She has to make up her mind: Jaishankar on Hasina's stay in India
He says fair polls in Bangladesh would be beneficial for regional relations
Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said Sheikh Hasina's stay in India is her personal decision influenced by the "circumstances" that led her to the country, reports NDTV.
Speaking at the HT Leadership Summit to NDTV's CEO and Editor-in-Chief Rahul Kanwal, Jaishankar was asked whether Hasina was welcome to remain in India for an indefinite period.
"Well, that's a different issue, isn't it?" Jaishankar responded.
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He went on to say, "She came here in a certain circumstance, and I think that circumstance clearly sort of is a factor in what happens to her. But again, that is something in which she has to make up her mind."
Hasina fled to India with her sister Sheikh Rehana on 5 August in the face of a mass uprising. She has been in India since then. She was recently sentenced to death in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal in a crimes against humanity case.
Following her conviction, Bangladesh formally wrote to the government of India to facilitate the return of Sheikh Hasina. Since she fled to India, the demand has been growing to have her repatriated to the country and face trial for the crimes committed by her administration during the July-August uprising.
India-Bangladesh relationship
Talking about the strategic New Delhi-Dhaka relationship, Jaishankar emphasised on India's stance on the need for a credible democratic process in the neighbouring country, said the NDTV report.
Referring to past political issues in Bangladesh, Jaishankar said, "What we heard was that people in Bangladesh, particularly those who are now in power, had an issue with how the elections were conducted earlier. Now, if the issue was the election, the first order of business would be to do a fair election."
Jaishankar underscored India's preference for a robust democracy in its neighbour, expressing optimism for the future of bilateral ties.
"As far as we are concerned, we wish Bangladesh well. We think as a democratic country, any democratic country likes to see the will of the people ascertained through a democratic process," he said.
He further added confidence that the outcome of a fair electoral process would be beneficial for regional relations. "And I am quite confident that whatever comes out of the democratic process would have a balanced and mature view about the relationship and hopefully things would improve," he added.
