Staff Reporter :
The White House has outright rejected the allegations of US government’s involvement in ousting Sheikh Hasina, the former prime minister of Bangladesh and her government, in which the student-public rose against that administration.
Refuting all the reports and rumours, the White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean Pierre, in a media briefing on Monday (local time) said, “So, we have had no involvement at all. Any reports or rumours that the United States government was involved in these – in these events is simply, simply false. That is not true.”
Drawing attention to the Press Secretary, a journalist asked that the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has reported to allies that she was thrown out – or forced to be out of power because U.S. wanted to have one of the islands given to them – one of the Bangladeshi islands given to the United States of America. And since – because they didn’t agree to it, she was asked – she was forced to resign.
Responding to this question, Jean Pierre said, “This is a choice for and by the Bangladeshi people. We believe that the Bangladeshi people should determine the future of the Bangladeshi government, and that’s where we stand. Any allegations, certainly, we will continue to say, and I have said here, is simply not true.”
Last Sunday, several Indian news outlets, including The Print, reported a statement attributed to Sheikh Hasina, claiming that she was ousted from power because she refused to give up St. Martin’s Island. She also suggested that the United States was behind this.
However, Sheikh Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, issued a statement from his verified account at 11:55 PM on Sunday night. He wrote, “A statement regarding my mother’s resignation has been published in the media, which is completely false and fabricated. I just spoke with her (Sheikh Hasina) and confirmed it. She has not issued any statement either before leaving Dhaka or after leaving Dhaka.”
In a recent interview with ANI, Michael Kugelman, a US-based foreign policy expert and Director of the South Asia Institute at The Wilson Center, dismissed allegations of foreign interference in the mass uprising that led to Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, stating that he had not seen any “plausible evidence” to support these claims.
Kugelman observed that the harsh crackdown by Sheikh Hasina’s government on protesters intensified the movement.
“My view is straightforward. I see this as a crisis fueled entirely by internal factors-students who were discontented with a specific issue, particularly job quotas they opposed, and their concerns about the government. The severe crackdown by Sheikh Hasina’s government on these students then transformed the movement into something much larger. This was purely driven by internal dynamics,” Kugelman stated.
Kugelman also dismissed the allegations made by Sheikh Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, who claimed that foreign interference was behind the protests, asserting that the unrest was driven by “internal factors.”
“When it comes to conspiracy theories involving foreign influence, it’s impossible to completely disprove such claims, just as it’s difficult to conclusively prove them. The responsibility lies with those making the allegations to provide a plausible explanation for their validity. So far, I haven’t heard that from Sheikh Hasina’s son or anyone else,” Kugelman added.
Meanwhile, addressing the protests outside the White House over the recent attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in the same briefing stated that the US will continue to monitor the situation closely.
“We’re going to continue, certainly, to monitor the situation. But when it comes to any type of human rights issues here, the president is always – has been very consistent in speaking loud and clear in public and also privately. He’ll continue to do that, but don’t have any specific engagement to speak to at this time,” she added.
Bangladesh is facing a dynamic political situation following Sheikh Hasina’s resignation as Prime Minister on August 5 amid escalating protests. Initially led by students demanding an end to the quota system for government jobs, the protests eventually transformed into broader anti-government demonstrations.