Another setback for Sheikh Hasina and her family, now Bangladesh EC blocks…
The Bangladesh Election Commission has locked the NID cards of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and several members of her family, preventing them from voting in the February 2025 general elections.
A major development has taken place in Bangladesh’s political corridor. The Bangladesh Election Commission (EC) has announced that the National Identification Card (NID) of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been locked stopping her from able to vote in the general elections scheduled for February next year. Following this announcement by the Election Commission, political tug-of-war has intensified in Bangladesh.
Speaking to the media at Nirvachan Bhavan in Dhaka, Election Commission Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said, “Anyone whose NID card is locked cannot vote from abroad. Sheikh Hasina’s NID has also been locked.” While he did not name anyone else, several prominent Bangladeshi media outlets have claimed that the NIDs of other members of her family have also been locked.
Whose NIDs have been blocked?
Media reports, citing unnamed Election Commission officials, claimed that the NIDs of Sheikh Hasina’s younger sister Sheikh Rehana, son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and daughter Saima Wazed Putul have also been “locked or blocked.” Furthermore, the IDs of Rehana’s children, Tulip Rizwana Siddique and Azmina Siddique, and nephew Radwan Mujeeb Siddique Bobby, were also reportedly blocked.
Similarly, Sheikh Hasina’s husband and former security advisor, retired Major General Tariq Ahmed Siddiqui, his wife Shaheen Siddiqui, and daughter Bushra Siddiqui have also been barred from voting. Election Commission Secretary Akhtar Ahmed also clarified that those who have fled abroad to escape justice or for other reasons can vote only if their NID card is active. The trial is underway in Haseena’s absence.
Sheikh Hasina’s trouble in Bangladesh
It is noteworthy that Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government was ousted from power on August 5, 2024, following a violent wave of student protests. She fled to India(BHARAT) during this period. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus subsequently took over as chief advisor to the interim government and put a stop to Awami League activities. Hasina and senior leaders of her party are facing charges of several serious crimes, including crimes against humanity.
Sheikh Hasina is currently being tried in absentia at the International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh. Prosecutors have sought the death penalty for alleged atrocities committed during the July 2024 uprising. Meanwhile, most senior Awami League leaders have gone underground or are in exile. During the protests, violent mobs set their properties on fire, including the historic home of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Hasina’s father and the founding father of Bangladesh) in Dhanmondi, Dhaka.
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