‘India a trusted friend, gave us shelter’: Sheikh Hasina as Bangladesh votes today

As Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is poised to retain power while the country votes today without any opposition, the 76-year-old leader said, “India is a trusted friend”.

She also mentioned it was India that “gave shelter” to the people of Bangladesh during the Liberation War in 1971.

Asked about her message to India on election day, Hasina said, ”We are very lucky. India is our trusted friend. During our Liberation War, they supported us. After 1975, when we lost our whole family, they gave us shelter. Our best wishes to the people of India.”

India and Bangladesh share a close and multifaceted relationship marked by historical, cultural, and economic ties, which has strengthened more in the recent past. Hasina and Prime Minister Narendra Modi also share an evolving relationship marked by frequent personal interactions and progress on key bilateral issues, including connectivity projects, trade liberalisation, as well as border management, among other areas.

Hasina, the leader of ruling Awami League, is set to win a fourth straight term as the Prime Minister, marking the fifth overall victory for her party. The election is being boycotted by the country’s main opposition, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

The BNP of the ailing former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia decided to boycott the poll after Hasina refused its demand to resign and let a caretaker government run the election. The country saw a series of violence in the days leading to the poll, and several polling booths were set on fire on election eve.

Experts credit Hasina for the exceptional economic growth in a country that was once grappling with poverty. However, her government has been accused of rampant human rights abuses and a ruthless crackdown on the opposition.