Dhaka voices outrage over Hasina’s speech in Delhi

Dhaka has expressed strong outrage over a speech delivered in Delhi by fugitive former Prime Minister and genocide accused Sheikh Hasina.

The Bangladesh government conveyed its deep anger and disappointment to India for allowing Hasina to address the media, saying New Delhi had ignored repeated warnings that such an arrangement could strain bilateral relations.

According to the government, Hasina made remarks that were hostile toward the state of Bangladesh and its people during the media interaction.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the statement in a press release issued on Wednesday (5 August).

The press release said that, on the second anniversary of the July Uprising, Hasina's speech was an insult to Bangladesh's sovereignty and a grave dishonour to the martyrs of the July movement.

The government alleged that Hasina's remarks were an attempt to deny the killings carried out during her alleged fascist rule against children and innocent civilians, which it said had been established by the United Nations.

It also said that the people of Bangladesh had rejected such attempts in the past and would continue to do so in the future.

The foreign ministry stated that, upholding the spirit of the July Revolution, the people of Bangladesh remain firmly committed to ensuring that the country never returns to what it described as the dark era of fascism.

The statement added that the people had also pledged not to depend on any foreign country.

It further said there would be no place in Bangladesh's politics for genocide accused Sheikh Hasina or what it described as her "mafia circle."

The government reiterated that Bangladesh seeks to maintain a mutually beneficial and forward-looking relationship with India based on sovereign equality, mutual respect, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, and national dignity.

The statement also noted that Bangladesh has repeatedly requested India to extradite Hasina under the 2013 Bangladesh-India Extradition Treaty, but India has yet to respond.

Instead, by allowing Hasina to address the media, India had deeply hurt the sentiments of the people of Bangladesh, the foreign ministry said.