Sheikh Hasina is the current prime minister of Bangladesh and the leader of the Awami League, the country’s largest political party. She is also the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh who was assassinated in 1975. Here is a brief biography of Sheikh Hasina:
Sheikh Hasina
Biography of Sheikh Hasina
Sheikh Hasina was born on September 28, 1947 in Tungipara, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). She graduated from the University of Dhaka in 1973 and married M.A. Wazed Miah, a renowned scientist, in 1968. She has two children, Sajeeb and Saima.
Sheikh Hasina was involved in politics from a young age, as she served as her father’s political liaison during his imprisonment by the Pakistani government in the late 1960s. She also participated in the uprising that led to the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971. After her father and most of her family were killed in a military coup in 1975, she went into exile for six years. She returned to Bangladesh in 1981 and became the president of the Awami League, which had been founded by her father.
Sheikh Hasina faced many challenges and obstacles in her political career, as she was repeatedly arrested, harassed, and attacked by the military regimes and their allies. She also faced fierce competition from her rival Khaleda Zia, the leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), who alternated power with her for several years. Sheikh Hasina became the prime minister of Bangladesh for the first time in 1996, after leading a mass movement against the caretaker government that was accused of rigging the elections. She served until 2001, when she lost to Khaleda Zia.
Sheikh Hasina became the leader of the opposition in the parliament, where she campaigned for democracy, human rights, and social justice. She survived a grenade attack on her rally in 2004, which killed 24 people and injured hundreds. She was also detained and charged with corruption by the military-backed caretaker government that took over in 2007, but was released on bail in 2008.
Sheikh Hasina returned to power in 2009, after winning a landslide victory in the general elections. She formed the Grand Alliance, a coalition of several parties, to govern the country. She has since been re-elected three times, in 2014, 2018, and 2023, amid allegations of vote rigging and repression of the opposition by her critics. She has also faced criticism for her handling of the Rohingya refugee crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the human rights situation in the country.
Sheikh Hasina has also been praised for her achievements in economic development, poverty reduction, women empowerment, education, health, and environmental protection. She has received several awards and honors, such as the UNESCO Peace Tree Award, the Indira Gandhi Prize, the Mother Teresa Award, and the Global Women’s Leadership Award. She has also been ranked among the most powerful and influential women in the world by various publications and organizations.
Source:
(1) Sheikh Hasina – Wikipedia.
(2) Sheikh Hasina Wazed | Biography & Facts | Britannica.
(3) Sheikh Hasina – Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(4) Sheikh Hasina | World Leaders Forum – Columbia University.
