ISI is behind the unrest in Bangladesh : Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of Sheikh Hasina, who resigned from the post of Prime Minister and reached India from Bangladesh, said that his mother will return to her country as soon as democracy is restored in Bangladesh. He said that Pakistan's intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is involved in spreading unrest in his country. Joy said in an exclusive interview with PTI-Bhasha that although 76-year-old Hasina will definitely return to Bangladesh, it is not yet decided whether she will return as a retired leader or as an active leader. He also said that the members of the Sheikh Mujib family will neither leave their people nor leave the troubled Awami League helpless.

Sajeeb expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Modi and the government

Sajeeb Joy expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Modi and his government for the safety of his mother and appealed to India to help build international opinion and press for the restoration of democracy in Bangladesh. He said, "Yes, it is true that I said that she will not return to Bangladesh. But a lot has changed in the last two days after the continuous attacks on our leaders and party workers across the country. Now we are going to do whatever it takes to keep our people safe. We will not leave them alone." Joy told PTI-Bhasha over the phone, "Awami League is the largest and oldest political party in Bangladesh, so we cannot go away from our people. She (Hasina) will definitely return to Bangladesh after democracy is restored."

India should ensure the safety of Awami League leaders

Describing the Awami League as India's all-weather ally, he said New Delhi should ensure the safety of Awami League leaders in Bangladesh by building international pressure. Joy also urged the interim government to be formed in Bangladesh to restore law and order, saying the country was sliding into anarchy and was becoming another Afghanistan in the region. He said he also hoped the interim government would create a level playing field whenever democracy was restored and fresh elections were held. "You cannot exclude the Awami League and never have representative democracy in Bangladesh. Whatever his (Mohammad Yunus') personal views, he has said he wants a unity government and wants to move forward and not let the mistakes of the past be repeated. I hope he will stick to his word," Joy said.

Muhammad Yunus becomes head of the interim government of Bangladesh

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was sworn in as the head of Bangladesh's interim government on Thursday night. Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country to India after violent protests against her government over a controversial quota system in jobs. She flew to Hindon Air Force Station near Delhi on Monday in a Bangladesh military plane. Joy said that once democracy is restored, the Awami League or BNP will come to power, and the Mujib family and Sheikh Hasina will be together. He said that he has been in touch with all the leaders of our party for the last two days. My mother was going to retire soon, so we thought that now that she had left (from Dhaka), they (rioters) would not say anything to our party people, but that did not happen. Instead, they started attacking.

Will the brother and sister enter politics?

Joy did not comment directly on whether he and his sister Saima Wazed, who serves as regional director for Southeast Asian affairs for the World Health Organization, would enter politics. He said he would do whatever it takes to save Bangladesh from complete chaos. "I cannot give a definite answer to this question, but I will do whatever it takes to save Bangladesh and protect the Awami League. The Mujib family will not abandon them," said Joy, Hasina's former information and communication technology adviser.

Pakistan was said to be behind the coup

Blaming Pakistan for fomenting unrest in Bangladesh, Joy said there was circumstantial evidence that indicated foreign interference and alleged involvement of Pakistan's intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). "Looking at the circumstantial evidence, I am quite sure; I suspect the involvement of Pakistan's ISI. The attacks and protests were very coordinated and planned and deliberate efforts were made to inflame the situation through social media. No matter what the government did to control the situation, they (people associated with the protests) kept trying to make it worse," he said.

Joy also mentioned that the rioters attacked the police with guns that could only have been provided by terrorist organizations and foreign powers. On the question of the involvement of US intelligence agencies like the CIA, Joy said he had no proof but they might have a hand in it. He denied that China could have any involvement in instigating the situation. Dismissing reports of Hasina seeking asylum in Britain or any other country as rumors, Joy said reports of her US visa being revoked were also false. Joy said, "No such plan (seeking asylum) has been made. Sooner or later, democracy will be restored in Bangladesh and hopefully, it will be between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Awami League. Then Sheikh Hasina will go back."

Thanks to the Indian government for protecting my mother

Indicating that the ousted Bangladeshi prime minister will stay at an undisclosed location in India for the time being, Joy said, "At the moment she wants to return to Bangladesh. It is a question of when rather than if." Joy, who spent most of his childhood studying in India, appealed to the Indian government to ensure the early restoration of democracy in Bangladesh for stability in the region. "I want to thank the Indian government for protecting my mother. I express my heartfelt gratitude to Prime Minister Modi. If India wants stability in its eastern region, it will have to pressurize the international community and take the lead to ensure early restoration of democracy," he said.

'India-Out' campaign said this

To a question on the 'India-Out' campaign in Bangladesh, Joy said, "Anti-India forces are already very active, and with the Awami League out of power, the ISI is now free to supply as many weapons as they want to the anti-India forces." Joy said India should act swiftly before the anti-India forces get stronger. Denying claims that Hasina fled to save her life, Joy said her family preferred to prevent bloodshed. "She was not ready to leave the country. The prime minister's security team was ready to protect her till the end. But that would have led to the death of hundreds of protesters who were marching towards the prime minister's residence. We convinced her (Hasina) for the sake of Bangladesh. We did not want them to die. Our government was not weak, but my mother did not want to harm the students. The bloodshed has not stopped even after she left the country. People will now understand the difference between with Sheikh Hasina and without her," Joy said.