Sheikh Hasina

Sheikh Hasina vows return to Bangladesh in December despite threats

Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday declared that she is determined to return home in December to put the country on the "right track" as she is undeterred by the threat of imprisonment or a death sentence. Hasina made the remarks during an audio-only virtual press conference -- her first public media interaction since fleeing to India on August 5, 2024 in the face of a massive protest. Attendees were unable to see the former prime minister and heard only her voice. "I know, they may put me in jail or kill me," she said, adding "I will go back home to be with my people." The Awami League leader also described India as a "great friend" of Bangladesh and said it always stood by her country in times of difficulty. In her comments, Hasina delved into the prevailing political environment in her country and the challenges facing its people, asserting that her return is not about power but to put Bangladesh back on the track of development, secularism and ...

Datanomics: State of Delhi-Dhaka economic ties after Sheikh Hasina

Bangladesh's economic engagement shifted towards China, the US and the Netherlands after Hasina's exit, while trade and investment ties with India weakened

Ready to face risk of arrest or death to restore democracy, justice: Hasina

Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday declared that she is determined to return home in December, pledging to face the risk of arrest or a death sentence, in order to "restore democracy and justice" to the country. Hasina said this at a virtual press conference in her first public media interaction since fleeing to India on August 5, 2024. "My return is not about power, it's about putting Bangladesh back on track of development, secularism and prosperity," she said. "I know, they may put me in jail or kill me," she said, adding, "I will go back home to be with my people." Hasina, 78, has been living in India since fleeing Dhaka. "I have decided to go and I will go to Bangladesh," she asserted. Last November, Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia by a special tribunal in Dhaka for alleged "crimes against humanity" over her government's brutal crackdown on student-led protests in 2024. Since that verdict, Dhaka has been urging New Delhi to extradite her t

Bangladesh seeks India's stand on Sheikh Hasina's planned media appearance

Bangladesh has sought clarification from India over its position on deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina's planned press conference in New Delhi on Wednesday, coinciding with the second anniversary of her government's ouster, a minister here said on Monday. Addressing a media briefing, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam also said that Hasina's public political activities from Indian territory could have a negative impact on bilateral relations between the two countries. According to some media reports, Hasina, 78, is expected to join a private event hosted by the Foreign Correspondents' Club of South Asia (FCC South Asia) virtually on August 5 in New Delhi. Hasina's US-based son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, former education minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel, and Bangladesh Human Rights Watch general secretary Mahammad Ali Siddique are among those who would join the event. "Bangladesh wants India to make its position clear on the matter," Shama said, adding that Dhaka do

Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin resigns, cites health issues

The Bangladesh President resigned two years before his term ends, citing health complications, with Speaker Hafizuddin Ahmed set to take charge as acting President

Bangladesh President likely to resign soon amid rising political tensions

Bangladesh's President Mohammad Shahabuddin is likely to resign soon, nearly two years ahead of his tenure, political sources and media reports said on Thursday. Shahabuddin was elected to the highest office by the past parliament and happens to be the only person still holding his constitutional position long after the violent July-August 2024 student-led street protest that toppled prime minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League government. Hasina fled to India and has been living there since August 5, 2024. "It is likely that he (Shahabuddin) will resign soon," a senior leader of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) told PTI without further elaboration. However, reports carried by several mainstream Bangladeshi media over his resignation gained momentum in the past two days suggesting Prime Minister Rahman's government was no longer comfortable with Shahabuddin. Newspaper Prothom Alo quoted a high-level government source as saying that the ...

Sheikh Hasina, exiled party leaders may return to Bangladesh in Dec

Exiled former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina says she will return from India in December to surrender despite facing a death sentence, saying she wants to face her fate on home soil

Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Rahman to meet EAM, Goyal on Wednesday

Talks between India and Bangladesh to focus on reviving stalled projects, boosting investments and potential visit of Bangladesh PM amid efforts to repair strained ties

B'desh court seeks Interpol red notice for arrest of UK MP Tulip Siddiq

A court in Bangladesh's capital on Thursday ordered authorities to request that Interpol issue a red notice for the arrest of a British lawmaker on charges of corruption in a private real estate project. Tulip Siddiq, a former British minister and an MP from Hampstead and Highgate in London, faces charges of corruption in Bangladesh as the country's Anti-corruption Commission pursues a case against her. Siddiq has already been sentenced to six years in jail in Bangladesh in three other corruption cases all involving her powerful aunt, the country's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Hasina was ousted in 2024 in a student-led mass uprising that ended her 15-year rule, and has been in exile in India since August 5, 2024. Siddiq earlier rejected all allegations against her, termed the verdicts as a "complete farce," and said she is a British citizen, not a Bangladeshi national. The commission said that Siddiq, using her connection with Hasina, influenced a process to award land to

