Bangladesh -

India arrests Bangladeshis escaping political turmoil after Hasina’s ouster

August 14, 2024 by

Listen to article

India has detained nearly a dozen Bangladeshi nationals attempting to cross the border as they fled escalating violence and political unrest following the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Border officials reported on Monday that hundreds more are gathered along the frontier, pleading for entry into India.

Sheikh Hasina, who resigned abruptly on August 5 after 15 years in power, fled to India amidst rising violence targeting minority communities in Bangladesh.

Hindus, who represent the largest minority group and are a key support base for Hasina’s Awami League, have been particularly affected, with reports of widespread attacks on their homes, temples, and businesses.

India’s Border Security Force (BSF) has arrested 11 Bangladeshis since Sunday as they attempted to cross into West Bengal.

BSF deputy inspector general Amit Kumar Tyagi stated that several hundred more remain stranded in no-man’s land along the border, seeking refuge.

Bangladesh shares a 4,000-kilometre (2,485-mile) border with India, much of which is unfenced.

The situation has also seen four Bangladeshis being “repelled” from Assam, according to the state’s chief minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma.

The fall of Hasina has put India on high alert, given her administration’s balancing act of fostering strong ties with both India and China. India’s home minister, Amit Shah, announced that a committee has been formed to monitor the situation and ensure the safety of Indian nationals, Hindus, and other minorities in Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, has expressed concern over the attacks on minorities and pledged to address the situation urgently.

Source link

Bangladesh Still Stares At Uncertainty, Top Officers Resign, Violence Continues: 10 Points

August 14, 2024 by

Bangladesh Still Stares At Uncertainty, Top Officers Resign, Violence Continues: 10 Points

Incidents of violence, too, continue to be reported from across Bangladesh.

Dhaka:
Bangladesh still stares at uncertainty. Top government offices are lying empty in the country that now has a caretaker government and reports of persecution of minority communities continue to pour in.

A caretaker government led by Nobel winner Muhammad Yunus has been sworn in to steer the country through these tumultuous times, but it’s yet to make its presence feel in a country marred by protests.

Yunus, the interim caretaker backed by the military, called for calm during his visit to Rangpur yesterday as he embraced the mother of a student shot dead by the cops. He has also appealed for religious unity amid reports of attacks on the minorities in Bangladesh since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina.

The latest in the string of resignations is of the country’s central bank chief. Bangladesh Bank Governor Abdur Rouf stepped down yesterday, three days after over 100 bank officials staged protests outside his office, demanding his resignation. Rouf has cited health reasons for stepping down, reported The Daily Star.

Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan, seen as a loyalist of ousted premier Sheikh Hasina, was forced out of his office yesterday as students surrounded the Bangladesh Supreme Court and gave him an hour’s ultimatum to step down. Five more judges of the top court resigned later in the day.

Justice Syed Refat Ahmed, the seniormost judge of the High Court division of the Supreme Court, was appointed the country’s 25th Chief Justice by President Mohammed Shahabuddin last evening.

The chief of the country’s market regulator has also resigned. Prof Shibli Rubayat-Ul Islam, the chairman of Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission, had not been turning up at work for several days. He, too, cited health reasons for stepping down.

Meanwhile, attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, in Bangladesh has raised concerns. Chittagong city saw a massive rally yesterday, attended by tens of thousands of Hindus, demanding safety and equal rights as citizens of the country.

Incidents of violence, too, continue to be reported from across Bangladesh. Five army personnel were injured and a military vehicle was torched during a clash at an Awami League procession in Gopalganj last afternoon.

Bangladesh has reported arson, killings and multiple incidents of persecution of minority communities across 52 districts since Sheikh Hasina’s resignation as the Prime Minister on August 5. Two protesters also suffered injuries.

Ms Hasina fled the country the same day amid fears of being mobbed after protests intensified following the death of over 400 agitators in clashes with the cops. Her residence was stormed by the protesters hours after she left the complex in a military helicopter. She landed at an airbase in Uttar Pradesh, hours later.

Post a comment

Source link

Key Bangladesh Leader On Attacks On Hindus

August 14, 2024 by

Mr Alamgir said that the India-Bangladesh relationship would continue to be sound.

A week of fast-paced developments in Bangladesh, which saw Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, widespread violence and the formation of an interim government, has been capped off with the country’s chief justice agreeing to step down on Saturday. While it is unclear when elections will be held, what is certain is that the Khaleda Zia-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), one of the two big political parties in the country, will be playing a key role in them.

Speaking exclusively to NDTV on Saturday, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the general secretary of the BNP, said that the stepping down of the chief justice was brought about by student protests because he was known to be closely associated with Ms Hasina’s regime, which “killed many people” in the country.

