S Jaishankar Addresses Sheikh Hasina's Future in India and Bangladesh Relations

Sheikh Hasina sought refuge in India in August last year after her government collapsed.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar clarified on Saturday that former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's continued residence in India remains her personal choice, influenced primarily by the circumstances that brought her to the country.

Hasina's departure from Bangladesh came in August of last year, following the end of her 15-year leadership amid violent unrest that resulted in hundreds of fatalities and thousands of injuries. The 78-year-old former leader was recently sentenced to death in absentia by a Dhaka tribunal for "crimes against humanity" related to her government's response to student protests last year.

When questioned whether Hasina could remain in India "as long as she wants," Jaishankar responded during his conversation with NDTV's CEO and Editor-In-Chief Rahul Kanwal at the HT Leadership Summit: "Well, that's a different issue, isn't it? She came here in a certain circumstance, and I think that circumstance clearly sort of is a factor in what happens to her. But again, that is something in which she has to make up her mind."

Addressing India-Bangladesh relations, Jaishankar emphasized India's position supporting credible democratic processes in the neighboring country.

Discussing Bangladesh's political situation, he noted: "What we heard was that people in Bangladesh, particularly those who are now in power, had an issue with how the elections were conducted earlier. Now, if the issue was the election, the first order of business would be to do a fair election."

Jaishankar concluded with optimism about future bilateral relations, highlighting India's democratic values: "As far as we are concerned, we wish Bangladesh well. We think as a democratic country, any democratic country likes to see the will of the people ascertain through a democratic process."

He further expressed confidence that "whatever comes out of the democratic process would have a balanced and mature view about the relationship and hopefully things would improve."