Hasina branded July revolution supporters as extremists: Press Secretary

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam has alleged that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has branded millions who took part in or supported the July Revolution as “terrorists” and “Islamist extremists.”

“In effect, she is identifying nearly 180 million Bangladeshis as extremists,” Shafiqul wrote on his verified Facebook account on Saturday night, according to local media reports.

He compared Hasina’s remarks to a 1973 Weekly Holiday article titled “65 Million Collaborators,” in which editor Enayetullah Khan criticised Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s government for portraying a large section of citizens as “traitors.”

“Half a century later, history is repeating itself,” Shafiqul wrote, noting that Hasina made her comments in an interview with India’s WION channel.

He said the statement reflected “unprecedented arrogance” from a leader whose government’s “brutality was documented by the UN and international rights groups.”

“It is the ultimate irony — the very hands stained with the blood of citizens and dissenters are now accusing the nation of terrorism,” he added.

Shafiqul concluded, “The people of Bangladesh are not suffering from amnesia. They will never forget the July massacre or forgive its perpetrators.”