{"id":36816,"date":"2026-07-15T21:41:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T01:41:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/will-sheikh-hasina-return-to-bangladesh\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T21:41:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T01:41:16","slug":"will-sheikh-hasina-return-to-bangladesh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/will-sheikh-hasina-return-to-bangladesh\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Sheikh Hasina Return to Bangladesh?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to\u00a0Foreign Policy<\/em>\u2019s South Asia Brief.<\/p>\n

The highlights this week: Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina <\/strong>announces plans to return to the country in December, Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir visits Turkey<\/strong> amid deepening defense cooperation, and inflation rises in India<\/strong> after energy market shocks.<\/p>\n

Hasina Threatens Homecoming<\/h3>\n

Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told Reuters<\/a> last week that she plans to return to the country in December, along with other Awami League party leaders, and voluntarily present herself in court. She has been in India since August 2024, when her government was ousted amid mass protests.<\/p>\n

Last November, Bangladesh\u2019s International Crimes Tribunal sentenced<\/a> Hasina to death in absentia for crimes against humanity in connection with the crackdown on protesters\u2014charges that she rejects as politically motivated. According to the United Nations<\/a>, Hasina\u2019s security forces used massive force against demonstrators, resulting in as many as 1,400 deaths.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey may arrest me on my return, they may even kill me,\u201d Hasina said. \u201cStill, I have to go. \u2026 If death comes, I want it to come on my own soil.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hasina previously said<\/a> she would return to Bangladesh sometime this year, but this is the first she has given a specific time frame. There are a few possible reasons. One is an expectation that her political fortunes have improved since a new government took office in February led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.<\/p>\n

The Awami League and BNP are bitter rivals, and Hasina\u2019s political feud<\/a> with the late Khaleda Zia\u2014the longtime BNP leader and Rahman\u2019s mother\u2014dominated Bangladeshi politics for decades.<\/p>\n

However, the interim government that led the country from August 2024 until February took an especially hostile position toward the Awami League. (Appointed leader Muhammad Yunus was hated<\/a> by Hasina, and the two often feuded.) It banned<\/a> the party from political activities and targeted<\/a> pro-Hasina media outlets. Hasina\u2019s sentence was handed down during the interim government\u2019s rule.<\/p>\n

Since Hasina\u2019s announcement, of course, BNP officials have said<\/a> they would welcome her return so that she could face justice. (The government had previously said little about her or the Awami League.) But in a perhaps telling aside on Tuesday, information advisor Zahed Ur Rahman suggested<\/a> that the court could still review the verdict.<\/p>\n

Hasina may also hope to bolster her party\u2019s future prospects by playing the role of martyr: serving time in prison, gaining sympathy from the public, and galvanizing what remains of her political base. She might symbolically link her homecoming to Dec. 16, the national holiday that mark\u2019s Bangladesh\u2019s victory in 1971 Liberation War.<\/p>\n

Hasina might feel pressure to return home from India, which has signaled a desire<\/a> to patch up ties with Bangladesh. Still, on Tuesday, Indian authorities said<\/a> New Delhi had not changed its stance on her self-exile, which is a major source of tension in the bilateral relationship.<\/p>\n

If Hasina does return, the government would want to minimize political instability. It already faces policy challenges and has little interest in a fresh political crisis. But it will also need to be mindful of anti-Hasina sentiment, which remains strong among young people and the key opposition parties\u2014the Islamist Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party, led by 2024 protest leaders.<\/p>\n

That means that Hasina and the other Awami League leaders would likely face immediate arrest. However, Dhaka would be tested, particularly in a scenario in which supporters took to the streets to celebrate her return and clashed with anti-Hasina partisans.<\/p>\n

Hasina\u2019s intentions are a major unknown. Though she might hope the BNP government provides a better environment for a potential comeback, she may simply want to come home to retire\u2014something her son has previously said<\/a>. From Dhaka\u2019s perspective, that might be preferable.<\/p>\n

