Bangladesh has told India, quite plainly, that they don’t want Sheikh Hasina giving any political speech from Indian soil on August 5. That day is exactly two years since she left Dhaka after the big protests that ended her time in power.
She’s been staying in India since then, mostly keeping quiet. Now she’s planning to appear publicly for the first time in nearly two years. It’s a virtual event run by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Delhi. She’s supposed to join online and talk about going back home and what she wants for Bangladesh. Her son and a couple of old party people are meant to be there too. They’re planning to stream it live.
On Monday, Bangladesh’s foreign affairs adviser sat with India’s high commissioner in Dhaka and asked him straight: please don’t let Hasina or anyone from her banned party use India to make political statements that could cause problems back home. Their foreign ministry put out a note saying the same thing. They’re worried it could spoil the better atmosphere that’s been building between the two countries.
Another Bangladesh minister told reporters they want India to say clearly where it stands. They don’t want people they see as fugitives using Indian ground to stir things up. At the same time, Bangladesh has put its police and security people on full alert for the 5th.
India’s high commissioner said they’d look into it properly and stay careful. Later the Indian side said the meeting was about working together for ordinary people and that they want to keep things positive with the current Bangladesh government.
Hasina has been saying in interviews that she plans to go back by the end of this year, even though she knows she might get arrested or worse. Bangladesh officials call that talk political and say she’ll be picked up the moment she lands. Their court already sentenced her to death while she was away. She says the whole case is just politics. Bangladesh has asked India to hand her over; India says the request is still being checked under the law.
Some Indian MPs have pointed out that India has always given shelter to people in real trouble, but it doesn’t let them run politics from here.
So Bangladesh has made its request. India has said it’s looking at it. Whether the speech actually happens on the 5th depends on what Delhi decides in the next day or two. Both sides keep saying they want calm, steady relations. That’s where it sits right now.
Sources:
Reports from India Today, The Indian Express, The Hindu, plus the statements from Bangladesh’s foreign ministry and the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.
@Rohit Manral
