It is most significant that India has delivered a missive to the US conveying its discomfort and uneasiness over the latter’s meddling into Bangladesh’s internal affairs apparently in the lead up to its upcoming parliamentary election which is likely to take place in January next year.
This Indian concern came after the visit of a Awami League (AL) delegation to New Delhi early last month when Bangladesh ruling party members had a meeting with their Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) counterparts and some ministers of the Indian central government with a special focus on regional security.
In the meeting, AL team headed by the Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque appeared to be referring to any further possible alliance between Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami describing it as a dangerous nexus in terms of maintaining regional stability.
That was the message sent by the Indian government to the Biden administration at different levels, according to a report published by the Kolkata’s Bangla language daily, Anandabazar Patrika.
We have concurred with this view judged by Jamaat’s previous political records especially its opposition to our liberation struggle which was somehow condoned and supported by the then US administration. Since then Jamaat has not retreated from its stand and that is why this Islamist outfit has been considered to be a thorn in the flesh of our nation.
It is irony of our fate that Jamaat was made a part of the BNP government during 2001-2006 regime when terrorism reared its head in the soil of Bangladesh that still haunt the people. That history may repeat itself in our country taking advantage of volatile political situation with the external support from some countries.
This was the gist of Indian message pointing to various US measures aimed at destabilising the AL government. This is a clear indication that all these US actions does not bode well for the overall security of India as a neighbouring country and South Asia as a whole.
The US recently announced new visa policy for Bangladesh which was preceded by a sanction on some top members of one of its security agencies-Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) that has left Sheikh Hasina government on the back foot.
India has made it unambiguous that if Sheikh Hasina’s government is weak, it will not be good for either India or America and on the other hand if Jamaat is patronized to grow in Bangladesh there will be an emergence and increase in the cross-border terrorism.
After Indian concerns for regional security and stability, we are left hoping that the US administration would rethink and redefine its policy toward Bangladesh.
We are also in view that our regional security issue will come to light in the sidelines when US President Joe Biden and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will be attending G20 summit in New Delhi in the next month.
