Hasina’s activities in India principal challenge in planning PM’s visit: Humaiun

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir on Monday said the activities of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her associates in India remain the “principal challenge” to planning Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to New Delhi.

Speaking to The Hindu on the sidelines of the Bay of Bengal Conversation organised by the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS) in Dhaka, Humaiun said Bangladesh attaches importance to “strategic autonomy” in its foreign policy and urged India to recognise the difficulties facing the newly elected government.

“The visit will be bilateral but there are challenges and through dialogue we will overcome them. The principal challenge is not too much to ask for. Sheikh Hasina and her team are stationed in Delhi and they are trying to destabilise a foreign country sitting in Delhi. This does not benefit India either,” said Humaiun, calling on India to restrain Hasina and her team.

Humaiun accused Hasina of being responsible for the deaths of around 2,000 Bangladeshis during the crackdown on the 2024 July Uprising and referred to her as a “terrorist”.

He said Bangladeshis wanted a “clean break” with the past after sacrificing lives to remove Hasina’s government, which had been in power for more than 15 years.

At the same time, Humaiun said discussions between Dhaka and New Delhi were continuing and described some recent developments as positive.

“We are seeing some positive signs as India is trying to restrain them. That is the norm between two countries. If they [Hasina and her team] are restrained, then there will be no problem in the [bilateral] relationship,” he said, adding that relations with India remain a priority for Bangladesh.

Regarding Tarique Rahman’s potential visit, Humaiun said no decision had ruled out such a trip.

“The visit of Prime Minister will take place at a conducive time and I am hopeful. PM has never said that he will not visit [India],” he said, while highlighting the role of Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi in facilitating engagement.

Humaiun also praised the Indian High Commissioner’s efforts to improve bilateral ties.

“The Indian High Commissioner here is doing a good role. He is trying and hopefully Delhi will be receptive to his opinion and if they give importance to his opinion, then we are ready to engage across the board. We are carrying out our consultations,” he said.

He described the Awami League leadership as a “hindrance” to normalising relations between Dhaka and New Delhi.

Humaiun said Bangladesh was willing to discuss all outstanding issues but expected reciprocal action from India.

“When two governments sit down to discuss keeping in mind national interests, all issues can be addressed,” he said, adding that Bangladesh would not allow anyone to act against India’s interests while based in Bangladesh and expected India to take a similar position.

Earlier, in his ministerial address at the Bay of Bengal Conversation, Humaiun said Bangladesh sought “strategic autonomy” in its foreign affairs while maintaining strong relations with regional and global partners.