Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen, a staunch critic of communalism, has spoken out against ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina amid student-led protests. She called Sheikh Hasina's decision to flee the country an irony. Nasreen said that Hasina had thrown her out of Bangladesh to "please the Islamists", and "the same Islamists", who were part of the student movement have now forced Hasina to leave the country herself.
In a post on X, she said, "Hasina in order to please Islamists threw me out of my country in 1999 after I entered Bangladesh to see my mother in her deathbed and never allowed me to enter the country again. The same Islamists have been in the student movement who forced Hasina to leave the country today."
Taslima Nasreen had earlier said in a post, accusing Sheikh Hasina of "raising Islamists" and allowing those involved in corruption to flourish. She also spoke against the army rule in her country and advocated democracy. Taslima said that today "Hasina had to resign and leave the country. She was herself responsible for her situation. She allowed Islamists to grow. She allowed her people to get involved in corruption. Now Bangladesh should not become like Pakistan. The army should not rule. Political parties should bring back democracy and secularism.''
It is pertinent to note that Nasreen left Bangladesh in 1994 after fundamentalist organisations threatened to kill her over her book "Lajja". The 1993 book was banned in Bangladesh but became a bestseller elsewhere. Hasina's arch-rival Khaleda Zia was the prime minister at the time.
Sheikh Hasina resigns
Bangladesh witnessed the deadliest violent protest in weeks which led to over 300 casualties, including policemen. On Monday, protesters stormed into the prime minister's residence. Embattled Sheikh Hasina kept herself away from confrontation, resigned from her post and left the country in a military plane. The country's army chief called a press conference a few hours later and announced that an interim government would run the country.
Sheikh Hasina has reached India where she landed at Hindon Air Force base in India, about 30 km from the country's capital Delhi. She is currently in India, as per reports as the Air Force plane has returned to Bangladesh.
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