Sheikh Hasina among world’s 100 most influential people

US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have also made it to the list, according to media reports. Time Magazine is an American weekly published from New York.

Business magazine Forbes in 2017 ranked Sheikh Hasina 30th on a list of 100 most powerful women in the world. In the magazine’s another list of the “World’s 22 Most Powerful Women in Politics” Sheikh Hasina reserved 9th rank with her political achievements. In 2017, another business magazine Fortune ranked her tenth among 50 leaders who “are transforming the world and inspiring others to do the same”.

According to Foreign Policy, an American news publication focused on global affairs, current affairs and domestic and international policy, Sheikh Hasina faced the greatest challenge in the field of defence and security, but she handled the opposition with utmost tolerance. She did not oust the 7 lakh Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh. After her massive election victory in December 2019, Sheikh leadership has been far more appreciated throughout the world.

In the recent past Sheikh Hasina received Peace Prize from Neil Kinnock, former leader of the British Labour Party. For her role in ending war in the hill tracts and her non-aggression diplomacy to settle disputes with neighbouring countries India and Myanmar, she was awarded Helsinki Peace Prize. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair praised her for her peacemaking role in the world. Even former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger lauded Sheikh Hasina’s contribution to world peace.

Sheikh Hasina has fulfilled almost all her promises. She fought against poverty and hunger relentlessly. The killers of Bangabandhu and the war criminals of 1971 have been put on trial and duly punished. Under her leadership politics in the country has stabilized, economy has been flourishing and law and order has remained under control. Communalism and fundamentalism which remained a curse for the country have now been crushed.  If the process of development continues, Bangladesh will hopefully become a developing country of middle income very soon.

Bangladesh will be celebrating golden jubilee of its liberation in 2021 when the country will be recommended for being considered as having fulfilled all requirements needed to become a middle income country. By 2030 its economy will surpass that of many European countries, Australia, Malaysia, the Netherlands and South Africa in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP)

Sheikh Hasina has convincingly proved to the people of the country and to the outside world that she has all the qualities needed to lead a populous country like Bangladesh. Under her dynamic leadership Bangladesh is no longer a “bottomless basket”. It has become a wonderland of economic development.  With this background she has become the country’s Prime Minister for the fourth time. Thanks to her, the country witnessed a transformation in last ten years as it achieved remarkable success in socio-economic development supported by favourable policies and pragmatic leadership. In a decade it has been able to raise its status from a low income LDC to a middle income country ready for graduating from the LDC status with a drastic cut in poverty. This is no mean achievement by any standard. And credit for this transformation undoubtedly goes to Sheikh Hasina.