India was for decades the most reliable international backer of Bangladesh’s Sheikh Hasina, sheltering her as a young exile and supporting her government long after Bangladeshis began turning against its brutality.
The sudden collapse of her government after 15 years has left a precarious power vacuum in Bangladesh, a country of 170mn that India considers its most dependable regional partner.
It has also set back New Delhi’s regional strategy at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking to counter growing Chinese influence.
And India’s decision to support Sheikh Hasina until the end risks damaging its image in the eyes of many Bangladeshis.
Indian officials have responded with alarm to the violence that followed Sheikh Hasina’s flight. Over 130 deaths were reported in Bangladesh on Monday and S Jaishankar, India’s foreign minister, warned that minorities — especially Hindus, who are the majority in India — were targeted.
“There is a lot of angst in New Delhi right now about what shape the government will take,” said Shafqat Munir, senior fellow with the Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies.
“But geopolitics and geographic realities dictate that . . . it will be very important to work with India.”
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People (many of them minorities) are being lynched by mobs pretty openly. Wonder why most of the MSM isn't reporting on that and rather portraying this ouster weirdly as a win for democracy rather than of mob rule!
@ShamefulElectoralGreen2yrs2Y
I so much agree with you... Its anarchy in Bangladesh, several people have been lynched, their properties burnt, temples are destroyed, minorities are wiped out by this mob and they are hailed as heroes by the media houses...
It is shocking how weak India has been , losing out on partners in Sri Lanka, Maldives and now Bangladesh
Together with the terrible election results for Modi for his own election , this is turning out to be *** horribilis for India
@Idealistic1973Veteran2yrs2Y
No, it isn't. It will just force India to rethink.
Sri Lankans are slowly realizing which side their bread is buttered. It is not the Chinese or American side.
Ditto for Maldives.
In Bangladesh it is early days. Once Sheikh Hasina has overcome the shock of treachery by her selected Army General (about whom she was warned); she will gather her forces and push these Razakar traitors from Pakistan out of Bangladesh - once and for all times.
It is an opportunity though it came at a much loss of life of her party cadr
@ISIDEWITH2yrs2Y
@ISIDEWITH2yrs2Y
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