Sheikh Hasina
Muhammad Yunus, the chief of Bangladesh’s interim administration, urged the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to refrain from issuing political statements from India. He termed her public pronouncements as an “unfriendly gesture,” emphasizing that she should remain silent until Bangladesh sends a formal request seeking her extradition
“If India intends to keep her until Bangladesh requests her return, the condition should be that she remains quiet,” Yunus said in an interview at his official residence in Dhaka.
Yunus, who was appointed Chief Advisor after Hasina was ousted, said though the country valued its excellent relations with India, New Delhi had to look beyond the rhetoric of Awami League as the sole protector of stability in this country. He felt the view that Bangladesh would be plunged into chaos without Hasina was wrong and that India should revise that opinion.
“Nobody in India is comfortable with her stand because we all want her to come back for trial,” Yunus explained. “Her presence and statement in India is making people uncomfortable. Nobody remembered her when she kept quiet. But she keeps talking and keeps giving orders; nobody likes that.”
Yunus referred to Hasina’s recent demand to bring the perpetrators of “terror acts” and violence in Bangladesh to book and said that the strain between both countries’ relations is being caused by her statements. He said the speculation within Bangladesh has only gone up with her public presence in India.
When asked if Bangladesh had formally conveyed its view to India, Yunus replied, “The message has been conveyed loud and clear. Hasina should keep her mouth shut. This is an inimical gesture towards us. She has been given shelter in India and is now campaigning from there. It’s not a normal situation, she fled after a people’s uprising and public anger.”.
Yunus was adamant that Hasina needed to be brought back for trial as the interim government remained committed to justice. “People of Bangladesh won’t be at rest unless she is tried for her deeds.”
He also spoke about the larger relationship between India and Bangladesh; how much as he’d like to see good ties, not at the cost of a narrative from India that only Hasina’s leadership ensures stability: “India must come out of this narrative. Bangladesh, like any other nation, is a neighbor deserving of respect.”
Yunus wrote off reported attacks on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh as an exaggeration: “Showing the conditions of the minorities in such a big way is just an excuse.” He thus characterized the issue as a mere pretext for some other motive. The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern about the safety of Hindus and minorities in Bangladesh during his address on Independence Day. However, Yunus has stressed how both countries should try to mend their relationship, which is strained at the moment
To Read More: Click Here