Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has now apologized for his ‘silence’ during mass protests in his country that saw scores of people being killed in the student-led movement that succeeded in removing the country’s former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August.
Taking to social media, Shakib said, “First and foremost, I want to pay my respect to all the students who sacrificed their lives, led the anti-discrimination movement, and got martyred or injured in the people’s uprising.
The apology comes after the experienced cricketer-who was a parliament member of the Hasina-led Awami League party-was booked in a murder case involving the death of a garment factory worker.
Protesters took to the streets in July this year, and Shakib has not been home since, although the Bangladesh Cricket Board has assured him he will not be harassed on return.
“I extend my most profound respect and condolences to them and to their families,” the cricketer’s Facebook post read. “While no sacrifice can compensate for the loss of a loved one, nothing can fill the void of losing a child or a brother, to those of you who were hurt by my silence during this critical period, I respect your feelings and sincerely apologize. If I had been in your place, I too might have been upset,” he added.
The all-rounder is considered the greatest cricketer Bangladesh has produced, but his political past places the former captain in a tricky position when an interim government supervises a power transition. He has played 71 tests, 247 One-Day Internationals and 129 Twenty20 Internationals.
