The summoning of Bangladesh’s acting high commissioner Mohammad Nural Islam by the external affairs ministry was apparently a response to the calling in of India’s acting envoy by the foreign ministry in Dhaka on Thursday to protest against “false and fabricated” statements by former premier Sheikh Hasina, currently in self-exile in India.
Nural Islam was summoned to South Block at 5pm and told it is “regrettable that regular statements made by Bangladesh authorities continue to portray India negatively, holding us responsible for internal governance issues”, the external affairs ministry said in a statement.
The Indian side contended that Dhaka’s stance was responsible for bilateral relations being at a low point. “These statements by Bangladesh are in fact responsible for the persistent negativity,” the statement said.
Nural Islam was also told that “India desires a positive, constructive and mutually beneficial relationship with Bangladesh”, and this has been reiterated several times in recent high-level meetings.
In a response to Bangladesh’s protest on Thursday about Hasina’s remarks made during an online speech, the external affairs ministry said her comments were “made in her individual capacity in which India has no role to play”. The statement added: “Conflating this with the Government of India’s position is not going to help add positivity to bilateral relations.”
While the Indian government “will make efforts for a mutually beneficial relationship”, it expects Bangladesh to “reciprocate similarly without vitiating the atmosphere”, the statement added.
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In online speeches on Wednesday and Thursday, Hasina launched scathing attacks on Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, the head of Bangladesh’s interim government, and accused him of indulging in a power grab and conspiring to kill her and her sister Sheikh Rehana.
Hasina made the speech on Wednesday as a massive mob began demolishing the historic residence of her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh, in the heart of Dhaka. The interim government sought to blame Hasina for the violence, saying people were offended by her “provocative speech”.
Following the demolition of Rahman’s home in the central Dhanmondi neighbourhood of Dhaka, protesters attacked and torched the homes of leaders of Hasina’s Awami League party and demolished or defaced murals of Rahman were demolished across Bangladesh on Thursday and Friday.
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When foreign secretary Vikram Misri was asked at a media briefing on Friday about the violence in Bangladesh and a reported threat to the Indian mission in Dhaka, he described the demolition of Rahman’s home as “unfortunate” and said: “We would also like to point out that the safety of diplomatic premises is the responsibility of the host government and I have no doubt that the Bangladesh authorities are fully aware of their responsibilities.”
Asked if the situation in Bangladesh will figure at meetings during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US next week, Misri said, “There will be discussions on the regional and international situation. I would imagine this might be one of the issues that will come up.”
The home of Awami League presidium member Sheikh Selim in Banani area of Dhaka was set on fire on Friday, while the house of Obaidul Quader, general secretary of the Awami League and a former minister, in Noakhali region was ransacked and burnt on Thursday.
In Rajshahi, about 100 protesters set the three-storey home of former deputy foreign minister Shahriar Alam on fire, while a mob torched the home of Awami League leader Abu Sayeed in Pabna on Thursday.
Interim government head Yunus responded to the violence on Friday by calling on all Bangladeshi citizens to “immediately restore complete law and order” and to ensure there are no further attacks on properties associated with the family of Hasina and politicians of the Awami League.
The “anger of the activists who have attacked properties is understandable” but all citizens should abide by the law, said a statement issued by Yunus’s spokesperson Shafiqul Alam. The statement again sought to blame the violence on Hasina, saying activists were outraged she “continues to try to mobilise her militants” from “her refuge in New Delhi”.
The interim government is working with security forces to preserve law and order and to protect the lives and property of all Bangladeshis, the statement said. Law enforcement will take strict action against anyone creating chaos and anarchy and the interim government will bring those responsible to justice, the statement said.
