Zakir Hossain / Dhaka
Bangladesh interim government foreign affairs adviser Touhid Hossain has urged India to impose restrictions on ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to prevent her from making “incendiary and false statements” that could destabilize Bangladesh. In an interview with The Hindu, Touhid said, “For 15 years, she was in power, and people feel very, very strongly angry about her actions. We would expect they can at least put some restrictions on her so that she does not make incendiary statements while she’s in India.”
He emphasized that India-Bangladesh relations should not be dictated by any particular leadership, recalling past cooperation during the BNP era and the 1996-97 Ganga water treaty.
Regarding a potential meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus at the upcoming BIMSTEC Summit, he expressed optimism: “There is willingness from both sides to meet and discuss things freely and frankly.”
On border issues, Touhid raised concerns about the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) using lethal force, urging India to “arrest and bring suspects to justice rather than executing them on the spot.” He also addressed the arrest of fishermen, saying “I have conducted these exchanges, and they are not mistreated. If there has been an exception, we will of course look into this.”
He confirmed Bangladesh’s formal request for Hasina’s extradition but acknowledged the process might take time, stressing, “What we want is that she does not make incendiary statements while she’s in India.” Despite various challenges, he remained hopeful, “Both countries have interests in each other, and we need to take care of that.”