Bangladesh crisis: UK foreign secretary dials Jaishankar amid buzz over Sheikh Hasina’s next move
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy held discussions on Thursday regarding the evolving situation in Bangladesh. The conversation, which Jaishankar mentioned in a post on X (formerly Twitter), also touched upon developments in West Asia.
“Received a call from UK Foreign Secretary @DavidLammy today. Discussed the situation in Bangladesh and West Asia,” Jaishankar posted on X.
The discussions came against the backdrop of uncertainty surrounding former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is currently in India following her recent resignation amid widespread protests in her home country.
Initially, it was reported that she might seek asylum in the UK, but these plans appear to have stalled due to the UK’s reluctance to offer her refuge. Under British immigration law, asylum cannot be applied for from outside the country, and each case is scrutinised individually. The UK has a history of providing protection to those in need, but no provisions exist for allowing someone to travel to the UK solely to seek asylum, reported PTI quoting an expert.
Sheikh Hasina’s son denies UK asylum plan
However, Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, who acts as an adviser to his mother, dismissed reports of the former premier seeking asylum in the UK or any other country as “rumours” and said the reports of her US Visa being revoked are also untrue.
“Nothing of this sort has been planned (seeking asylum). Sooner or later, there has to be a restoration of democracy in Bangladesh and hopefully, that will be between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Awami League. Then Sheikh Hasina will be back.”
Sheikh Hasina, who had served as Bangladesh Prime Minister for 15 years, resigned on Monday following weeks of intense protests, initially sparked by opposition to a job quota scheme but which soon escalated into demand for her ouster. She landed at Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad, close to the national capital.
The external affairs ministry said on Thursday that it is up to Sheikh Hasina to “take things forward” regarding her future plans, adding that it had no update on the matter.
“It is not appropriate to talk about her plans,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.