Ms. Hasina, 77, remains in self-imposed exile in India and has defied an arrest warrant from Dhaka over charges of crimes against humanity. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Days after the interim government of Bangladesh banned the oldest political party of the country, the Awami League, India on Tuesday (May 13, 2025) described the development as a “concerning matter” and urged the planned election in Bangladesh should be “inclusive”.
The remark from Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal drew a quick response from Dhaka with the press secretary of the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh interim government reminding that everyone should respect the “sovereign” will of Bangladesh.
“The ban on the Awami League without due process is a concerning development. As a democracy, India is naturally concerned at curtailment of democratic freedoms and shrinking political space. We strongly support the early holding of free, fair and inclusive elections in Bangladesh,” said Mr. Jaiswal. The Awami League was launched in 1949 as a vehicle for language-based Bengali nationalism to challenge the dominance of mostly Urdu-speaking West Pakistan. The founders of the party were Hussein Shaheed Suhrawardy, Mujibur Rahman and others, including Maulana Bhashani.
The interim government led by Prof. Mohammed Yunus took out a gazette notification on May 12 banning the Awami League that governed Bangladesh uninterruptedly for nearly 15 years from 2009 till August 5, 2024 when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was overthrown in a student-people uprising. Earlier, on Saturday, the decision to ban the Awami League was taken in a meeting of the advisory council of the interim government that was presided over by Prof. Yunus
Responding to India’s remarks, Shafiqul Alam, Press Secretary to Prof. Yunus said, the Awami League during its tenure had “severely squeezed” Bangladesh’s political space and “compromised” its sovereignty. He described the Awami League era as a “kleptocratic rule” “The wounds caused by the crimes against humanity perpetrated by this party are still fresh,” said Mr. Alam, arguing that the ban on the Awami League and its affiliates was necessary to safeguard national security and sovereignty of Bangladesh.
“Elections are entirely our internal matter. We urge all to respect the sovereign will of our people in matters relating to elections,” said Mr. Alam, accusing the Awami League of conducting “grossly farcical elections” in the past. Prof. Yunus had earlier this year announced that election in Bangladesh would be held in December this year.
Published – May 13, 2025 10:50 pm IST
