The threat posed by terrorist and extremist groups in Bangladesh is extremely serious and should not be underestimated, ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said.
She made the remarks in an interview with Indian news channel NDTV on Tuesday (September 22).
Asked whether Bangladesh was becoming a regional safe haven for terrorist organisations like Pakistan, Sheikh Hasina said that during her tenure, she had taken strong measures to prevent Bangladesh from becoming a safe base for extremists.
She said maintaining peace and stability in the country was a priority, alongside protecting civil liberties, strengthening national security and intelligence surveillance, and ensuring an effective role for law enforcement agencies.
Sheikh Hasina said extremist ideologies do not recognise national borders and argued that isolating Bangladesh from its South Asian neighbours would not provide a solution.
Instead, she said the issue should be addressed from a broader regional and global perspective, with coordinated action by countries to counter the threat of terrorism and extremism.
Sheikh Hasina has previously expressed her intention to return to Bangladesh by December this year.
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