Published: 12:39 AM, 09 August 2026
Allowing Hasina to speak from Delhi contradicts 'friendly ties': Salahuddin
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Saturday said that India cannot seek a friendly relationship with Bangladesh while allowing ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina to make statements from Delhi.
He came up with the remarks while addressing a discussion as chief guest at the Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Building auditorium of Dhaka University.
The discussion was jointly organised by the Dhaka University White Panel and the University Teachers' Association of Bangladesh (UTAB).
Salahuddin Ahmed said, "On the one hand, India wants friendly relations with Bangladesh while on the other, it allows a convict and fugitive accused, Sheikh Hasina, to make anti-Bangladesh statements or engage in political activities from Indian soil. These two positions are completely contradictory."
The minister expressed hope that the Indian government would understand the matter and stop playing the "Hasina card."
Calling for the preservation of the spirit of the July uprising and "iron-clad national unity," the home minister said Bangladesh must complete democratic reforms through democratic practices and tolerance while preventing any resurgence of "fascism".
He said the victory achieved through 17 years of democratic struggle and the sacrifices of hundreds of thousands of people could not be used as a tool by any particular group to monopolise the spirit of the movement.
Professor Dr Md Morshed Hasan Khan, convener of the Dhaka University White Panel and secretary general of UTAB, chaired the programme.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor (VC) Professor Dr. ABM Obaidul Islam addressed the programme as special guests.
