Hasina Hopes Party Ban Will Be Lifted Ahead of 2026 Polls

Bangladesh’s former prime minister Sheikbh Hasina, now in India after being ousted in mass protests last year, has said she hopes the ban on her Awami League party will be lifted before next year’s general election, insisting that “common sense will prevail.”In written answers to emailed questions from the BBC, Hasina said tens of millions of her supporters “must not be disenfranchised” ahead of the February 2026 polls.“We hope that common sense will prevail and that this [election] ban will be lifted. We have tens of millions of supporters who must not be disenfranchised,” Hasina said, adding that the Awami League “is part of the national conversation in Bangladesh, and that will not change.”Hasina fled to India in August 2024 and has refused to return to face trial at the International Crimes Tribunal, which is set to deliver a verdict on Monday in a case accusing her of crimes against ...

• 14 Nov 2025