Exactly two years after she left Dhaka following a student-led uprising that ended her 15-year rule, former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is set to make her first major public appearance on August 5, 2026.
The date carries strong symbolism in Bangladesh’s recent political history. On August 5, 2024, she left the country after weeks of protests that turned into a nationwide movement against her government. Two years later, she is scheduled to address people of her nation through a virtual press conference. It will be her first major interaction since she left Bangladesh and arrived in India.
The event has been organised by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia (FCC South Asia), based in New Delhi. It will be held from 6 pm to 7:30 pm IST, with the physical venue at the Sir Mark Tully Auditorium on Mathura Road. The interaction will also be streamed live on the club’s social media platforms.
What she is expected to say
The former prime minister is expected to talk about the events that led to the collapse of her government in August 2024. She is likely to share her account of the protests, her departure from Bangladesh and her views on the political transition that followed.
A major part of her address is expected to cover her stated plan to return to Bangladesh around December 2026. She has said she wants to return voluntarily, appear before courts and challenge the legal position of her party, the Awami League, which has been banned by the government.
Her appearance comes at a time when relations between Hasina and Bangladesh’s authorities continue to face legal and political tensions.
Extradition request and legal battle
Bangladesh’s war crimes tribunal sentenced her to death in absentia in November 2025 over allegations related to the crackdown on protesters during the 2024 unrest. She has rejected the verdict and called it unconstitutional and politically motivated.
The Bangladeshi government has formally sought her extradition from India. The Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi has said the request is being examined according to existing legal procedures and bilateral arrangements between the two countries.
Hasina’s return to Bangladesh would involve both legal and political challenges, given the cases against her and the status of the Awami League under the Bangladesh Nationalist Party government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
How she left Bangladesh
Hasina’s exit from Dhaka came after weeks of intense student-led protests that later turned into a nationwide anti-government movement. The unrest reached a turning point when protesters moved towards her official residence.
Facing mounting pressure, she signed her resignation letter on the afternoon of August 5, 2024 and left the country with her sister Sheikh Rehana.
The two travelled by a Bangladesh Air Force Mi-17 transport helicopter from the Bangabhaban presidential palace grounds. The helicopter crossed the border and reached Agartala, the capital of Tripura in India.
From Agartala, Hasina was moved to an Indian Air Force C-130J transport aircraft, which brought her to the Hindon Air Force Station near New Delhi. She has been satying in India under security arrangements since then.
Her August 5 appearance will bring her back into public view on the same date that changed the course of Bangladesh’s politics two years ago. The address is expected to provide her first detailed account of the events surrounding her departure and her plans for the future.
