Bangladesh today said it was shocked and disappointed that fugitive Sheikh Hasina was allowed to speak at a public event in New Delhi.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said Sheikh Hasina, who has been convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal for crimes against humanity, called for the removal of the Bangladesh government and encouraged violence to disrupt the upcoming general election.
The ministry said this kind of speech threatens Bangladesh’s democratic transition, peace, and security.
Bangladesh also expressed strong anger that India has not acted on repeated requests to hand over Sheikh Hasina under the bilateral extradition agreement. Instead, she was allowed to make what the ministry described as provocative and hateful statements from Indian soil.
The statement said allowing such an event goes against good relations between countries, including respect for sovereignty, non-interference, and good neighbourly ties. It said this has hurt the people and the government of Bangladesh.
The ministry warned that this incident could seriously damage future Bangladesh-India relations and make cooperation with a future elected government more difficult.
It also said these statements explain why the interim government banned the activities of the Awami League.
Bangladesh warned that it would hold the party responsible for any violence or terror before or on election day and would take necessary steps to stop any such attempts.
According to the Foreign Ministry, on January 23 in New Delhi, Sheikh Hasina openly called for the removal of the Bangladesh government and urged her supporters to create unrest to block the general elections.
