New Delhi: Bangladesh has warned that a planned public address by fugitive former prime minister Sheikh Hasina from Indian territory could undermine the positive trajectory of bilateral ties, with Dhaka formally conveying its concerns to New Delhi during a meeting between the country’s top foreign policy adviser and India’s new high commissioner.The warning was conveyed by the prime minister’s adviser on foreign affairs, Humayun Kabir, when high commissioner Dinesh Trivedi paid a courtesy call on him on Monday (August 3) afternoon at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tejgaon, according to a press release in Bengali issued by the Bangladesh foreign ministry.হাই কমিশনার দিনেশ ত্রিবেদী আজ প্রধানমন্ত্রীর পররাষ্ট্র বিষয়ক উপদেষ্টা জনাব হুমায়ুন কবিরের সঙ্গে সৌজন্য সাক্ষাৎ করেন।এই আলোচনাটির কেন্দ্রে ছিল পারস্পরিক আগ্রহ ও পারস্পরিক কল্যাণের ওপর ভিত্তি করে দুই প্রতিবেশী দেশের মধ্যে জনগণ-কেন্দ্রিক সহযোগিতা বৃদ্ধি করা। হাই কমিশনার ভারত ও… pic.twitter.com/ywwFNUOBJk— India in Bangladesh (@ihcdhaka) August 3, 2026According to the statement, reports circulating on social media that Hasina may deliver a public address on August 5 “also came up during the discussion”.The ministry said Kabir told the Indian envoy that Bangladesh “expects India’s cooperation in ensuring that the fugitive Sheikh Hasina, as well as any individual belonging to an organisation whose activities have been banned, is not able to use Indian territory to deliver political speeches or carry out any activities aimed at creating instability within Bangladesh”.He also “mentioned that such activities could undermine the positive progress of bilateral relations”.According to the press release, Trivedi “assured that the matter would be given due consideration, that the necessary inquiries would be made, and that he would remain attentive to the matter”.Bangladesh’s state minister for foreign affairs Shama Obaed Islam had also publicly called on India to clarify its position on the proposed programme.“We are moving forward with India with a forward-looking approach. We don’t want it to be damaged, and I firmly believe that India doesn’t want it either. So, India has to clear whether it is supporting it or not [sic],” she told reporters at the foreign ministry in Dhaka.Referring to Trivedi’s meetings with Bangladeshi leaders on Monday, Islam said Dhaka wanted relations with India to improve. “You saw that we had a very cordial meeting with the new high commissioner who came here. We had a lot of good discussions,” she said.She noted that the reported programme was not being organised by the Indian government and said Dhaka would decide whether any diplomatic communication with New Delhi was necessary depending on circumstances.“If we think it is necessary, the government will contact the relevant foreign ministry,” she said, according to Bangladesh news agency UNB.The state minister added that Bangladesh had repeatedly conveyed, both verbally and in writing, that “fugitives or convicted individuals” should not use Indian territory for political activities aimed at destabilising Bangladesh. She also referred to recent remarks by the Indian government indicating that New Delhi did not expect “a fugitive accused to make political statements from Indian territory”.Asked whether such activities could harm ties between the neighbours, she replied, “It can. But we don’t want that.”The planned appearance comes less than a week after a parliamentary standing committee reiterated the Indian government’s position that Hasina had not been allowed to engage in political activity from Indian soil.In its action taken report tabled in parliament on July 30, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs recorded foreign secretary Vikram Misri’s testimony that India had provided refuge to Hasina in keeping with its humanitarian tradition but had not provided her “with a political platform or any political space to undertake political activity from Indian territory”.The committee itself observed that while Hasina’s stay in India reflected the country’s “civilisational ethos and humanitarian tradition of offering refuge to individuals facing circumstances of grave distress or existential threats”, India had also adhered to the principle “that no political activity should be directed against another country from its soil”.The report also noted that Bangladesh had sought Hasina’s extradition, while the government informed MPs that the request was under examination in accordance with applicable law and established procedures.The panel also urged the government to “seize this political moment to reset and reinvigorate the bilateral relationship to its fullest potential” and to take up outstanding issues “with sensitivity, urgency and a spirit of mutual benefit that is firmly anchored in the spirit of 1971”. It asked to be kept informed on the extradition request.The latest intervention by Dhaka comes ahead of an August 5 programme organised by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia in New Delhi. It would mark two years since Hasina left Bangladesh for exile in India in the face of a student-led uprising that ended her 15 years in power.Promotional material for the event describes the former prime minister as set to “address the international media virtually to announce her homecoming and outline her vision for Bangladesh”. It also names seven other speakers, including her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, former education minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel, the cricketer and former lawmaker Shakib Al Hasan, and former diplomat Aminul Hoque Polash.Organisers confirmed on Monday night that the event would proceed as scheduled. Hasina is expected to address the event via audio link.Hasina has already indicated that she intends to return to Bangladesh later this year. In an interview with Reuters published last month, she said she planned to return around December with senior Awami League leaders to surrender before the courts and challenge the ban on her party, saying she was fully aware of the risks but had to return.The dispute over Hasina’s political activities has unfolded even as both governments have sought to stabilise relations following the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s return to power earlier this year.Last month, Bangladesh announced that India had invited Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to attend the BRICS summit in New Delhi in September, a visit that could provide the first opportunity for a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. New Delhi, however, has yet to publicly confirm the invitation despite repeated questions at the external affairs ministry’s weekly press briefings.On the invitation to attend the BRICS summit, Bangladesh’s junior minister indicated that no decision had been taken. “Time will tell … I can’t tell you now,” she said, adding that the prime minister was spending 24 hours a day on Bangladesh’s affairs. “So, time will tell when, how and in which country he will take a decision.”It will be her second live appearance at the club this year. In January, she addressed a media interaction organised at the same venue via audio link, her first live public remarks since fleeing Bangladesh in August 2024.During that appearance, she described the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus as a “murderous fascist” regime and called for a United Nations investigation into the events surrounding her ouster.