Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Wednesday said Bangladesh does not need advice from any neighbouring country, stressing that it is absolutely unacceptable for others to dictate how the country’s elections should be conducted.
“We do not need advice from our neighbours on elections,” he told reporters at the Foreign Ministry.
Referring to recent statements from India, Touhid Hossain said there had been attempts to admonish Bangladesh, which he described as unacceptable. “India did not utter a single word about the farcical elections held during the Awami League government over the last 15 years. Such advice is completely unacceptable to the interim government,” he said.
The adviser said the current government had, from its first day, been committed to creating an acceptable and credible election environment—something he claimed was absent for more than a decade. “Now, when the country is moving towards a good election, such advice is absurd,” he added.
Touhid Hossain reiterated that the government knows what needs to be done. “We will hold an election where people can vote freely and those who receive votes will be elected,” he said.
On recent diplomatic developments, he said Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Pranay Verma was summoned to the Foreign Ministry last Sunday, following which the Indian Ministry of External Affairs issued a press release referring to free, fair, inclusive and credible elections in Bangladesh.
Three days later, Bangladesh High Commissioner in New Delhi Riaz Hamidullah was summoned to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, where issues of elections and stability in Bangladesh were also discussed.
Describing the exchange of summons as routine diplomatic practice, Touhid Hossain said, “We called their High Commissioner, they called our High Commissioner – this is normal.”
Commenting on recent statements by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, the foreign affairs adviser said her remarks, made while staying in India, were provocative.
“Earlier she spoke on social media; now her statements are regularly appearing in mainstream media. If a convicted person attempts to incite unrest from a neighbouring country, it is not unusual to seek to stop such speeches or ask for their return,” he said.
On bilateral ties, Touhid Hossain said Bangladesh wants good working relations with India based on mutual understanding of realities. “For relations to move forward, both sides must be proactive. We also have objections on certain issues, and our position on those is clear,” he added.