Qureshi’s 2024 Memoir Reveals Secret Discussions with Sheikh Hasina

In "India and I: A Hundred Memories, Not a Memoir," former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Qureshi documents a series of private talks with Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The first, in 2014, was arranged after the Bangladeshi High Commissioner in India asked the retired official to underline the need for an impartial election commission. Accompanied by Indian High Commissioner Pankaj Saran, Qureshi met Hasina and her seven senior advisers, spending over an hour on the mechanics of democratic legitimacy. Hasina’s reaction shifted from guarded to receptive as the conversation progressed. The book also details a second meeting at the end of 2023, when Qureshi led a delegation of election observers ahead of Bangladesh’s general election. Hasina appeared tense and spoke candidly about her belief that external forces, including the United States, were attempting to engineer a change in government. These disclosures illuminate the delicate balance of India‑Bangladesh diplomatic ties surrounding electoral integrity.