Yunus-led interim govt says ‘shocked’ at India allowing Hasina to speak publicly, terms it breach of diplomatic norms

The Bangladesh interim government has expressed “surprise and shock” at India’s decision to allow former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who it described as “a fugitive convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal”, to speak publicly in New Delhi.

In a statement on Sunday, the Mohammed Yunus-led interim government’s foreign ministry said the incident “undermined bilateral norms, violated sovereignty principles, and set a dangerous precedent for future Bangladesh–India relations”.

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It added that the government was “deeply aggrieved” that Hasina was given such a platform, warning that it was “endangering Bangladesh’s democratic transition and peace and security”.

The ministry said: “The Government and the people of Bangladesh are surprised and shocked that fugitive Sheikh Hasina, who has been convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal for committing crimes against humanity, was allowed to make a statement at a public event in New Delhi on [the 23rd of January] in which she openly called for the removal of the Government of Bangladesh and issued blatant incitements to her party loyalists and general public to carry out acts of terror in order to derail the upcoming general elections in Bangladesh.”

It added: “Bangladesh is deeply aggrieved that while India is yet to act on her obligations to hand Sheikh Hasina over to Bangladesh under the bilateral extradition agreement despite repeated requests by the Bangladesh Government, she has instead been allowed to make such inciteful pronouncements from its own soil. This clearly endangers Bangladesh’s democratic transition and peace and security.”

Calling the episode a breach of diplomatic norms, the ministry said allowing the event in the Indian capital and letting what it described as “mass murderer Hasina” speak publicly was “contrary to the norms of inter-state relations, including the principles of respect for sovereignty, non interference and good neighbourliness”, and amounted to “a clear affront to the people and the Government of Bangladesh”.

The interim government warned that the move could have lasting consequences, saying it “sets a dangerous precedent vis-a-vis the future of Bangladesh-India relations” and could seriously undermine the ability of Bangladesh’s future elected leaders to build mutually beneficial ties, bdnews24 reported.

The ministry said the Awami League leadership’s “unabashed incitements” showed why the interim government had banned its activities, adding that Bangladesh would hold the group responsible for any violence before or on election day and would “take appropriate actions to foil its evil conspiracies”.

The ousted prime minister spoke via an audio message to a packed hall at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in New Delhi.

Her sharpest criticism was directed at Muhammad Yunus personally, who assumed office on Aug 8, 2024 to lead the interim government, after the ouster of Hasina who fled to India in the face of a massive so-called student’s uprising.

Hasina accused him of bleeding the country dry and pushing Bangladesh towards a wider regional conflict by allegedly handing over national resources and strategic interests to foreign powers.

“By betraying the nation, the murderous fascist Yunus is pushing our beloved motherland towards disaster,” she said.

She accused him of running an “illegal, violent” administration and repeatedly described him as a “usurper”, “money launderer”, and “power-hungry traitor”.

“Bangladesh stands today at the edge of an abyss,” Hasina said at the outset, invoking the Liberation War and the legacy of her father, independence hero Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

She said the country had been reduced to “a vast prison, an execution ground, a valley of death”, with human rights trampled, press freedom extinguished, and violence against women and minorities rampant.

The Awami League chief said her removal from office on Aug 5, 2024, was the result of a “meticulously engineered conspiracy” that had plunged the nation into what she described as an age of fear.

“From that day, democracy has gone into exile,” Hasina said, warning that life and property no longer enjoyed protection as law and order had collapsed nationwide.

She painted a picture of a country gripped by “mob” violence, looting, and extortion, stretching from the capital to rural areas, and blamed extremist groups and foreign interests for what she described as the systematic destruction of the state.

Speaking from India, she recounted the events surrounding her ouster, the destruction of her family’s historic residence, and what she described as state-backed attacks on minorities and democratic institutions.