‘US Deep State Plot, St Martin-Chittagong Deal & Rising Terror Threat’: Three Alarms From Sheikh Hasina’s Deputy In First Post-Verdict Interview

New Delhi: In an exclusive interview to Republic on Tuesday, 18 hours after the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) sentenced him and ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death in the 2024 student uprising case, former Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal called the verdict “planned, biased and invalid”.

Speaking on camera for the first time since the August 5, 2024 uprising, Khan, who is long considered Hasina’s most trusted lieutenant, broke a year-long silence from an undisclosed international location. This is his first public appearance in 12 months and comes barely 18 hours after ICT handed him the capital punishment.

Khan, who fled Bangladesh following the violence that toppled the Hasina government, accused the Tribunal of being biased, alleging that the process had been captured by elements aligned with former Jamaat-e-Islami leadership.

“We knew this verdict was coming. This was a planned one. We were ready to hear this. Who ran this court? Former Jamaat-e-Islami leadership is managing everything. They appointed the people, they appointed the leaders… So what verdict will come? We knew it,” Khan said.

In a startling assertion, he recalled the message Pakistan issued shortly after the August 5 uprising. “After August 5, the Pakistani government announced that they had taken revenge for 1971. So, it is clear,” the former Bangladesh Home Minister said.

When asked whether he considered the Tribunal illegitimate, Khan said, “It is invalid. Why was this court formed? Why put charges against us? We are freedom fighters. Sheikh Hasina, our Honourable Prime Minister, is the daughter of the Father of the Nation. We fought Pakistan. We fought against Jamaat-e-Islami’s Al-Badar and Razakar Bahini. They were the people who burned our villages and raped our women. People have not forgotten this. They are now taking revenge.”

Khan alleged that elements aligned with the same groups dismantled the Awami League government and orchestrated the purge that has now driven him and Hasina into exile.

In one of the most explosive segments of the interview, Republic asked if the US deep state and Muhammad Yunus, who heads the Bangladesh interim government, influenced the events that forced him out, particularly regarding the strategic St Martin’s Island and Chittagong port.

To this, Khan replied, “Our Honourable Prime Minister had clearly mentioned that if I had given them St Martin and the Chittagong port, then no action, nothing, would come to me.”

The remark marks the first public suggestion by a senior Hasina aide that refusal to concede strategic assets triggered a geopolitical backlash.

‘Yunus Regime Biggest National Security Threat’

Saying that Bangladesh had now become a hub of terrorism, the former Bangladesh Home Minister told India to stay alert. In a direct warning to New Delhi, Khan said, “During the Hasina regime, the government had cooperated extensively with India on counter-terrorism and extradition matters,” signalling that those channels no longer functioned effectively.

Highlighting that had he given away strategic St Martin and the Chittagong port, nothing would have happened, he called the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government the biggest national security threat under the current scenario.

The Death Sentence & Tribunal Controversy

The ICT’s verdict on Monday charged Hasina and Khan with multiple counts linked to the August 2024 crackdown, mass casualties during the uprising and alleged abuse of power.

In its findings, the Tribunal observed, “Several violations were committed against protesters… 1,400 people were killed, the highest such casualty figure ever recorded under a UN-standard investigation… The events saddened the heart of Bangladesh and the world… Hasina stands accused, and now convicted, of crimes against humanity.” The Tribunal ruled that the atrocities were widespread, systematic and coordinated, targeting unarmed student protesters across the nation.

The Tribunal delivered a scathing breakdown of Hasina’s actions:

1. Incitement:  “Accused Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina committed crimes against humanity by her incitement order and failure to take preventive and punitive measures under Charge 1.”
2. Order to Kill: Hasina ordered the use of drones, helicopters and lethal weapons on students. “Accused Sheikh Hasina committed one count of crimes against humanity by ordering the use of drones, helicopters and lethal weapons under Charge 2.”
3. Failure to Prevent Atrocities: She failed to prevent or punish those committing atrocities, despite full command responsibility.

The Tribunal declared, “In view of this havoc, Sheikh Hasina is found guilty on all three grounds.” The Tribunal added that Sheikh Hasina had been convicted for using drones for crimes, directing operations that killed people, incitement, abetment, conspiracy and failure to prevent atrocities.

Convicting Khan, the Tribunal said the former Home Minister had jointly planned and executed shootings, drone operations and coordinated attacks.

With several Awami League ministers still in hiding, Khan hinted that more exiled leaders may soon speak out. For now, his message is unequivocal, “The ICT verdict is pre-decided, the uprising was engineered, and Bangladesh is sliding into terror hands.”

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