The United States on Monday denied allegations that it had interfered in Bangladesh’s internal affairs, leading to the resignation and fleeing of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

“We have had no involvement at all,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a news briefing. “Any reports or rumours that the United States government was involved in these events is simply false. That is not true.”

Jean-Pierre was responding to a question about reports quoting Hasina as having accused Washington of conspiring to oust her because she had refused to hand over the strategic Saint Martin Island, located in the Bay of Bengal, to the United States.

On Sunday, Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed rejected the reports as “completely false and fabricated”.

In April 2023, Hasina had accused Washington of seeking a regime change in Dhaka.

Hasina had resigned as Bangladesh’s prime minister and fled to India on August 5 amid widespread protests against her Awami League government.

On Monday, the White House said that it believes it is the choice of Bangladeshi people to decide the future of the government in the country.

“This is a choice for and by the Bangladeshi people,” Jean-Pierre said. “We believe that the Bangladeshi people should determine the future of the Bangladeshi government, and that’s where we stand.”

Responding to a question about the attacks on Bangladesh’s religious minorities, the White House press secretary said that Washington will continue monitoring the situation.

Following the collapse of the Awami League government on August 5, several parts of Bangladesh have reported incidents of violence against religious minorities.

On Sunday, Bangladesh’s interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus said that it was trying to stop attacks on Hindus and other religious minorities in the country.

Hasina’s stay in India won’t hurt ties: Senior Dhaka official

Md Touhid Hossain, the Foreign Affairs Advisor to Bangladesh’s interim government, said on Monday that Hasina’s extended stay in India will not hurt the bilateral relations between the two countries, Prothom Alo reported.

After fleeing Dhaka on August 5, Hasina and her younger sister Sheikh Rehana, among others, landed at an Indian Air Force base near Delhi. On August 6, India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told Parliament that Hasina had requested approval to come “for the moment” to India at a very short notice.

“Bilateral relations is a big thing ... it’s built on mutual interest,” he said while responding to a reporter’s question on the matter.

“This is a hypothetical question,” Hossain said. “Why will the relations with a country be affected if someone stays in that country? There is no reason for that.”

The foreign affairs advisor, who served as the country’s foreign secretary between 2006 and 2009, said that India and Bangladesh have mutual interests. “We will pursue our interests, and our efforts to maintain good relations with India will continue,” he was quoted as saying.

Hossain’s comments to reporters came after briefing diplomats, including Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma, about the situation in Bangladesh.

Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesperson of India’s external affairs ministry, had said on Thursday that it was not appropriate for New Delhi to comment on Hasina's plans. “It is for her to take things forward,” he said.

On Friday, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party said that the relations between India and Bangladesh are not dependent on the Hasina-led Awami League party. The party, led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, is the Awami League’s main opponent.

Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, a senior Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader, told PTI that India was “very important” to Dhaka and that it was time to start a new chapter in bilateral relations.

However, he added that it was natural to have “adverse reactions” in Bangladesh over Delhi giving refuge to the former prime minister.