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India's attachment is not with any individuals or political organisations, the PM tells him
Published : 05 Apr 2025, 12:10 AM
Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has accused ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina of making "inflammatory remarks" from India and sought her extradition to Bangladesh.
In his first bilateral meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC summit, Yunus urged India “to take appropriate measures to restrain her from continuing to make such incendiary statements”.
According to the state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), the interim prime minister said Hasina’s remarks, aimed at destabilising Bangladesh, seemed to abuse the hospitality India had extended to her.
"We request that the Government of India take appropriate measures to restrain her from continuing to make such incendiary statements while she remains in your country," he added.
Following Hasina’s departure from the country after her ousting in a mass uprising on Aug 5, 2024, tensions have simmered between the two neighbours.
Yunus’s administration has repeatedly accused Hasina of using Indian soil to orchestrate attempts to create unrest in Bangladesh while also pressing for her extradition to stand trial for alleged crimes.
Though opportunities had emerged twice since Yunus took office for him to meet Modi, neither materialised.
As a result, expectations had built over whether a meeting would finally take place at the BIMSTEC event. The two eventually met on the summit’s sidelines.
The meeting, which took place around 12pm local time on Friday in Bangkok, was the first bilateral discussion between Modi and Yunus.
Shafiqul Alam, chief advisor's press aide, said after the meeting that discussions had covered issues including the extradition of Hasina, who fled to India the day her government was toppled last year.
They also discussed provocative statements by Hasina from India, border killings, and the distribution of Teesta River water.
He blamed social media for the tension surrounding Hasina's remarks delivered from India, said BSS.
India's attachment is with a country, not with any individuals or political organisations, he said.
On the border killings, he said Indian border troopers had opened fire only in self-defence and the fatalities occurred in Indian territories.
The two leaders stressed the need to work together to prevent killings along the Bangladesh-India border.
Modi also raised concerns over reports of minority persecution in Bangladesh during the meeting.
In response, Yunus said the reports of attacks on the minorities were hugely inflated and "the bulk of them were fake news".
He asked the Indian leader to send reporters to Bangladesh to investigate the alleged attacks themselves.
