Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina criticized Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman's decision not to attend the BRICS summit in New Delhi, calling it 'immature' and against the country's national interest.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s decision not to attend the BRICS summit in New Delhi last month was ‘immature’ and did not serve the country’s national interest, former PM Sheikh Hasina told PTI in an interview on Wednesday. According to the report, Hasina said that it was ‘deeply unfortunate’ if her presence was the reason behind Rahman skipping the summit. She added that ‘short-term political calculations are inherently counterproductive’.
On September 10, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir had stated that Dhaka would not send a government representative to the BRICS Summit as Rahman was ‘not invited’ to the meeting. However, Bangladesh had received two invitations from India; one from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a bilateral visit, while the other for Rahman, in his capacity as chairperson of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) to attend the BRICS summit.
Hasina also stated that India was Bangladesh’s ‘closest neighbour and an important historic partner’. She said that China was also an important development partner, but using the relationship with one nation against another was not appropriate. Hasina returned to Delhi since the collapse of her government in August 2024 following massive student-led protests. She told PTI that her return to Bangladesh ‘is part of the struggle to restore democracy, voting rights and the rule of law’.
Hasina did not comment on when she would return to her country. In November, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Hasina to death for crimes against humanity in connection with the deadly crackdown on protesters in 2024.
Source:
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