Former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina to make first public appearance in two years

Exactly two years after her ouster from office, former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina may make her first public appearance this week. Hasina is likely to virtually address an event at the foreign correspondents’ club of South Asia in New Delhi on Aug 5. Hasina fled to India from Bangladesh on the same day two years ago, after clashes between protesters and pro-govt groups along with a security crackdown resulted in hundreds of deaths, leading to widespread public outrage. However, Hasina announced recently that she would be returning to Bangladesh later this year. Dhaka continues to raise diplomatically the issue of her extradition with India. While Hasina has been giving written interviews from Delhi, this would be her first public address since she landed in India. While New Delhi maintains that Hasina is not allowed to carry out political activities from India, Dhaka believes her statements against the BNP govt before the media can stymie efforts by both sides for a pragmatic reset in the relationship.