AL leaders want to return on 26 March, in touch with Hasina thru Whatsapp: Indian Express report

Highlights: 

• Senior leaders think they should all go back to Bangladesh on 26 March
• They want India to mobilise opinion in party's favour
• AL leaders maintain contact with Hasina through Whatsapp groups, where she is listed as Apa
• Morale is high among party rank and file, leaders claim
• They say it isn't fair to hold AL accountable for all killings
• They are ready to face the law of the land, once 'rule of law is established'

Having gone underground following the fall of the Awami League government, a number of party leaders – admitting to "some lapses" in governance and politics – now hope to return to the Bangladesh political front.  

Speaking to The Indian Express, former liberation affairs minister Mojammel Haq, 78, said, "Thousands of Awami League workers have been forced out of their homes, they are in hiding, moving from place to place with no money even for food… still, the morale of the rank and file is high and we look to India to mobilise international opinion in the party's favour," he said.

He said that there is a thought among senior leaders that "we should all go back on 26 March which is Bangladesh's Independence Day". 

Nahim Razzaq, a 44-year-old former MP, said almost all bail petitions of Awami League leaders were being rejected.

He said the situation was "dire" and that the Awami League leadership was "helpless" while they remained in hiding.

"As of now, we don't have any judicial rights, no bail is being granted and we know if we return and demand elections, we will all be arrested and put in overflowing jails… the Awami League is ready to sit on the table and talk about elections but there is no environment for it. At present, it is not possible for us to be on the ground and to participate in politics," he said.

Echoing many others, Razzaq said that "robust discussions" were held between Awami League leaders on how the party could be galvanised.

On the method of discussion, many said it was done through Whatsapp groups of 30-40 former MPs and cabinet ministers.

Explaining how the party was functioning to The Indian Express, former MP and party Joint Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim said, "I receive 200-300 calls from workers every day, even while technically I am in hiding. That way the Awami League leaders are in touch with the workers and the workers are in touch with the people. And, yes, once the rule of law is re-established, we will be ready to face the law of the land." 

Hasina listed as 'Apa' on some Whatsapp groups

Several leaders have claimed that Sheikh Hasina – who is now in India – has been regularly connected to party leaders through Whatsapp.

Former MP Pankaj Nath said she was listed as 'Apa' in many Whatsapp groups.

He said Hasina was in most frequent contact with the leadership which had remained in Bangladesh.

"I am also in touch with her…She addresses and joins many WhatsApp groups. What is important for us is that she is increasingly optimistic about the future of the Awami League."

Another former MP, Saifuzzaman Shikhor, said many grassroot workers of the AL were confident that Hasina could be contacted.  
"Even while in exile she remains a mother figure for the workers. And we are all in touch with the workers in our districts and are there to take care of their families. The tragedy is that we are a party of leaders and freedom fighters who have either themselves witnessed the 1971 freedom struggle or their fathers have done so. But today we are all being treated like war criminals. The interim Government wants to press the reset button and erase the past history of Bangladesh. Even the history books are being rewritten."

'Unfair to blame AL for all killings'

Former senior cabinet minister, speaking to The Indian Express, said things were going "terribly wrong" under the interim government.

Haq told The Indian Express that no attempt has been made to recover the thousands of small arms which were looted from the police stations in August 2024. 

"We suspect more arms are coming into Bangladesh via the sea route. Just like Pakistan has become a failed state, there are all-out attempts to turn Bangladesh into a failed state too."

Speaking to The Indian Express on telephone, former MP and Joint Secretary of the AL, Mahbubul Alam Hanif, estimated that there may still be over 3 lakh of their party workers who were in hiding in Bangladesh and scores of leaders in hiding in foreign countries.
He also said it wasn't fair to blame all the unrest and killings on the AL.

"The killings and violence have continued in Bangladesh even after Sheikh Hasina fled from the country. So who is responsible for all this? If she is being made an accused, so should Chief advisor Mohammad Yunus. If she is ready to face trial so should he.''