The event, held on the second anniversary of her 2024 ouster, was Hasina's first media interaction since she fled Bangladesh. Hasina, 78, told Reuters in an interview last month that she plans to return to Bangladesh by the end of the year and surrender to authorities there. She fled Dhaka two years ago after protests ended her 20 years as prime minister ​across ​multiple terms. There was no media coverage of the event in Bangladesh, though it was available on social media. Allowing Hasina to openly speak to the media is "detrimental" to the development of ​bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India, Bangladesh's foreign ministry said.