India Saved My Mother's Life: Sheikh Hasina's Son

In an interview with ANI, Sajeeb Wazed Joy—speaking since his mother was flown to India in August 2024—expressed deep gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for granting her asylum, claiming militants had planned to assassinate her.

Wazed rejected the legitimacy of Bangladesh’s extradition request, alleging widespread violations of judicial norms in the cases against his mother.

"They terminated 17 judges before the trial, amended laws illegally without parliamentary approval, and barred her defence attorneys from court proceedings," he said. "When there is no due process whatsoever, no country is going to extradite."

He said he was confident Indian authorities would reject the request, citing Dhaka’s lack of proper legal procedures.

The ousted Prime Minister faces multiple charges related to her 15-year tenure, but Wazed insists the judicial process has been fundamentally compromised by the interim government.

Explaining the circumstances around her departure, Wazed credited India with saving her life.
"India has essentially saved my mother's life. If she hadn't left Bangladesh, the militants had planned on killing her," he said.

While acknowledging that his government mishandled initial protests in July 2024, Wazed described the subsequent turmoil as an orchestrated "political coup" rather than a spontaneous uprising.

In claims likely to concern Indian security agencies, Wazed alleged that the interim Yunus government has released "tens of thousands of terrorists" previously convicted under Sheikh Hasina's rule.

He claimed that Lashkar-e-Taiba is now operating freely in Bangladesh, alleging links between its local units and recent terror attacks in Delhi.

"I think Prime Minister Modi is probably very, very concerned about terrorism from Bangladesh," he said, directly linking political upheaval in Dhaka to India’s security concerns.

Relations between the two neighbours are already strained over minority rights issues and border security.

Escalating his charges further, Wazed accused Pakistan's intelligence agency of arming militants who infiltrated last year’s protests. He cited video evidence of armed demonstrators and said: "Without a doubt, these weapons had to have been supplied from somewhere in the subcontinent and the only possible source is ISI."

He also referred to comments by US President Donald Trump, who allegedly said the previous Biden administration spent "millions of dollars on regime change in Bangladesh" through USAID funding.

Wazed suggested the Trump administration appeared "more concerned about the threat of terrorism and the rise of Islamism in Bangladesh" than its predecessor, though he declined to confirm any direct contact with current US officials.

He painted a grim picture of conditions under the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, claiming "tens of thousands of political prisoners" remain jailed without trial.

"You've had an unelected government staying in power for over a year and a half. Everything has been done undemocratically," he said, adding that more than 100 former members of parliament are among those detained.

The interim administration has defended its prolonged tenure as necessary for reforms following what it calls years of authoritarian rule, though it has not announced a timeline for elections.

Challenging the government’s legitimacy, Wazed questioned why elections have not been held if Yunus enjoys genuine public support. He cited polling data showing the student movement's political party receiving only 2 per cent backing.

"If Muhammad Yunus was popular, then why would he not have held one election and then run the country with legitimacy?" he asked.

Responding to allegations of corruption in his mother’s government, Wazed conceded that corruption existed but argued Bangladesh had improved significantly under her leadership.

He highlighted the country’s graduation from least developed country status and its recognition as a potential "Asian tiger" as evidence that corruption had not been systemic.
"This level of development and economic growth would not have been possible with major corruption," he said.

The interim government has yet to respond to Wazed’s allegations about judicial abuses, the release of convicted terrorists, or the number of political prisoners currently detained.