External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar informed the Consultative Committee on External Affairs on Saturday (22nd March) that India knew of the ant-Sheikh Hasina wave emerging in Bangladesh before the ouster of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024.
According to the Hindu, the Minister added that despite the knowledge, India was not in a position to act and it did not have the necessary leverage over the former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina who could only be advised. Jaishankar said that a few other stakeholders were also aware of the unrest brewing in Bangladesh including the UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk. He pointed out Turk’s recent remarks in which he warned the Bangladesh army against confronting the unarmed protesters in Bangladesh adding that if the army did not comply it would be banned from UN peacekeeping operations.
Jaishankar reportedly had a discussion with the members of the committee about India’s foreign policy with its neighbours including Bangladesh, Myanmar, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Asked about the situation on the India-Myanmar border, Jaishankar assured that India was prepared to deal with any law and order situation along the border. Commenting on the future of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the Minister said that “SAARC is not off the table” hinting at the possibility of its revival in future. The SAARC members Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have not met since November 2024.
India called out the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus
Since the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh in August last year following a violent revolution, the relations between India and Bangladesh have spiralled downwards. India has been calling out the interim government in Bangladesh led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus for persecution of Hindu minorities and for holding India responsible for its internal problems.
Last month, India lodged a strong protest against Bangladesh for its negative portrayal of India in the country and for holding the Indian govt responsible for its internal problems. The Ministry of External Affairs summoned Md. Nural Islam, Bangladesh Acting High Commissioner to India, on 7 February to register the protest officially. MEA told the Acting High Commissioner that it is regrettable that regular statements made by Bangladesh authorities continue to portray India negatively, holding India responsible for internal governance issues.
