MOSCOW: The Kremlin said Tuesday it had not received any indication from India that it would stop buying Russian oil following the announcement of a trade deal with US President Donald Trump.&nbsp;Trump said he had struck a deal to reduce tariffs on India and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to stop buying Russian oil over the war in Ukraine.&nbsp;India&#39;s purchases of Russian oil -- discounted due to Western sanctions complicating logistics and cutting off markets -- have surged since Russia launched its full-scale military offensive on Ukraine in February 2022.&nbsp;Ukraine and its Western allies have been seeking to cut off the billions of dollars in revenue, a vital source of income for Russia&#39;s stretched economy and its military.&nbsp;&quot;So far, we haven&#39;t heard any statements from New Delhi on this matter,&quot; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, including AFP.&nbsp;Trump said he was cutting levies on Indian goods to 18 percent. He had previously imposed 25 percent &quot;reciprocal&quot; tariffs on many products, plus an additional 25 percent for New Delhi&#39;s purchases of Moscow&#39;s oil.&nbsp;While Modi thanked Trump for the &quot;wonderful&quot; phone call and the easing of tariffs, he made no reference to Trump&#39;s assertion about halting oil purchases.&nbsp;In 2024, Russia supplied nearly 36 percent of India&#39;s total crude imports, around 1.8 million barrels of discounted oil per day.&nbsp;But after Trump hit New Delhi with tariffs, India&#39;s monthly oil imports from Russia plunged by 38 percent, local media reported, citing India&#39;s Ministry of Commerce and Industry&#39;s data.&nbsp;Russian President Vladimir Putin promised &quot;uninterrupted shipments&quot; of oil during a visit to New Delhi in late 2025.&nbsp;Bilateral trade between the two sides reached $68.7 billion in 2024-25 -- almost six times higher than the pre-pandemic levels -- dominated by Moscow&#39;s energy sales, with Indian exports to Russia accounting for under $5 billion.

This combination of pictures created on February 02, 2026 shows, L/R, US President Donald Trump in Palm Beach, Florida, February 1, 2026 and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on January 29, 2026. (AFP/File)

Europe

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says the country has not heard any statements from New Delhi on this matter.

Russia says India has not said it will halt oil purchases

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: India is hosting the second India-Arab Foreign Ministers&#39; Meeting on Jan. 31 to strengthen its engagement with the Arab world after a nearly decade-long gap, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. The meeting, co-chaired by India and the United Arab Emirates, will be attended by foreign ministers from member states of the League of Arab States, along with the Secretary General of the Arab League. The meeting is preceded by the 4th India-Arab Senior Officials&#39; Meeting on Jan. 30. Foreign ministers and top officials of 20 countries have confirmed their participation, including representatives from Palestine, Sudan, Egypt, Djibouti, Algeria, Comoros, Jordan, Kuwait, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Somalia, Lebanon, Qatar, Syria, Libya, Mauritania, Iraq, and Oman, the ministry said. The agenda: five priority areasThe inaugural ministers&#39; meeting was held in 2016 in Bahrain, where the two sides identified five priority areas of cooperation, known as the Manama Declaration &mdash; economy, energy, education, media, and culture &mdash; and outlined initiatives across these sectors. According to official sources, Arab nations account for about 60% of India&#39;s crude oil imports, while total bilateral trade between India and the Arab League stands at $240 billion.&nbsp; According to the ministry, over 50% of India&#39;s bilateral trade with the 22 members of the Arab League is in hydrocarbons. A key development is the formal launch of the India and Arab Countries Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in New Delhi on the sidelines of the summit. Gaza reconstruction takes center stagePalestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin also arrived in New Delhi on Thursday to attend the summit. Shahin has called upon India to play a pivotal role in the reconstruction of Gaza. Shahin told ThePrint that she is asking India to &quot;chip in humanitarian assistance, development assistance, and reconstruction assistance,&quot; and to continue pushing for the two-state solution.&nbsp; Around $112 billion is the estimated price needed to rebuild the Gaza Strip under a reconstruction project titled &quot;Project Sunrise&rdquo; developed by the Trump administration. Syrian participation marks new engagementSyria will be represented by Mohamad Zakaria Lababidi, Director of the Afro-Asian and Oceania Department in its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, marking another diplomatic opening between New Delhi and Damascus following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad. If Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani&#39;s attendance is confirmed, it will mark the first ministerial-level interaction between New Delhi and Damascus since the formation of the government led by former Hay&#39;at Tahrir al-Sham leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, according to ETV Bharat. Strategic importance of the diasporaAccording to Arab News, of the 35.4 million Indians living abroad, 9.7 million reside in GCC countries. Gulf-based Indians accounted for almost 40% of India&#39;s total remittances of $118.7 billion in fiscal year 2023-24. Long-standing partnershipThe ministers&#39; meeting is the highest institutional mechanism driving this partnership, which was formalized in March 2002, when India and the League of Arab States signed a memorandum of understanding to institutionalize the dialogue process. According to the ministry, India has traditionally enjoyed close and friendly relations with the countries that form the League of Arab States, with relations dating back to ancient times when traders, scholars, and diplomats would often traverse the Arabian Sea and the land routes linking India to West Asia and the Arab Peninsula.

