'Escaped death by 20-25 min...' Sheikh Hasina releases audio clip on her assassination plot

Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has stated that there were plans to kill her and her younger sister, Sheikh Rehana, immediately after she was removed from office last year. In an audio clip released on her political party's Facebook page, the Bangladesh Awami League, the former PM asserted that she narrowly escaped the attack by fleeing just minutes before it was set to occur.

Hasina has been residing in Delhi since she left Dhaka with her sister Rehana on August 5 last year, following her resignation as the Prime Minister.

"Rehana and I survived—we escaped death by just 20-25 minutes," Sheikh Hasina said in the message shared on the Facebook page on Friday.

Last year in August, a student-led movement resulted in the removal of Bangladesh's Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, from office after weeks of protests and violent confrontations that resulted in the death of over 600 individuals. Subsequently, the 76-year-old leader sought refuge in India, leading to the establishment of an interim government helmed by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus.

During a public statement, Sheikh Hasina acknowledged the various threats she had faced in the past, including the events of August 21, 2004, where a grenade attack left her injured and claimed the lives of 24 individuals. She also referenced the Kotalipara bomb conspiracy from July 2000, where explosive devices were discovered at a college she was scheduled to visit.

She said, “I feel it is the will of Allah that I have survived the killings on August 21, the bombing in Kotalipara or surviving on August 5, 2024. Otherwise, I would not have been able to survive.”

“You later saw how they planned to kill me. However, it seems to be a mercy of Allah that I am still alive because Allah wants me to do something more," she said, adding, “I am suffering, I am without my country, without my home, everything has been burned."

The Bangladesh interim government has officially requested India to extradite Hasina by sending a diplomatic note to the Ministry of External Affairs. The Indian foreign ministry has acknowledged receiving a note on this matter, but has chosen not to provide any further comments at this time.

Furthermore, the International Crimes Tribunal for Bangladesh has issued two arrest warrants against Hasina for alleged enforced disappearances during her 15-year rule.