KOLKATA, Aug 2: Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen has strongly criticised the ban on Bangladesh’s Awami League, calling it an attack on democratic principles and insisting that political parties should not be prohibited in a democratic system.
Speaking at a press conference in Kolkata on Sunday, Nasreen said the decision to outlaw the Awami League was unjustified and urged Bangladesh’s authorities to revoke the restriction at the earliest. She also expressed doubts about whether former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would be able to return to Bangladesh following her removal from office in 2024.
Hasina, 78, has been residing in India since leaving Dhaka after widespread anti-government protests led to the collapse of her administration in August 2024.
Nasreen questioned the circumstances under which Hasina left the country, arguing that banning a major political party undermines democratic values rather than strengthening them.
The Awami League was outlawed in 2025 by Bangladesh’s interim government under anti-terrorism legislation, a move that drew criticism from several quarters. Nasreen alleged that many party leaders and supporters had faced violence, intimidation and even killings after the change in political leadership.
Reflecting on Hasina’s future, the noted writer said the former premier wishes to return to Bangladesh, but the political environment makes such a possibility uncertain. She also remarked that returning to her own homeland remains unlikely because of the hostility she continues to face.
Nasreen has lived in exile since 1994 after receiving death threats from radical groups over her writings and outspoken views on religion and secularism.
The celebrated author also voiced concern over what she described as the growing influence of religious fundamentalist groups in Bangladesh. She warned that if such forces gained greater political power, the country’s minorities and women’s rights could face serious challenges.
Expressing concern about the political landscape, she alleged that organisations advocating strict religious governance were becoming more influential and accused the government of prioritising political survival over social progress.
Nasreen further claimed that anti-Hindu sentiment was being promoted in sections of religious institutions, saying such developments threaten Bangladesh’s secular fabric and communal harmony.
The author returned to Kolkata after nearly 19 years and was honoured at a state government function at Rabindra Sadan on Saturday. She had left the city in 2007 after protests over her autobiographical work Dwikhandito (Split: A Life) prompted the then Left Front government to relocate her.