Sheikh Hasina to make first public appearance in two years on Wednesday ahead of Bangladesh return

Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh's ousted Prime Minister, will make her first public appearance in India on Wednesday, August 5. This comes nearly two years after her government was ousted amid a mass student-led uprising in Bangladesh.

Hasina, who recently announced her plans to return to Bangladesh this December, is expected to speak about her future plans at the virtual event hosted by the Foreign Correspondents' Club of South Asia (FCC South Asia) in New Delhi.

The media event will take place on August 5 from 6 PM to 7:30 PM at the Sir Mark Tully Auditorium on Mathura Road in New Delhi, and will be live-streamed on the club's social media platforms.

The guest list for the upcoming programme features Sheikh Hasina alongside a prominent roster of Bangladeshi political leaders, diplomats, and public figures. Key attendees joining Hasina include her son and former ICT adviser, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, as well as former Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel.

The diverse panel also boasts high-profile figures such as former national cricketer and ex-MP Shakib Al Hasan, former diplomat Aminul Hoque Polash, and counterterrorism analyst Abu Obaidha Arin.

Human rights advocacy will be represented by Mahammad Ali Siddique and Shah Md Bakhtiar. The proceedings will be chaired by Dr Waiel Awwad, president of FCC South Asia and the International Association of Press Clubs (IAPC).

The event coincides with the second anniversary of the 2024 protests that ended her 20 years as prime minister across multiple terms. She has been sentenced to death for ordering a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising by the war-crimes court.

Hasina has stayed away from public events and formal media interactions since she arrived in India two years ago.

Hasina plans Bangladesh return in December

Last month, Hasina told news agency Reuters that she is planning to return to Bangladesh in December this year and surrender. Hasina, who faces the death penalty in Bangladesh, said, “They may arrest me on my return, they may even kill me.”

"Still, I have to go," she said. “My party leaders and workers are being subjected to tremendous repression. If death comes, I want it to come on my own soil, where my parents are buried and where their blood was shed.”

She also shared that several of her Awami League party members will also return to Dhaka along with her.

Her return to Bangladesh could sharpen political divisions as the newly formed Dhaka government seeks to restore stability after two years of upheaval. On the other hand, it could improve strained ties with India.

Bangladesh has repeatedly urged India to extradite her.

In April, the External Affairs Ministry said it was examining Bangladesh's request to extradite her and that it wanted to “engage constructively with the new government and further strengthen bilateral ties.”