Thursday, September 5, 2024

"Bangladesh’s relations with India now at a low," says western bloc-backed Chief Advisor Yunus ::::: 'Released' Islamist Mamunul Haque protested during Narendra Modi's visit to Bangladesh

"If India wants to keep her until the time Bangladesh (government) wants her back, the condition would be that she has to keep quiet," Yunus said, speaking to news agency PTI from his official residence in Dhaka.


He says there is "discomfort" over ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s statements from India.

Chief Advisor to Bangladesh's interim government Muhammad Yunus says - "Bangladesh’s relations with India now at a low".

The present dispensation in Dhaka also has the backing of the country's military.


Yunus stressed that while Bangladesh values strong bilateral relations with India, New Delhi must move beyond the narrative that portrays every other political party except Awami League as Islamist. 

He added that the relations between the two countries are at a low.



The remarks from Yunus, who was behind bars once during the time of Ms Hasina, have their special significance.

Yunus was convicted and sentenced to 6 months in jail for violation of labour laws. 


On August 13, the former Bangladesh Prime Minister released a statement, demanding those "involved in killings and vandalism" during the anti-government protests be "identified and punished".  


Yunus and Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted over the phone in the first high-level contact between the nations following the fall of Hasina's government. After their conversation, the Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement indicated that the two leaders discussed ways to take the bilateral relationship forward in line with the respective national priorities.

"We have said quite firmly that she should keep quiet... she has been given shelter there and she is campaigning from there. It is not that she has gone there on a normal course. She has fled following a people's uprising and public anger," Yunus said. 

"Sitting in India, she is speaking and giving instructions. No one likes it... It is not good for us or for India. There is discomfort regarding it," he added. 


Meanwhile, eyebrows ought to be raised over the August 31st meeting between the Bangladesh interim government's chief adviser and Hefazat-e-Islam leader Mamunul Haque.

The group has been infamous earlier for maintaining an anti-India stance.  


Mamunul Haque was arrested during the Sheikh Hasina-led tenure under various charges, including instigating violence. But since Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled Bangladesh following anti-government protests last month, the interim government has freed Mamunul Haque and other extremist leaders.


The interim government also lifted the ban on Jamaat-e-Islami, the country's largest Islamist party, a move that has left neighbouring India worried amid concerns over attacks on Hindus following Hasina's ouster.


Recently, the interim government freed Jashimuddin Rahmani, the chief of the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), an al-Qaida-affiliated terror outfit. The release is a matter of concern for India as the terror group has been trying to establish a jihadi network with the help of sleeper cells.  


Hefazat-e-Islam was formed in 2010 and seeks to uphold conservative Islamic values. The group frequently opposes constitutional principles and societal reforms. Their activities, particularly in running madrasas and propagating ideas of an Islamic revolution, have been contentious.


Mamunul Haque has been a particularly polarising figure within the Hefazat-e-Islam. His protests during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bangladesh exemplified his group's deeply entrenched anti-India sentiment.


Sheikh Hasina in her statement had claimed that she could have remained in power “if I had surrendered the sovereignty of Saint Martin Island and allowed America to hold sway over the Bay of Bengal”, according to reports.


"I beseech to the people of my land, ‘Please do not be manipulated by radicals’,” she said.




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