Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is set to make her first public appearance in India, exactly two years after she fled the country following a massive student-led protest that ousted her from the helm.
According to multiple media reports, Hasina will attend a virtual event hosted by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia (FCC South Asia) in New Delhi. It is scheduled for 6 PM on August 5, the date on which Hasina fled Bangladesh two years ago.
The venue for the event will be Sir Mark Tully Auditorium on Mathura Road in New Delhi, with live streaming on the FCC South Asia’s social media platforms. Hasina is expected to speak about her future plans and her proposed return to Bangladesh.
First major public appearance since 2024
While Hasina has issued statements, given interviews and attended some events virtually, she hasn’t appeared in public since the collapse of her nearly 16-year rule on August 5, 2024, when student-led demonstrations against a controversial quota system evolved into a nationwide anti-government movement that forced her from office.
She left Bangladesh for India after protesters stormed and vandalised official buildings in Dhaka, bringing an abrupt end to her government. Since arriving in India, the upcoming address is expected to be Hasina’s most significant public appearance.
Who else is attending
The invitation lists several Bangladeshi political leaders, diplomats and public figures who are expected to participate in the programme alongside Sheikh Hasina.
Among them are Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, who was the former Information and Communication Technology adviser to the Bangladesh prime minister, along with former Bangladesh education minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel, and Bangladesh Human Rights Watch general secretary Mahammad Ali Siddique.
The panel also includes former Bangladesh cricketer and ex-member of Parliament Shakib Al Hasan; former diplomat and security analyst Aminul Hoque Polash; political and counterterrorism analyst Abu Obaidha Arin; and director of Bangladesh Human Rights Watch USA Shah Mohammad Bakhtiar,
The event will be chaired by FCC South Asia president Dr Waiel Awwad, who also heads the International Association of Press Clubs (IAPC).
Change in Bangladesh
Several changes have occurred in Bangladesh’s political landscape since Hasina’s ouster. The interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus ended after the February 2026 general election, paving the way for a Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led government under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
The new administration has continued legal proceedings against several leaders of the former Awami League government, while the party’s political activities remain banned under the country’s anti-terrorism law pending court proceedings.
A tribunal has sentenced Hasina to death for the crackdown on protestors, and Dhaka has repeatedly asked India to extradite her. In a recent interview with AFP, she said she would return to Bangladesh by the end of the year, saying her resolve remains despite the danger of her being jailed or killed upon her return.