Bangladesh no longer a 'submissive country', says Yunus in farewell address

Outgoing interim government chief Muhammad Yunus on Monday said his 18-month rule restored three core pillars of Bangladesh's external engagement - "sovereignty, national interests, and dignity", and it is no longer a "submissive" nation. In his farewell address to the nation, Yunus said that at the end of his regime's rule, "Today's Bangladesh is confident, active, and responsible in protecting its independent interests". "Bangladesh is no longer a country with a submissive foreign policy or dependent on the instructions and advice of other countries," he said in the televised address a day ahead of quitting power. He emphasised that his 18-month tenure had rebuilt the three "fundamental foundations" of the country's foreign engagement: "sovereignty, national interests, and dignity". Yunus' interim regime began in August 2024 and is set to conclude its unscheduled term with the swearing-in of a new government led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Tuesday, which won a ..

Vote for stability: Time for India and Bangladesh to rebuild relations

BNP's landslide win opens a chance for political stability in Bangladesh and a reset with India, but reform delivery and minority protection will test the new mandate

Hasina's extradition from India 'depends on legal process': BNP chief

BNP chairperson and soon to be prime minister of Bangladesh on Saturday said extradition of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina "depends on the legal process." The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader's comments at a press conference here came a day after one of his senior colleagues reiterated the party's firm stance on seeking Hasina's extradition from India to face trial. Rahman's BNP on Friday secured a sweeping victory with more than two-thirds majority in the landmark parliamentary elections held on Thursday. A massive student-led protest ousted Hasina's Awami League regime on August 5, 2024. Since then she has been living in exile in New Delhi as an Interim government led by Muhammad Yunus took charge three days later. After a trial in absential, Hasina, 78, was found guilty of crimes against humanity by the country's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in November 2025 and sentenced to death. Her aide and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal was also given a de

Strategic affairs experts say Bangladesh poll results are good news

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which secured a landslide victory in the general elections, on Friday reiterated its firm stance on seeking the extradition of ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from India to face trial. "The foreign minister has already persuaded the case for her extradition, and we also support it," Senior BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed said. "We always press for her extradition according to the law. This is between the foreign ministries of the two countries. We also asked the government of India to please send her back to face trial in Bangladesh," he added. Ahmed emphasised that Bangladesh seeks normal relations with all neighbours, including India, but only on equal terms. "We need a friendly relationship based on mutual respect, equality with all the countries, including India," he said. His comments came soon after the BNP's sweeping victory in the general elections held on Thursday. This is the first election since the mass uprising in August 2

After Tarique Rahman's Bangladesh election win, what changes for India now

Tarique Rahman's decisive win marks a political reset in Bangladesh after months of turmoil and India is now closely watching how the new leadership approaches security, trade and regional alignments

Bangladesh elections 2026: Tarique Rahman-led BNP wins majority in polls

Tarique Rahman-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party claimed victory in Bangladesh's 2026 elections as counting continued; PM Narendra Modi congratulated Rahman and said India looks forward to closer ties

Political scion Tarique Rahman set to lead Bangladesh after BNP win

Rahman, 60, is the eldest son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and former President Ziaur Rahman, the founder of the BNP who was assassinated in 1981

BNP heads for decisive victory in Bangladesh's parliamentary election

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Friday appeared headed for a decisive victory in the South Asian nation's general elections as counting progressed for the polls to elect a government that would replace the interim administration, which took charge after the collapse of the Awami League regime in August 2024. Multiple media tallies showed the BNP had won more than 151 seats in the 300-seat parliament. The Election Commission (EC) is yet to make a formal announcement. An EC spokesperson said the results in several seats were still being processed and were likely to be announced in a few hours. The election was seen as a direct contest between the BNP and its former ally Jamaat-e-Islami, in the absence of ousted premier Sheikh Hasina's now disbanded Awami League. The Muhammad Yunus-led interim government has been in place for 18 months. The voting for the 13th parliamentary elections was held along with a referendum on the implementation of a complex 84-point reform packag

Bangladesh holds polls, referendum after 2024 upheaval, results on Friday

Bangladesh citizens on Thursday voted in parliamentary elections and a referendum on reforms nearly 18 months after the July 2024 student-led movement that ousted the Sheikh Hasina government

Bangladesh begins voting in crucial polls as 51 parties compete for power

The Election Commission has made elaborate security arrangements, deploying nearly 1 million security personnel -- the largest-ever in the country's electoral history

Bangladesh elections: All you need to know about key players, parties

The BNP, led by Tarique Rahman, and the Jamaat-e-Islami are seen as frontrunners, with the student-led NCP in distant third. The Awami League is barred from contesting