Sheikh Hasina’s presence in India will have no impact on the bilateral Delhi-Dhaka relationship. That’s the word from Mohammad Touhid Hossain, foreign affairs adviser to the interim government.
“There will be no impact on the bilateral relationship between the two countries because of one individual’s stay in a country,” BSS quoted him as saying on Sunday after he briefed the resident diplomatic community in Dhaka. India’s high commissioner Pranay Verma was also present.
BSS news agency also reported him telling journalists that “Bilateral relations is a big thing .. it is built on mutual interest. We will pursue our interests and our efforts to maintain good relations with India will continue.”
“It is important that people feel India is a good friend of Bangladesh … we want that, we want to advance the relation towards that direction … we would like to see India cooperate with us in that regard.”
Hossain had earlier said the interim government would take steps to bring back Sheikh Hasina if the law ministry so recommended.
Institutions, Army
Sources expressed concern about the forced resignations of high-ranking public officials including the chief justice of the Supreme Court and the head of the central bank.
“If institutions are undermined in this manner, how will any government work effectively and efficiently,” they said.
The interim government will need time to stabilise and the interplay between the students, the political parties and the army needs to be closely watched. It’s clear the stabilising element is the army which has huge interests at stake. Sheikh Hasina, it seems, gave them enough latitude and the top brass may want to see that continue.
Normalcy Returning
There are signs of normalcy returning to Bangladesh although this appears largely confined to the capital Dhaka.
Reports say police are returning to duty although police stations are still undermanned and their presence in the streets is low. The army is providing back-up, seen as essential to restoring confidence in a force demoralised by the killing of its personnel.
Sources told Stratnewsglobal that small movement of trucks carrying essential supplies from India to Bangladesh has started. Indian students studying in institutions across the border have also started going back with classes resuming.
Minorities
The sources said the interim government was making efforts to restore confidence among the minorities.
Interim Government head Mohammad Yunus is meeting Hindu leaders on Tuesday amid warnings that those who desecrated minority places of worship would be identified and punished.
A large protest of Hindus in central Dhaka, after wave of targeted attacks & fear.
“Every time there’s a change in political situation in Bangladesh, why always the minority community suffers? Why always they burn my house, my temple? This time again, it is my house, my temple” pic.twitter.com/A3mgBShf8o
— Mujib Mashal (@MujMash) August 10, 2024
District administrators were putting together lists of vandalised places of worship and those involved in such acts of vandalism would be made to pay damages. A hotline is being set up for the purpose.
Khalid Hossain, religious adviser was quoted by Prothom Alo as saying, ‘The ministry of religion has been on the side of religious minorities in the past and will remain so in the future.”
The assurances may bring little comfort to Hindu and other minorities that were targeted on August 5th and 6th, after Hasina left for India. Lists compiled by NGOs and others have identified attacks in 37 of the country’s 64 districts with Khulna, in the southwest, at the top.
There were 14 attacks on Hindu families in Khulna, other districts reporting lesser numbers. Total number of those who lost their lives is unclear.
The interim government is apparently keen that Janmashtami celebrations later this month take place undisturbed. That would go down well domestically and of course internationally.
For now the word is wait and watch.