Guwahati: Bangladesh has cautioned India that any political address by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina from Indian territory could adversely affect the improving bilateral relationship between the two neighbours.
The issue was raised during a meeting on Monday between Bangladesh Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir and India’s newly appointed High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi at the Prime Minister’s Office in Dhaka, according to a statement issued by Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During the meeting, Kabir referred to reports circulating on social media that Hasina, who has been living in India since leaving Bangladesh in 2024, is expected to address a public programme on August 5.
Bangladesh urged India to ensure that Hasina, whom Dhaka describes as a fugitive, and members of organisations banned in Bangladesh are not allowed to use Indian territory for political activities or speeches that could create instability in the country.
According to the ministry, Kabir told the Indian envoy that such activities could undermine the recent positive momentum in bilateral ties.
In response, Trivedi assured the Bangladeshi side that the matter would receive due attention and that the necessary inquiries would be made.
Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam also publicly called on New Delhi to clarify its position on the reported programme. She said Dhaka was committed to strengthening relations with India but expected clarity on whether Indian authorities supported the proposed event.
“We are moving forward with India with a forward-looking approach. We don’t want it to be damaged, and I firmly believe that India doesn’t want it either,” she told reporters.
Islam noted that Bangladesh had repeatedly conveyed, both verbally and in writing, that fugitives or convicted individuals should not be allowed to use Indian territory for political activities aimed at destabilising Bangladesh. However, she added that the reported programme was not being organised by the Indian government.
The development comes less than a week after an Indian parliamentary standing committee reiterated the government’s position that Sheikh Hasina had been given refuge on humanitarian grounds but had not been provided a political platform to undertake political activities from Indian soil.
According to the committee’s report tabled in Parliament on July 30, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri stated that India had adhered to the long-standing principle that its territory should not be used for political activities directed against another country.
Meanwhile, organisers of an August 5 event hosted by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia in New Delhi have confirmed that the programme will go ahead as scheduled. Hasina is expected to address the gathering through an audio link.
The event marks nearly two years since Hasina went into exile in India following the student-led uprising that ended her 15-year tenure as Bangladesh’s prime minister. Promotional material for the programme says she will outline her vision for Bangladesh and speak about her planned return to the country.
The latest diplomatic exchange comes at a time when both India and Bangladesh have been working to stabilise ties following political changes in Dhaka earlier this year, even as Bangladesh’s request for Hasina’s extradition remains under consideration by the Indian government.