Dhaka has said the disqualification of Sheikh Hasina's Awami League is necessary to protect national security and sovereignty

Bangladesh's interim government has decided to ban former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League party and bar it from running in the next general election, saying it is necessary to protect national security and sovereignty, according to local media.

The ban was imposed under a revised anti-terrorism law, which was introduced overnight on Monday.

Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to Interim Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, defended the ban and told state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) that elections in the country were an internal matter and that other countries should respect the sovereign will of the Bangladeshi people.

Alam's remarks on Tuesday were aimed at neighboring India, which has backed the Awami League for years.

Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had described the ban as a "concerning development" that was imposed without due process.

The Awami League, led by former Prime Minister Hasina, was ousted from power on August 5 last year in a student-led uprising. Hasina fled to India, and Nobel Peace Laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge of an interim government. Ties between the two South Asian neighbors have been tense since that time.

New Delhi has repeatedly called for the early holding of free, fair and inclusive elections in Bangladesh.

No date has been finalized for the next general election in Bangladesh, which could take place anytime between December 2025 and June 2026.

On the sidelines of the sixth BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Summit in Bangkok in April, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Yunus and conveyed New Delhi's desire "to forge a positive and constructive relationship with Bangladesh based on pragmatism." He highlighted, however, that "rhetoric that vitiates the environment is best avoided."

At the meeting with Modi, Yunus broached the issue of extraditing the former prime minister.

The interim government has been seeking the extradition of Hasina and members of her government to face trial on charges including murder, torture, abduction, crimes against humanity, and genocide. New Delhi has not publicly commented on the request.