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Senior leaders of ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have questioned India’s decision to allow ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to address a press conference in New Delhi.
Speaking to BBC Bangla, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said the government wanted to know why Indian authorities allowed Hasina to speak publicly through the media while she remains in India.
“India has given her shelter. But while living there, Sheikh Hasina has been carrying out political activities related to Bangladesh. Why did the Indian government allow her to address the media?” Ahmed said.
Hasina, who has been living in India since being ousted during the July mass uprising, joined a press conference via audio call on August 5, marking the second anniversary of the fall of her Awami League government.
The event was organized by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia (FCC South Asia) in New Delhi, where she also answered questions from journalists.
Ahmed also questioned why India had allowed political activities by a person who, according to him, faces capital punishment in Bangladesh over crimes against humanity charges.
The BNP leader criticized Hasina for not expressing regret or apologizing for the deaths during the July uprising.
Instead, he alleged that she continues political activities from India against Bangladesh.
During the same press conference, Hasina avoided answering a question on whether she would apologize for the killings during the July movement.
Her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, who also joined virtually, argued that if one side had been granted indemnity over the violence, the other side should receive the same treatment.
Ahmed said investigations into alleged crimes against humanity involving the Awami League are ongoing and that the party’s future would ultimately be decided through legal proceedings before the International Crimes Tribunal.
Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had earlier expressed concern over Hasina’s participation in the New Delhi event.
Before the press conference, Bangladesh requested India’s cooperation to prevent Hasina from engaging in political activities while residing there.
India, however, said the event was privately organized and that the Indian government had no involvement in it or responsibility for the views expressed during the press conference.
Despite those assurances, the press conference went ahead as planned, prompting criticism from senior BNP leaders, who argued that such an event could not have taken place in New Delhi without the tacit approval of the Indian authorities.
