Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheik Hasina, is an IT entrepreneur based in the U.S. and has been an ICT adviser in Ms. Hasina’s government. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Sajeeb Wazed, son of deposed Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has accused the Muhammad Yunus led interim government of “weaponising the judiciary” for carrying out a “political witch hunt” against the Awami League leadership.

Mr. Wazed’s allegations, as a long post on X, came two days after the interim government on Monday (December 25, 2024) said it has sent a diplomatic note to New Delhi seeking Ms. Hasina’s extradition from India.

Ms. Hasina (77) has been living in India since August 5 when she fled Bangladesh following a massive student-led protest that toppled her Awami League’s (AL) 16-year regime.

Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has issued arrest warrants for Ms. Hasina and several former Cabinet Ministers, advisers, and military and civil officials for “crimes against humanity and genocide.”

“The judges and prosecutors appointed by unelected Yunus led regime to conduct farcical trial process through International Crimes Tribunal makes it a political witch hunt that forsakes justice and marks another ongoing onslaught to persecute Awami League leadership,” Mr. Wazed said in his post on Tuesday (December 24, 2024).

An IT entrepreneur, Mr. Wazed is based in the U.S. and has been an ICT adviser in Ms. Hasina’s government.

“The kangaroo tribunal and subsequent request for extradition comes while hundreds of leaders and activists are extrajudicially killed, framing of outrageous murder charges, illegal incarceration of thousands by law enforcement and violent attacks including looting vandalism and arson going on with impunity everyday fuelled by denial of the regime,” he added.

On Monday (December 23, 2024), India confirmed receiving the ‘note verbale’ or diplomatic communication from the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi but refrained from commenting on it.

Under the provisions of the India-Bangladesh extradition treaty, extradition may be refused if the offence is one of a “political character.”

Bangladesh’s de facto Foreign Minister Touhid Hossain said Dhaka wants Ms. Hasina back to face the judicial process.

Mr. Wazed further accused that the chief prosecutor of ICT Tribunal Tajul Islam appointed by Mr. Yunus regime on December 22, despite proven records of defending war criminals, “reportedly spread deliberate disinformation campaign” against Ms. Hasina by claiming that Interpol issued red notice against her, and termed it as “a desperate bid to extradite her and hold farcical trial to serve the interest of Dr. Yunus.”

“But the very prosecutor later altered his statement following media exposure of the outright lie and now officially sent a request to India for the extradition,” Ms. Hasina’s son said.

“We reiterate our position that every single incident of human rights violation between July and August needs to be investigated in a free and fair manner but the Yunus led regime weaponised the judiciary, and we express no confidence in the justice system,” he alleged.

Last month, in an address to the nation on the completion of 100 days of the interim government, Mr. Yunus said Bangladesh will seek Ms. Hasina’s extradition. “We must ensure justice in every killing… We will also ask India to send back fallen autocrat Sheikh Hasina,” he had said then.

Mr. Yunus, who assumed office on August 8, claimed that about 1,500 people, including students and workers, were killed while 19,931 others were wounded during the protest against the Ms. Hasina government.

India has expressed concern as there have been a spate of attacks on minorities including on the Hindu community in Bangladesh in the last few months.

In recent weeks, Ms. Hasina has accused the Mr. Yunus-led interim government of perpetrating “genocide” and failing to protect minorities, especially Hindus, since her ouster.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited Dhaka two weeks back during which he conveyed to the Bangladeshi side India’s concerns, especially those related to the safety and welfare of minorities.

Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
| Photo Credit: AP

Bangladesh’s interim government said on Monday (December 23, 2024) that it has sent a diplomatic note to India to send back deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Dhaka.

Ms. Hasina, 77, has been living in exile in India since August 5 when she fled the country amid the student-led protests that toppled her 16-year regime. Dhaka-based International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has issued arrest warrants for Ms. Hasina and several former Cabinet ministers, advisers, and military and civil officials for “crimes against humanity and genocide”.

“We have sent a note verbale [diplomatic message] to the Indian government saying that Bangladesh wants her back here for the judicial process,” Foreign Affairs Adviser or de facto Foreign Minister Touhid Hossain told reporters at his office.

Earlier in the morning, Home Advisor Jahangir Alam said his office has sent a letter to the Foreign Ministry to facilitate the ousted premier’s extradition from India.

“We have sent a letter to the foreign ministry regarding her extradition. The process is currently underway,” he told reporters in response to a query.

Mr. Alam said an extradition treaty between Dhaka and New Delhi already exists and Ms. Hasina could be brought back to Bangladesh under the treaty.

