Sheikh Hasina, Muhammad Yunus

DHAKA: Former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina on Thursday accused the Muhammad Yunus-headed interim govt of pushing the country towards darkness, while her party Awami League said despite decades of peaceful coexistence, extremist groups are "emboldened" and minority communities are increasingly being branded as "political enemies"."The masks and vile faces of the conspirators engaged in plots to destroy the country have already been exposed before you. You have seen how illegal usurpers, holding you hostage, have pushed the country towards darkness through limitless corruption, falsehood, and the intoxication of serving personal interests," Hasina, who was ousted as PM following protests in 2024, said in her New Year message. Bangladesh is now associated with fear, and no country today looks upon Bangladesh and its people with respect, she said, days after important institutions were vandalised in the aftermath of the death of radical leader Sharif Osman Hadi, and minorities, particularly Hindus, were targetted.

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"Due to insecurity faced by foreign investors and donor groups, and because of chaotic conditions, the country's economy has collapsed. We must all come together to save the country from this journey into darkness. Let us, as we welcome the New Year, pledge ourselves to that commitment of protecting the nation," read the message posted on the X account of her party, which has been banned from political activities and contesting the election.

"The distinct identity of Bangladesh and its historic struggle for liberation - of the Bangladesh for which my govt worked tirelessly with the determination to place it on a position of dignity in the world - are today being called into question... In the past, whenever such critical times have arisen, this nation has united, forgetting differences of class, religion, colour, language, and ethnicity, and has leapt forward to realise a collective dream.

"Meanwhile, Awami League on X issued a long post on how "like other minorities, the lives of Bangladesh's Christian community (members) have been turned upside down" by extremist elements."Since Yunus took charge (in 2024), reports show a sharp rise in Islamist extremism - leaving Christians increasingly targeted, threatened, and living in fear. In the run-up to Christmas and elections, extremist groups openly branded Christians as 'enemies of Islam', issuing threat letters to churches, schools, and missionary institutions," it said.