Published: 01:00 AM, 05 August 2026
Relevance Is the Last Thing Present in Hasina’s Baggage
In a striking display of public fury, thousands breached the fortified perimeter of Gonobhaban on 5 August 2024, carrying off everything from high-end furniture to kitchen provisions as the historic residence fell to demonstrators. - Reuters
Bernard Priyam
In the field of politics, relevance is the first thing you need and maintaining that relevance through the welfare of the people is what we expect from political parties. A political party cannot be run through the dictates of a fugitive leader whose hands are red with the blood of innocent people. There is a striking statement in a book by Mohiuddin Ahmed that Bangladesh is the only country in the world where, while the country was fighting for its independence, the leaders of its major political party, the Awami League, were not fighting in the war. At that time, they were in Kolkata, while Sheikh Mujib was in Pakistan. Later, the Awami League became the party that claimed the achievement of 1971 as its own.
Even today, the situation has not changed. There are millions of Awami League supporters living miserable lives in Bangladesh, while the political big shots are making utopian political promises and attempting to create political chaos in the country.
For instance, an infamous poster has been circulating on social media platforms, including Facebook and X, stating that, after two years, Sheikh Hasina will make her first public appearance in New Delhi on 5 August. The ousted former prime minister will reportedly speak about her plans to return home, as the conference is titled “Sheikh Hasina’s Homecoming” and is being hosted by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia, or FCC South Asia.
The reaction to this announcement can be viewed in two ways. The first is that Awami League supporters are optimistic about the conference and believe that their leader will provide clear instructions regarding her homecoming and the party’s activities. The second view is that the conference will be nothing more than the same vengeance-filled political rhetoric she delivered on 23 January 2026 at an event hosted by the same club.
The second opinion makes more sense. Let me explain why.
Although the listed speakers are presented as being affiliated with human rights organizations, the international reach and influence of these entities appear to be limited. Many of them function more as self-styled advocacy groups than as widely recognized human rights organizations. Similarly, the description of certain individuals as “security analysts” appears largely nominal, with little evidence of substantive professional standing. Aminul Haque, a fugitive former NSI officer who portrays himself as a diplomat, has also reportedly refrained from using his actual professional identity.
Nevertheless, Shakib Al Hasan’s inclusion is likely to generate comparatively greater engagement and visibility on social media, given his considerable public profile and popularity.
Overall, another audio-only appearance by Sheikh Hasina may diminish the novelty and impact of such events, potentially limiting their ability to attract significant attention in the future.
The conference appears to have been organized primarily to maintain political relevance within Bangladesh and to energize party activists and supporters.
Why 5 August?
August has always been a mournful month for the Awami League and its supporters. The events of 5 August 2024 put the final nail in that coffin. Hasina was removed from power after facing an uprising led by Gen Z.
After that, the political equation of the country changed. Sheikh Hasina and her fleet sank deep beneath the sea. The date 5 August holds a special place in the hearts of the people of Bangladesh, and Hasina chose this day to create chaos surrounding such a significant occasion.
The Impact of the Previous Event
On 23 January 2026, Sheikh Hasina addressed an event titled “Save Democracy in Bangladesh” at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in New Delhi through a recorded audio message and a live audio call. She did not appear on video, and her face was not shown during the program.
Western media did not cover the issue. Indian outlets such as Firstpost, News18, India Today, and The Economic Times emphasized the confrontation between Hasina and Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus. Their coverage relied heavily on politically charged expressions while giving less attention to issues of electoral legitimacy, law and order, judicial neutrality, and political inclusion.
Overall, Sheikh Hasina made the address appear more like a personalized attack on Yunus than a comprehensive political statement on Bangladesh’s democratic future.
It felt less like a vision for national recovery and more like a continuation of the politics of resentment that marked her final years in office. Despite the enormous viewership and diverse coverage, the conference failed to produce the political momentum Awami League desperately needed.
India’s Role Cannot Be Ignored
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, suggested that New Delhi maintain a policy of not allowing its soil to be used for political activities against another country.
The committee, in its report on the future of India–Bangladesh relations tabled in Parliament on 30 July, said that Hasina’s stay in India was based on the country’s “civilizational ethos and humanitarian tradition of providing refuge to individuals facing grave crises or existential threats,” according to The Times of India and The Indian Express.
After that, such programs in the heart of Delhi are the least expected from the Indian government.
Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir made the request when Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi paid a courtesy call on him at the Prime Minister’s Office yesterday, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.
In response, Trivedi assured him that the matter would be given due consideration, that India would make the necessary inquiries, and that it would remain attentive to the issue.
Anyone would recognize that these are merely words from a veteran politician presented as a diplomat. The reality is that India is not paying much attention to the request. The bottom line is that a state cannot hope for warmth if it continues to provide shelter to a fugitive who has been charged with genocide.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam said on Monday that Bangladesh remained committed to a forward-looking relationship with India but expected New Delhi to clarify its position on former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s reported virtual appearance on 5 August. When the question concerns such a conference, arranging a programme like this cannot diminish the significance of August.
The Awami League is doing its best to remain relevant in the politics of Bangladesh, although there is nothing new to prove that Hasina and her party became irrelevant in the eyes of the Bangladeshi people long ago. Interviews conducted through email and audio conferences are not what the Awami League should be focusing on.
Bernard Priyam is
a freelancer and
a columnist.
