India Must Move Beyond 'Islamist' Label For Bangladesh’s Opposition: Yunus

Bangladesh interim government's head Muhammad Yunus has said that former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s political statements made from India are an “unfriendly gesture,”.

He added she must stay silent to avoid creating discomfort between the two nations until Dhaka officially seeks her extradition.

"If India wants to keep her until the time Bangladesh (government) wants her back, the condition would be that she has to keep quiet," he said.

Yunus, who was appointed as chief advisor after Sheikh Hasina’s removal last month following violent anti-government protests, in an interview with news agency PTI emphasised that while Bangladesh cherishes its relations with India, New Delhi must shift away from the perception that any political party other than the Awami League is Islamist, or that the country would become like Afghanistan without Hasina’s leadership.

"No one is comfortable with her stance there in India because we want her back to try her. She is there in India and at times she is talking, which is problematic," he said.

Yunus was apparently referring to Hasina's statement on 13 August in which she demanded "justice", saying those involved in recent "terror acts", killings and vandalism must be investigated, identified and punished.

“It is not good for us or for India. There is discomfort regarding it,” he said.

Hasina's stay in India after her ouster has sparked widespread speculation in Bangladesh.

Yunus confirmed that Bangladesh has clearly and firmly conveyed its position to India, stressing that Hasina should remain silent.

“Everyone understands it. We have said quite firmly that she should keep quiet. This is an unfriendly gesture towards us; she has been given shelter there and she is campaigning from there. It is not that she has gone there on a normal course. She has fled following a people's uprising and public anger,” he said.

Yunus said that the interim government is dedicated to delivering justice for the people of Bangladesh, which necessitates Hasina’s return and trial in "front of everyone".

“Yes, she has to be brought back or else the people of Bangladesh won't be at peace. The kind of atrocities she has committed, she has to be tried in front of everyone here,” he emphasised.

Addressing India-Bangladesh relations, Yunus expressed his desire for strong ties but insisted that India must drop the narrative that only Hasina’s leadership ensures Bangladesh’s stability.

“The way forward is for India to come out of the narrative. The narrative is that everybody is Islamist, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is Islamist, and everyone else is Islamist and will make this country into Afghanistan. And Bangladesh is in safe hands with Sheikh Hasina at the helm only. India is captivated by this narrative. India has to come out of this narrative. Bangladesh, like any other nation, is another neighbour,” he said, PTI reported.

When asked about the recent attacks on Hindu minorities and India’s concerns, Yunus dismissed them as an excuse.

“The issue of trying to portray the conditions of minorities in such a big way is just an excuse,” he said.

The Hindu minority community in Bangladesh has seen their businesses and properties vandalised, along with attacks on temples, amidst the student-led unrest that followed Hasina’s removal.

In his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed optimism that Bangladesh’s situation would soon stabilise, and noted the the concerns of India’s 1.4 billion citizens over the safety of minorities in the neighbouring country.

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