Border Security Force (BSF) deployed along the border also intercepted 873 Indians entering Bangladesh without any documents from January 1 to August 4. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

There has been no significant increase in the number of undocumented people intercepted whilst entering or leaving India on the border with Bangladesh following major political changes in the neighbouring country, government data of the past six years shows.

Between August 5, when former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India, and November 27, a total of 1,393 Bangladeshis were apprehended along the international border. From January 1 to August 4, the number of such apprehensions stood at 1,144, data accessed by The Hindu shows.

In all, 3,907 undocumented people have been intercepted along the Bangladesh border this year, which includes Indians and people from other nationalities.

In the whole of 2023, as many as 5,095 undocumented people were intercepted, including 3,137 Bangladeshis.

Other than undocumented Bangladeshis, the Border Security Force (BSF) deployed along the border also intercepted 873 Indians entering Bangladesh without any documents from January 1 to August 4.

The number of Indians who wanted to cross over to Bangladesh from August 5 to November 27 stood at 388.

This year, 109 people from other nationalities, including Myanmar, were also stopped at the border.

In 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022, the number of Bangladeshis intercepted were 2,995, 2,480, 3,295, 2,451, and 3,074, respectively.

After the recent arrest in Dhaka of Chinmoy Krishna Das, spokesperson of the Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatani Jagaran Jote, an umbrella group of minority religious communities, in an alleged case of sedition, the BSF has tightened its vigil along the border.

“There could be instances when members of the minority community may want to enter India fearing for their safety, but till now, no such scenario has emerged. There were a few reports from Dinajpur in north Bengal but no mass movement of people is noticed so far. We stop unauthorised entry of all people,” a senior BSF official said.

After Ms. Hasina escaped to India on August 5, violence erupted in the neighbouring country, and in several cases, members of the Hindu community, temples, and shops owned by members of the community, were specifically targeted.

The BSF, deployed along India’s 4,096-km long border with Bangladesh, has been on a heightened vigil since August, with instructions from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) “to not allow anyone into the country without valid documents”.

In certain instances, the BSF pushes back illegal migrants in coordination with the Border Guards Bangladesh, as registering a police case involves a long-drawn legal and deportation process.

After August 5, the BSF has held hundreds of meetings with officials of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) to ensure the safety and security of minorities in Bangladesh.

Chief Adviser Prof. Muhammad Yunus said that not only the deaths in the uprising but all other violations of human rights, including alleged enforced disappearances while Ms. Hasina was in power, would be investigated. File
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

Bangladesh’s interim leader and Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus said Sunday (November 17, 2024) that his administration will seek the extradition of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from India, where she has been in exile since fleeing a mass uprising in August 2024.

In a televised address to the nation on his first 100 days in office, Mr. Yunus said that the interim government will try those responsible, including Ms. Hasina, for hundreds of deaths during the student-led uprising that ended her 15-year rule. Mr. Yunus took the helm on August 8, 2024, three days after Ms. Hasina fled the country.

He said that not only the deaths in the uprising but all other violations of human rights, including alleged enforced disappearances while Ms. Hasina was in power, would be investigated. Bangladesh has sought help from the global police organization Interpol in issuing a red notice for the arrest of Ms. Hasina and her associates.

“We will seek the return of the fallen autocrat Sheikh Hasina from India,” Mr. Yunus said. “I have already discussed the issue with chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Khan.”

While Hasina and her close associates are facing numerous criminal charges at home, the Yunus-led government is also pushing for the ICC to take up the case.

Seeking Hasina’s extradition could also pose a challenge for India, which has treated her as a trusted friend.

Mr. Yunus said his government’s most important task was to hold a new election to hand over power to an elected government, but he did not spell out any timeframe. He said his administration would first bring about reforms in various sectors, including in the electoral system.

He promised that once the electoral reforms are completed, a roadmap for the new election would be unveiled.

Mr. Yunus has been talking to political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party headed by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Hasina’s main rival, which has sought an election in two to three months. The party believes it will form the next government as Hasina’s Awami League party and its allies face a political debacle following her ouster.

Mr. Yunus said the Election Commission will be reconstituted soon.

“But as we move forward, we need to complete a lot of work. The train will reach its final station depending on how quickly we can lay down the railway tracks, and this will happen through consensus among the political parties,” he said.

Mr. Yunus also downplayed as “exaggerated” reports of attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, many of whom complained that hard-line Islamists are becoming increasingly influential since Hasina’s ouster.

