Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh’s “most important relationship” will always be with India, warning the current interim government against undermining that historic partnership through its growing outreach to Pakistan.
“Of course, it makes sense to have a constructive relationship with Pakistan,” Hasina said in her interview with The Hindu. “But it must be measured and balanced, rather than pursued at headlong speed and with total disregard for our most important relationship, which is and always will be our relationship with India.”
Hasina, who has been living in exile since August 2024, accused interim leader Muhammad Yunus of neglecting Bangladesh’s post-1971 alliance with New Delhi while “cosying up to Pakistan.” She said the people of Bangladesh will “never forget the atrocities committed by Pakistani military in 1971” and criticised any effort to erase the legacy of the Liberation War.
Her remarks come as the interim government seeks to recalibrate Dhaka’s foreign policy, engaging Islamabad after decades of strained relations while tensions with India remain high.