Why is November 17 a very special date for Sheikh Hasina apart from the death sentence? It is a highly emotional, personal reason
A Dhaka-based newspaper commented on social media that the date adds a personal dimension to an important judicial decision.
New Delhi: November 17 has become a day that will never be forgotten for Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The reason isn’t the death sentence, but her 58th wedding anniversary. On this day in 1967, she married renowned Bangladeshi physicist MA Wazed Miah. The sentencing by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) sparked a heated debate on social media. Many users allege that this date was deliberately chosen to convict Hasina and sentence her to death, to harm her personal life.
Original verdict was scheduled for November 14
In fact, the original verdict was scheduled for November 14, after the hearing concluded on October 23. But on November 13, the ICT announced that the verdict in the case of crimes against humanity against Sheikh Hasina and two of her key aides would be delivered on November 17. Following the court decision, Bangladesh’s centrist Nation TV wrote on Facebook that November 17 is a historic date for Hasina, from her wedding anniversary in 1967 to her death sentence in 2025.
The Dhaka-based newspaper “The Headlines” commented on social media that the date adds a personal dimension to an important judicial decision. Posting on X, they said that Sheikh Hasina faced a historic trial for crimes against humanity on November 17, which was the anniversary of her wedding to MA Wazed Mia in 1967. This added emotional depth to the verdict.
Was the date premeditated?
The Dhaka Chronicles posted on Facebook that the Dhaka Special Tribunal is delivering its verdict on crimes against humanity charges against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on her wedding anniversary. Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s leading daily, Desh Rupantor, wrote on its portal that the choice of this date has generated considerable discussion on social media. Some consider it a coincidence, while others a premeditated conspiracy.
One Facebook user wrote that Dr Muhammad Yunus is very clever. The decision should have been made a few days ago, but he chose November 17 because it is Hasina’s wedding anniversary.
Sheikh Hasina’s Married Life
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s second daughter, Hasina, married Wazed Miah on November 17, 1967. Wazed Miah became the Chairman of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission and wrote several books on physics and politics, including one on his father-in-law, Bangabandhu Mujibur Rahman. They have a son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and a daughter, Saima Wazed Putul. Wazed Miah died in May 2009.
According to the Dhaka University website, Wazed Miah joined the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission in April 1963 and was attached to the Atomic Energy Research Centre (AERC) in Karachi. His employment was “unfairly” terminated by the Pakistani government, after which he returned to East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) before the 1971 Liberation War. After independence, he resumed work at the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission.
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