New Delhi: Washington has stepped back from taking a position on Sheikh Hasina’s future, saying the former Bangladesh prime minister’s presence in India is an issue that New Delhi and Dhaka must address between themselves. The United States has also made clear that any decision on restrictions against the Awami League rests with Bangladesh.
The position was outlined by a senior US state department official during a press briefing in New York, where Hasina’s stay in India emerged as one of the key points of discussion on Washington’s South Asia policy. The official said the issue has added to tensions between India and Bangladesh and indicated that the two governments should find a way forward through their own discussions.
Bangladesh-based bdnews24.com reported that the briefing, titled “US Policy in Support of a Stable, Prosperous and Sovereign South Asia”, was held at the New York Foreign Press Centre on September 23 and brought together journalists from Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Washington also kept its distance from the debate over the Awami League, whose political activities have been suspended in Bangladesh. The US official said such questions fall within Bangladesh’s domestic political sphere, while describing Washington’s relationship with the BNP-led government as strong and stressing its intention to continue working with the elected administration.
The Hasina issue has remained a persistent obstacle in India-Bangladesh ties since she left Bangladesh for India in August 2024 following the fall of her government. Dhaka has sought her extradition, while India has said the request is being examined through the applicable legal process.
For India, however, Hasina’s proposed December return comes against a much wider diplomatic backdrop. Dhaka has repeatedly raised the issue of her presence in India, while New Delhi has continued to engage with the current Bangladesh government and has separately maintained that its handling of the extradition request is subject to the relevant legal process.
RNA Media had earlier reported that Bangladesh home minister, Salahuddin Ahmed, had criticized India’s handling of the “Hasina card”, arguing that it was at odds with Dhaka’s stated objective of maintaining friendly relations with New Delhi. The remarks came as Bangladesh continued to raise concerns over Hasina’s political and media activity from India.
Her continued presence in India and Dhaka’s extradition request have nevertheless remained part of the wider strain between the two neighbours.
The latest US position places the Hasina question firmly within the India-Bangladesh bilateral framework, while Washington has signalled that it intends to maintain its own engagement with Bangladesh without prescribing a solution to the dispute.