ISLAMABAD: Bangladesh on Wednesday said it was "outraged" that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was allowed to engage in a live interaction with the media in New Delhi, accusing her of launching "venomous vitriol" against the Bangladeshi state and its people and warning that the event could further strain relations with India.
The statement by Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs came after the self-exiled former prime minister and president of the Awami League addressed a special virtual event hosted by the Foreign Correspondents' Club of South Asia in New Delhi, according to the Awami League's official X account.
Hasina has been living in India since August 2024 after fleeing Bangladesh as mass student-led protests against her government escalated into a nationwide uprising that ended her 15-year rule. Bangladesh's interim authorities have since launched multiple legal cases against her, including proceedings related to the deadly crackdown on protesters. She was tried in absentia in one case and has rejected the charges as “politically motivated,” while the government has sought her extradition from India under the 2013 bilateral Extradition Treaty.
The government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has maintained that Hasina must return to Bangladesh to face trial, arguing that accountability for the 2024 violence is essential for justice and democratic transition. India has not acted on Dhaka's extradition request and has said Hasina's latest appearance was organized by a private media organization without any involvement or endorsement from the Indian government.
In its statement, Dhaka said it "deeply regrets" that despite conveying concerns to New Delhi in advance about the likely impact of the event on efforts to reset bilateral ties, the public interaction was allowed to proceed.
"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 ministry said.
The ministry also accused Hasina of denying findings documented by the United Nations regarding the deadly July-August 2024 crackdown, saying the event was "a futile attempt by the absconding convicted mass murderer Hasina and her criminal cohort to reverse the tide of history."
It added that the Bangladeshi people had already rejected such efforts and remained committed to ensuring the country would never return to what it described as "the dark days of fascism."
"Convicted mass murderer Hasina and her mafia enterprise will never have a place in the polity of Bangladesh," the statement said.
While reaffirming that Bangladesh seeks a "constructive, mutually beneficial, and forward-looking relationship" with India based on sovereign equality, mutual respect, non-interference and national dignity, the ministry said New Delhi had yet to respond to repeated requests to return "convicted criminal Hasina" under the 2013 extradition treaty.
"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," it said.
During the event, Hasina rejected the widely accepted account of the 2024 uprising, saying it "was not simply a spontaneous student protest."
"It was organized, directed, and used to create a path to power outside the ballot box," she said, without presenting evidence to support the claim.
Her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, also alleged that extremist groups had gained ground in Bangladesh since her removal from office, claiming that "the next set of terrorists globally are going to be coming from Bangladesh unless this is stopped now."
Bangladesh's current authorities have rejected allegations that they are tolerating extremism, saying they remain committed to counterterrorism efforts while pursuing legal action against Hasina and senior members of her former administration.
India, meanwhile, has reiterated that the New Delhi event was privately organized and does not reflect the position of the Indian government.
