BANGLADESH SEEKS CLARITY ON SHEIKH HASINA’S WHEREABOUTS AMID SPECULATION OF DEPARTURE TO THIRD COUNTRY

Wed 09 October 2024:

New Delhi: Two months after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Bangladesh, her whereabouts are again in the news, with Dhaka asking India and the UAE about her status and claiming to have received no answers.

In recent days, Bangladeshi social media has been filled with speculation that Hasina has left India for a third country, with the UAE mentioned as a likely destination.

In this context, Bangladesh’s interim government foreign affairs adviser Md Touhid Hossain stated that they have reviewed such reports and sought clarification.

“We have not been able to verify her current location. We inquired with Delhi and the (United Arab) Emirates too, but no one has been able to provide official confirmation,” Hossain told reporters during a briefing at the Bangladesh foreign ministry on Tuesday, October 8.

Referring to the social media posts, he added, “As you have all seen, we have seen too that she is possibly in Ajman (in UAE). But we have been unsuccessful in our attempts to reconfirm it.”

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Speculation has intensified following social media posts claiming to have spotted former Awami League leader Shamim Osman at UAE’s Ajman City Centre earlier this month. This follows an alleged sighting of Osman, a close aide of Sheikh Hasina, at Delhi’s Nizamuddin Shrine by a Bangladeshi student in India a month ago.

Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka in a hurry on August 5 after her government was ousted after 15 years in power by a popular student-led movement. Accompanied by her sister, Sheikh Hasina arrived at an Air Force station in Ghaziabad, on the outskirts of New Delhi.

A day later, Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar told parliament that Hasina had requested approval “at very short notice” to come to India “for the moment.” He added, “We simultaneously received a request for flight clearance from Bangladesh authorities. She arrived yesterday evening in Delhi.”

This response has become the standard template for the Ministry of External Affairs regarding queries about Hasina’s visit. When the Indian foreign ministry spokesperson was last asked about Hasina’s status on September 12, he reiterated, “Regarding the status, which you mentioned, the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh came here under specific circumstances, on short notice, and for her safety. Beyond that, I don’t have any further information to provide”.

Sources emphasised that India’s position has not changed from this stance.

Hasina has not been seen in public since August 5, with only a statement released through her US-based son on August 13. Bangladesh Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus criticised her comments, stating that India should ensure she remains silent during her exile.

The interim government of Bangladesh is particularly concerned about Sheikh Hasina’s location, as she is named in at least 170 police complaints, with other Awami League members, for various offences, including murder. Furthermore, 31 cases have been filed with the Dhaka-based International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) alleging genocide and crimes against humanity against the Awami League government.

The Bangladesh interim government had earlier stated that they would pursue Sheikh Hasina’s extradition if her presence was sought by a court for trial.

This article originally published in The Wire click here