A policeman walks past a portrait of Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in Dhaka on January 8, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Bangladesh’s interim government on Sunday (November 10, 2024) said it will seek Interpol’s assistance in repatriating deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from India, and other “fugitives”, to face trial for alleged crimes against humanity.

Ms. Hasina and her party leaders face accusations of ordering brutal suppression of the Anti-Discrimination Students Movement, resulting in numerous casualties during the July-August protests. The movement later intensified into a large-scale uprising, forcing Ms. Hasina to flee to India on August 5.

According to the interim government led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, at least 753 people were killed and thousands injured during the protests, which it termed crimes against humanity and genocide. Over 60 complaints of crimes against humanity and genocide have been filed against Hasina and her party leaders with the ICT and the prosecution team till mid-October.

“A Red Notice will be issued through Interpol very soon. No matter where in the world these fugitive fascists are hiding, they will be brought back and held accountable in court,” Law Affairs adviser Asif Nazrul told reporters here after inspecting the status of renovation at the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), which is housed in the Old High Court building on the Supreme Court premises.

Officials said a Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant, but rather a global request for law enforcement agencies to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. Interpol member countries enforce Red Notices according to their own national laws.

The ICT was originally formed by the Hasina-led Awami League government in March 2010 to try the perpetrators of the crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War. It later formed ICT-2, and at least six Jamaat-e-Islami and leaders of Hasina’s arch rival Khaleeda Zia’s BNP party were executed following the judgments of the two tribunals. The tribunal remained dormant since mid-June after its chairman retired.

The interim government reconstituted the tribunal on October 12.

On October 17, the tribunal issued arrest warrants against Ms. Hasina and 45 others, including her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and several of her former cabinet members.

The interim government had earlier said that Hasina and several of her cabinet colleagues and Awami League leaders will be tried in this special tribunal.

However, Chief Adviser Yunus in an interview with the UK-based Financial Times newspaper last month said his government would not immediately seek Hasina’s extradition from India, an approach seen as preventing diplomatic tensions between the two countries.

Major General A.N.M. Muniruzzaman (Retd.). File image: Special Arrangement

The current state of relations between India and Bangladesh does not leave space for conventional diplomacy for Indian decision makers, a top policy analyst of Bangladesh has said. In an interview with The Hindu, Major General A.N.M. Muniruzzaman (Retd.), President of the Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS) asked the South Block to engage with all parties of the political spectrum in Bangladesh without waiting for the situation to evolve any further.

“India must engage with all sides in Bangladesh’s political arena. After the developments of August 5, the politics of Bangladesh has become very unconventional and classical diplomacy cannot be conducted in this situation and India needs to realise this fast and press the reset button,” he said. The end of the Hasina government need not be interpreted as the end of bilateral relations, he said, while also adding: “South Block should engage with the real stakeholders – the people of Bangladesh.”

Also read | A silent democratic backlash in South Asia

After the fall of the Hasina government, Bangladesh has been governed by an interim administration which has granted the decision-making power to several individuals from the civil society and student organisations that protested against Ms. Hasina. The resultant hybrid administration will help facilitate the return of party-level democracy in Bangladesh.

Along with other delegates of the BIPSS, Mr. Muniruzzaman has in the past participated in discussions held under the banner of think tanks such as the Vivekananda International Foundation here and had flagged the declining popularity of Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh over the past few years. Mr. Muniruzzaman, who is a well-known peacekeeper with extensive links in the United Nations, recalled that his cautionary words about the prospects of the Sheikh Hasina government did not get the required attention from New Delhi at that time that could have given the necessary early warning about the sudden end of the Hasina regime on 5 August.

“India will have to engage with the country and avoid the temptation of engaging a coterie. India will have to be on the right side of history in Bangladesh,” he said. He indicated that Bangladesh poses a political challenge and calls for the handling of the situation in a creative manner.

Since August 5, Sheikh Hasina has been living in India which has drawn criticism from the current rulers — including the student leaders — in Bangladesh. Chief Adviser Prof Mohammad Yunus met with Indian High Commissioner Pranav Verma on August 22 when he sought more security from the authorities in Dhaka because of the prevailing anti-India sentiments in Bangladesh.

That apart, India, unlike other countries such as the United Kingdom, has not ventured out to test the new political players in Dhaka. On Sunday, British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke met the Adviser for Information and Broadcasting Nahid Islam and discussed “shared values of media freedom, transparency and accountability.”

