Retiring Bangladesh cricketer Shakib Al Hasan has issued an apology for staying silent during the recent student-led uprising.
Shakib, 37, is among several prominent figures from former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s party who are under investigation for their role in a deadly police crackdown on protesters during the summer unrest.
Earlier this year, Shakib was elected as a member of parliament and served until the dissolution of parliament following Hasina’s resignation and exile to India in August, amid the height of the protests.
In a lengthy statement posted on his official Facebook page on Wednesday, Shakib expressed deep regret for not speaking out during the demonstrations. “I pay my respects to all the students who sacrificed their lives,” the note said. “While nothing can fill the void of losing a child or a brother, I sincerely apologise to everyone who was hurt by my silence. I too would have been upset if I were in your place.”, the allrounder wrote.
At the time the regime of Sheikh Hasina fell, Shakib Al Hasan was participating in a domestic Twenty20 cricket tournament in Canada and has not returned to Bangladesh since. He has however, continued to tour Pakistan and India with the Bangladeshi cricket team, with the approval of the interim government set up after Hasina’s departure.
Shakib was elected to parliament in January after an election that was boycotted by Hasina’s opposition and criticized by observers for being neither free nor fair. He explained that he ran for office because he wanted to contribute to the development of his hometown.