'India's Best Interest In...': Ex-Ambassador To Bangladesh Warns Of Potential Danger To India's Peace

Amid the massive protests in neighbouring Bangladesh, former Foreign Secretary and ex-Ambassador to Bangladesh, Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Monday warned that the unrest could possibly impact the India and can ignite instability in parts of the country.

While speaking to news agency ANI, Shringla said that a peaceful and stable Bangladesh would lead to its betterment and its neighbouring countries, including India.

Follow Bangladesh News LIVE Updates

“…An unstable Bangladesh can add to instability in parts of our country, which we do not want to see. So, a peaceful, prosperous, stable Bangladesh is in India’s best,” he said.

He also emphasised that India should ensure peace and stability in the embattled nation and in other neighbouring countries for its own interest.

“It is very important that we work with all concerned to ensure that our interests and those of Bangladesh are secured…It’s in our interest to ensure that there is peace and stability in our neighbouring countries…I have no doubt that our interlocutors will be engaged with concerned people in Bangladesh and that we will ensure that our larger interests are protected and that we will constructively to ensure that there is peace and stability in Bangladesh,” he added.

While speaking about Bangladesh’s former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s possible stay in India, Shringla said that India has never denied safe haven or asylum to those who have been in our neighbourhood, but nothing can be speculated.

Read Here: India Concerned After Hasina’s Exit, To Speak To Stakeholders in Bangladesh To Ensure Safety of Hindus

“It is difficult for me to say. Keep in mind that Sheikh Hasina was here right from 1975 till about 1979 or so when she went back to her country after the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman – her father. India has never denied safe haven or asylum to those who have been in our neighbourhood. But my own sense is that there are many other places that the PM may go…We cannot speculate at this point,” he said.

Hasina on Monday resigned from her post and fled the country. She is reported to leave for London after arriving in India, according to a source close to the Bangladesh Army. She is reportedly making this trip as the situation in the south Asian country remains volatile.

The sources said that Hasina would likely to land in India then would take a commercial flight to London.

Foreign powers behind protests?

The former high commissioner to Bangladesh further said that one cannot rule out the interference of “foreign powers” which has resulted in the current political unrest in Bangladesh.

He said that the main issue behind the massive protests is being the reservation that the students have put forward, but there might be some foreign powers who are inimical to Bangladesh’s interest and to India’s security as well.

Read here: Sheikh Hasina To Leave For London Via India Amid Massive Protests In Bangladesh: Sources

“I have been saying in many of my interactions with the media, that there are underlying factors behind this. On the face of it, it has been the quota issue that the students have put forward. But So, I would also look at it as an economic factor and opportunists – whether it is the Opposition BNT or Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami…They have joined the protest and they have put in the violence in the protest. You can’t rule out the involvement of foreign powers who are inimical to Bangladesh’s interest and to our security also. You cannot rule out the fact that certain interests have been fishing in troubled waters. But I think the situation itself was a result of several underlying factors, inherent within Bangladesh.”

Underlying factors behind Bangladesh’s unrest:

Shringla also laid out several economic and underlying factors, including, Covid’s impact on economy, inflation due to Ukraine conflict, and others, which led to the unrest.

“There are underlying economic factors. COVID-19 has hit Bangladesh economy very hard. In addition to that, the Ukraine conflict has resulted in spiking the prices of essential commodities…They had a very difficult balance of payment. Inflation has gone up by 17-20%. So, all of this is essentially now coming to a situation where people are expressing their frustration on the streets,” he said.

What happened in Bangladesh?

Hasina, 76, fled Bangladesh earlier today following month long massive and deadly anti-government protests across the country. Hasina, who has ruled since 2009, had defied weeks of demands for her to stand down but fled following a brutal day of unrest on Sunday in which around 100 people were killed.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Army Chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman has announced that Hasina has resigned and an interim government will be formed and take over the government and administration soon.

“I’m taking all responsibility (of the country). Please cooperate,” he said in a televised address amid reports that Hasina has left the country.

Bangladesh has been engulfed by protests and violence that began last month over the controversial quota system that reserves 30 per cent of the government jobs for the families of veterans who fought the 1971 liberation war.

Catch the latest developments on Bangladesh Unrest And Sheikh Hasina with our live blog.