Kolkata | Ousted former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina has said her return home hinges on the restoration of "participatory democracy", lifting of the ban on the Awami League and the conduct of free, fair and inclusive elections.

In an exclusive email interview to PTI from an undisclosed location in India, Hasina also accused the unelected Yunus administration of "endangering ties with India and empowering extremist forces".

Contrasting her foreign policy with that of the current interim government, she said the “broad and deep” relationship between Dhaka and New Delhi should be able to withstand the "foolhardiness of the Yunus interlude”.

Hasina thanked the Indian government for providing her refuge and said she was “immensely grateful to India's government and its people for their kind hospitality”.

“The most important condition for my return to Bangladesh is the same condition that the Bangladeshi people require: a return to participatory democracy. The interim administration must rescind its ban on the Awami League and allow elections that are free, fair, and inclusive," she told PTI.

Hasina, Bangladesh's longest-serving prime minister, left the country on August 5, 2024, after weeks of violent anti-government protests. The massive agitation forced her resignation and eventual move to India, paving the way for the Yunus-led interim administration.

Asked whether her government mishandled the protests, the 78-year-old leader said, "Obviously, we lost control of the situation and that was regrettable." "There are many lessons to be learned from these terrible incidents, but in my view, some of the responsibility is also on the so-called student leaders (actually seasoned political firebrands) who whipped up the crowds." Hasina also rejected reports that she had called for a boycott of the polls, scheduled for February next year, and insisted that any election excluding the Awami League would lack legitimacy.

“Tens of millions of people support us...That would be a huge missed opportunity for our country, which badly needs a government ruling with the people's genuine consent. I hope this foolish ban will be rescinded...Whether in government or in opposition, the Awami League needs to be part of the political conversation in Bangladesh," she said.

Asserting that India has “always been Bangladesh's most important international relationship”, Hasina accused the interim government under Yunus of jeopardising ties with New Delhi through what she called “foolish and self-defeating” diplomatic missteps.

“Yunus' hostility to India is foolish and self-defeating in the extreme and reveals him for the weak monarch he is, unelected, chaotic, and dependent upon the support of extremists,” she alleged. “I hope he doesn't make too many more diplomatic missteps before exiting the stage.” To Indians worried about the current hostile environment in Bangladesh, Hasina offered reassurance, “The interim government doesn't represent what our countrymen and women think. India is and will remain our nation's most important friend.” Hasina also said she was prepared to stand trial under international supervision “even at the International Criminal Court” but alleged that Yunus has avoided such a process because an impartial tribunal would acquit her.

“I have repeatedly challenged Yunus' government to prosecute me in the International Criminal Court, if it is so confident of its case. Yunus continues to duck this challenge because he knows that the ICC, a genuinely impartial tribunal, would certainly acquit me,” she said.

She dismissed Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal, which has initiated proceedings against her and where prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, as “a kangaroo tribunal” controlled by her political opponents.

“They are trying to neutralise both me and the Awami League as political forces. The fact that they would use the death penalty to suppress their opponents reveals how little respect they have for democracy or due process,” she alleged.

According to Hasina, Yunus enjoyed “at least the passive support of some western liberals” who wrongly thought he was one of them.

“Now that they have seen him place radicals into his cabinet, discriminate against minorities, and dismantle the constitution, hopefully they are withdrawing their support,” she said.