Sheikh Hasina to meet 23 Awami League leaders in Delhi on 18 September

Former Bangladesh prime minister and Awami League president Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to hold a one-day meeting with 23 senior members of the party’s Central Committee in New Delhi, India, on 18 September. Her possible return to Bangladesh is expected to be a key issue on the agenda, according to people familiar with the planned meeting.

Northeast News reported that it independently confirmed the planned meeting by speaking separately with at least two senior Awami League leaders who are expected to attend.

Many senior Awami League leaders have been living outside Bangladesh since the country’s political upheaval in August 2024. A significant number of them moved to Kolkata after leaving Bangladesh following the fall of the Hasina government. Some of these Central Committee leaders are expected to attend the meeting in New Delhi in person.

The meeting was initially planned to be held in Kolkata. However, the plan was eventually abandoned due to security and other logistical considerations. New Delhi was later selected as the venue.

The meeting between Sheikh Hasina and the senior Awami League leaders is expected to be one of the party’s most significant face-to-face consultations since the political change in Bangladesh. Discussions are likely to cover the party’s current situation, its future strategy and the possibility of Sheikh Hasina returning to Bangladesh, both politically and personally.

According to the report, citing people familiar with the matter, the central question at the meeting will be how and under what circumstances Sheikh Hasina could return to Bangladesh.

People familiar with the planned meeting said the Awami League leadership wants to assess the possibility of Sheikh Hasina’s return from political, legal and practical perspectives. The discussions may focus particularly on how to deal with existing legal complications, the political environment and security concerns surrounding any potential return.

Awami League leaders are concerned that a government led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, or BNP, could take steps to prevent Sheikh Hasina from entering the country or ensure that she faces ongoing and existing legal proceedings if she returns. The meeting may therefore also examine possible pathways for her return and the political consequences of such a move.

However, the meeting is not expected to be limited to Sheikh Hasina’s personal return to Bangladesh. After being out of power for an extended period, the Awami League is also likely to discuss how it can reorganise its party structure, conduct political activities inside the country and position itself in Bangladesh’s changing political environment.

Sheikh Hasina has been living in India since leaving Bangladesh in August 2024. Her continued presence in India has since become one of the most sensitive issues in relations between Dhaka and New Delhi. Bangladesh has repeatedly requested India to facilitate her return or extradition. India, however, has so far not sent her back to Bangladesh in response to those requests.

Sheikh Hasina’s possible return is closely linked not only to the Awami League’s internal politics but also to bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India. Any decision regarding her return could have significant implications for the political relationship between the two countries. This is one reason the planned meeting between Sheikh Hasina and senior Awami League leaders in New Delhi is being viewed as particularly significant.

The planned meeting comes at a time when there are renewed discussions and efforts to engage on the future of Bangladesh-India relations. Alongside broader bilateral issues, Sheikh Hasina’s status and the question of her return could become an important part of those discussions.

For the Awami League, the 18 September meeting could prove important in determining the party’s future leadership, organisational position and strategy for political survival. Direct discussions between Sheikh Hasina and leaders who have spent a considerable period outside Bangladesh could also influence the party’s next political course.

The most important question at the New Delhi meeting, involving 23 senior members of the Awami League Central Committee, could be whether a realistic pathway can be created for the former prime minister to return to Bangladesh despite the current political and legal obstacles.

The participants are expected to exchange views on any possible pathway for her return, the legal situation she could face after returning, the Awami League’s future political position and how the party’s organisational activities could be taken forward, according to people familiar with the matter.