“Play With Fire, Get Burned”: Exiled Sheikh Hasina Issues Blistering Warning to Muhammad Yunus

In a scathing virtual address, former PM Sheikh Hasina accuses Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus of erasing Bangladesh’s freedom struggle and orchestrating a foreign-backed conspiracy to seize power.

April 14, 2025: New Delhi/Dhaka – In her most explosive statement yet since fleeing Bangladesh, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina lashed out at interim government chief Muhammad Yunus, branding him a “power-hungry loan shark” allegedly orchestrating a foreign conspiracy to erase Bangladesh’s legacy and destroy the Awami League.

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Speaking from exile in India, Hasina warned Yunus with a chilling remark: “If you play with fire, it will burn you too.” The address comes amid escalating political tensions and a new arrest warrant issued against her in Dhaka.

Hasina accused Yunus of not only dismantling institutions tied to the Mukti Joddha (freedom fighters) but also of fueling political unrest that led to the deaths of student activists, including Abu Sayeed, who she claims was killed in a foreign-funded conspiracy.

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“All signs of Bangladesh’s freedom movement are being removed… Will Yunus justify the burning down of Mukti Joddha Complexes?” she asked.

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Yunus Accused of Political Vendetta and Violence

She alleged that thousands of factories and industries were being shut down post her ouster and that the BNP-Jamaat combine, supported by Yunus, was targeting Awami League workers.

Hasina also questioned the UN’s findings that protester Abu Sayeed was killed by police bullets. “They claim he was shot with a 7.62 mm bullet. The police only had rubber bullets. Who brought the gun? Who gave that order?” she asked.

She accused Yunus of blocking judicial investigations and shunting officers trying to expose the truth.

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Claims of Targeted Persecution and Collapsing Institutions

Sheikh Hasina said thousands of Awami League supporters were being falsely implicated while real perpetrators were walking free. She also alleged that top doctors and professionals had been dismissed arbitrarily and political appointees were now in law enforcement roles.

“Political workers have been given police uniforms. Are they even qualified?” she asked.

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Hasina Defiant in Exile, Says She Will Return

Despite efforts by Dhaka to extradite her, Hasina insisted she would return to Bangladesh and claimed her survival was “Allah’s will.”

“This fascist terrorist Yunus is destroying our country out of hunger for power,” she said.

Yunus, meanwhile, reportedly raised Hasina’s activities with Indian PM Narendra Modi, accusing her of destabilizing Bangladesh from abroad.

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Tags:

Sheikh Hasina exile, Muhammad Yunus interim govt, Awami League freedom struggle, Abu Sayeed death, Bangladesh protest unrest, Dhaka arrest warrant, Bangladesh politics 2025, BNP vs Awami League, Hasina Yunus rivalry, Bangladesh student protests, UN human rights Bangladesh, India Bangladesh relations, Modi Sheikh Hasina