Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry has lodged a strong protest over an event that allowed ousted and fugitive Sheikh Hasina to speak virtually from Delhi, according to the article. The event, held under the name of the Foreign Correspondents Club of South Asia and also involving her son Joy, was scheduled on the second anniversary of the August 5, 2024 student-public uprising. Dhaka said allowing a person sentenced to death by a Bangladeshi court to make political remarks from Indian soil was a serious affront to Bangladesh’s sovereignty.

The article says Bangladesh had warned India before the event and requested that it be stopped, but expressed deep disappointment after the request was not met. It also says Dhaka has repeatedly sought Hasina’s return under the 2013 Bangladesh-India extradition treaty without receiving a response. India’s Foreign Ministry described the event as an initiative of a private media organization, a position the article disputes.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said India’s alleged use of a “Hasina card” conflicted with its desire for friendly relations with Bangladesh. He said judicial proceedings against the Awami League were under way at the International Crimes Tribunal and that trials involving Hasina and associates would be completed soon. The article portrays the government’s foreign policy as guided by a “Bangladesh First” approach.