What We\u2019re Following<\/h3>\n

Pakistan\u2019s Munir in Turkey.<\/strong> Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir visited Turkey<\/a> on Monday and Tuesday, meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan along with military officials and receiving a distinguished service medal. Munir\u2019s trip followed another by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Turkey this month.<\/p>\n

Islamabad has quietly and significantly scaled up ties with Ankara in recent years, especially in defense. Their security cooperation includes<\/a> Turkey providing warships for Pakistan\u2019s navy, upgrading Pakistan\u2019s F-16 fighter jets, and sharing drone technology. (According to New Delhi<\/a>, Pakistan used Turkish-made drones in its conflict with India last year.)<\/p>\n

But Pakistan-Turkey relations are expanding more broadly, from economic cooperation to cultural links. One of the most popular TV shows in Pakistan in recent years has been Ertugrul<\/em><\/a>, a Turkish drama about a 13th-century leader. Bilateral relations have also benefited from India-Turkey tensions, though New Delhi and Ankara have taken steps<\/a> to bolster relations this year.<\/p>\n

Inflation spikes in India.<\/strong> India\u2019s government released<\/a> data this week showing that consumer price inflation rose to nearly 4.4 percent in June, up from 3.9 percent in May. The June figure, which exceeded economists\u2019 predictions, was attributed<\/a> to energy market shocks caused by the Iran war and a weak monsoon that produced crop shortages.<\/p>\n

India\u2019s central bank projects<\/a> that inflation will hit 5.1 percent before the end of India\u2019s current fiscal year in March 2027.<\/p>\n

Inflation, like unemployment, is a long-standing economic challenge in India despite robust growth in the last decade. New Delhi has said little about the latest data, though in recent months it has sought to downplay inflation risks. In March, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said<\/a> she didn\u2019t expect increases in global energy prices to increase inflation.<\/p>\n

U.S. citizen arrested on India-Nepal border.<\/strong> Indian border troops arrested a man trying to enter Nepal without valid travel documents last Saturday. According to Indian reports<\/a>, the man, Jordan Brown, is a 36-year-old U.S. citizen and Navy veteran who told authorities that he entered Thailand last year with a tourist visa before losing his passport.<\/p>\n

Brown then traveled from Thailand to Sri Lanka and eventually to India by sea, arriving last November. He was reportedly<\/a> living in Goa before he was apprehended at the border.<\/p>\n

Brown\u2019s possessions included<\/a> a cell phone, religious books, an AI translation device, and a Chinese passport\u2014something that likely triggered concerns among Indian officials. The Times of India <\/em>reported<\/a> that Brown has an Indian wife. Indian officials said they haven\u2019t linked him to anything or anyone suspicious so far.<\/p>\n

Still, much is strange about the story, from Brown\u2019s Chinese passport to his reported travels. It\u2019s striking that a foreigner without proper travel documents was able to enter Sri Lanka and especially India without any issues, raising questions about the state of coastal security in both countries.<\/p>\n

Under the Radar<\/h3>\n

It has been a rough year for public health in South Asia, with the region facing surges of diseases from HIV<\/a> to measles<\/a> and Pakistan struggling<\/a> to complete its eradication of polio. Sri Lanka is dealing with another epidemic\u2014dengue fever, a mosquito-borne illness that has become increasingly serious<\/a> in South Asia in the last two decades.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the worst dengue outbreak in the country in years, with more than 44,000 cases reported<\/a> from January to June. By this week, that number had risen<\/a> to nearly 70,000. Experts attribute<\/a> the intensity of this year\u2019s outbreak to Cyclone Ditwah, which hit Sri Lanka last November, creating debris that became breeding ground for mosquitoes.<\/p>\n

There were 48 confirmed deaths<\/a> from the outbreak at the start of this week, and Sri Lankan officials are taking it very seriously, with the military even deploying drones<\/a> to target mosquitoes. There is also an economic incentive for Colombo to rein in the outbreak: Sri Lanka depends heavily on tourism revenue, and it won\u2019t want people scared away by dengue.<\/p>\n