Visit of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, to India on Jan. 19, 2026. (Photo: X/@narendramodi)

Americas

Asia

The meeting, co-chaired by United Arab Emirates, will be attended by foreign ministers from member states of the League of Arab States, along with the Secretary General of the Arab League to outline five priority areas of cooperation

India hosts second Arab Foreign Ministers Meeting after decade-long gap

ISLAMABAD: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday criticized the European Union&rsquo;s new Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India, accusing European governments of undermining their own security interests by continuing to buy refined petroleum products derived from Russian oil. Speaking in recent media interviews, Bessent argued that the deal exposes what he described as a contradiction in Europe&rsquo;s stance on the war in Ukraine, while placing the United States at an economic disadvantage. &lsquo;Financing the war against themselves&rsquo;&nbsp;In an interview with ABC News on Sunday, Bessent defended the Trump administration&#39;s decision to impose heavy tariffs on Indian imports, attributing them directly to New Delhi&#39;s continued purchases of Russian oil. During the segment, Bessent underlined that the US has &quot;sacrificed&quot; more than its allies to press Russia, specifically by imposing trade sanctions on India.&nbsp; &ldquo;We have put 25 per cent tariffs on India for buying Russian oil,&rdquo; Bessent said.&nbsp; &ldquo;Guess what happened last week? The Europeans signed a trade deal with India. Russian oil goes into India, the refined products come out, and Europeans buy them. They are financing the war against themselves.&rdquo; The treasury secretary highlighted the dramatic shift in India&#39;s energy imports since February 2022. Russian crude, which accounted for just 2-3% of India&#39;s oil imports before the war, surged to 18-19% afterward, allowing Indian refiners to profit from heavily discounted Russian barrels while exporting refined fuels to European markets. Bessent explicitly used the comparison to illustrate what he called the &quot;laundering&quot; of Russian oil. &lsquo;Virtue signaling&rsquo;Speaking separately at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Bessent accused European allies of &ldquo;virtue signalling&rdquo; on Ukraine while avoiding tougher trade measures that could disrupt their commercial ties with India. He characterized this as selective enforcement of sanctions. &quot;Our European allies refused to impose tariffs because they wanted to protect this big trade deal with India,&quot; he told Politico, implying that the outcome led Washington to increase sanctions, while Europe continued to benefit from global energy trade imbalances. The Trump administration has imposed tariffs of up to 50% on Indian goods, with a 25% levy explicitly targeting Russian oil shipments. However, Bessent hinted that relief could be on the way.&nbsp; &ldquo;There is a path to remove them [25% tariffs],&rdquo; he said, signaling room for negotiation if India shifts its energy sourcing away from Moscow, adding that Indian purchases of Russian oil have &quot;collapsed&quot; due to US pressure.&nbsp; Deal runs counter to US interestsUS officials, including US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer and Bessent, say several provisions of the India-EU agreement run counter to American economic and strategic interests.&nbsp; The agreement is expected to grant Indian textiles, chemicals, leather goods, and other labor-intensive products preferential access to European markets, directly competing with US exporters who face average EU tariffs of around 10% in these sectors.&nbsp; The Alliance for American Manufacturing, a non-profit group, expressed concerns that although EU tariffs are already low, eased regulatory and compliance requirements could give Indian drugmakers an advantage over US pharmaceutical companies in Europe. More broadly, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen&rsquo;s comments portraying the deal as part of supply-chain diversification have sparked worries in Washington. Bessant has pointed out that closer EU-India relations could reduce Europe&rsquo;s economic reliance not just on China but also on the United States. Bessent&rsquo;s comments came days before an India-EU summit at which New Delhi and Brussels announced they had concluded negotiations on a comprehensive free trade agreement after nearly two decades of talks. President Ursula von der Leyen described the pact as creating a combined market of around two billion people, accounting for roughly a quarter of global GDP.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 20, 2026. (AFP)

