"If something is happening in Bangladesh, where 170 million people are angry with each other, youth are being killed by government bullets, law and order is disappearing, it doesn’t need experts to tell that it won’t be contained within the borders of Bangladesh, it will spill over to neighbours," These are the words of the new leader of Bangladesh, Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunis who feel that its unfair for India to call the Bangladesh turmoil ‘an internal matter’.
Its not lost on anyone right now, that India is in a bit of a quandary with the Bangladesh issue. To maintain friendly relations with the eastern neighbour is imperative for both nations. The porous borders and the illegal immigrants’ issue, the northeast insurgency, the protection of minorities- in all of this, the two nations require active cooperation. It would not help India’s cause to have a hostile neighbour on the eastern front aligned to Pakistan and Afghanistan.
To ensure that the thorny issues that plagued relations with Bangladesh don’t crop up again, India needs to maintain strong diplomatic relations with the Yunis led government. But the question is can it do so while providing protection to Sheikh Hasina, who is almost like an enemy of Bangladesh now after the sordid saga that preceded her resignation and ouster. With Muhammad Yunis expressing disappointment with India’s stance, it is incumbent upon New Delhi to get active on finding a way where we don’t jeopardise relations with Bangladesh as we extend humanitarian support to Sheikh Hasina.
This is a tricky situation for India, specially with other potential candidates for seeking asylum are closing their doors on the exiled leader. UK Home Office sources say that the country's immigration rules don't specifically allow individuals to travel to the UK to seek asylum. Speaking to Tv media, Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazeb however said, reports about her requesting asylum are incorrect.
So, the question of the UK or the US not responding yet is not true. The options of countries including the UAE and Saudi Arabia are now being explored. Given the fact that her immediate family resides in the US, the UK, Finland and India, she would have to find shelter in one of these countries pending asylum. India was understandably the closest option for Hasina, but is it the best-case scenario for India, the jury is still out on that one.
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