‘She has to make up her mind’: S Jaishankar on ousted ex Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina’s India stay
His remarks came amid calls for the extradition of Sheikh Hasina. During the violence that killed hundreds of people and injured thousands, Sheikh Hasina had to flee to India in August last year after her 15-year rule ended. Last month, he was sentenced to death in absentia by a special court in Dhaka for “crimes against humanity” for his government’s brutal crackdown on student-led protests last year. Although Dhaka has requested the extradition of Sheikh Hasina, India has not yet accepted the neighboring country’s request.
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S Jaishankar on India-Bangladesh ties
Speaking about India-Bangladesh ties, S Jaishankar underlined India’s stance on the need for a credible democratic process in the neighboring country. Referring to past political problems in Bangladesh, Jaishankar said, “We have heard that people in Bangladesh, especially those who are currently in power, have a problem with how elections were held before. Now, if the issue was elections, the first thing to do would be to hold a fair election.”
He said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit: “As a democratic country… we would like to see the will of the people finalised. I am hopeful that whatever comes out will have a balanced and mature view on the relationship and things will improve.”
About Putin’s visit to India
When S Jaishankar was asked about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to India, he said the India-Russia partnership is among the “most stable major relations” in the last 70-80 years. He rejected the idea that Putin’s visit could complicate India’s negotiations with the US on a bilateral trade agreement.
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“I think everyone knows that India has relations with all the major countries in the world,” Jaishankar said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit. “I don’t think it’s a reasonable proposition for any country to expect to have a veto or a say in how we develop our relationships with others,” he said. Jaishankar was asked whether President Putin’s two-day visit to New Delhi, which laid a strong emphasis on increasing the economic dimension of India-Russia relations, would affect New Delhi’s ongoing trade negotiations with the US. “Because remember, others can expect the same. I think we’ve always made it clear that we have more than one relationship. We have freedom of choice,” he said.
“We’re talking about what’s called strategic autonomy, and that’s ongoing, and I can’t imagine why anyone would have reason to expect otherwise,” he added.
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He acknowledged that the Trump administration has been heavily focused on trade, and emphasized that India’s approach to the discussions is guided entirely by its national interests.
“I think trade is clearly the most important issue here right now. It’s clearly very central to the thinking in Washington, much more so than in previous administrations, and that’s something that we recognize and are prepared to meet,” he said. “But we are ready to meet it on reasonable terms. So, I’m sorry to those who think diplomacy is about pleasing someone else, that’s not my view of diplomacy. So, to me, it’s about defending our national interests,” he said.