In the wide-ranging interview, Mr Alamgir said that Ms Zia will lead the BNP in the elections if she is fit enough to do so and that the party would work to improve the India-Bangladesh relationship if it comes to power. He said that the attacks on Hindus in the country were a result of some people trying to take advantage of the situation and stressed that they were not part of any “systematic agenda”.

The BNP leader also said he believes that the Bangladesh army will not interfere in the political process going forward and also claimed that no extremist elements were involved in the protests.

Asked about the chief justice stepping down, Mr Alamgir said, “The chief justice is known here as an associate of the former regime, which killed so many people in this country and extraordinary, unprecedented corruption was done during this period… So there was always a demand for his removal. He was not exactly free, fair and neutral and that’s why the demand was very high.”

“The judiciary in Bangladesh has totally been destroyed. It is an institution but, with the help of the last regime, it was totally politicised,” he added.

Election Timeframe?

While Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken oath as the head of an interim government and is seen as popular among the movement that led to Ms Hasina being ousted, the question on everyone’s mind is when elections will be held again in Bangladesh.

When Mr Alamgir was asked about this and the role 78-year-old Khaleda Zia, who was released from prison this week, would be able to play in the elections, he said, “She’s very sick. She’s in the hospital. She’s suffering from multidisciplinary diseases. Her treatment was not going well in this country and we we requested the judiciary as well as the government several times to send her abroad, but that didn’t happen… Doctors say she’s not fit to travel right now and we will have to wait for some time before taking her outside the country. If she’s physically fit, she will definitely contest the election.”

The BNP leader said that while his party is ready for polls at any point, the interim government would need more time to conduct them.

“The entire election machinery has become totally polluted and they are not in a position to hold a free-and-fair election. So they will have to bring some reforms in the election system as well,” he said.

Mr Alamgir also rubbished a claim made by Sheikh Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed, that the prime minister had not resigned, as well as reports that she was removed at gunpoint.

“The President himself, in the presence of political parties and the army, said she had resigned. There was no coercion or anything… It was a revolution. When the mob of lakhs of people was moving towards Ms Hasina’s residence, her security forces and the armed forces told her she had two choices: stay here and be mobbed or leave the country. And, at the last moment, she decided to leave the country,”she said.

Ties With India, Attacks On Minorities

Mr Alamgir emphasised that the India-Bangladesh relationship would continue to be sound and said the BNP would strive to improve it if it came to power.

When the leader was asked about attacks on minorities in the country, including Hindus, Buddhists and Christians, and whether there was a systemic attack, he said, “This is not at all true. When there is a change in our country or any country, especially in third-world countries, there are some people who try to take advantage… In Bangladesh, unfortunately, with every revolution, leaders of the incumbent party are victimised, whether they are Muslims or Hindus. There may be some sporadic attacks (on minorities) but it was not at all a political or systematic agenda. Never,” he said, claiming that communal harmony in the country is “superb”.

UN Involvement

When the BNP leader was asked whether there would be a vendetta against the supporters of Ms Hasina’s Party – the Awami League – or a purge of former army and police officers seen as close to her government, he said that the United Nations has been asked to conduct an investigation.

“If anybody is found guilty of violating human rights, systematic killing of the opposition or enforced disappearances, naturally, their cases will be investigated and they’ll be taken to task,” he said.

Mr Alamgir also said that he did not believe that there would be any interference from the army in the political process going forward.

“People have confidence in the army that they are the saviours of the country. So I don’t think they will do anything which will go against the will of the people,” he said.

Extremist Elements?

The violence in the country has died down to a large extent, Mr Alamgir said, and sought to allay fears of extremist elements being involved in the movement against Ms Hasina’s rule.

“The Jamaat (Jamaat-e-Islami) is not an extremist political party, but there were other extremist groups in Bangladesh and I don’t believe they are in existence now… Extremist elements are not involved (in protests) in any way. Not at all. It is totally (led by) students and most of them are very progressive elements. Some of the people leading the movement are extraordinarily talented. I am certain and I believe that this revolution will definitely succeed,” he added.

Source link

Why Bangladesh Chief Justice, Sheikh Hasina Loyalist, Was Forced To Quit

August 14, 2024 by

Why Bangladesh Chief Justice, Sheikh Hasina Loyalist, Was Forced To Quit

Bangladesh violence has resulted in the death of over 400 in the last month.

Dhaka:

The Chief Justice of Bangladesh, Obaidul Hassan, resigned today following massive protests by students who surrounded the Supreme Court. Mr Hassan agreed to resign “in principle” after an ultimatum to do so from protesters. He was appointed to helm the Supreme Court last year and is seen as a loyalist to ousted premier Sheikh Hasina.