India in comparison is maintaining a wait and watch position on the new players such as Mr. Islam who was one of the biggest student leaders who made the fall of the Hasina regime possible. India is yet to make any visible overture to the main opposition party Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) while the BNP has been meeting Chinese, Pakistani and British delegations during the last fortnight. Mr. Muniruzzaman cautioned that India will have to catch up with the new players.

“New Delhi needs to acknowledge that the baton is being passed onto the new generation of Bangladeshis who would want to chart their own future and would also be keen to refashion the relationship with India,” said Shafqat Munir, Senior Research Fellow of BIPSS who cautioned that Dhaka-New Delhi relation has to be “forward-looking and based on mutual respect and that it cannot be beholden to a party or a person”.

Two new murder cases have been filed against Bangladesh’s deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Two new murder cases have been filed against Bangladesh’s deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her former Cabinet ministers for the killing of three persons, including two BNP activists, during the quota reform protests in the country, according to media reports.

The cases, filed in Dhaka courts on Friday (August 30, 2024) were the latest in the slew of cases filed against the 76-year-old leader after her resignation and fleeing to India on August 5 following a massive protest by students against a quota system in government jobs.

With this, the tally of cases filed against Ms. Hasina has risen to 84, including 70 on murder charges, eight on allegations of crimes against humanity and genocide, three for alleged abduction, and three on other charges, The Daily Star newspaper reported.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) activist Matiur Rahman filed the case in Kishoreganj over the killings of fellow party workers Zulkar Hossain, 38, and Anjana, 28, on August 4.

According to the case statement, a procession of the student movement and BNP activists were attacked by Awami League leaders with firearms, batons and sharp weapons. Some BNP workers took shelter in the house of a district Awami League leader in the nearby Khormaptri area, where they were confined by activists of the Hasina-led party and then set on fire, killing Hossain and Anjana.

As many as 88 people, including Ms. Hasina, former road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader, were named as accused in the case.

In Munshiganj, a case was filed over the death of a 22-year-old man, who was shot dead during the student-led movement in the town’s Supermarket area on August 4.

As many as 313 people, including Ms. Hasina, Quader, other Awami League leaders, and activists of its student wing, Chhatra League, were accused in the case.

“No one has been arrested in this case yet,” the report quoted Thander Khairul Hasan, additional superintendent of police at Munshiganj Sadar Circle, as saying.

Separately in Gazipur, 57 people, including Ms. Hasina, were accused in a case over the loss of eyesight of an 18-year-old college student. The victim was shot in the right eye during an attack on protesters at the orders of Hasina and others, according to the court document.

Over 230 people were killed in Bangladesh in the incidents of violence that erupted across the country following the fall of the Hasina government, taking the death toll to more than 600 since the massive protest by students against a controversial quota system in government jobs first started in mid-July.

The Hasina-led government was replaced by an interim government, and 84-year-old Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was named its Chief Adviser.

The Bangladesh interim government’s foreign affairs advisor Mohammed Touhid Hossain, has said that as cases mount against Sheikh Hasina, his country could consider seeking the extradition of the former premier but that would create an “embarrassing situation for the Indian government.”

In an exclusive interview to Reuters TV in Dhaka, Hossain said that “since there are so many cases” against Hasina in Bangladesh, the country’s home and law ministries could make the request to extradite her.

Also read | With Hasina in exile, a rival family is set to take centre stage in Bangladesh

“Her staying in Delhi, in India, the question comes that…there are so many cases [against Hasina] that could be… again some speculating, I am not a person right to answer this, if there is a request from there [Ministry of Home and Ministry of Law] we have to ask for her, you know, return to Bangladesh. If there is a demand from there, that creates an embarrassing situation for the Indian government. So I think the Indian government knows this and I am sure they will take care of it”, Mr. Hossain told Reuters TV.

Sheikh Hasina had arrived in India on August 5, following an uprising led by students against her that turned violent. As per the Dhaka Tribune, a complaint has been lodged against Ms. Hasina and 24 others in the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands for allegedly violating human rights.

The Bangladeshi media outlet said that there are multiple cases filed against Hasina.

Further, Mr. Hossain, the foreign affairs advisor in Bangladesh’s interim government led by Mohammad Yunus stated that the Nobel Laureate is “very unhappy” about the way the statements are coming from India, from the former Prime Minister and he had conveyed this to the Indian envoy in a meeting.

“Professor Yunus is very unhappy about the way the statements are coming from India, from the former Prime Minister. He is quite unhappy about this and I have conveyed this to the High Commissioner [of India],” Mr. Hossain said in the interview to Reuters TV.

