Bangladesh desires to have a good relationship with India, said Muhammad Yunus, the head of the interim government, urging New Delhi to abandon the narrative that Dhaka will turn into another Afghanistan without Sheikh Hasina at the helm.
Yunus also slammed Hasina for making political remarks about Bangladesh from India and said that she must “remain silent” as her comments are “not good for Bangladesh or for India.”
The Nobel laureate also urged India to work towards improving ties with Bangladesh.
‘India needs to come out of narrative’
“The way forward is for India to come out of the narrative. The narrative is that everybody is Islamist, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is Islamist, and everyone else is Islamist and will make this country into Afghanistan. And Bangladesh is in safe hands with Sheikh Hasina at the helm only. India is captivated by this narrative,” Yunus said.
“India needs to come out of this narrative. Bangladesh, like any other nation, is just another neighbour,” he said.
‘Attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh more political than communal’
Yunus’ remarks came amid ongoing tensions between Bangladesh and India, with New Delhi expressing concerns over the safety of Hindus and minorities in the neighbouring country.
Yunus claimed that the attacks on minority Hindus in Bangladesh are “more political than communal” and questioned India’s portrayal of these incidents.
“These attacks are political in nature and not communal. And India is propagating these incidents in a big way. We have not said that we can’t do anything; we have said that we are doing everything,” he said.
India-Bangladesh should work to improve strained ties
“We need to work together to improve this relationship, which is now at a low,” Yunus said, expressing a desire for strong ties with India and calling for greater cooperation to improve the strained relationship between the two neighbouring countries.
Condition for India if it wants to keep Hasina
Yunus further conveyed to India that Hasina must remain silent until Bangladesh requests her extradition.
“If India wants to keep her until the time Bangladesh (government) wants her back, the condition would be that she has to keep quiet,” he said.
Hasina talking is ‘problematic’
“She is there in India, and at times, she is talking, which is problematic. Had she been quiet, we would have forgotten it; people would have also forgotten it as she would have been in her own world. But sitting in India, she is speaking and giving instructions. No one likes it,” Yunus further said.
The head of the interim government further said that the comments of Hasina are “not good for Bangladesh or for India.”
“There is discomfort regarding it,” he added.
‘Bangladesh won’t be at peace if Hasina not brought back’
Yunus further said that the interim government led by him has conveyed its stance to India verbally and “quite firmly”.
“Everyone understands it. We have said quite firmly that she should keep quiet. This is an unfriendly gesture towards us; 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,” he said.
“…Yes, she has to be brought back, or else the people of Bangladesh won’t be at peace. The kind of atrocities she has committed, she has to be tried in front of everyone here,” Yunus further said.
On August 5, facing intense backlash for anti-quota protests in her nation, Hasina resigned and fled in a C-130 transport aircraft from Bangladesh. After a few hours of suspense, she landed at the Hindon Air Base in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad, closer to national capital New Delhi.
Shortly after her exit, Bangladesh Army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman announced the formation of an interim government headed by Yunus.
Hasina had ruled Bangladesh since 2009.
With inputs from PTI.
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Bangladesh won’t become another Afghanistan, says Yunus amid reports of attacks on minorities