Washington sees the deal as strengthening EU-India ties at US expense, complicating sanctions on Russia, undercutting American exporters, and reducing European dependence on US markets and energy supplies.

US treasury chief slams EU-India trade deal as ‘self-defeating’ on Russia sanctions

NEW DELHI: The leaders of India and the European Union will <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/instability-in-south-asia-stems-from-indias-illegal-occupation-of-jammu-and-kashmir" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">announce</a>&nbsp;a trade deal on Tuesday when they meet in New Delhi to formalize a pact reached after two decades of negotiations. EU chiefs and Prime Minister Narendra Modi aim that the pact, which Indian officials said was concluded on Monday, will help&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/replace-nursery-rhymes-with-firearms-training-hindu-nationalist-tells-indian-parents" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">shield</a>&nbsp;against challenges from the world&rsquo;s two leading economies, the United States and China. &quot;Official level negotiations are being concluded, and both sides are all set to announce&quot; the conclusion of talks at the Tuesday summit, Indian commerce secretary Rajesh Agrawal told AFP late Monday. Feted Monday as guests of honor at India&#39;s Republic Day parade, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa are set to meet Modi late Tuesday morning. &quot;The EU stands to gain the highest level of access ever granted to a trade partner in the traditionally protected Indian market,&quot; von der Leyen said on Sunday, adding that she expected exports to India to double. &quot;We will gain a significant&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/india-antiminority-speeches-at-rss-centenary-convention" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">competitive advantage</a>&nbsp;in key industrial and agri-good sectors.&quot; Talks went down to the wire on Monday, focusing on a few sticking points, including the impact of the EU&#39;s carbon border tax on steel, according to sources familiar with the discussions. &#39;Clear choice&#39;&nbsp;The accord comes as both Brussels and New Delhi have sought to open up new markets amid US tariffs and Chinese export controls. India and the EU were also expected to conclude an accord to facilitate the movement of seasonal workers, students, researchers, and highly skilled professionals, as well as a security and defense pact. New Delhi, which has relied on Moscow for key military hardware for decades, has sought to reduce its dependence on Russia in recent years by diversifying imports and boosting domestic manufacturing. Europe is doing the same with regard to the United States.

India has tried to cut its dependence on Russia in recent years by diversifying imports and pushing its own domestic manufacturing base; Europe is doing the same with regard to the United States.

