Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has put Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim in charge of Awami League affairs while she remains exiled in India. In doing so she chose the senior politician over her sister Sheikh Rehana, whose limited formal political experience was cited as a reason for the decision, The Daily Star reported.

Hasina, who was ousted after unrest and violent protests in mid-2024, has continued to reject any responsibility for civilian deaths during the upheaval, while saying security concerns make a return to Bangladesh difficult. She has already been sentenced to death in a case related to deaths that occurred during the unrest and her extradition has become a point of friction between Dhaka and New Delhi.

Hasina has also revealed that her intended destination after leaving Bangladesh on August 5, 2024 was her native village in Gopalganj in her own country, rather than India. She only later found out that her flight was bound for India.

Hasina also said she had not communicated with Indian political leaders since departing Bangladesh and questioned whether New Delhi had played a role in the rise of current Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

The statements come as Bangladesh’s authorities pursue her return from India through legal and diplomatic channels.

According to another report by The Daily Start, the incumbent Bangladesh Prime Minister Tariq Rahman’s Information Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman said his government is looking to secure her return rather than waiting for her to come back voluntarily. Ur Rahman also indicated that an existing capital sentence against Hasina would sharply constrain her legal position following any return.