Friends can sometimes become a burden. Sheikh Hasina, who has taken refuge in India since her forced departure from Bangladesh on August 5, is now the subject, along with other officials, of a murder investigation by a Dhaka court into the death of a man during protests against her government. The number of people killed during the unrest is estimated at over 450.
The former prime minister replied in a statement published on X by her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy. She demanded investigations to identify and bring to justice those responsible for the “heinous killings” and “acts of sabotage,” and called on her supporters to mobilize on Thursday, August 15, by going to the museum house of her father, former prime minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, which had been set on fire and vandalized by the crowd of protesters. But the rally was short-lived: participants were forced to retreat in the face of a hostile crowd armed with sticks.
In 1996, Hasina declared the anniversary of her father’s death a public holiday to commemorate the hero of the Bangladesh Liberation War, who was killed in a coup in 1975. The decision was overturned by the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.
Hasina’s stay in Delhi, described as “temporary” by the Indian foreign minister, is likely to drag on if another country does not welcome her. No information has been released about her place of residence. The Indian press reported that she landed on August 5 at the Hindon military base in Ghaziabad, on the outskirts of Delhi, and that Ajit Doval, a national security adviser very close to Indian Prime Minister Modi, paid her a visit.
False information
Hasina knows she can count on her host. Since 2014, the two have forged a highly privileged relationship. In fact, the Bangladeshi prime minister was the first official guest, in June, after the re-election of the Hindu nationalist. Modi has never found fault with the autocratic excesses of the “Iron Begum.” He made Bangladesh a centerpiece of his Neighborhood First policy, obsessed with his loathing of Pakistan and his competition with China. And he was anxious to support an uncompromising ally vis-à-vis Islamist extremist groups and anti-Indian separatist elements in the Northeast. India shares a 4,000-kilometer border with Bangladesh.
New Delhi, in return, had developed trade agreements, extended road and rail connectivity between the two countries and granted low-interest credit lines, helping its neighbor out of poverty.
Delhi’s leniency for Hasina risks amplifying the anti-Indian sentiment widespread in Bangladesh. The opposition saw the bilateral relationship as interference by Delhi in domestic affairs, and suspected the Indian security services of working in support of the ruling Awami League during the elections. India “must shed its binary approach – supporting the Awami League over the other political parties – and convey its willingness to be a sensitive neighbor keen to engage with the interim regime across all policy issues,” argued Sreeradha Datta, a professor at India’s Jindal University, in an op-ed published by The Diplomat website. “India now needs to tread carefully and avoid creating any perception it is undermining the interim government, and by extension the aspirations of the Bangladeshi people,” agreed Thomas Kean of the Crisis Group NGO.
Modi was the first foreign leader to congratulate Yunus after his inauguration on August 8, but the Hindi nationalist Indian press’s account of events gives an idea of the mood in Delhi. It sided with Hasina and spread false information about a wave of attacks on Hindus and United States interference in the events, insinuating that Yunus was a CIA agent.
Several news sites have published the alleged speech that Hasina had planned to deliver to the nation before she ran out of time. It contains serious accusations against the US, alleging destabilization efforts following her refusal to cede the island of Saint-Martin in the Bay of Bengal to the US for use as a military base. In May, she referred to the affair, declaring that a “white-skinned” country was conspiring against her. The deposed prime minister often claimed that the US, which was critical of her, was involved in plots.
Her son denounced the speech as a fake document, but Washington was forced to deny any role in Hasina’s downfall. “We were not involved at all,” assured White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre.
Re-balancing foreign relations
Hasina’s departure could reshuffle the geopolitical cards in the region. While India loses a key ally, China can look forward to strengthening its ties with the country of 170 million, for which it is the main arms supplier. Relations with the former prime minister were poor, even though she had signed up for Xi Jinping’s grand project, the Belt and Road Initiative.
In July, shortly after her visit to Delhi, and as protests raged in Dhaka, Hasina flew to China. The opposition had insinuated that she had received the green light from the Indian government, portraying her as a puppet in Modi’s hands. In a sign of Beijing’s displeasure, the Chinese authorities refused her part of the loan she had requested. In recent years, the former prime minister had given preference to Indian companies for the management of the Mongla port, a dam on the Teesta River, and the supply of electricity.
Yunus studied at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, and unlike his predecessor, is considered close to the US. In 2009, he was awarded the Medal of Freedom, the US’s highest honor, by Barack Obama. The interim government will try to rebalance foreign relations and get the country out of India’s clutches. The foreign affairs portfolio has been entrusted to Touhid Hossain, a career diplomat known for his criticism of relations between Bangladesh and India – like the head of the Ministry of Justice, Nazrul Islam.
“India is a country that supported us during our war of independence. But because you have supported your neighbor for the right cause, that does not give you any upper hand to dictate the internal policy matters of a country,” said Syeda Rizwana Hasan, one of the interim government’s spokespersons, in charge of the environment, speaking to Le Monde. “We definitely want to have smooth relationships with India. But I think it’s also time that India re-thinks about its foreign policy and rethinks about its policy towards Bangladesh. And it actually takes into consideration the aspirations, the legitimate demands, claims of the people of Bangladesh.”
source : lemonde