Muhammad Yunus on India and Sheikh Hasina: ‘External forces supporting return’
When asked if India will ever hand over Hasina to Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus said, “if they are free to make a choice, probably they will keep her."
Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist and Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus has said India will “probably keep” Sheikh Hasina, the former PM of Bangladesh who was ousted after student protests. He also said that “some external forces” will support her to come back to Bangladesh.
The interim leader spoke about Hasina and the situation of the country in an interview with Mehdi Hassan of Zeteo.
Sheikh Hasina has lived in self-exile in India since she fled Dhaka on August 5 last year.
When asked if India will ever hand over Hasina to Bangladesh, Yunus said, “Given to themselves, if they are free to make a choice, probably they will keep her.” He also said that the situation will be different if some legal obligation arises that India cannot avoid.
External forces supporting her return to Bangladesh
Yunus was also asked about India's interest in keeping Hasina, to which he answered that India has been supporting her all along, claiming that “those behind her” are "hoping that she will come back in Bangladesh with full glory of returning as a victorious leader.”
Mentioning a New York Times report that Hasina is having virtual meetings with her party, Awami League's leaders, Mehdi also asked Yunus if he is worried that India will try to reinstall her.
To this, Yunus said that there is a possibility that “some external forces” will support her to come back to Bangladesh, adding that he is “always worried about that.”
Yunus talked to PM Modi
Yunus also spoke about talking to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about sending Hasina back. Yunus said he told Modi that he would not tell him what to do about Hasina. He also asked Modi to make sure Hasina does not talk about the Bangladeshi people or their administration.
To this, according to Yunus, Modi replied that he cannot control social media.
Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted a year ago from Bangladesh, has maintained that she never resigned, and told members of her party, Awami League, to continue their struggle in the country. Since her ouster, she has been living in India.
Denied anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh
Muhammad Yunus also denied reports of violence against the minority Hindu community in his country, terming the reports as “fake news”, which he called “India's speciality." The interviewer cited reports about 30,000 Hindus in Bangladesh gathered to protest against thousands of attacks on their community. When asked if he believed reports of anti-Hindu violence were exaggerated, he responded that there might be occasional conflicts over issues like family or land disputes.
