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Bangladesh seeks India’s clarification over Hasina speech

ByJustpaste.in

DHAKA: Bangladesh has asked India to clarify its position over a planned virtual address by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, saying political activities by a fugitive could undermine efforts to improve relations between the two neighboring countries.

The request comes ahead of an event scheduled for August 5 in New Delhi, where Hasina is expected to deliver a video address alongside her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, during a programme organized by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia.

Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam said Dhaka is committed to strengthening ties with India but believes New Delhi should clearly explain its stance regarding political activities by individuals wanted by Bangladeshi authorities.

She said Bangladesh has repeatedly expressed concerns over Hasina and other leaders of the Awami League making political statements while residing in India. According to the minister, Dhaka does not want such activities to negatively affect the progress made in bilateral relations.

The minister noted that the event is not being organized by the Indian government but added that Bangladesh is prepared to raise the matter through diplomatic channels if required.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs had not issued an official response to the remarks at the time of reporting.

Relations between Bangladesh and India have remained under strain since Hasina left Bangladesh in August 2024 following a student-led uprising that ended her tenure in office. Although both countries have recently indicated a willingness to rebuild diplomatic engagement, the issue of Hasina’s stay in India continues to be a sensitive matter.

Bangladesh has formally requested Hasina’s extradition to face legal proceedings. In 2025, she was sentenced to death in absentia over crimes against humanity linked to the 2024 crackdown on anti-government protests. Hasina has rejected the verdict, describing it as politically motivated and without legal validity.

Despite the legal cases against her, Hasina has said she intends to return to Bangladesh in the future, while her planned virtual appearance has once again brought the issue of her presence in India into the diplomatic spotlight.

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    Vincent Pastore dies at 80, The Sopranos stars mourn

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Provincial governments, meanwhile, performed slightly better on revenue collection. Their combined tax receipts exceeded the IMF condition by around Rs18 billion, with collections crossing Rs1.2 trillion. FBR misses tax target Despite the overall improvement in the fiscal position, tax collection remained a major area of concern. The Federal Board of Revenue collected approximately Rs13 trillion during FY2025-26, falling nearly Rs1 trillion short of the IMF’s revised target. FBR tax receipts increased by about 11% compared with the previous year. However, this increase was broadly in line with nominal GDP growth, indicating that the tax-to-GDP ratio remained largely unchanged at around 10.3%. The figures suggest that additional revenue expected from new taxation and enforcement measures did not fully materialise. The government had anticipated around Rs700 billion in additional revenue from such measures. Non-tax revenue also remained below expectations by approximately Rs63 billion. Total non-tax receipts stood close to Rs5.1 trillion, including around Rs2.4 trillion in profits transferred by the central bank. Petroleum levy becomes key revenue source A major contributor to the stronger fiscal outcome was the petroleum levy. Collections under the petroleum levy climbed to around Rs1.567 trillion, representing an increase of approximately 28% over the previous year. The amount was also Rs101 billion above the target agreed with the IMF. The additional collection effectively represented roughly 25 days of petroleum price relief at a levy rate of Rs80 per litre on petrol and high-speed diesel. For the current financial year, the government has committed to collecting approximately Rs1.7 trillion through the petroleum levy. Meeting this objective is expected to require maintaining the levy at around Rs80 per litre, subject to the applicable petroleum pricing mechanism and market conditions. Development spending remains restrained The government’s fiscal consolidation strategy also affected development expenditure. Federal development spending was recorded at around Rs918 billion, approximately Rs82 billion below the originally approved budget allocation. However, the amount was still around Rs100 billion higher than the subsequently revised allocation. The figures reflect the government’s efforts to contain expenditure and prioritise fiscal targets amid pressure from debt servicing and revenue mobilisation. Debt servicing costs fall Lower-than-expected debt servicing provided another significant boost to the government’s fiscal position. The Ministry of Finance reported that debt servicing remained around Rs6.95 trillion during the year, compared with the budgeted amount of approximately Rs8.2 trillion. The government attributed the savings to tight fiscal management, improved cash handling and the early retirement of around Rs1.9 trillion in domestic debt. 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Punjab accounted for around Rs266 billion, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Rs95 billion, Balochistan Rs72 billion and Sindh around Rs28 billion. The ministry said movements in commercial bank deposits were among the principal factors behind the provincial differences. IMF review ahead The improved fiscal performance is expected to strengthen Pakistan’s position ahead of the next IMF assessment. An IMF mission is expected to visit Islamabad in the third week of September to review Pakistan’s economic performance during the previous fiscal year. The mission is also expected to

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    Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu joins race to become next UN secretary-general

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