Sheikh Hasina's Anti-Pakistan Speech: The MDP-Dominated Majlis As India's Propaganda Tool

Sheikh Hasina, the Bangladeshi Prime Minister, paid a visit to the Maldives at the invitation of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. During her visit which lasted from the 22nd-23rd of December, she had been given the opportunity to address the People's Majlis.

The address, when given by a foreign dignitary, is often used as a means to bolster bilateral ties; the Bangladeshi PM had instead used the platform to launch a verbal attack against Pakistan.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's address had mainly focused on highlighting the events that lead to the formation of Bangladesh. She referenced "brutalities" committed by Pakistan against Bangladesh during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971.

Despite the historical truth of what had occurred prior to the formation of Bangladesh, many have raised concerns that the MDP-led government had allowed the platform of the Maldivian parliament to be abused as "a propaganda tool [of] other states for their own vested interests".

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's address to the Majlis cannot be described as objectively true, as the bulk of her statements were based on contested and controversial allegations.

The Bangladeshi Prime Minister's address has been seen as the beginning of a series of events that lead to the straining of the Maldives' ties with its neighbours and allies and its eventual isolation in the international community. The Prime Minister has been accused of using the Majlis platform to deliver "India's propaganda".

The Indian government had utilised its intelligence agencies as well as its military to exacerbate the growing political tensions between Bangladesh (which was formerly known as East Pakistan) and West Pakistan. India's policies of intervening in the domestic affairs of its neighbours are well-documented from its actions during the Bangladesh Liberation War.