Dhaka: Bangladesh lodged a strong protest over India allowing fugitive former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to address a public event in New Delhi, alleging that her remarks threaten Bangladesh’s peace, security and democratic transition.
In a press release issued in Dhaka, the interim government said it was “surprised and shocked” that Hasina made a statement in the Indian capital on January 23 in which she “openly called for the removal of the Government of Bangladesh and issued blatant incitements to her party loyalists and gene
ral public to carry out acts of terror in order to derail the upcoming general elections in Bangladesh.”
The Muhammad Yunus-headed administration said Bangladesh is “deeply aggrieved” that India has not handed over Hasina despite repeated requests under the bilateral extradition agreement, and allowed her to make “inciteful pronouncements” from Indian soil, which “clearly endangers Bangladesh’s democratic transition and peace and security.”
Bangladesh government went on to allege that allowing the event to take place in New Delhi and letting “mass murderer Hasina” deliver a ‘hate speech’ were contrary to norms of inter-state relations, such as respect for sovereignty, non-interference and good neighbourliness.
Calling it “a clear affront to the people and the Government of Bangladesh,” the statement said the episode sets a “dangerous precedent” for Bangladesh-India relations and may “seriously impair the ability of the future elected polity in Bangladesh to engage, shape and nurture mutually beneficial bilateral relations.”