Sheikh Hasina must face justice in Bangladesh, says senior BNP leader

Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, a former minister and member of the BNP’s standing committee, or highest policy-making body, declined to comment on India’s decision to let in Hasina after she resigned and fled Bangladesh on Monday and said the two countries have to now build their relationship. 

“Whichever country accepts Sheikh Hasina, that is their decision. She has to face justice in Bangladesh for the crimes she committed, including the killing of hundreds in recent protests,” Chowdhury said over the phone from Dhaka, referring to student-led protests against a government job quota that transformed into a movement for the ouster of Hasina’s government. 

Chowdhury contended there were other allegations against Hasina, including corruption and politicisation of state institutions, for which she would have to face justice in Bangladesh. 

“India and Bangladesh have to think about building their relations. I can’t comment on her [Hasina’s] presence in India; it is in India’s interest to think about it,” said Chowdhury, who was commerce minister during 2001-04 and is a member of BNP’s foreign relations committee. 

Relations between India and Bangladesh are ties between two people and two states and “not about an individual,” and Bangladeshi people “didn’t take it kindly” when the relationship revolved around one person, he said, in a reference to Hasina.

“Bangladesh is not Shiekh Hasina and Awami League. There are other parties, and it is important for India to maintain relations with them,” he said. 

India said on Thursday it is up to Hasina—who arrived at Hindon airbase in a Bangladesh Air Force aircraft on Monday and was subsequently moved to an undisclosed safe location—to decide her future plans. The remarks by the external affairs ministry spokesperson were an indication that Hasina is expected to remain in India for some more time. 

External affairs minister S Jaishankar, while briefing Parliament on developments in Bangladesh, said Hasina had sought approval at short notice to come to India “for the moment” but was silent on her ultimate destination. Hasina’s efforts to travel to the UK or the US have hit a roadblock, and she is reportedly considering other options, such as Finland, where she has relatives, or a West Asian country. 

Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, has told the media his mother will “definitely return to Bangladesh once democracy is restored.” He has also said it is not certain if she will return to politics.

When Chowdhury was asked about a perception in some quarters that the BNP is an anti-India party, he replied, “We want mutually beneficial, mutually respectful, and mutually helpful relations with India, as we do with all neighbours. Times have changed, and no one can live on their own. 

“It may have happened in the past—India did something and Bangladesh did something—but our first interest is the interest of our people, then the economy and stability. We want the best of relations with our neighbours. Getting rid of a neighbour isn’t an option, and we have to live in peace and harmony with each other.” 

The interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, which was sworn in on Thursday, will now oversee Bangladesh’s transition to a democratic process as well as the restoration of the electoral process, said Chowdhury, who was arrested about two months before his country’s last election in January 2024 and released two weeks after the polls were held. 

“The Awami League destroyed and took over institutions, and the interim government must ensure these institutions are back within their norms. Confidence in the electoral process has to be restored so that people can elect their representatives,” he said. 

Describing Yunus as a “credible man” who is widely respected by the world community, Chowdhury said the recent movement was based on the restoration of people’s rights through a democratic process. “They have to reorganise the Election Commission, look into rules for the electoral process, and ensure peoplemanning institutions are neutral and not partisan,” he said. 

The BNP will give “reasonable time” to the interim government to restore order and complete the process for holding elections. “According to our Constitution, the interim government has three months, but everything has broken down, and if they need some more time, a few more months, that’s okay. But the sooner the election is held, the better,” Chowdhury said.