Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam on Monday said former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would have to go to jail if she returns to the country, amid reports that the exiled leader of the Awami League may return to Dhaka later this year. The remarks came after Hasina said she intended to return to Bangladesh despite the political challenges surrounding her. “Wherever Sheikh Hasina surrenders, whether in India or Bangladesh, she will have to go to jail first,” Shama Obaed Islam said, according to a report by the state-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS).

She added that any action against the former prime minister would be taken according to the existing laws of the country. “If she surrenders, steps will be taken in accordance with the existing law. She will have to go to jail. The law will take its own course,” the state minister said while speaking to reporters. The comments followed an interview in which Sheikh Hasina expressed her intention to return to Bangladesh. In an email interview last month, Hasina said she would come back to her home country despite facing political opposition and challenges.

“Overcoming every obstacle and every conspiracy, I will return to my country this year,” Hasina said in the interview. Hasina has been living in India since August 2024 after her government was removed following weeks of large-scale student-led protests. The unrest brought an end to her more than two-decade-long political dominance as prime minister and forced her to leave Bangladesh. Since her departure, Bangladesh’s interim authorities have taken several steps against the Awami League, including banning the party’s activities. The political future of Hasina and senior Awami League leaders has remained a major issue in the country’s ongoing transition.

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Shama Obaed Islam alleged that Hasina’s statements about returning to Bangladesh were aimed at encouraging Awami League supporters and leaders who had either gone into hiding or left the country following the political upheaval. “The government has nothing to consider regarding the statements of a convicted individual,” Shama said, referring to Hasina’s legal status under the current authorities. The former prime minister and her supporters have rejected allegations against her and maintained that the actions taken against her party are politically motivated.

The Awami League has remained a significant political force in Bangladesh for decades, but its future role has become uncertain after the 2024 protests and subsequent government changes. The latest remarks from the foreign affairs ministry highlight the continuing political tensions between Hasina’s supporters and Bangladesh’s current administration. Any possible return of the former prime minister is expected to become a major political development, with legal proceedings and questions over accountability likely to remain central issues. As Bangladesh moves through a period of political transition, Sheikh Hasina’s potential return could further intensify debates over governance, justice and the future direction of the country’s political landscape.

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