People step on an image as they react to the resignation of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in East London, Britain on August 5, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Despite dramatic developments in Dhaka and the arrival of outgoing Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the Hindon airbase outside Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs made no statement about the situation in Bangladesh or on Ms. Hasina on Monday. Sources said that the MEA, headed by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, was engaged in a number of meetings within the government as well as with military officials as soon as news broke of Ms. Hasina’s resignation, and then her decision to fly to India as she awaits asylum abroad.
MEA officials declined to comment on whether Ms. Hasina had requested asylum in India, and whether the government would consider such a request.
While arrangements for Ms. Hasina, and ensuring the safety of Indian diplomats at the High Commission and Consulates in the neighbouring country as well as thousands of Indians still in Bangladesh are immediate priorities, experts said that the Modi government must move quickly to engage the new establishment in charge in Dhaka, where anti-Hasina protests have frequently been mixed with an anti-India sentiment. In July, the government had evacuated more than 7,000 students and professionals in Bangladesh.
On Sunday, the MEA had issued a stern advisory, “strongly advising” Indian nationals to not travel to Bangladesh, and asking those in the country to exercise “extreme caution” while moving around, indicating it had some inkling that the Hasina government was unable to control “non-cooperation” protests that saw 100 people being killed, including protestors and policemen on Sunday. India’s uncritical stance during the last round of violent protests in July has complicated its image in the country, according to experts.
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“India’s unquestioning and unstinting support for Sheikh Hasina lost the country a lot of goodwill here,” Syed Munir Khasru, who heads international think tank IPAG in Dhaka, said. He described scenes of chaos and disorder, as well as tear gas and firing on the streets of the Bangladeshi capital on Monday. “New Delhi must move quickly to send out a firm signal that despite its close relationship with Hasina, it firmly stands by the will and desire of the people of Bangladesh, and not just with one leader and one party (Awami League),” he added
Former Indian diplomats also said that a return to normalcy in Bangladesh, one of India’s most trusted and friendly neighbours in the region thus far, is most important for India’s long-term interests.
“India must stay engaged with the military in Bangladesh and all those who can contribute to peace and stability in the country — that would be sustainable, and in India’s interest,” former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh and former Foreign Secretary Harshvardhan Shringla, who was also India’s G20 coordinator, told The Hindu.
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“While in the immediate aftermath of events, the Chief of Army Staff of Bangladesh has spoken of an interim administration, it would be important to bring about an environment conducive to a restoration of democracy as early as possible,” Mr. Shringla said.
When asked about how India should deal with reports that the student protests had been fuelled by political forces inimical to India, Mr. Shringla said that “some groups like the Jamat e Islami, especially the Jamat Shibir and even the opposition BNP may have taken advantage of the protests to further their own agenda”, but that India must continue to deal with those now in charge.
“Five decades ago, when we assisted the birth of Bangladesh in response to a grassroots people’s movement (despite the blatant opposition of both China and the United States), in a glorious exercise of our strategic autonomy, we came out on the right side of history,” former Foreign Secretary Nirupama Menon Rao said in a social media post on Monday, warning against any “misstep” in the handling of the crisis in Bangladesh. “Today, as we see momentous happenings in Bangladesh and when the voice of the people has seen the flight of PM Hasina, we must weigh our reactions and policy moves with both caution and a capacity to think on our feet with agility, a clear focus and foresight,” Ms. Rao said.
