In the cruellest August 1975 massacre, the legacy of Bangabandhu’s blood and politics Sheikh Hasina survived by chance. However, she had to live in exile for her safety. The familiar world suddenly became unfamiliar to her. The known people turned away to a safe distance sensing danger.

With the need to restore the country and motherland from that extreme adverse situation, Sheikh Hasina returned to her homeland after about half a decade on 17 May 1981 in an extremely disastrous weather.

Cloudy sky, continuous rain and momentary thunderbolts seemed to convey to her the fate of Bangladesh without Bangabandhu. On that day, with the arrival of the saviour of the country, the closed doors of good politics were opened. The military ruler, however, devised various schemes to stop her arrival. But everything else became secondary to Sheikh Hasina’s strong attraction of the country and the people.

Hasina returned home. She saw with her own eyes a strange Bangladesh, where Bangabandhu’s self-confessed killers had been rewarded. They were appointed to high positions at home and abroad.

The trial of the murder of the Father of the Nation had been banned by a Presidential Decree. Sectarianism had been instigated by the state itself. Nationalism got distorted; democracy and secularism sent into exile. A reactionary military base was built by indiscriminately killing hundreds of army officers who supported the 1971 Liberation War.

And by making politics difficult for politicians, the politicking of the seizure of power was given birth to by forming new parties in army camps.

The military ruler of that time was playing the game of politics against the non-communal spirit of the Liberation War in alliance with the opportunist bureaucrats, greedy politicians and corrupt military officers. Bangladesh would have been a clone of Pakistan had Sheikh Hasina not returned to her homeland.

Veni, Vidi, Vici: The Historic Homecoming of Sheikh Hasina

Therefore, Sheikh Hasina’s timely and courageous homecoming should not be considered as a trivial event like the return of a person to the country. It is like Bangladesh’s returning home.

Bangladesh was actually killed along with Bangabandhu in the massacre of 15 August 1975. However, Sheikh Hasina was not disheartened by seeing all this. Finally, in return for many sacrifices and hardships, a new victory came to independent Bangladesh by the hands of Sheikh Hasina.

Bangabandhu’s politics came to power after long 21 years. People’s leader Sheikh Hasina ascended to the Prime Minister’s seat. Veni, Vidi, Vici. As it were, she came back, saw and conquered. But it was not as easy as Julias Caesar’s facile victory in the Battle of Zela.

By dealing with numerous crises inside and outside the country and party, Sheikh Hasina has taken Bangladesh forward to a unique height. Henry Kissinger-called “Basket Case Bangladesh” is now a proud country on the global map and a self-reliant nation capable of building state-of-the-art architectures like the Padma Bridge and Bangabandhu Tunnel.

And behind all this is the great personal charisma of a leader, her immense sense of responsibility, patriotism and strong leadership. She is none other than Sheikh Hasina herself.

The surveyors were not wrong in saying “Sheikh Hasina is more popular than her party”. The activities of many corrupt, opportunistic and hypocritical activists often attract criticism against traditional parties like the Awami League. But I do not see anyone losing faith in Sheikh Hasina. It is really difficult to lose faith in her, who spends most of her twenty-four hours a day thinking and working for the country.

Two homecomings are important in the history of Bangladesh. One is the homecoming of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the other is of the worthy father’s worthy daughter Sheikh Hasina.

The first happened on 10 January 1972 when the undisputed leader of 75 million people was released from Mianwali Jail in Pakistan after nine months of incarceration, and set foot on the soil of his homeland.

New York Times journalist Fox Butterfield, who witnessed the scene of Bangabandhu’s homecoming, said that he had received a tumultuous, triumphant welcome from a crowd of half a million Bengalis as he returned to his native land for the first time since he was arrested nine months ago by the Pakistani authorities.

Sheikh Hasina landed in Dhaka from Delhi via Kolkata on 17 May 1981. Directly from the airport, she attended the rally on Manik Mia Avenue organised for her. In a huge gathering, she said in an emotional voice, “I have come to be with the people of Bangladesh. I participated in the Liberation War. I did not come to be the leader of Awami League.

I want to be by your side as your sister, as a daughter and a worker of Awami League, believing in the ideals of Bangabandhu.” There was an eerie silence in the vast sea of people. After the assassination of Bangabandhu, the slogan ‘Joi Bangla’ was first heard in Zia-ruled Bangladesh.

In a 30-minute speech, Sheikh Hasina vowed to prosecute the murderers of Bangabandhu and the four national leaders. Ignoring the heavy rain and thunder, she went to the ancestral house in Dhanmondi 32 with a large crowd. Bangabandhu’s blood was still there. But the commanding security personnel did not allow her to enter her house and she had to sit outside to pray for the peace of her loved ones.

That horrible experience served as a path for Sheikh Hasina. After coming to power, she prosecuted Bangabandhu’s murder, tried the war criminals and abolished the Black Law called the Indemnity Act.

She has brought unprecedented success in suppressing the militants. And she is working day and night to add new feathers to the crown of the country’s development. The economy of Bangladesh, after dispelling the slander of ‘bottomless basket’, has now been recognised as a wonder not only of Bangladesh, but of the entire East. Bangabandhu’s dreams and the efforts of the countrymen under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina are working behind it.
_____________________________________
The writer is a bilingual author and former vice chancellor of Islamic University