Sheikh Hasina’s Media Event in India Hits Bangladesh-India Ties
By giving the deposed Bangladeshi PM a platform to lash out at the present regime from Indian soil, India has signaled that it still stands with its old friend.
The recent media event held by former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in India on August 5 has significantly strained Indian-Bangladeshi relations. Scheduled to mark the second anniversary of the toppling of Hasina's government in 2024, the event coincided with the second anniversary and has been seen as a deliberate affront to Bangladesh's sovereignty and a grievous insult to the martyrs of the July Revolution.
Ties between the two countries had been improving, with India's Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman visiting India from April 7 to 9 and the invitation of Rahman to attend the BRICS summit in New Delhi in September 2024. Bilateral trade and visa issuance had resumed, and the appointment of Dinesh Trivedi as India's new high commissioner was viewed as a thawing of ties.
However, these efforts were undone when India allowed Hasina to hold a press conference, distancing itself from the event but not endorsing anything said at the forum.
The press event prompted a furious reaction from Dhaka, with the government expressing deep outrage and regret. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned of severe ramifications such an event could have on bilateral relations, even seeking the extradition of Hasina under the 2013 India-Bangladesh Extradition Treaty. Hasina's son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, further exacerbated the situation by calling Bangladesh a failed state and accusing the current government of allowing the release of hundreds of convicted militants jailed during the Awami League's rule, alleging a security threat to India and describing Bangladesh as another Pakistan on India's eastern frontier.
India's decision to allow Hasina to hold a press conference signaled a miscalculated move, bringing efforts to mend ties to naught. The friendship with Bangladesh is crucial for India due to its status as the second-biggest trading partner in the region and its strategic importance for India's security framework. However, the event has created a diplomatic irritant and setback for New Delhi's regional security framework, as seen in Prime Minister Rahman's preference for China over India for a foreign visit, signing a $650 million MoU for the development of the China-Bangladesh Mongla Port Economic Zone.
Written by urgent.news from The Diplomat's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
