New Delhi

After Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, exiled Bangladesh writer Taslima Nasreen took a sly dig at Hasina over her previous attempts at “pleasing Islamists” that eventually led to her fall. 

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As former Bangladesh premier Sheikh Hasina escaped the violent student-led protest on Monday (Aug 5), Nasreen took to X to remind people how she was forced to leave Bangladesh in 1994 due to religious politics over her writings. She came back to her country in 1999 to meet her ailing mother, when Hasina was the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. 

Also Read | From Mujibur Rahman's rise to Sheikh Hasina's fall: A Bangladesh timeline

"Hasina in order to please Islamists threw me out of my country in 1999 after I entered Bangladesh to see my mother on her deathbed and never allowed me to enter the country again. The same Islamists have been in the student movement who forced Hasina to leave the country today," Nasreen wrote on X.

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Hasina had to flee to India in a military plane yesterday as protestors stormed her official residence in Dhaka. She is now likely to fly to London to seek asylum in the UK.

The exiled writer, known for her writing on women’s oppression, blamed Hasina for allowing "Islamists to grow" and letting those involved in corruption to thrive. She also spoke against Army rule in her country and batted for democracy.

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"Hasina had to resign and leave the country. She was responsible for her situation. She made Islamists to grow. She allowed her people to be involved in corruption. Now Bangladesh must not become like Pakistan. Army must not rule. Political parties should bring democracy & secularism," she said in an earlier post.

Why Taslima Nasreen was forced to leave Bangladesh in 1994?

Taslima Nasreen, a critic of religious fanaticism, gained global attention at the beginning of the 1990s. She wrote several essays and novels with feminist viewpoints, for which she faced criticism in her country. 

Also Read | Sajeeb Wazed, son of former PM Hasina, tells WION: "Bangladesh will be the next Pakistan"

Nasreen had to leave Bangladesh in 1994 in the wake of multiple death threats of fatwas against her from fundamentalist outfits over her book “Lajja”. Khaleda Zia, the jailed arch-rival of Hasina, was the prime minister then. 

The 1993 book was banned in Bangladesh but later became a bestseller elsewhere.

Many of Nasreen’s books - comprising Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal - are still blacklisted and banned in the Bengal region.

(With inputs from agencies)