India again distances itself from Sheikh Hasina’s remarks on Bangladesh

The Indian government on Friday once more refuted former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina's statements made at a news conference in New Delhi, which provoked a vehement reaction from Dhaka, asserting that it had no involvement in the event and did not support any comments against the Bangladesh government. Hasina, who has been residing in India following her flight from Dhaka in August 2024 amid a student-led uprising, utilized the virtual news conference to express her intention to return to Bangladesh by December irrespective of the potential arrest or death sentence.

The Bangladesh foreign ministry was furious that "an evading convicted war criminal" was permitted to hold such an event on Indian territory.

During a regular media briefing, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated the Indian stance on the issue prior to the news conference, emphasizing that New Delhi had no part in organizing the event and did not endorse anything said by Hasina. Jaiswal stated, "The government had no role to play in what was an event by a private media entity and the government does not endorse anything said at the forum, especially with regard to the duly constituted government of Bangladesh."

Regarding remarks made by Hasina's son, Sajeeb Wazed, during the same event that Bangladesh is turning into "another Pakistan" due to alleged leniency towards extremist forces and terror groups by the current government, Jaiswal added that India keeps a vigilant eye on any developments that could impact the country's security. He did not elaborate further on the matter.

When questioned about Bangladesh seeking fuel supplies from India to address an energy crisis, Jaiswal did not provide an update. He noted that India and Bangladesh maintain an ongoing relationship in the economic and energy sectors. The Indian high commissioner, Dinesh Trivedi, met with Bangladesh's power and energy minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood in Dhaka on Thursday to discuss strengthening bilateral cooperation in the power and energy fields.

Mahmood informed reporters that a diesel shortage had adversely affected power generation, resulting in outages. He stated that Bangladesh had a pipeline arrangement with India for diesel supply and had requested additional fuel.