There is no update, yet, on Sheikh Hasina‘s future plans, the External Affairs Ministry said Thursday, days after the Bangladeshi leader fled her country amid violent protests against her rule. “We do not have any update on her plan…” a ministry spokesperson said when asked when she will leave India.
The Ministry also said it continues to monitor all developments and hopes for an early end to the crisis in Bangladesh. The situation in that country is still evolving, the Ministry said.
Mrs Hasina – who resigned and left Dhaka hours before the Prime Minister’s residence was overrun – was evacuated in a military aircraft and flown to an IAF base in Uttar Pradesh. She was expected to proceed onwards to claim political asylum in the United Kingdom, but there has been no news since.
British Home Office sources told NDTV its rules do not allow people to travel to that country to seek asylum or temporary refuge. For now, Mrs Hasina is believed to be in the custody of Indian intelligence.
On Wednesday night Mrs Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed, told NDTV his mother had not made formal requests for asylum in any country, including India. “Reports about her requesting asylum are incorrect. She has not requested anywhere. So question of UK or US not responding yet is not true.”
READ | Sheikh Hasina Hasn’t Sought Asylum Anywhere, Her Son Tells NDTV
Mr Wazed is based in Washington, D.C. in the United States. Mrs Hasina left Bangladesh with her sister Sheikh Rehana, who is a UK citizen and whose daughter, Tulip Siddiqui is a Labour MP.
Mrs Hasina’s daughter, Saima Wazed, is a Delhi-based senior World Health Organisation officer but a Twitter post suggests she has not met her mother since her escape from Dhaka.
Asylum In UK, US?
The UK has a record of giving refuge to prominent (and fleeing) political figures from the subcontinent, including Pakistani leaders Pervez Musharraf and Nawaz Sharif. It was not surprising, then to see Mrs Hasina linked to that country. But a Home Office spokesperson seemed to dismiss any such plan, saying individuals seeking asylum must do so “in the first safe country they reach”.
READ | Where Will Sheikh Hasina Go? Bangladesh Ex-PM’s Options Now
The External Affairs Ministry did confirm that the minister and his British counterpart, David Lammy, “spoke about developments in Bangladesh and West Asia…”, but would not offer details.
Meanwhile, Mrs Hasina’s son may be US-based but the chances of her moving there are slim after Washington-Dhaka ties nosedived during her tenure. In fact, earlier this year, when her Awami League won the election, the State Department had said, “The United States remains concerned by the arrests of thousands of political opposition members and by reports of irregularities on elections day.”
There are also reports Mrs Hasina’s US visa has been cancelled.
Asylum In India?
Delhi also faces a diplomatic dilemma.
It does not want to be seen as backing Mrs Hasina because that could complicate ties with the incoming government of a strategic geopolitical partner. But her history with India must also be noted.
READ | India’s Diplomatic Dilemma After Sheikh Hasina’s Ouster
Long before she became PM, the Indira Gandhi government gave Mrs Hasina refuge after her whole family, including father Mujibur Rahaman, was assassinated during the 1975 unrest in Bangladesh.
Sheikh Hasina Retirement?
The former PM’s son also told NDTV his mother is contemplating retirement after a political career spanning five terms as the head of Bangladesh’s government. “She is done with politics in Bangladesh… my mother was planning to retire anyway, this was going to be her last term,” he said.
The family, he added, is now planning to spend time together – where and how is yet to be worked out. “I am in Washington, my aunt is in London, my sister lives in Delhi… so we don’t know, she might travel between the places,” he said.
“Sheikh Hasina Arrived At Short Notice”
On Tuesday External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made a brief statement in Parliament, in which he said the government had received, “at very short notice”, Mrs Hasina’s request to come to India.
READ | “Requested At Very Short Notice”: Centre On Sheikh Hasina’s India Move
Mr Jaishankar also told opposition MPs (at an all-party meet) the government is prepared to give Mrs Hasina more time to work out her future. “The government will take appropriate action…” he said.
Bangladesh Interim Government
A 15-member interim government headed by Nobel Peace Prize winner Md Yunus will be sworn in later today. Mr Yunus, who flew to Dhaka from Europe last night, has claimed a “second independence” for his country and called for restoration of order after weeks of violence that left at least 455 people dead.
READ | Ex-PM, Nobel Winner, Student Leader: Key Faces In New Government
The composition of the new government is unclear, but it is significant that Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin ordered the release of Khaleda Zia, her arch-rival and two-time former PM.
The Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka is likely to attend the swearing-in ceremony.
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