Bangladesh issues BIG statement after India asks Yunus administration to hold free and fair elections, says THIS to Modi government, Sheikh Hasina to…

To recall, Bangladesh’s Election Commission had earlier announced that it had "locked" the national identity card of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

New Delhi: Bangladesh appears to have taken strong offense after India held up a mirror to the Muhammad Yunus-led government over its general elections. Bangladesh’s interim government termed the remarks made by Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri regarding its general elections as completely inappropriate. They further asserted that the issue was entirely an internal matter.

Foreign Affairs Advisor Mohammad Touhid Hossain told reporters, “I do not consider his statement to be his concern; this is entirely Bangladesh’s internal matter, and such comments are completely inappropriate.” Hossain made this remark in response to questions about Misri’s statement.

Here are some of the key details:

• Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri recently stated that India supports the holding of free, fair, and inclusive elections in Bangladesh at the earliest
• India willing to work with any government elected by the people, Vikram Misri said
• In August 2024, following a student-led movement, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government collapsed, and she fled to India.
• Since then, relations between Dhaka and New Delhi have become strained.
• Experts are of the opinion that Misri’s call for “inclusive and participatory” elections in Bangladesh carries political significance, as most Awami League leaders are either in jail or have left the country.
• Earlier, the interim government of Bangladesh had sent a diplomatic note to New Delhi demanding Hasina’s extradition, as she is being tried in absentia.

To recall, Bangladesh’s Election Commission had earlier announced that it had “locked” the national identity card of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. This step has effectively disqualified Hasina from voting in the general elections scheduled for February next year.

While talking to the reporters, Election Commission Secretary Akhter Ahmed said, “Anyone whose National Identity (NID) card is locked cannot vote from abroad.” He added, “Her (Hasina’s) NID is locked.”

Although Ahmed did not name anyone else, the news agency ‘UNB’ and the newspaper ‘Dhaka Tribune’ quoted Election Commission officials as saying that the NIDs of Hasina’s younger sister Sheikh Rehana, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and her daughter Saima Wazed Putul have also been “locked” or “blocked.”