Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday said that former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s stay in India is her personal decision influenced by the “circumstances” that led her to the country.

Hasina fled to India in August last year, when her 15-year rule ended during an uprising that left hundreds of people dead and thousands injured. The 78-year-old was last month sentenced to death in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka for “crimes against humanity” over her government’s brutal crackdown on student-led protests last year.

When asked if Hasina was welcome to stay in India for “as long as she wants,” Jaishankar told NDTV, “She came here in a certain circumstance, and I think that circumstance clearly sort of is a factor in what happens to her. But again, that is something in which she has to make up her mind.”

Shifting focus on the relationship between New Delhi and Dhaka, Jaishankar emphasised on India’s stance on the need for a credible democratic process in the neighbouring country.

Referring to past political issues in Bangladesh, Jaishankar said, “What we heard was that people in Bangladesh, particularly those who are now in power, had an issue with how the elections were conducted earlier. Now, if the issue was the election, the first order of business would be to do a fair election.”

Jaishankar concluded by expressing optimism for the future of the bilateral ties, stressing India’s democratic preference for its neighbour and said, “As far as we are concerned, we wish Bangladesh well. We think as a democratic country, any democratic country likes to see the will of the people ascertain through a democratic process.”

He further said, “I am quite confident that whatever comes out of the democratic process will have a balanced and mature view about the relationship, and hopefully things will improve.”