FP\u2019s Most Read This Week<\/h3>\n

Regional Voices<\/h3>\n

In the Daily Star<\/em>, geologist Ahad Chowdhury<\/strong> laments<\/a> how Bangladesh\u2019s streets have continued to flood despite major investments to address the problem. \u201cUntil the authorities manage urban drains and natural waterways as one connected system,\u201d he writes, \u201cBangladesh\u2019s multi-crore drainage projects will remain ineffective when they are needed most.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the Kathmandu Post<\/em>, researcher Pragya Ghimire<\/strong> writes<\/a> about what a U.S.-China rapprochement would mean for Nepal. \u201cKathmandu should utilise any geopolitical breathing space created by a reset in major power relations to advance economic development, trade and investment,\u201d she argues.<\/p>\n

In Dawn<\/em>, journalist Arifa Noor<\/strong> reflects on recent violence in Pakistan\u2019s Balochistan province and comments<\/a> on what she calls a \u201cgreater tragedy\u201d: \u201cthe inability of those in power to approach the crisis in Balochistan with any empathy and political will to heal.\u201d \u201cIt is a political problem that needs a political solution,\u201d she writes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Welcome to\u00a0Foreign Policy\u2019s South Asia Brief. The highlights this week: Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announces plans to return to the country in December, Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir visits Turkey amid deepening defense cooperation, and inflation rises in India after energy market shocks. Hasina Threatens Homecoming Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36817,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bangladesh-bnp-rally-GettyImages-2256927590.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11611],"tags":[22580,19874,8836,26463,51,1071,25428,17483],"class_list":["post-36816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spyballoon-global-news","tag-bangladesh","tag-civil-society","tag-democracy","tag-hasina","tag-politics","tag-return","tag-sheikh","tag-south-asia"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bangladesh-bnp-rally-GettyImages-2256927590.jpg",0,0,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bangladesh-bnp-rally-GettyImages-2256927590.jpg",0,0,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bangladesh-bnp-rally-GettyImages-2256927590.jpg",0,0,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bangladesh-bnp-rally-GettyImages-2256927590.jpg",150,150,false],"medium":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bangladesh-bnp-rally-GettyImages-2256927590.jpg",300,300,false],"large":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bangladesh-bnp-rally-GettyImages-2256927590.jpg",1024,1024,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bangladesh-bnp-rally-GettyImages-2256927590.jpg",1536,1536,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bangladesh-bnp-rally-GettyImages-2256927590.jpg",2048,2048,false],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bangladesh-bnp-rally-GettyImages-2256927590.jpg",370,265,false],"kava-thumb-s":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bangladesh-bnp-rally-GettyImages-2256927590.jpg",150,85,false],"kava-thumb-s-2":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bangladesh-bnp-rally-GettyImages-2256927590.jpg",230,230,false],"kava-thumb-m":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bangladesh-bnp-rally-GettyImages-2256927590.jpg",400,400,false],"kava-thumb-m-vertical":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bangladesh-bnp-rally-GettyImages-2256927590.jpg",370,500,false],"kava-thumb-m-2":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bangladesh-bnp-rally-GettyImages-2256927590.jpg",570,450,false],"kava-thumb-l":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bangladesh-bnp-rally-GettyImages-2256927590.jpg",1170,650,false],"kava-thumb-xl":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bangladesh-bnp-rally-GettyImages-2256927590.jpg",1920,1080,false],"kava-thumb-masonry":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bangladesh-bnp-rally-GettyImages-2256927590.jpg",600,999,false],"kava-thumb-justify":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bangladesh-bnp-rally-GettyImages-2256927590.jpg",640,640,false],"kava-thumb-justify-2":["https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bangladesh-bnp-rally-GettyImages-2256927590.jpg",1280,640,false]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"#RiseCelestialStudios","author_link":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/author\/ralph-c\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"SPYBALLOON GLOBAL NEWS<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Welcome to\u00a0Foreign Policy\u2019s South Asia Brief. The highlights this week: Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announces plans to return to the country in December, Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir visits Turkey amid deepening defense cooperation, and inflation rises in India after energy market shocks. 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