 "Former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina. File Image- FP Creative")
Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday summoned the Indian Deputy High Commissioner in Dhaka, Pawan Badhe, and expressed its concern about former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s interaction with Indian media. A high-level diplomatic source told Bangladeshi news outlet BSS that the ministry questioned the Indian government’s decision to allow Hasina to interact with the media.
The Bangladeshi ministry reportedly conveyed to the Indian envoy that “harbouring a notorious fugitive, currently under trial for committing crimes against humanity, is unhelpful to foster and construct bilateral relationship,” between the two nations.
As per the report, the Indian diplomat was asked to convey to New Delhi Bangladesh’s request to immediately discontinue Hasina’s access to the media.
Hasina says the 2024 coup was premeditated
In one of her first interviews after her ousting, Hasina told CNN-News18 that the government of Muhammad Yunus, the unelected leader propped by protesters and the military, was actually run by extremists of Hizb-ut Tahrir.
She described the 2024 Bangladesh protests as a “coup” and emphasised that it was “pre-planned”. The speed with which Yunus seized power, the immediate immunity granted to perpetrators, and the dissolution of our judicial inquiry are all acts that indicate a preconceived strategy. Yunus, it seems, had been preparing to seize power, or those who installed him had," the former Bangladeshi PM said in a statement.
Hasina fled Bangladesh on August 5, 2024, when she arrived in Delhi. Back home, there have been several criminal charges raised against her and her aides. Since coming to power, the Yunus administration has been demanding Hasina’s extradition.
When asked what compelled her to leave Bangladesh, Hasina said that she was forced to leave the country when the peaceful protests were filled with ‘radical agitators’. “By early August, the once peaceful protests had transformed into a state of lawlessness led by a violent mob of radical agitators. This was a far cry from the initial student protests over civil service job quotas,” she told CNN-News18 in a written interview.
“Of course, the full scale of the conspiracy only became clear much later. When Yunus granted immunity to all the perpetrators of last summer’s violence and dissolved the inquiry we set up to investigate the cause, it was obvious that a plan had been devised to overthrow my government,” she added. Dhaka has been uncomfortable with several Awami League leaders speaking to the media, so much so that some of them have even asked to remain anonymous while speaking to the Indian media.