India Distances Itself From Hasina’s Media Interaction
MEA says former Bangladesh PM’s virtual press conference is privately organised and has no government involvement
- Sheikh Hasina is set to virtually address the media on Wednesday.
- Bangladesh sought clarification from India over the planned interaction.
- MEA says the Indian government has “no involvement whatsoever” in the event.
- Hasina has been living in India since leaving Bangladesh in August 2024.
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 4th Aug: India on Tuesday distanced itself from former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s planned virtual interaction with the media in New Delhi, saying the event was being organised by a private entity and had no involvement from the Indian government.
Hasina is scheduled to address a virtual press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club on Wednesday evening, marking her first media interaction since she left Dhaka two years ago following massive anti-government protests.
Responding to questions over the event, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the government neither had a role in organising the interaction nor endorsed views that could be expressed during it.
“The interaction you refer to is being organised by a private media entity. The government has no involvement whatsoever in it, neither does it endorse any views that may be expressed at the forum,” Jaiswal said during his media briefing.
India’s clarification came after Bangladesh sought an explanation over the planned interaction.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s foreign affairs adviser Humaiun Kobir said on Monday that a public interaction involving Hasina from Indian soil could undermine the positive momentum recently seen in relations between New Delhi and Dhaka.
Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and several Awami League leaders, including Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel and Shakib Al Hasan, are also expected to participate in the conference.
Hasina, 78, has been living in India since leaving Bangladesh following the collapse of her government in August 2024.
In November, a special tribunal in Dhaka sentenced Hasina to death in absentia over alleged crimes against humanity linked to the crackdown on student-led protests in 2024. Bangladesh has since been seeking her extradition from India.
Relations between India and Bangladesh deteriorated significantly after the fall of the Hasina government and the installation of an interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus.
Efforts to stabilise ties gathered momentum after Tarique Rahman became Bangladesh’s Prime Minister following his party’s victory in the parliamentary elections, which Hasina’s Awami League was barred from contesting.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, accompanied by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, represented India at Rahman’s inauguration in Dhaka on February 17.
Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman subsequently visited India in April as the two countries sought to rebuild ties following more than 18 months of diplomatic tensions.
The controversy surrounding Hasina’s planned media appearance now comes as New Delhi and Dhaka seek to sustain the recent improvement in bilateral relations.
