India says it has no role in Hasina's planned interaction with journalists
Randhir Jaiswal's remarks come amid reports that the ousted prime minister is scheduled to virtually address members of the Foreign Correspondents' Club of South Asia in New Delhi tomorrow.
India has clarified that the proposed interaction between former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina and journalists in New Delhi is a private event and that the Indian government has no involvement in organising it.
Speaking at the Ministry of External Affairs' weekly media briefing today (4 August), ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "The interaction you are referring to is being organised by a private media entity. The government has no involvement whatsoever in it, nor does it endorse any views that may be expressed at the forum."
His remarks came amid reports that Hasina is scheduled to virtually address members of the Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC) of South Asia in New Delhi tomorrow (5 August).
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If held, the event would mark Hasina's first public appearance since she fled Bangladesh following the student-led mass uprising in August 2024 and took shelter in India.
Jaiswal's comments also follow concerns raised by Bangladesh over the proposed event.
Yesterday (3 August), Humaiun Kobir, the foreign affairs adviser to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, said Dhaka believed Hasina's planned interaction with journalists in New Delhi could undermine the positive momentum in Bangladesh-India relations.
According to Bangladesh's foreign ministry, the message was conveyed to Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi during a meeting on Monday.
Speaking at a briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday, State Minister Shama Obaed Islam said Bangladesh has sought clarification from the Indian government regarding its position on reports that Hasina will participate virtually in an event scheduled for 5 August.
The state minister said Bangladesh wanted India's position on the matter to be made clear.
She also said Hasina's public political activities from Indian territory could have a negative impact on bilateral relations between the two countries.
Replying to another question if Hasina's return to Bangladesh came up during the meeting between US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor and Trivedi, Jaiswal said, "I have no comment to offer."
