. Bangladesh’s former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has announced that she will return home in December. Addressing her first virtual press conference in New Delhi on Wednesday, she said she was prepared for “any consequences—arrest, imprisonment or risk to her life”.
Hasina, who lives in India after losing power in Bangladesh last year following widespread protests, said she could not stay away from the country and its people.
“My dear countrymen are in a difficult situation. I can’t stay abroad while they are suffering. I want to go back home in December,” she said.
Acknowledging that she could be jailed, arrested or prosecuted politically motivated after her return, Hasina made it clear that such risks would not change her decision.
“They can kill me, send me to jail or file a false political case. But fear cannot determine my duty to the people,” she said.
Recalling the difficult experiences of her political career, Hasina recalled that she had spent time with her mother in 1971, that her son Sajib Wazed Joy had been born in jail and that she had lost most of her family members in 1975.
She said she spent six years in exile and said her current decision was inspired by those experiences.
Hasina said the purpose of returning to Bangladesh was to stand with the people and contribute to improving their living standards.
She also called on the government to immediately lift the ban on her party, Awami League, release the arrested leaders and withdraw all cases against its members.
Meanwhile, the Indian government has clarified that it has nothing to do with the press conference.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the Indian government does not endorse the views expressed at the conference. “India has given asylum to Sheikh Hasina, but it has not allowed any political activity against another sovereign country from Indian soil,” the ministry said in a statement.
Dhaka, on the other hand, has expressed displeasure over Hasina being allowed to make political statements from India.
According to diplomatic sources, the incident is likely to further strain India-Bangladesh relations.
Hasina’s government collapsed in Bangladesh in 2024 after widespread protests.
After this, an interim government was formed under the leadership of Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus.
The Bangladesh
Nationalist Party (BNP) won the February 2026 parliamentary elections, while the Awami League was banned from participating in the elections. The current government has consistently denied Hasina’s allegations of political vendetta.
Meanwhile, India has confirmed that it has extended an invitation to Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman for the BRICS summit to be held in September.
According to India, Rahman has been invited to participate in the BRICS outreach session in his capacity as the BIMSTEC chair.
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