MEA remains silent on Bangladesh crisis as Sheikh Hasina resigns

MEA remains silent on Bangladesh crisis as Hasina resigns and seeks asylum, urging caution and diplomacy.

Despite dramatic developments in Dhaka and the arrival of outgoing Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the Hindon airbase outside Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs made no statement about the situation in Bangladesh or on Ms. Hasina on Monday. Sources said that the MEA, headed by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, was engaged in a number of meetings within the government as well as with military officials as soon as news broke of Ms. Hasina’s resignation, and then her decision to fly to India as she awaits asylum abroad. 

MEA officials declined to comment on whether Ms. Hasina had requested asylum in India, and whether the government would consider such a request.

While arrangements for Ms. Hasina, and ensuring the safety of Indian diplomats at the High Commission and Consulates in the neighbouring country as well as thousands of Indians still in Bangladesh are immediate priorities, experts said that the Modi government must move quickly to engage the new establishment in charge in Dhaka, where anti-Hasina protests have frequently been mixed with an anti-India sentiment. In July, the government had evacuated more than 7,000 students and professionals in Bangladesh.

On Sunday, the MEA had issued a stern advisory, “strongly advising” Indian nationals to not travel to Bangladesh, and asking those in the country to exercise “extreme caution” while moving around, indicating it had some inkling that the Hasina government was unable to control  “non-cooperation” protests that saw 100 people being killed, including protestors and policemen on Sunday. India’s uncritical stance during the last round of violent protests in July has complicated its image in the country, according to experts.

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“India’s unquestioning and unstinting support for Sheikh Hasina lost the country a lot of goodwill here,” Syed Munir Khasru, who heads international think tank IPAG in Dhaka, said. He described scenes of chaos and disorder, as well as tear gas and firing on the streets of the Bangladeshi capital on Monday. “New Delhi must move quickly to send out a firm signal that despite its close relationship with Hasina, it firmly stands by the will and desire of the people of Bangladesh, and not just with one leader and one party (Awami League),” he added 

Former Indian diplomats also said that a return to normalcy in Bangladesh, one of India’s most trusted and friendly neighbours in the region thus far, is most important for India’s long-term interests.