“I have also told the press that we have conveyed this because we believe in transparent relations. So whatever actually is there, unless there are some, there are some secret points could be there. Otherwise, we want to make things public. And we have – I have just told him about the displeasure of the chief adviser, and let us hope that they take care of it,” he told Reuters TV in an interview.

Regarding the possibility of elections in the violence-hit country, Mr. Hossain said there will be more clarity on the timeline by September.

“All my colleagues in the council of advisors, they are extremely busy with bringing back normalcy”, he said adding, “I think from September, things will, normalcy and normal way of functioning will start.”

On the issue of giving refuge to Rohingyas, Hossain underscored that Bangladesh has “done more than its share” and is “not in a position to allow any more Rohingyas to enter”.

He said that other countries, including India should “take charge on that.”

“We are not in a position to allow any more Rohingyas to enter. It’s a humanitarian issue that involves the entire world, not only Bangladesh. We have done more than our share, and the world should take charge of that,” Mr. Hossain said.

Other countries “should put pressure through appropriate countries on the Arakan Army, who is the main actor in Rakhine state now to ensure that this does not happen, because we are not in a position,” Mr. Hossain told Reuters TV.

“Well, India is a very large country, if they want to take some, it’s fine. We have taken a million, let them take 200,000, I don’t mind. But the goal is their repatriation to their country,” Mr. Hossain said.

As per a report in the Dhaka Tribune, Bangladesh’s interim government has cancelled the passports of Sheikh Hasina, her advisers, former cabinet members, and all members of the 12th national parliament.

The authorities have also revoked diplomatic passports for their spouses and children have also been revoked with immediate effect, the Bangladesh publication reported.

Bangladesh is facing a fluid political situation with Sheikh Hasina, tendering her resignation from her post on August 5 in the wake of mounting protests. Hasina, who fled Bangladesh for India in a military aircraft on August 5, is currently staying in India.

The protests, led majorly by students demanding an end to a quota system for government jobs, took the shape of anti-government protests.

On August 8, Nobel laureate economist Muhammad Yunus was sworn in as the head of Bangladesh’s interim government. 17 members of Bangladesh’s interim government took their oaths at a ceremony in Dhaka.

File photo of deposed Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called on Tuesday (August 13, 2024) for action against those involved in “killings and vandalism” in the country last month, her first comments since violent protests forced her to flee to India.

Around 300 people died in the demonstrations that began as protests against employment quotas but spiralled into a movement seeking Ms. Hasina’s overthrow.

Ms. Hasina’s statement, issued on X through her son, came hours after a court ordered a probe into her role in the death of a grocery shop owner during the protests.

Many people died “in the name of revolution” in July, Ms. Hasina said.

“I demand that those involved in these killings and vandalism be properly investigated and the culprits be identified and punished accordingly,” she said.

Other members of her government also face criminal action, with former law minister Anisul Huq and Ms. Hasina’s adviser Salman F Rahman arrested for allegedly “instigating” the murder of two people, police said on Tuesday (August 13, 2024).

The case against Ms. Hasina — the first following the protests — was filed by Amir Hamza and accepted by Dhaka’s chief metropolitan magistrate’s court after a hearing, Hamza’s lawyer Anwarul Islam said, adding that police have been ordered to investigate.

Six others accused in the case include Obaidul Quader, the general secretary of Ms. Hasina’s Awami League party, former Interior Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and senior police officials.

Hamza alleged grocer Abu Saeed was hit by a bullet while crossing the street on July 19 as police fired on protesters in Dhaka’s Mohammadpur area.

The complainant blamed Ms. Hasina, who had called for strong action to quell the violence, for the shooting.

Hamza said he was not related to Saeed but approached the court because Saeed’s family could not afford to file the case.

“I am the first ordinary citizen who showed the courage to take this legal step against Sheikh Hasina for her crimes. I will see the case to an end,” Hamza told Reuters.

Ms. Hasina could not be immediately reached for comment. Quader’s phone was switched off, while Kamal did not answer his phone when Reuters tried to reach him.

Bangladeshi student leader Nahid Islam, now part of the interim government, said recently that Ms. Hasina must face trial for the killings during her term.

Ms. Hasina plans to return to Bangladesh when the caretaker government decides on holding elections, her son has said.

Indo-Bangla bilateral ties are not dependent on the Awami League and it is “natural to evoke adverse reactions” in Bangladesh over India giving refuge to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Senior leaders of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) said on Friday, August 9, 2024.

