Dhaka: Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, facing a death sentence back home where her party is banned, told Reuters she and senior party colleagues plan to return from exile in India around December and surrender.
The South Asian nation’s longest-serving leader said she and members of her Awami League aim to return voluntarily to the country they fled two years ago and present themselves in court, testing Bangladesh’s handling of its most prominent political opponent.
A return could sharpen political divisions in the garment-export powerhouse as the government in Dhaka seeks to restore stability after two years of upheaval. On the other hand, it could improve strained ties with India, which deteriorated sharply after New Delhi gave her refuge.
Hasina, who has fielded written questions from news outlets but not previously given an interview during her exile, said she has not consulted with any foreign government on whether or when to return.
This is the first time she has set out a timetable for her return, said she plans to surrender or said other exiled Awami League leaders would do so. Among them, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal also faces a death sentence. Reuters could not contact the other party members or establish where they were.
The authorities in Dhaka “want to take me back, they are repeatedly sending letters to India seeking to have me sent back”, she said. “I will go myself.”
Spokespeople for the Bangladesh government did not respond to requests for comment on Hasina’s remarks.
India’s foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment. In April, the ministry said it was examining Bangladesh’s request to extradite her and that it wanted to “engage constructively with the new government and further strengthen bilateral ties”.