Hundreds of protesters, largely comprising students, surrounded the Bangladesh Supreme Court, demanding the immediate resignation of Chief Justice. The situation escalated rapidly, with reports suggesting the Chief Justice fled the premises before announcing his resignation.

The Bangladesh protests were sparked by a full-court meeting called by the Chief Justice without consulting the newly formed interim government. Student protestors alleged that the judges of the court are part of a conspiracy, prompting outrage and demands for accountability.

As tensions mounted, the scheduled full-court meeting was abruptly called off. Protestors, undeterred, continued to besiege the Supreme Court, giving the Chief Justice a one-hour ultimatum to step down.

The fresh protests come days after a student-led uprising against government hiring rules resulted in Nobel peace prize winner Muhammad Yunus taking charge of a caretaker government.

At least 450 people were killed in more than a month of deadly protests that ended the autocratic rule of 76-year-old prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Hasina faces allegations of murder, forced disappearance, money laundering and corruption, and must face the law, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, a senior member of Bangladesh Nationalist Party said.

Hasina, one of Asia’s longest-serving leaders, resigned and fled Bangladesh on August 5 under pressure from millions of protesters who had taken to the streets for weeks to demand she step down.

An interim government was appointed in Bangladesh Thursday, led by Nobel Prize-winning economist Muhammad Yunus. Under the constitution, an election needs to be called within 90 days, although Yunus, the military – which backs the interim government – and the president haven’t commented on when elections will be held.

Source link

Sheikh Hasina’s Son To NDTV

August 14, 2024 by

'Have Become Face Of Awami League By Default': Sheikh Hasina's Son To NDTV

Mr Wazed is an IT entrepreneur based in Washington, DC.

New Delhi:

Days after his mother’s ouster, former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s son and former adviser Sajeeb Wazed has told NDTV that he would consider returning to the country and leading the Awami League if the party’s workers wanted him to.

In an exclusive interview on Friday, Mr Wazed said that his mother does not want to live in exile and would like to go back to Bangladesh. He also insisted that Ms Hasina wanted to retire for the last two terms as prime minister, but did not rule out her return to active politics.

“I spoke with her (Ms Hasina) last night. She has no plans as of yet. She’s staying put. All the rumours about her applying for visas or asylum… none of those are true. What she really wants is to eventually go back to Bangladesh. Whether that’s to be in politics or to retire, it doesn’t matter. It’s her home. She has grown up there. This was going to be her last term anyway, she’s 76 years old. She wants to retire in her village home in Tungipara (in south Bangladesh). That has been her dream. She does not want to live in exile outside Bangladesh,” Mr Wazed said.

When he was asked whether this would mean that Ms Hasina could return to active politics, Mr Wazed, who is an IT entrepreneur and lives in the US, said she would be the best person to answer but she was never in public life for herself.

“She was in politics for her country, not because she wanted to be in power. She has been wanting to retire for the last two terms. In fact, she has been pushing me before every election to come and join politics. No one in our family has ever had ambition for power or politics,” he claimed.

So if he didn’t take her up on the offer at the time, would he do so now, considering that workers in his mother’s party, the Awami League, would be looking for leadership at this critical juncture? When this question was posed to Mr Wazed, he said that he has become the face of the party by default for now.

“I guess by default I am, you know, I have become the face right now. I never wanted this. I have no political ambition, but as soon as I learned that our party leaders were being attacked, their homes burned down, I said I cannot just abandon them. So I am in touch with many of our party leaders. Almost all our ministers’ homes have been burned down, our ancestral home has been burned down… So in this situation, I will do whatever it takes. The Awami League still has tens of millions of followers, it is not going to disappear overnight,” he asserted.

‘Workers Will Decide’

Stating that the Awami League could win the elections, as and when they are held, because of Ms Hasina’s record of development, the entrepreneur said that the party is a democratic one and the workers and leaders will decide who will be at the helm.

“If the Awami League activists…they all demand that I come, I will think about it. It depends on the members of the party… If the party demands that she (Ms Hasina) be the leader, then she will be the leader. As I said, we are a democratic party. It is totally up to the members of the party to decide who their leader is going to be,” he said.

‘Government Without Mandate’

On the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, Mr Wazed said it has no mandate and the constitution provides for elections to be held within 90 days.

“The interim government has made no attempt to communicate with us. Today’s statement from one of the advisers… it is unfortunate they they have taken the exact same playbook that has failed before. They have been placed in power by a tiny minority and perhaps with foreign support. They don’t have the mandate of the people of Bangladesh at all, and they think they will reform the country without a popular mandate… This is an unconstitutional, hand-picked government and it is in their interest to hold elections as soon as possible,” he alleged.

