Sheikh Hasina’s Road Back to Bangladesh

The political winds around Bangladesh are shifting.

Something is moving beneath the visible surface.

Something larger than ordinary diplomatic choreography appears to be taking shape around the question of Sheikh Hasina’s future.

Three developments have attracted particular attention: reports of a Putin–Hasina conversation during the BRICS summit in New Delhi; reports of Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval’s discreet visit to Dhaka on 17 September 2026; and reported diplomatic contacts involving U.S. envoy Sergio Gor. 

None of these developments, taken individually, establishes a coordinated plan for Sheikh Hasina’s return. Yet together they have generated intense veracity about a possible diplomatic realignment.

The first development came amid the 2026 BRICS summit in New Delhi.

Reports circulated that Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Sheikh Hasina during the summit, with Ajit Doval present. However, the conversation has not been officially confirmed by the Kremlin, the Indian government, or Sheikh Hasina’s representatives. No official transcript has been released. 

That distinction matters.

Yet the broader geopolitical setting is unmistakable. Russia remains deeply invested in Bangladesh, particularly through the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, while India and Russia continue to describe their relationship as a strategic partnership. 

The BRICS summit itself highlighted the expanding influence of the Global South and the pursuit of a more multipolar international order. 

Then came 17 September.

Reports emerged that Ajit Doval travelled discreetly to Dhaka. Neither New Delhi nor Dhaka has publicly confirmed the visit or disclosed its agenda. Indian media reporting has linked the trip primarily to preparations for a possible visit to India by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, while other commentators have reported about wider strategic discussions. 

That uncertainty is itself revealing.

In diplomacy, silence can be meaningful.

Then came the American dimension.

Recent reporting indicates that Sergio Gor, a senior U.S. envoy, has been involved in discussions touching the evolving Bangladesh–India relationship. 

Claims have circulated that Washington and New Delhi are becoming increasingly aligned on Bangladesh’s political future. 

But Washington has now made a significant statement.

At an on-background State Department briefing in New York, a senior U.S. official said Washington had not taken a formal position on what should happen to Sheikh Hasina. Instead, the official expressed hope that Bangladesh and India would work together to resolve the issue, describing it as a major irritant in bilateral relations. 

That is a notable diplomatic shift in tone.

The issue is no longer being framed simply as an internal Bangladesh’s political question.

It is increasingly situated within the wider architecture of Bangladesh–India relations.

And that is precisely where the significance of the recent developments lies.

The reported Doval visit.

The reported Putin–Hasina conversation.

The contacts surrounding Sergio Gor.

Washington’s new language.

New Delhi’s continuing role.

Dhaka’s efforts to recalibrate relations with India.

Together, they illuminate a rapidly changing diplomatic landscape.

And Sheikh Hasina stands at its centre.

Her return is not merely a question of one politician crossing a border.

It touches sovereignty.

Constitutional order.

India–Bangladesh relations.

Regional security.

Russia’s strategic interests.

American diplomacy.

And the future political architecture of Bangladesh.

the prospect of her return carries an even deeper meaning.

We see her as the political heir of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and as the architect of a transformative era in Bangladesh’s economic and infrastructural development. 

But whatever one's political allegiance, one principle should remain inviolable:

Bangladesh’s future must ultimately be decided by Bangladeshis.

Foreign powers may negotiate.

Neighbouring states may calculate.

Great powers may manoeuvre.

Diplomats may whisper behind closed doors.

But the sovereignty of Bangladesh cannot become a diplomatic commodity.

If Sheikh Hasina returns, that return should occur through a lawful, transparent and constitutionally defensible process—one that protects due process and the rights of all concerned although everything against her is fictive.

The coming months may therefore prove consequential.

The diplomatic pieces are moving.

The regional equations are changing.

Washington is speaking differently.

New Delhi is recalibrating.

Moscow remains engaged.

Dhaka is searching for equilibrium.

And Sheikh Hasina remains the unresolved question at the heart of it all.

Perhaps the road back has begun to emerge.

But one thing is certain:

The Hasina question is no longer merely a chapter of Bangladesh’s domestic politics. It has become a question with regional and international dimensions.

And the world is watching.

Through a long-drawn and deeply entrenched conspiracy orchestrated by foreign powers in concert with their domestic cohorts, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was removed from power on 5 August 2024. 

For more than two years, Bangladesh has appeared politically adrift, bereft of direction and consumed by a torrent of manufactured narratives. 

The country now stands perilously close to becoming a banana republic. To rescue Bangladesh from this colossal and precarious predicament, vast majority of Bangladesh’s people, alongside countless observers, are ardently awaiting Sheikh Hasina’s return—to reclaim the helm of the nation, restore its bearings, and steer it back towards stability, dignity, and the right path.

Sent-In by: Anwar A. Khan 

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