Former Bangladesh Minister Calls Sheikh Hasina Trial "Scripted" and Warns of Political Crisis

Mohammad Ali Arafat, former information minister of Bangladesh, has denounced the trial against ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as "scripted" and a "sham." Arafat, a close associate of Hasina and Awami League leader, alleges the interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is orchestrating this judicial process.

On Monday, Sheikh Hasina received a death sentence in absentia for her crackdown on student protesters last year. This verdict was delivered by the International Crimes Tribunal, ironically a court that Hasina herself established to prosecute war crimes from Bangladesh's 1971 independence struggle against Pakistan.

In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Arafat stated, "This is a scripted, sham trial... The entire proceeding was controlled by Muhammad Yunus and his administration." He further claimed that Bangladesh has fallen under the control of "jihadists" who are being led by interim chief Yunus.

"The country has gone into the hands of the jihadists, and Yunus is heading them. We have to defeat the entire group with the help of people, politically. Jamaat-e-Islami has infiltrated into administration. They have captured it," Arafat asserted.

He maintained that the Yunus government is "creating narrative and drama to show to the world" through this trial. "At its core, they are trying to radicalise the country. They are trying to turn Bangladesh into East Pakistan. For Yunus to continue to grab his power, he needs support, and he is deriving this from the jihadists," Arafat explained.

Despite criticisms of her governance, 78-year-old Hasina was recognized for economic development, particularly in the garment industry, and praised internationally for sheltering Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. Her downfall came after protests that began over job quotas evolved into a movement demanding her removal.

Arafat warned that the upcoming Bangladesh elections scheduled for February next year are already "rigged" with predetermined outcomes. "Yunus is going ahead with a rigged election. They are blocking not only the Awami League but also other progressive parties. Awami League has more than 20 million active members and is the biggest party in Bangladesh. If you want to suppress this group, there will be a natural ramification. It did not work out in 1971. It will not work out now," he cautioned.

Sheikh Hasina was ousted on August 5 last year and fled to India. Muhammad Yunus subsequently became head of an interim government, vowing to punish Hasina and banning her Awami League party's activities. Yunus has declared that Hasina's party will not be permitted to participate in the February elections.

Born in 1947 in what was then East Pakistan, Hasina, the eldest of five children, earned a degree in Bengali literature from Dhaka University. After exile in India following the 1975 coup that killed her father, she returned in 1981 to lead the Awami League. Together with political rival Khaleda Zia, she helped overthrow military ruler Hossain Mohammad Ershad in 1990.

The relationship between Hasina and Zia deteriorated into a bitter rivalry known as the "battling begums." Hasina first led the Awami League to victory in 1996, serving a five-year term, before regaining power in 2009 and maintaining it until her recent ouster.

Bangladesh has experienced significant political instability since the end of Hasina's rule. According to the United Nations, up to 1,400 people died in crackdowns as Hasina attempted to retain power—deaths that formed a central component of her trial.