The press release reiterated that Bangladesh seeks to maintain a constructive, mutually beneficial, and forward-looking relationship with India based on sovereign equality, mutual respect, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, and respect for national dignity.
However, the ministry expressed disappointment that Bangladesh’s repeated requests for Sheikh Hasina’s extradition under the 2013 Bangladesh-India Extradition Treaty have not received a response. It added that allowing her to publicly address the media under any pretext had deeply hurt public sentiment in Bangladesh and undermined efforts to strengthen bilateral ties.
The statement further said that Bangladesh was outraged that Sheikh Hasina, an absconding convicted criminal, was allowed to participate in a live media interaction from New Delhi, where she and other Awami League leaders allegedly made hostile remarks against the Bangladeshi state and its people.
According to the ministry, denying the findings of the United Nations regarding the killings of civilians, including children, during the July-August 2024 uprising amounted to an attempt to rewrite history.
It asserted that the people of Bangladesh had rejected such narratives in the past and would continue to do so.
The press release concluded by stating that, in keeping with the spirit of the July uprising, the people of Bangladesh remain determined never to return to the era of fascism and that the country would never become a ‘client state.’