Asked whether his mother would be willing to return to Bangladesh to face charges, he said she had nothing to be afraid of.

“During the last military takeover, they arrested my mother. They put her on trial and she was acquitted on all charges. My mother is not afraid of that. They want to play that game. We can play it again. What will happen if they try to put Sheikh Hasina on trial? Well, they can find out. My mother has done nothing illegal. She has done nothing wrong. If there are people in our government that have acted outside the law, those are the people that need to be tried. You cannot blame my mother,” he stressed.

Source link

Bangladesh’s New Reality May Not Bode Well For India’s Security

August 14, 2024 by

An interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge of a fractured Bangladesh after a meeting between President Mohammed Shahabuddin, military leaders and student activists. Promising to “uphold, support and protect the constitution”, Yunus has called for the restoration of law and order as his government faces the reality of the withering away of state apparatus. Sheikh Hasina is gone, but the real challenge begins now. A new reality confronts the people of Bangladesh. There is a new sense of optimism, but it is embedded in a deeply divided society and polity.

From Certainty To Doubts

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already extended his best wishes to Professor Muhammad Yunus on his new role and has expressed hope for a swift return to normalcy, emphasising the importance of ensuring the safety and protection of Hindus and all minority communities. For India, challenges abound as Hasina, its long-standing partner, had to depart in ignominy. The certainty of the last 15 years has given way to a sense of the unknown. New Delhi had invested in its partnership with Dhaka confident that the Hasina dispensation would not let it down. As a result, a bilateral partnership that followed could not only resolve some of the most testing challenges but it also emerged as an anchor in the wider Bay of Bengal.

However, Hasina’s tendency to centralise decision-making and marginalise the opposition managed to limit Bangladesh’s evolution into a mature democracy. As Hasina drifted towards authoritarianism, New Delhi’s options got further curtailed. Now, India has to ensure that it manages to build ties with the new leadership in Dhaka.

Building New Relationships

After signalling clearly that India will stand by its allies by getting Hasina out of Bangladesh, the next step is to engage the emerging political stakeholders in Bangladesh. This is needed not only for the long-term stability of Delhi-Dhaka ties but also for managing the immediate challenges of protecting minorities within Bangladesh and stabilising the highly volatile border area.

India shares a largely porous 4,096 km of land border with Bangladesh. This border runs along the states of West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram, areas once frequented by insurgent groups. However, under Hasina’s leadership, the border remained relatively calm, as these groups have been prevented from finding refuge in Bangladesh. There are already reports of turbulence and New Delhi has asked its border security forces to be on high alert. With India facing serious challenges along its borders with Pakistan and China, the new reality with Bangladesh bodes ill for national security.

Extremism Remains A Concern

The rise of Islamist extremism in Bangladesh is another challenge that New Delhi will be closely watching. Before Hasina, various extremist groups were flourishing under the patronage of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government. Many of these groups, such as the Ansarullah Bangla Team, the Hizb ut-Tahrir, and the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), have had links to various terrorist outfits based in Pakistan as well as to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The present situation in Bangladesh opens up new possibilities for reviving these links. Jamaat-e-Islami is widely viewed as a key instigator of the recent riots that toppled Hasina. The Hasina government had banned it in 2013, but today it has re-emerged as a major political force.

The systematic targeting of Hindus also poses a challenge to India-Bangladesh ties as it will harden the mood in New Delhi against any engagement with Dhaka. Domestic politics in both nations will have to maturely handle rapidly deteriorating perceptions about each other.

Balancing Other Neighbours

In recent years, the two South Asian neighbours have been focused on enhancing trade and connectivity so as to turn the Bay of Bengal into a hub of regional economic framework. Political trust is a crucial variable in shaping today’s economic partnerships. Unless the new government in Dhaka is able to generate trust in Delhi, it won’t be possible to revive the old paradigm of bilateral economic engagement. This would be a loss for India as its ability to make its northeastern region economically dynamic is premised on strong India-Bangladesh economic ties. But it would also be a loss for Bangladesh, which has effectively leveraged its two regional economic partners – India and China – to reinvigorate its economic potential.

New Delhi would also be wary of Pakistan and China trying to fish in the troubled waters of the Bay of Bengal. The logic of geography dictates that both Delhi and Dhaka will have to engage each other to nurture their aspiration. It is easy to forget how much despair there was about India-Bangladesh ties before Hasina had come to power. But at a time when India sees itself as a leading global power, it cannot afford to ignore the challenges emanating from its most important partner in South Asia.

(Harsh V Pant is Vice-President for Studies at ORF)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author

Source link