As Bangladesh gets a technocratic government, New Delhi looks at Dhaka with caution and uncertainty
The ties between former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and India go back to the War of independence, becoming even closer economically in the past ten years. In India, some fear that Bangladesh will turn to Pakistan and rival China, but much will depend on who comes to power after the elections.
New Delhi (AsiaNews) – India is closely monitory the government transition underway in Bangladesh.
This morning economist Muhammad Yunus, father of microfinance, which earned him the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, was sworn in as "chief advisor" in the new provisional government that will lead the country to elections. The other members, 17 in all, who are also advisers and not ministers, are mostly researchers, activists, and experts in various domains.
They include two students from Dhaka University, Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud, both 26, coordinators of the protest movement that forced the now former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and take unsurprisingly refuge in India, waiting for political asylum in the United Kingdom.
Over the past decade, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cultivated close ties with Bangladesh, which has become India’s main trading partner in South Asia, and a destination for its economic and military assistance, as late as last June.
Bangladeshi garment factories also source cotton from India, as well as several other raw materials.
The border that divides the two countries run s for 4,000 kilometres and is crisscrossed by important rivers which requires necessary cooperation in sharing of water resources.
The ties between Hasina’s family and India go back to the War of independence, in 1971. During the conflict, India supported the “freedom fighters” opposed to Pakistan, and President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Hasina's father, and the founding father of Bangladesh), was close to the Gandhi family, now leading India’s opposition, while Pakistan, at least until the 1980s, tried to maintain a certain influence on Bangladesh through the military.
When Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated in a military coup in 1975, Hasina fled to India, where she remained for six years.
Yesterday Modi congratulated Muhammad Yunus on his new position, and urged him to ensure “safety and protection” to minorities, especially Hindus, who in recent days have been targeted for their alleged support for the Awami League.
Several Indian nationals, workers and diplomats, were evacuated, while some Hindus tried to cross the border fearing retaliation.
Addressing the issue, Yunus reiterated that every Bangladeshi has the right to be protected, stressing that attacks against minorities were part of a conspiracy.
As he made himself available to the young revolutionaries, he also noted: “Whatever path our students show us, we will move ahead with that.”
Meanwhile, New Delhi is looking at developments in Bangladesh with caution and uncertainty. Several analysts agree that the relationship between the two neighbours could change.
“It can't be a 'business as usual' approach," journalist Pallab Bhattacarya told Nikkei Asia. “India has invested so much politically and economically in Bangladesh since 2009 but now it will be uncertain whether that momentum can be sustained because [the new] government could comprise elements who are not very disposed toward India."
Much will depend on the results of the next elections, which have not yet been announced.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami, after being kept at bay by the Awami League for 15 years in an undemocratic way, could carve out a leading role.
However, the students who gave birth to the anti-government movement are also trying to distance themselves from the opposition, demanding that the change in their country be systemic and radical.
In New Delhi, many fear that Dhaka could get closer to Islamabad and consequently to Beijing, which has expressed positive comments about recent events.
"China has noted that Bangladesh has formed an interim government and welcomes it. China strictly follows the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs," said a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson.
In the long run, observers note that Hasina’s presence in India could also create problems for New Delhi. Given the history between the two countries, India’s first task, while certainly not easy experts say, will be to renew relations with whoever fills the power vacuum created in Bangladesh.
INDIAN MANDALA IS THE ASIANEWS NEWSLETTER DEDICATED TO INDIA. WOULD YOU LIKE TO RECEIVE IT EVERY FRIDAY? TO SUBSCRIBE, CLICK HERE.
.png)
20/03/2023 16:57
20/10/2021 14:50