EU, India conclude trade deal after decades of negotiation: report

DHAKA: A Bangladesh government committee said on Monday it had found &quot;egregious anomalies&quot; in a billion-dollar cross-border electricity supply deal with Indian conglomerate Adani, providing around 10 percent of the country&#39;s power.&nbsp;Dhaka&#39;s review committee on power deals is investigating contracts agreed during the now-ousted government of Sheikh Hasina, a close ally of India, who was overthrown in an August 2024 uprising.&nbsp;Relations between Bangladesh and neighboring India have soured since.&nbsp;The National Review Committee on Power Purchase Agreements said it had found &quot;examples of egregious anomalies&quot;, that meant the state-owned Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) was paying up to 50 percent more than it should.&nbsp;&quot;These wrong decisions are not mistakes,&quot; the report said.&nbsp;&quot;They suggest systematic collusion between businesses, politicians and bureaucrats to award overpriced and unnecessary contracts in order to deliberately create huge excess profits that are then shared between these parties.&quot;&nbsp;Adani&#39;s coal-fired Godda plant in India&#39;s Jharkhand state -- a $2 billion project including transmission lines that opened in 2024 -- supplies between seven and 10 percent of Bangladesh&#39;s baseload power demand of 13 GW for its 170 million people.&nbsp;&quot;For the Adani Godda imported power contract, we conservatively estimate overpricing of 4-5 cents per kWh (kilowatt hour), which means the price being paid is roughly 50 percent higher than what it should be,&quot; the report said.&nbsp;Bangladesh pays Adani $1 billion annually under the 25-year contract. The report said BPDB suffered losses of $4.13 billion in 2024-25.&nbsp;Adani Power said it had not seen the report, but said it supplied &quot;amongst the most competitively priced&quot; power -- and demanded Dhaka&#39;s government now pay up the cash it owes it for the energy it had supplied.&nbsp;&quot;We have continued to honor our supply commitment despite large receivables, when many other generators have cut back or even stopped supplies,&quot; the spokesman said.&nbsp;&quot;We urge Bangladesh government to liquidate our dues at the earliest as this is impacting our operations.&quot;&nbsp;The Dhaka committee said it was &quot;essential&quot; for contracts to be examined.&nbsp;&quot;The BPDB and the government should cancel contracts where direct evidence of corruption is found and there must be renegotiation of prices and terms with all private parties to reduce prices to market-competitive levels,&quot; the report read.&nbsp;The South Asian nation votes on February 12 to elect a new parliament and fresh leadership after prolonged turmoil following the ouster of Hasina&#39;s government, that has reshaped domestic politics and regional dynamics.

Bangladesh

India

Bangladesh review finds egregious anomalies in a billion-dollar Adani power deal, alleging collusion, 50% overpricing and heavy losses, amid strained India ties after Hasina’s ouster.

Bangladesh review alleges huge overpricing of Indian electricity

ISLAMABAD: A rights group has called out the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for openly advocating an &quot;ideological war&quot; against Muslims and Christians. The group, Hindutva Watch, highlighted that RSS leader Sadhvi Prachi made threatening remarks against both communities at a &quot;Virat Hindu Sammelan&quot; (great Hindu convention). The event was part of the centenary celebrations of the RSS, the extremist ideological arm of the ruling BJP. Hindutva leader Sadhvi Prachi claimed that both Muslims and Christians were engaged in campaigns to convert Hindus. The centenary has received high-level political visibility, including official government communications around commemorative programs.In a video from the convention, Prachi is heard making derogatory references to Muslims, saying she could not see any &quot;jaali dar topi wale&quot; in the crowd&mdash;a jibe at Muslim skullcaps&mdash;while criticizing those she claimed refuse to say &quot;Vande Mataram.&quot;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2015665528589738482&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=a6b02ae931f08fdc1d04f72b3d367b60b2d73420&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 697px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div>She framed the situation as an &quot;ideological war&quot; against people who, she alleged, &quot;divided India&quot; and &quot;created 56 countries.&quot; She also claimed they are now carrying out &quot;love jihad&quot; and converting Dalits through inducements. Prachi also targeted Christian institutions, accusing convent schools of &quot;mind-washing&quot; and alleging they offer financial incentives to poor families in exchange for changing religion declarations on admission forms. The claims were made without evidence and mirror a broader pattern of polarizing rhetoric regularly used by Hindutva-aligned speakers.Rights advocates argue that such speeches are not merely rhetorical: they help normalize suspicion toward minorities and can increase real-world vulnerability. Muslims, they say, are portrayed as disloyal, infiltrative, or culturally incompatible. In recent years, civil-society monitors have repeatedly warned that the public mainstreaming of anti-minority narratives contributes to a climate in which harassment, discriminatory profiling, and mob intimidation become easier to justify. Prachi&#39;s remarks come at a politically charged moment, as the RSS centenary program expands its public footprint through high-visibility gatherings across India.

Anti-Muslim and anti-Christian speeches made at the hundred-year celebration of RSS, at which hate speech remained the theme of the day.

