A year after then Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina fled Dhaka and arrived in India, she remains in regular contact with Awami League party leaders in Bangladesh and in exile around the world. Her exact whereabouts in the present and political future, however, remain a mystery, as New Delhi has discouraged her and her supporters from overt political activity. On July 23 this year, at least five Awami League ministers due to hold a press conference at Delhi’s Press Club, put off their public appearance, ostensibly after India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) intervened.
The Indian government has provided Ms. Hasina a well-guarded home in central Delhi. Her daughter Saima Wazed, who was the Regional Director of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) South-East Asia Region until she was asked to proceed on indefinite leave due to court cases in Bangladesh last month, also lives in Delhi. On all questions from journalists, the MEA has declined to give details. “[Ms. Hasina] had come here at a short notice for safety reasons, as she continues to be,” spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in October 2024, a statement he maintains.