Ground Zero:The making of the Bangladesh revolt

Asserting that India was “very important” to Bangladesh, Senior BNP leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain told PTI over the phone from Dhaka that “it is high time to start a new chapter in bilateral relations.”

Mr. Hossain also welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s congratulatory message to the interim government in Bangladesh and hoped that the Indian government would no longer continue to support the Awami League and Sheikh Hasina, who was forced to flee the country following a mass uprising.

Echoing similar sentiments, BNP Vice-Chairman Abdul Awal Mintoo said it would have been better had Hasina not fled to India.

“It would have been better had she not fled to India, as we are yearning to have good relations with India. Bangladesh and its people believe and see India as a friend,” Mr. Mintoo told PTI.

He noted, however, that India is well within its rights, as per international law, to give refuge to someone they choose.

BNP govt. had ‘excellent relations’ with India: Hossain

Mr. Hossain said, “the impact of Sheikh Hasina getting refuge in India is quite natural. For example, if I don’t like you and someone else is supporting you, then I will naturally have a dislike for that person too. It is natural to have adverse reactions. But the fact is India-Bangladesh always shared good ties irrespective of whether the Awami League or Sheikh Hasina is in power.” “When BNP was in power, I was a minister in the Bangladesh government; we had seen how both countries shared an excellent relationship. India is very important to Bangladesh, as India has always supported the people of Bangladesh. Both countries will continue to have good bilateral ties,” he added.

The 77-year-old leader said the people of Bangladesh hope that the Indian government will “not always support a corrupt and dictatorial regime like the Awami League.” “We think the people of India have also realised this,” he said.

When asked if the BNP wants Ms. Hasina to be handed over to Bangladesh, he replied, “It is for the interim government to decide; as BNP, we have not taken a call on it.” Mr. Hossain also expressed hope that normalcy and democratic rights of the people would be restored at the earliest under the interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus.

Mr. Yunus took the oath as the head of an interim government in Bangladesh. Yunus, 84, was administered the oath of office by President Mohammed Shahabuddin at a ceremony in Dhaka.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country following widespread protests against her government over a controversial quota system in jobs. She flew to the Hindon air base, near Delhi, in a Bangladesh military aircraft on Monday.

Also read: Protests in Tripura over alleged attacks on minorities, destruction of sculptors in restive Bangladesh

The veteran BNP leader welcomed the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka attending the swearing-in ceremony of the interim government on Thursday, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s congratulatory message to the new regime. “It is high time to start a new chapter in bilateral relations,” he asserted.

“The Indian Prime Minister has congratulated the new interim regime; the Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka attended the ceremony. So we feel that India supports the new interim government and does not support those who fled the country,” he said.

Prime Minister Modi on Thursday, August 8, 2024, extended best wishes to Muhammad Yunus as he took the oath as the head of an interim government in Bangladesh, hoping for an early return to normalcy and ensuring the safety of Hindus and other minority communities in that country.

On his part, Mr. Mintoo said it is a “well-known fact in Bangladesh” that it was due to the support of their big neighbour that the Awami League could continue in power for so long despite deep resentment against its government.

Speaking on India’s closeness with the Awami League, Mr. Mintoo said, “It might have a small and temporary impact on bilateral ties, but it is in the interest of Bangladesh that it should not be long-standing.” “It is in the interest of Bangladesh that we should have very good relations with India. I would not have said this had this been any other neighbouring country like Bhutan or Nepal, but India is a very big country and one of the largest economies in the world. For the sake of good bilateral ties, both countries need to sit and talk and resolve the differences,” he said.

When asked about the INDIA OUT campaign in Bangladesh, both Mr. Hossain and Mr. Mintoo said these are “stray and temporary incidents” and neither the people of Bangladesh nor the BNP support such campaigns.

Mr. Mintoo said the new interim government of Bangladesh should immediately engage in dialogue with India to resolve all issues.

Regarding the comments during an interview to PTI by Sajeeb Wazed Joy, the son of Sheikh Hasina, that his mother will return to Bangladesh as soon as democracy is restored, Mintoo said, “Whether she wants to return or not is up to her; we can’t comment on it.” “The law of Bangladesh will take its own course. There are several cases of corruption and human rights violations during the Awami League regime,” he said.

Although Mr. Mintoo didn’t mention any timeline, he noted that his party, led by former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, wants elections to be held at the earliest so that a democratic government can be established.

At least 469 people have died in the anti-government protests in Bangladesh in nearly three weeks since the protests began in July.