The White House says the United States had no role in the ouster of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who recently resigned and fled the country, calling allegations of U.S. interference “nothing but lies.”
“We had no involvement at all. Any reports or rumors that the United States government was involved in these events are nothing but lies,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said at a news conference when asked about allegations of U.S. involvement.
A report in India’s Economic Times on Sunday quoted Hasina as accusing the United States of playing a role in her overthrow because it wanted to take control of Bangladesh’s island of Saint Martin in the Bay of Bengal. The paper said Hasina had conveyed the message to her through close aides.
Hasina’s son Sajib Wazed Joy denied in a post on Instagram on Sunday that his mother had made any such statement.
For its part, the White House said, “We believe that the people of Bangladesh should determine the future of the Bangladeshi government, and that is our position.”
The popular movement that toppled Sheikh Hasina emerged from student protests over government job quotas, which escalated into protests to oust Hasina.
Hasina won a fourth consecutive term in January in an election boycotted by the opposition and which the US State Department said was not free and fair.
Hasina headed to New Delhi after leaving Bangladesh, ending her 15-year rule.
Source: Arabic
