India says no role in Sheikh Hasina's planned Delhi media event
India on Tuesday distanced itself from former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina's planned virtual media interaction in New Delhi, making it clear that the government
India on Tuesday distanced itself from former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina's planned virtual media interaction in New Delhi, making it clear that the government has no role in the event and does not endorse any views that may be expressed there. The clarification came after Dhaka sought an explanation from New Delhi over the proposed interaction, which is scheduled for Wednesday evening at the Foreign Correspondents' Club. Read Full Story External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the event was being organised by a private media entity. “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 at the ministry's bi-weekly media briefing.
BANGLADESH RAISES CONCERN The Indian response followed comments from Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's foreign affairs adviser, Humaiun Kobir, who said on Monday that a public interaction by Hasina from Indian soil could affect the positive momentum achieved in relations between the two countries in recent months. Hasina is expected to address the virtual press conference on Wednesday evening. It will be her first media interaction in two years after she fled Dhaka following a massive anti-government protest that led to the collapse of her government in August 2024. Her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and several other Awami League leaders, including Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel and Shakib Al Hasan, are also likely to speak at the conference. HASINA'S EXTRADITION DEMAND Hasina, 78, has been living in India since leaving Bangladesh after her government fell amid a large anti-government agitation in August 2024.
Last November, a special tribunal in Dhaka sentenced her to death in absentia for alleged “crimes against humanity” linked to her government's crackdown on student-led protests in 2024. Following the verdict, Bangladesh has repeatedly urged India to extradite Hasina so that she can face the law in her home country. INDIA-BANGLADESH TIES UNDER STRAIN Relations between India and Bangladesh deteriorated after the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus took charge following Hasina's ouster. Efforts to stabilise ties gained momentum after Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, accompanied by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, represented India at the inauguration of Tarique Rahman as Bangladesh's prime minister in Dhaka on February 17. Rahman became prime minister after his party won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections in which Hasina's Awami League was barred from contesting.
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