Staff Reporter:
The Indian government remains uncertain about which country Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina may seek asylum in, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday.
The MEA said that it is up to Hasina to “take things forward” regarding her future plans, adding that there has been no update on the matter. “It is not appropriate to talk about her plans,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
Earlier, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy held telephonic conversation on Thursday regarding the evolving situation in Bangladesh.
The conversation, which Jaishankar mentioned in a post on X (formerly Twitter), also touched on developments in West Asia.
The telephonic talk between the two came against the backdrop of uncertainty surrounding the former Bangladesh Prime Minister who is currently in India following her recent resignation amid widespread protests in Bangladesh.
Initially, it was reported that she might seek asylum in the UK but these plans appear to have stalled due to the UK’s reluctance to offer her refuge.
Under British immigration law, asylum cannot be applied for from outside the country and each case is scrutinized individually.
However, Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy dismissed reports of his mother seeking asylum in the UK or any other country as “rumours” and said the reports of her US Visa being revoked are also untrue.
“Nothing of this sort has been planned (seeking asylum). Sooner or later, there has to be a restoration of democracy in Bangladesh and hopefully, that will be between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Awami League. Then Sheikh Hasina will be back,” Joy said in a media interview.
