David Lammy discusses Bangladesh situation with India’s S Jaishankar

This discussion comes amid former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s initial plan to seek asylum in London.

• EasternEye
• 09 August, 2024

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By: EasternEye

FOREIGN secretary David Lammy held a phone conversation with his Indian counterpart, S Jaishankar, on Thursday to discuss the ongoing situation in Bangladesh.

The call, initiated by Lammy, also covered developments in West Asia, according to Jaishankar. In a post on X, Jaishankar stated, “Received a call from UK Foreign Secretary @DavidLammy today. Discussed the situation in Bangladesh and West Asia.”

This discussion comes amid former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s initial plan to seek asylum in London. However, the plan faced obstacles due to the UK’s reluctance to offer her refuge.

Hasina resigned as prime minister on Monday following extensive protests. These protests began as opposition to a job quota scheme and later grew into a broader movement demanding her removal from power.

Following her resignation, the 76-year-old Hasina arrived at Hindon airbase near Delhi with plans to travel to London. However, the UK signaled that she might not receive legal protection from any potential investigation related to the protests in her country.

In a statement from London, Lammy said Bangladesh has witnessed unprecedented violence and significant loss of life over the last two weeks. He emphasised that the people of Bangladesh “deserve a full and independent UN-led investigation into the events.”

Under immigration rules, asylum cannot be sought from outside the UK, and each claim is evaluated on a case-by-case basis, an expert told PTI.

While the UK has a history of providing protection to those in need, there is no provision allowing someone to travel to the UK solely to seek asylum or temporary refuge, the expert said.

They added that those in need of international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach.

It is understood that Hasina is considering other options for refuge, including the United Arab Emirates, Belarus, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Finland.

(With inputs from PTI)