The Crime Desk: I have heard that India has taken a political decision not to return ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said Mahfuz Alam, advisor to the interim government. He told reporters at a dialogue at the Foreign Ministry on Sunday (December 29). The Foreign Ministry organized the dialogue titled ‘Forming a New Bangladesh: Reforms and Foreign Policy.’.
Interim government advisor Mahfuz Alam, information advisor Nahid Islam, and Foreign Secretary M Jasim Uddin participated in it. Diplomats from the Foreign Ministry participated in it. In response to a question, Mahfuz Alam, an advisor to the interim government, said, “We are hearing that they (India) have taken a political decision not to return her (Sheikh Hasina).”
He said, “We have to be realistic; we cannot take any rash decisions, keeping in mind that if the government changes, the foreign policy does not have to change. Our sovereignty, our national security, and protecting our integrity are our priorities.”
The advisor said, “We want to focus on how to increase our strength and capacity in our place. It is more important than what any state has done to increase our capacity and increase our bargaining power. If Bangladesh increases its capacity, then its bargaining power in the international arena will increase. This will benefit our people.”
In response to a question, he said, “The previous government adopted a kind of knee-jerk foreign policy. In our place, we are trying to be realistic. If we have any mistakes or stubbornness, we will try to correct them; this is the view of our government.’
He also said, ‘We are always trying to keep the interests of Bangladesh intact. We want the consensus of all political parties and stakeholders to take Bangladesh forward.’
