New Delhi, Sept. 2 -- Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said she plans to return to Bangladesh on her own by December, questioning the decision of the BNP-led government to link her extradition with a possible visit to New Delhi by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

In her first telephonic interview with Hindustan Times, Hasina said she intends to return to her country and cannot remain abroad indefinitely. She questioned why the Bangladesh government would object to her returning on her own rather than through an extradition process. Hasina also criticised the government over its objections to her virtual news conference from New Delhi on August 5. She pointed to Tarique Rahman's participation in virtual BNP meetings from London while he was living in Britain, saying there was a contradiction in the government's position. Her presence in India has emerged as a point of tension in India-Bangladesh relations, particularly following the August 5 virtual event. Bangladesh had linked her extradition to the process surrounding Rahman's possible visit to New Delhi. India has invited Rahman for a bilateral visit as well as to attend the outreach session of the upcoming BRICS Summit, though Dhaka has not formally indicated whether it will accept the invitations.

Hasina said India-Bangladesh relations are not harmed by speaking the truth, but rather when democracy is weakened, extremism rises, minorities feel unsafe, regional security is threatened and state institutions are used for political retaliation. She also questioned Bangladesh's reported plan to spend around $2.3 billion on combat aircraft from China, pointing to the country's electricity and gas shortages and cost-of-living pressures. She asked why such a purchase was being prioritised amid these difficulties. Hasina further repeated concerns raised by her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy that Bangladesh could become "another Pakistan". She cited concerns over the possible establishment of terrorist cells in Bangladesh and referred to a UN Security Council monitoring mechanism that, she said, had raised concerns about al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent potentially using the country for this purpose.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.