Bangladesh outraged as India allows Hasina's live media appearance in Delhi
The foreign ministry says Dhaka had warned New Delhi about the likely impact of the event on efforts to reset bilateral relations and renewed its call for Hasina's extradition.
The government today (5 August) condemned India's decision to allow ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina to take part in a live media interaction in New Delhi, calling it an affront to Bangladesh's sovereignty and a setback to efforts to reset bilateral ties.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the government had conveyed its concerns to New Delhi in advance about the possible implications of the event for bilateral relations, but the programme was allowed to proceed.
Here's the full statement:
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Bangladesh is outraged that the absconding convicted genocider Sheikh Hasina was allowed this evening to engage in live interaction with the media in New Delhi where she and her henchmen launched venomous vitriol against the State of Bangladesh and her people.
Dhaka deeply regrets that in spite of concerns conveyed apriori to the Government of India about the likely ramifications of this event on the reset of our bilateral relations, this public event was permitted to be held.
On a day when the people of Bangladesh are observing the second anniversary of the July Revolution, this interaction by Sheikh Hasina on the Indian soil stands as an affront to the sovereignty of Bangladesh and a grievous insult to the martyrs of the July Revolution.
The denial of facts established by the United Nations, including gruesome killing of the innocent civilians including minor children during July-August 2024 by the fascist regime, stands as a futile attempt by the absconding convicted mass murderer Hasina and her criminal cohort to reverse the tide of history. The people of Bangladesh had already rejected such heinous attempts in the past and continue to do so now.
Upholding the spirit of the July Revolution, our people have firmly resolved that our nation will never again go back to the dark days of fascism and that Bangladesh will never be a client State. Convicted mass murderer Hasina and her mafia enterprise will never have a place in the polity of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh desires to maintain a constructive, mutually beneficial, and forward-looking relationship with India based on sovereign equality, mutual respect, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, and national dignity. Regrettably, Bangladesh's repeated requests to the Government of India for returning convicted criminal Hasina to Bangladesh under the Extradition Treaty signed between Bangladesh and India in 2013, has not yet elicited a response. On the contrary, allowing her the opportunity to openly interact with the media under any pretext is deeply hurtful to our people's sentiment and detrimental to the development of harmonious bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India..
What led to the statement
Ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina joined a live virtual interaction with journalists hosted by the Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC) of South Asia in New Delhi today. She did not appear on camera but delivered a speech before answering questions from journalists.
Her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and several Awami League leaders, including former education minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel and former Magura-1 lawmaker Shakib Al Hasan also took part in the programme.
Ahead of the event, India said it was being organised by a private media entity and that the Indian government had no role in arranging it or endorsing any views expressed during the programme
Speaking at a weekly media briefing yesterday, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the government had "no involvement whatsoever" in the event.
Before the programme, Bangladesh conveyed its concerns to New Delhi over Hasina's planned interaction with journalists, saying it could have implications for bilateral relations. The foreign ministry said those concerns were communicated to the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka.
At a separate briefing yesterday, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam said Bangladesh had sought clarification from India over reports that Hasina would participate in the event.
She said Dhaka wanted India's position on the matter to be made clear and warned that Hasina's public political activities from Indian territory could negatively affect bilateral ties.
Hasina has been living in New Delhi since leaving Bangladesh in August 2024, when her Awami League government was toppled following the July Mass Uprising.
She was later tried in absentia by International Crimes Tribunal and sentenced to death in a case linked to the July-August 2024 crackdown.
