Arafat: Sheikh Hasina’s return will prove she was not a dictator

Staff Correspondent

State Minister and Awami League leader Mohammad Ali Arafat said that Sheikh Hasina’s return will prove that she was not a dictator, but rather was and will remain an elected representative of the people.

He said, “If a dictatorship is overthrown through a mass movement, history bears witness that that ruler never returns. But that does not apply to Sheikh Hasina.”

He said this in a status posted on his verified Facebook account on Sunday.

Arafat said, “Those who call Sheikh Hasina a dictator or want to explain the fall of her government as the result of a mass movement are politically bankrupt. Sheikh Hasina is not a dictator by any definition. There is no question of her being a fascist.”

He also said, “The people of this country want to see Sheikh Hasina as the Prime Minister again. She will return to power through elections. InshaAllah.”

The Awami League leader alleged, “Anti-liberation war circles, radical communal groups and international imperialist powers have conspired and removed Sheikh Hasina from power through cunning tactics. Not through any mass movement.”

Referring to the recently concluded political transition, Arafat said, “Those who are abusing power know that the people’s mandate is in Sheikh Hasina’s favor. Her return will not be revenge, but a victory for truth and democracy.”

At the end of his speech, he said, “He will return, he will return again—InshaAllah. Long live Bangla.”