NEW DELHI, Aug 4: India on Tuesday said it has ‘no involvement’ with former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s proposed media event in the national capital, stressing that it is being organised by a ‘private media entity.’
Speaking at the routine bi-weekly media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said New Delhi did not endorse any views that may be expressed there.
“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,” Jaiswal said.
Bangladesh has conveyed its concerns to India over reports that Sheikh Hasina, who has been in India since leaving Dhaka last year, is scheduled to deliver a virtual address, stating that the event could adversely affect the recent improvement in bilateral ties.
Sheikh Hasina is due to make her first public appearance from New Delhi at the completion of two years of her ouster from power on Wednesday. The 78-year-old Hasina has been living in exile in the national capital after fleeing Bangladesh two years ago following a students’ uprising that led to the fall of her government.
Hasina, who heads the Awami League, will appear virtually in an event hosted by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club, South Asia. The event will be held at the Sir Mark Tully Auditorium at the AB-19 Mathura Road in Delhi from 6 pm to 7.30 pm.
His son Sajeeb Wazeed Joy will also be present at the event. Apart from him, former minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel, cricketer Shakib Al Hasan, former diplomat Animul Hoque Polash, writer and analyst Abu Obaidha Arin, and advocate Shah Mohammed Bakhtiar will also be present.
Hasina’s rule ended on August 5, 2024, following a student-led uprising, after which she fled to India via helicopter. However, Hasina has vowed to return by December this year, despite a death penalty by a Bangladesh court against her. The student-led uprising in Bangladesh claimed 1,400 lives due to a crackdown by authorities, as per a United Nations (UN) report. Bangladesh court has found Hasina guilty of this and has issued a death penalty against her.
(Manas Dasgupta)
