The Pulse | Politics | South Asia

Will Sheikh Hasina’s Planned Homecoming Revive the Awami League?

Instead of being seen as a fugitive from justice, the former Bangladeshi prime minister could present herself as a political leader willing to face trial in her own country.

File photo of Bangladesh’s then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, May 2, 2024.

In a recent interview with Reuters, Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced that she and senior party colleagues plan to return from India to Bangladesh around December.

Hasina’s Awami League (AL) government was ousted from power on August 5, 2024, following weeks of mass protests. Soon after her resignation, she fled Bangladesh for India and has been living there since then.

Hasina was tried in absentia by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal over the deadly crackdown during the July-August 2024 protests. In November 2025, she was convicted of crimes against humanity under the doctrine of superior command responsibility and sentenced to death. She has rejected the verdict as politically motivated and denied all charges.

Hasina told Reuters that she would surrender before a court despite already being sentenced to death in absentia.

Rumors of her return to Bangladesh have been circulating for several months. This is the first time that Hasina has publicly committed to returning to Bangladesh, giving a timeframe.

Why would a politician voluntarily return to a country where imprisonment or even execution awaits her?

While only Hasina and her innermost circle really know what underlies her decision, the AL’s uncertain future offers one possible explanation. With the party banned, and its senior leaders scattered or in hiding, its future has never been more uncertain.

Hasina may believe that remaining in exile now poses a grave threat to her party’s very survival. Returning home, despite the risks, may offer a better chance of keeping the AL alive. It may also reflect a longer-term concern about the party’s future leadership. Although she has never publicly named a successor, her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, is widely regarded by supporters and political observers as her most likely political heir. Preserving a functioning political party may therefore matter not only for Hasina’s own political legacy, but also for any eventual leadership transition within the AL.

Since the mass uprising of July-August 2024 ended Hasina’s 15-year rule, the AL has been banned from political activities and many of its senior leaders have been arrested, driven into hiding or forced abroad.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s other political parties have moved on. In February this year, the AL’s longstanding and main political rival, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), came to power with a sweeping mandate in general elections. The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Bangladesh’s largest Islamist party, emerged as the main opposition party in parliament, and the National Citizen Party (NCP), which was formed recently by students who led the 2024 protests, has emerged a major opposition force.

While in India, Hasina has communicated mainly through online messages. Yet leading a banned political party from exile has clear limitations. In recent interviews, she has urged senior AL leaders to return with her and surrender before the courts. Whether that coordinated return will actually happen remains uncertain, but the appeal sends a message to supporters that the party leadership remains united and has not abandoned the political fight.

Moreover, as long as Hasina remains in India, her opponents can portray her as a fugitive avoiding justice. Returning voluntarily changes that narrative. Instead of being seen as someone hiding abroad, she could present herself as a political leader willing to face trial in her own country.

Hasina has consistently rejected the charges against her, arguing that the cases are politically motivated. Human rights organizations have raised concerns about aspects of the legal proceedings, particularly the decision to put her on trial and sentence her in absentia. At the same time, they have emphasized the importance of accountability for the killings committed during the uprising.

By surrendering, Hasina could change the focus of international attention. The question would no longer only be whether she should face justice, but whether the process itself is seen as fair.

For many Bangladeshis, however, the issue is far less about legal procedure than about accountability. The United Nations estimated that up to 1,400 people were killed during the government’s crackdown on protesters in July and August 2024. For families of those killed, and for many who participated in the uprising, Hasina’s return represents an opportunity for justice rather than political reconciliation. Among those groups, there is little appetite for her political rehabilitation.

The Awami League was banned via an ordinance by Bangladesh’s interim........

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