Bangladesh asks India to stop former PM Hasina from making ‘false statements’
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Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina has called on her supporters to stand against the country's interim government, accusing it of seizing power in an unconstitutional manner.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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DHAKA – Bangladesh has asked India to stop ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina from making “false and fabricated” comments while she is in the country, its Foreign Ministry said.
Ms Hasina fled to India in 2024
In an online address on Feb 5, she called on her supporters to stand against the interim government in Bangladesh, accusing it of seizing power in an unconstitutional manner.
Thousands of protesters gathered in Dhaka before her address and, in an effort to disrupt it, demolished and set fire to the home of Mr Mujibur Rahman
Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry handed over a protest note to India’s acting high commissioner in Dhaka, conveying “deep concern, disappointment and serious reservation” over her comments, it said in a statement on its Facebook page.
The ministry requested that India “immediately take appropriate measures, in the spirit of mutual respect and understanding, to stop her from making such false, fabricated and incendiary statements... while she is in India”, it said.
Ms Hasina could not be contacted for comment.
Although India did not comment on the communication received from Bangladesh, Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal condemned the destruction of Mr Rahman’s home as an “act of vandalism”.
“All those who value the freedom struggle that nurtured Bangladeshi identity and pride are aware of the importance of this residence for the national consciousness of Bangladesh,” he said.
It was in the same house that Mr Rahman declared Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan in 1971, and he and most of his family were assassinated within its walls in 1975.
Ms Hasina had transformed the building into a museum dedicated to her father’s legacy.
The interim government’s chief adviser, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, appealed to people on Feb 7 to restore law and order and ensure there were no more attacks on properties linked to Ms Hasina’s family or politicians from her Awami League party.
“Any attacks on their properties give them an excuse to draw international attention to themselves and dish out their fabricated stories... Any deterioration of law and order will give a wrong message to the world,” he said.
Bangladesh has been grappling with political strife since Ms Hasina fled to India in August, with its interim government struggling to maintain law and order amid continuing protests and unrest.
India and Bangladesh, which share a 4,000km border and maritime boundaries in the Bay of Bengal, have longstanding cultural and business ties.
India also played a key role in the 1971 war with Pakistan that led to the creation of Bangladesh. REUTERS
