Bangladesh expresses ‘shock’ over Sheikh Hasina’s Delhi address, warns of strained ties

Dhaka protests Hasina speech in India

Bangladesh expressed “surprise” and “shock” after India allowed former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to make a public address in New Delhi, cautioning that the development could harm bilateral relations.

Sheikh Hasina, 78, has been in India since August 2024 after student-led protests brought an end to her 15-year rule. On Friday, she delivered her first public address since leaving Bangladesh, speaking via an audio message to a packed press club in the Indian capital.

In November, a Dhaka court convicted Hasina in absentia on charges of incitement, issuing an order to kill and failing to prevent atrocities, sentencing her to death by hanging.

“The government and the people of Bangladesh are surprised and shocked. Allowing the event to take place in the Indian capital and letting mass murderer Hasina openly deliver her hate speech... constitute a clear affront to the people and the Government of Bangladesh,” the Bangladesh foreign ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said permitting the speech set “a dangerous precedent” and warned that it could “seriously impair bilateral relations”.

What Sheikh Hasina said

In her address on Friday, Sheikh Hasina called on Bangladeshis to overthrow the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, arguing that it was incapable of conducting free and fair elections. The speech came less than three weeks before the February 12 general election.

Describing Yunus as a “corrupt, power-hungry traitor” who was part of a conspiracy to remove her government, Hasina said: “In this grave hour, the entire nation must rise united and galvanised by the spirit of our great Liberation War.”

“To overthrow the foreign-serving puppet regime of this national enemy at any cost, the brave sons and daughters of Bangladesh must defend and restore the Constitution written in the blood of martyrs, reclaim our independence, safeguard our sovereignty, and revive our democracy,” she added.

Hasina also called for an end to violence and lawlessness in the country and demanded an “ironclad guarantee” for the safety of religious minorities, women and vulnerable groups. She urged the United Nations to carry out a “new and truly impartial investigation” into events since her ouster.

She alleged that Bangladesh had been “plunged into an age of terror” after “Yunus and his anti-state militant accomplices” removed her government in a “meticulously engineered conspiracy” in August 2024.

“Democracy is now in exile. Human rights have been trampled into the dust. Freedom of the press has been extinguished. Violence, torture, and sexual assault against women and girls remain unchecked. Religious minorities face continuous persecution. Law and order have collapsed,” she said.

Other Awami League leaders also addressed the event, both in person and virtually, including former education minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury and former foreign minister AK Abdul Momen. They echoed accusations against Yunus and argued that the upcoming election would not be free or fair without the Awami League’s participation.