RSS leader Sadhvi Prachi makes incendiary remarks against Muslims, Christians at centenary event

ISLAMABAD: Former Australia all-rounder and Pakistan red-ball head coach Jason Gillespie deleted a social media post on X after facing abuse for questioning the International Cricket Council&rsquo;s (ICC) decision to replace Bangladesh at the ICC Men&rsquo;s T20 World Cup 2026.&nbsp;Gillespie had asked why Bangladesh were not allowed to play their matches outside India, as had been permitted in previous ICC tournaments. In his now-deleted post, he wrote: &ldquo;Has there been an explanation from the ICC why Bangladesh could not play their games outside of India?&rdquo; Drawing comparisons with past ICC events, Gillespie pointed to what he described as inconsistency in the governing body&rsquo;s approach.&nbsp;&ldquo;From memory, India refused to play Champions Trophy matches in Pakistan, and they were allowed to play those games outside of Pakistan. Can someone make this make sense?&rdquo; <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 802px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2015312948873556044&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=92f6202c4d95765916e7e6012632060f0f36d306&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div></div>&nbsp;Following the deletion, several fans tagged Gillespie for clarification. He responded that he removed the post due to abuse. &ldquo;Because I got abused for asking a simple question, that&rsquo;s why,&rdquo; he wrote. The ICC announced on Jan. 24 that S<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/scotland-replace-bangladesh-in-t20-world-cup-2026-after-icc-decision" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">cotland would replace Bangladesh</a>&nbsp;at the T20 World Cup, scheduled in India and Sri Lanka from Feb. 7 to March 8.&nbsp;The governing body said the decision followed the Bangladesh Cricket Board&rsquo;s request to move its matches from India to Sri Lanka, which was denied, citing the absence of any credible or verifiable security threat.&nbsp;Scotland will open their campaign against the West Indies on Feb. 7 in Kolkata, face Italy on February 9, and England on Feb. 14. Their final group match against Nepal is scheduled in Mumbai on Feb. 17.

Cricket

Drawing comparisons with past ICC events, Gillespie points to what he described as inconsistency in the governing body’s approach.

Former Australia great Gillespie faces backlash over Bangladesh T20 World Cup exclusion

ISLAMABAD: India&rsquo;s western state of Maharashtra is developing an artificial intelligence (AI) system to identify what authorities describe as <a href="http://UN%20watchdog%20questions%20India%20on%20discrimination%20of%20Bengali%20Muslims%20in%20Assam" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">&ldquo;illegal&rdquo; Bangladeshi and Rohingya migrants</a>, a move that has raised questions over accuracy, profiling and civil liberties, according to Indian media reports.&nbsp;Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the tool is being developed in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay and will be used by law enforcement agencies across the state.&nbsp;The chief minister publicly linked the project to a political pledge earlier this month while unveiling the ruling Mahayuti alliance&rsquo;s manifesto. &ldquo;We will free Mumbai of Bangladeshis and Rohingyas,&rdquo; Fadnavis said at the event, as reported by local media.&nbsp;According to Indian media, the proposed AI system is language-based and is designed to analyze speech patterns, tone and word usage to identify undocumented migrants. The approach has drawn scrutiny because people in India&rsquo;s West Bengal and neighboring Bangladesh share closely related languages, dialects and accents.&nbsp;The state government has not explained how the AI system will distinguish between Indian citizens and migrants from the Bengal region, nor has it outlined safeguards to prevent misidentification.&nbsp;The project, being developed by Maharashtra&rsquo;s information technology department, is estimated to cost ₹3 crore ($327,535) and remains in an experimental phase.&nbsp;Fadnavis said the system has been tested for about three months and currently has an accuracy rate of around 60 percent, a figure that suggests a high margin of error.&nbsp;Despite this, the government has indicated plans to expand its use, with Fadnavis stating that accuracy would improve over time.&nbsp;Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kirit Somaiya has separately claimed that the Maharashtra government has &ldquo;cancelled&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/bjp-leader-threatens-special-mission-to-deport-224000-bangladeshi-nationals" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">224,000 allegedly fake birth certificates</a>&nbsp;issued to Bangladeshi nationals.&rdquo;&nbsp;He also announced plans for a &ldquo;special campaign&rdquo; to identify and deport undocumented migrants after local body elections.&nbsp;Authorities have not publicly detailed how speech data for the AI system will be collected, or whether it will rely on mobile applications, direct interviews or other audio inputs. It also remains unclear whether the technology will analyze real-time conversations, recorded samples or passive listening.&nbsp;Fadnavis has further said that detention centers are being established to hold suspected undocumented migrants ahead of deportation, adding that land has already been allotted for the facilities.&nbsp;The lack of transparency surrounding the AI tool&rsquo;s methodology, combined with its limited accuracy rate and the government&rsquo;s hardline rhetoric, has intensified concerns over profiling and the potential targeting of linguistic and ethnic communities, though officials have not addressed these issues publicly.

