Bangladesh PM's Daughter Saima Wazed (Photo: X/@drSaimaWazed) Wazed’s case highlights how the consequences of Hasina’s ouster after the deadly mid-2024 uprising have extended beyond her political allies to members of her family. Several of Hasina’s associates are facing criminal cases, including over alleged corruption, while others, like Hasina, remain in self-imposed exile in Bangladesh. The WHO placed Wazed, who began his five-year term as the organisation’s Southeast Asia regional director in early 2024, on unpaid administrative leave late last year. She was initially placed on leave in July 2025, after Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission, operating under the interim government that came to power following Hasina’s ouster, filed fraud and forgery charges against her in March that year. The WHO accused Wazed of "committing financial fraud in relation to her travel to China" and of misrepresenting her academic credentials, according to a separate letter from her lawyers to the WHO on July 3, 2026, seen by Reuters. Wazed has denied the allegations. The WHO also alleged she had illegally acquired a plot of land in Bangladesh, according to her resignation letter to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Wazed said she acquired the land before she joined the WHO and was entitled to it under a Bangladeshi law that covered the families of the country's independence leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina's father. "I was elected to the position of Regional Director in order to serve the countries in my region, which I had sincerely done," Wazed said in her resignation letter ?to Tedros ?sent late on Wednesday. "Since you continue to prevent me from effectively carrying out my duties, I have lost all trust and confidence in your leadership of WHO," she wrote. "Moreover, after nearly one year without any remuneration following your decision to place me on unpaid leave, my financial situation has become untenable. In these circumstances, I am choosing to step aside." The WHO did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last month, it said Wazed was on leave but declined to ?comment further about her case to maintain confidentiality. Sumit Sharma is a Deputy News Editor at Times Now with around a decade of experience across print, electronic, and digital media. Previously, he worke... View More