India has firmly denied any role in Sheikh Hasina’s forthcoming media address, while Dhaka expresses skepticism, worried that the address may jeopardize diplomatic ties. Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has received an invitation to the Brics summit from India, but he may encounter domestic backlash concerning the extradition of Hasina. To date, Bangladesh has not officially responded to the Brics invitation.
Ahead of former Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina’s media address, the Indian govt sought to distance itself from the event and said New Delhi doesn’t endorse any views that may be expressed at the event. However, Dhaka, which had raised the issue with Indian high commissioner Dinesh Trivedi on Monday, remains unconvinced as diplomatic sources said allowing Hasina to make a political speech might rock an already unsteady relationship.Hasina, who has announced she plans to return to Bangladesh in Dec despite the death sentence awarded to her, is scheduled to virtually address a media event at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club on Wednesday evening.The ministry of external affairs said the interaction was being organised by a private media entity. “Govt has no involvement whatsoever in it. Neither does it endorse any views that may be expressed at the forum,” spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. The ministry recently told a parliamentary committee that while providing refuge to Hasina, India had strictly adhered to the principle that no political activity was directed against any other country from Indian soil.
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The Indian government also confirmed that Bangladeshi PM Tarique Rahman had been invited by India for the Brics summit that it will host in Sept. While PM Narendra Modi had earlier invited Rahman to India for a bilateral visit, govt said the invitation on this occasion was for a Brics outreach session and in Rahman’s capacity as the current chair of Bimstec.While Bangladesh aspires for Brics membership and has already received support from Russia and China for its candidature, Rahman will likely be wary of any domestic fallout of travelling to India amid the unresolved Hasina extradition issue. Jamaat-e-Islami’s ascendancy as the primary opposition party may also restrict Rahman from soft-pedalling the Hasina issue. Dhaka has not yet formally accepted or declined the invitation that was extended by Modi to Rahman for Brics.
