Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Aug 3: Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will make her first public appearance since being ousted from office, participating virtually in an event in New Delhi on August 5.
The 78-year-old Awami League leader has been living in exile in the Indian capital after fleeing Bangladesh in August 2024 following a student-led uprising that brought down her government.
Hasina will address an event organised by the Foreign Correspondents' Club, South Asia, to be held at the Sir Mark Tully Auditorium on Mathura Road in New Delhi between 6 pm and 7.30 pm.
Her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, is also expected to attend the programme. Other participants include former Bangladesh minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel, cricketer Shakib Al Hasan, former diplomat Animul Hoque Polash, writer and analyst Abu Obaidha Arin, and advocate Shah Mohammed Bakhtiar.
Hasina's government fell on August 5, 2024, after widespread student protests. She subsequently fled Bangladesh by helicopter and has since remained in India.
Despite being sentenced to death by a Bangladesh court, Hasina has repeatedly expressed her intention to return to her country by the end of this year.
In an email interview with AFP, Hasina said she was under no pressure to leave India and was living there "with due respect and dignity". She also said India had not discussed any extradition request with her but reiterated her desire to return to Bangladesh.
"I may be killed. I may be arrested. I may be sent to prison," she said. "I am fully aware of my fate. Still, I want to go back because my people are calling me."
According to a United Nations report, around 1,400 people were killed during the crackdown on the student-led protests in Bangladesh. A court in the country later found Hasina guilty in connection with the violence and sentenced her to death.
Bangladesh has formally sought Hasina's extradition from India, a move that has added strain to bilateral relations. The current government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has maintained that the former prime minister will face legal proceedings if she returns.
Bangladesh Law Minister M Asaduzzaman recently said that if Hasina returns to the country, she would be arrested in accordance with the law despite being a Bangladeshi citizen.