E-Paper
India-Bangladesh friction due to Yunus: Hasina
Sheikh Hasina has lived in self-exile in India since the fall of her government in August 2024 following weeks of student-led protests
The “violent and extremist” policies of Bangladesh’s interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus are responsible for friction with India and “Yunus’s sponsorship of extremists” threatens to undermine ties between the two countries, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has said.
Hasina, who has lived in self-exile in India since the fall of her government in August 2024 following weeks of student-led protests, said in one of her first interviews with the Indian media that Awami League supporters will not vote in Bangladesh’s upcoming election scheduled for February if “they cannot vote for their preferred party”. In written responses sent to HT, she described the interim government’s ban on the activities of the Awami League as a violation of Bangladesh’s Constitution and the fundamental democratic rights of the people.
Against the backdrop of the interim government seeking her extradition to face charges in a raft of cases filed against her in Bangladesh, Hasina said that she was “deeply grateful to the Indian people for providing me with a safe haven”.
“India is and has always been Bangladesh’s most important ally, and must remain so if Bangladesh’s security and prosperity are to be maintained. If there is friction between India and Dr Yunus’s unelected administration, that has nothing to do with me and everything to do with the chaotic, violent and extremist policies that are taking shape under Dr Yunus’s rule,” said the 78-year-old politician who was Bangladesh’s longest-serving premier.
Hasina’s four consecutive terms from 2009 to 2024 were marked by rapid economic progress in Bangladesh and a close relationship with New Delhi that focused on physical and other forms of connectivity that especially benefited India’s northeastern region. However, she also faced criticism for cracking down on her opponents and suppressing dissent.
Responding to a question on the interim government freeing persons convicted of supporting terror groups in India’s northeast and accusations of the re-emergence of extremist forces in Bangladesh, Hasina said: “Yunus’s sponsorship of extremists in his government undoubtedly threatens to undermine that fundamental relationship, to the detriment of both our nations.”
