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New Delhi has stated that the Indian government has no involvement with the participation of Bangladesh’s ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a virtual event. Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, shared this information at the regular weekly press briefing in Delhi on Tuesday.
At the briefing, Randhir Jaiswal said that the event was organized by a private media organization. He clarified that the Indian government is not responsible for any opinions expressed by individuals at the event, nor does it endorse such statements.
He further stated that the Indian government has no role in the concerns expressed by Bangladesh regarding Sheikh Hasina’s plan to speak at an event organized by the New Delhi-based Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC) of South Asia, an organization of journalists.
In response to a journalist’s question, the spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs said, “The discussion forum you are referring to is organized by a private media organization. The government has no involvement whatsoever in it. The Indian government does not endorse any opinions expressed in this forum.”
Sheikh Hasina has been residing in India since leaving Dhaka last year. After news broke of her scheduled participation in a virtual event there, Bangladesh conveyed its concerns to India. Dhaka stated that such an arrangement could negatively impact the recent positive trajectory of relations between the two countries.
The matter was also discussed during a meeting between India’s newly appointed High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi and Humayun Kabir, Foreign Affairs Advisor to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, in Dhaka on Monday.
Meanwhile, in response to another question, Randhir Jaiswal announced that Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has been formally invited for a bilateral visit to India. Concurrently, India has also invited him to participate in the outreach session of the 18th BRICS Summit, scheduled to be held in New Delhi, in his capacity as the current Chair of BIMSTEC.
He added that this invitation was extended following the established protocol for inviting guests to the BRICS outreach session. Leaders of other regional organizations worldwide have also been similarly invited.
Earlier, Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had stated that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had accepted the invitation to attend the BRICS summit, and it had been sent to the Prime Minister’s Office for further decision.
An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the Indian news agency ANI that after receiving the invitation letter, it was sent to the Prime Minister’s Office. The Prime Minister will make the final decision on the matter.
The 18th BRICS Summit is scheduled to take place on September 12 and 13 in New Delhi, the capital of India.
Source: ANI.
