was an insurgency that was instigated to overthrow a democratically elected government.”
“My mother left home even when their security forces were heavily armed and prepared to protect the prime minister’s residence. But if the protesters had marched in hundreds, they would have been killed. It would have been a massacre. And my mother did not want a massacre. That is why she left home,” he said.
“She went out there to protect the lives of the students,” he said.
Wazed said the current interim government of Bangladesh led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is ‘unconstitutional’.
“We want a quick restoration of democracy. Right now, this government is completely unconstitutional. There is no provision for a government elected by a small minority, because Bangladesh has 170 million people, and the 20,000-50,000 protesters are a small part of the minority. Nobody has voted for this government. So whether they are able to restore law and order or not remains to be seen.”
“They have only been in power for less than 24 hours,” he said.
He said, “Seizing power through a coup is one thing; governing is another. They don’t have the voice of the people. Who will listen to them? Right now there are two main political parties in Bangladesh. Whatever you do, if you want democracy with 170 million people… we have 100 million followers. They have not voted for this government or supported it. So how will you govern without their support? I am waiting to see who will listen to this government. Coming to power is one thing. Getting people to follow you is another thing.”
He claimed that within 12 hours of coming to power, the interim government had started making mistakes.
“Within 12 hours they have started making mistakes. They have already announced that elections are not their priority. The priority is to prosecute the previous government to reform the country. But nobody gave them the mandate to reform the country. They don’t have the mandate of the people of Bangladesh. So who will support them? Who will follow their orders?” Wazed said.
He said the Awami League has always protected minorities and pointed out that the last 15 years have been the safest for minorities in Bangladesh. He said the interim government has failed to keep minorities safe as they are trying to flee the country.
He said, “Only one government in the history of Bangladesh has kept the minorities of Bangladesh safe from all militancy and violence. That was the Awami League. The last 15 years was the safest period in the history of Bangladesh for the minorities and Bangladesh itself. And it was also the period of the highest economic growth. Even those who criticize Sheikh Hasina cannot deny this. This unelected government does not have the support of almost the entire population of Bangladesh. Will they be able to keep the minorities safe? The minorities are trying to flee the country. I am worried about them. I want to do whatever I can to keep the minorities safe, restore law and order in Bangladesh and bring back democracy. That is our goal.”
The political situation in Bangladesh has been volatile since Sheikh Hasina resigned from her post on August 5 in the wake of growing protests. The protests began in early July over demands for reforms to the quota system, which reserves civil service jobs for specific groups, including descendants of 1971 war veterans.
The unrest escalated after students protested against a new policy allocating government jobs to descendants of freedom fighters, resulting in violence, including attacks on state television headquarters and police booths in Dhaka.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
