Bangladesh may become another Pakistan, a major source of terrorist recruitment: Sheikh Hasina’s son warns India

Sajeeb Wazed Joy, the son of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, spoke virtually on 5 August. He addressed the Foreign Correspondents' Club in New Delhi. He spoke from Maryland in the United States.

First, Wazed questioned discrepancies in reported death tolls from the July-August 2024 unrest in Bangladesh. He compared UN figures with Bangladeshi government numbers. The UN cited around 1,400 deaths, he said. The government's figure stood at roughly 800, he claimed.

He asked where the additional 600 names came from. His party had written to the UN repeatedly, he said. However, no names had been provided so far, he claimed.

Wazed also argued the UN's count of the unrest was incomplete. He said it only covered events until 15 August 2024. Violence in Bangladesh continued beyond that date, he alleged.

He then raised concerns about an indemnity ordinance passed in Bangladesh. This was introduced under Muhammad Yunus's interim administration, he said. It granted blanket immunity to protesters, he claimed. This covered killings of civilians and police officers during the unrest.

He said the ordinance also protected those who killed Awami League members. The current BNP government later ratified this ordinance into law, he alleged. This meant police killings from the unrest could not be prosecuted, he argued.

"Today, the BNP government that is in power has ratified this ordinance and turned it into law, which means that none of the police killings can be prosecuted. So, my question to you is this: Are killings okay? Are killings acceptable?” he asked.

Wazed questioned the fairness of assigning blame for the unrest under these conditions. He asked whether such killings were considered acceptable.

Concern for India

Sajeeb Wazed then raised a striking concern about Bangladesh's security situation. He warned that Bangladesh could resemble Pakistan. This posed risks along India's eastern border, he said.

“What should concern India most is that Bangladesh risks becoming another Pakistan on India’s eastern front. Today, India faces another potential security challenge along its eastern border,” Sheikh Hasina's son said.

He claimed foreign intelligence agencies were operating freely inside Bangladesh. He specifically named Pakistan's ISI in this context. Convicted militants had reportedly been released in Bangladesh, he alleged.

“Hizb ut-Tahrir now holds public marches while individuals identified as Al-Qaeda operatives have addressed public rallies. This is the situation unfolding in Bangladesh, and it has serious implications not only for India but for the wider world,” he added.

“Unless these developments are checked, Bangladesh could become a major source of future terrorist recruitment and activity,” Sajeeb said.