Maharashtra, in partnership with IIT Bombay, is developing a language-based AI tool to help police identify suspected "illegal" Bangladeshi and Rohingya immigrants.

India plans AI tool to target ‘illegal’ Bangladeshis and Rohingyas in Maharashtra

DHAKA: Bangladesh said on Sunday it was &quot;surprised&quot; and &quot;shocked&quot; that India had allowed fugitive former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to make a public address in New Delhi.&nbsp;Hasina, 78, fled to neighbouring India in August 2024 after a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/bangladesh-police-say-student-leaders-killers-fled-to-india" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">student-led uprising</a>&nbsp;ended her iron-fisted 15-year rule. She made her first public speech since then in an audio address to a packed press club in Delhi on Friday.&nbsp;She was found guilty in absentia by a Dhaka court in November of incitement, issuing an order to kill and inaction to prevent atrocities and was sentenced to be hanged.&nbsp;&quot;The government and the people of Bangladesh are surprised and shocked,&quot; Dhaka&#39;s foreign ministry said in a statement.&nbsp;&quot;Allowing the event to take place in the Indian capital and letting mass murderer Hasina openly deliver her hate speech... constitute a clear affront to the people and the Government of Bangladesh.&quot;&nbsp;It said allowing Hasina to make the speech set &quot;a dangerous precedent&quot; that could &quot;seriously impair bilateral relations&quot;.&nbsp;Bangladesh voters go to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/bangladesh-launches-campaigns-for-first-posthasina-polls" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">polls on February 12</a>&nbsp;to choose new leaders after a period of turmoil that followed the overthrow of Hasina&#39;s autocratic government.&nbsp;Hasina said in her audio address that &quot;Bangladesh will never experience free and fair elections&quot; under interim leader Muhammad Yunus.&nbsp;More than 100,000 people watched the address, which was broadcast online.&nbsp;Bangladesh has asked India to extradite Hasina, but New Delhi has yet to comment on the request.&nbsp;India&#39;s past support for Hasina has frayed relations between the South Asian neighbours since her overthrow.

Bangladesh condemned India for allowing exiled former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to address supporters in New Delhi, warning it set a precedent, hurt bilateral ties, after her conviction and sentencing over abuses following her overthrow.

Bangladesh criticizes India over fugitive leader Hasina's speech

ISLAMABAD: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in the ICC Men&rsquo;s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to begin on Feb. 7 in India and Sri Lanka.&nbsp;The decision comes after the ICC issued a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/bangladesh-will-not-come-to-india-for-t20-world-cup-bcb" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">24-hour deadline</a>&nbsp;to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) earlier this week. With no resolution emerging within the stipulated time, the global cricket body confirmed the change on Saturday. Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi strictly opposed the decision saying, &quot;Bangladesh is a key stakeholder in international cricket and must not be subjected to any form of injustice.&quot; Naqvi said, &quot;No country can dictate terms to another,&quot; he added, &quot;all cricketing nations should be treated equally.&quot; &quot;Bangladesh must play in the world cup at all costs, there should be no double standards&quot; As a result, Scotland will now feature in Group C of the tournament&rsquo;s preliminary stage. The team is set to open its campaign against the West Indies on Feb. 7, followed by matches against Italy on Feb. 9 and England on Feb. 14 in Kolkata. Scotland will then travel to Mumbai to face Nepal on Feb. 17.&nbsp;More details are expected as the ICC and participating boards issue further statements.

Decision comes after the ICC issued a 24-hour deadline to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) earlier this week

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