Dhaka: Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is set to hold a virtual interaction with the media in New Delhi today. Notably, it will be her first
public media appearance from India since her government was after a students' uprising in Bangladesh in 2024. In the wake of Hasina's public appearance, Bangladesh's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting urged media outlets of the country not to broadcast or publish her statements. According to the ministry, the International Crimes Tribunal has already banned the dissemination of statements via mass media and social media. The national cybersecurity agency has also made similar appeals to the media to avoid broadcasting Hasina's press interaction. The Bangladeshi government even alleged that certain sections of the media are broadcasting Hasina's statements despite court directives, a matter over which it has expressed serious concern. The government further stated that it holds the July mass uprising and the sacrifices of those who were martyred in it in the highest regard.
Dhaka Raises Concerns with India Over Hasina's Virtual Address:
During Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi's courtesy call on Humaiun Kobir, the Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, in Tejgaon on Monday afternoon, the matter of Hasina's address also reportedly cropped up. The Bangladesh side conveyed that Dhaka expects India’s cooperation to ensure that neither Hasina nor any individual associated with a banned organisation uses Indian territory to deliver political speeches or undertake activities aimed at destabilising the situation in Bangladesh. The Adviser noted that such activities could undermine the positive progress in bilateral relations.In response, the Indian High Commissioner assured that the matter would be duly considered, necessary inquiries would be made, and vigilance would be maintained on the issue.
India Distances Itself From Sheikh Hasina's Planned Media Interaction:
Meanwhile, India on Tuesday said it has nothing to do with Hasina's plan to hold a virtual interaction with the media."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," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, while answering a question on Hasina's plan during his bi-weekly media briefing.
The former prime minister's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and a number of other Awami League leaders including Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel and Shakib Al Hasan are likely to speak at the conference.
Hasina, 78, has been living in India after she fled Dhaka following the collapse of her government in August, 2024 in the face of a massive anti-government agitation.
Last November, Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia by a special tribunal in Dhaka for alleged "crimes against humanity" over her government's brutal crackdown on student-led protests in 2024.
