TDS Desk:

The chief adviser of Bangladesh’s interim government wants to bring ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina back home from India to face trial for “the kind of atrocities she has committed.”

Prof Muhammad Yunus told the Indian news agency PTI in an interview in Dhaka that the interim government is committed to ensuring justice for the people of Bangladesh against the atrocities.

“Yes, she has to be brought back or else the people of Bangladesh won’t be at peace. The kind of atrocities she has committed, she has to be tried in front of everyone here.”

He said making political remarks by Hasina from India is an “unfriendly gesture” and that she must remain silent to prevent discomfort to both countries until Dhaka requests her extradition.

“If India wants to keep her until the time Bangladesh (government) wants her back, the condition would be that she has to keep quiet,” PTI quoted Prof Yunus as saying.

“No one is comfortable with her stance there in India because we want her back to try her. She is there in India and at times she is talking, which is problematic. Had she been quiet, we would have forgotten it; people would have also forgotten it as she would have been in her own world. But sitting in India, she is speaking and giving instructions. No one likes it,” he said.

Prof Yunus was apparently referring to Hasina’s statement on 13 August in which she demanded “justice,” saying those involved in recent “terror acts,” killings, and vandalism, must be investigated, identified, and punished.

“It is not good for us or for India. There is discomfort regarding it,” he said.

Asked if Bangladesh has conveyed its stance to India, the chief adviser said it has been conveyed verbally and quite firmly that she should keep quiet.

“Everyone understands it. We have said quite firmly that she should keep quiet. This is an unfriendly gesture towards us; she has been given shelter there and she is campaigning from there. It is not that she has gone there on a normal course. She has fled following a people’s uprising and public anger.”

The Nobel laureate said while Bangladesh values strong ties with India, New Delhi must move “beyond the narrative that portrays every other political party except Awami League as Islamist and that the country will turn into Afghanistan without Sheikh Hasina.”

He said, “The way forward is for India to come out of the narrative. The narrative is that everybody is Islamist, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is Islamist, and everyone else is Islamist and will make this country into Afghanistan. And Bangladesh is in safe hands with Sheikh Hasina at the helm only. India is captivated by this narrative. India has to come out of this narrative. Bangladesh, like any other nation, is another neighbour.”

Referring to recent attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh and India’s concerns about it, Prof Yunus said this is just an “excuse.”

“The issue of trying to portray the conditions of minorities in such a big way is just an excuse.”

Asked about ways to improve India-Bangladesh ties, the chief adviser said both countries need to work together and it is on a downhill presently. “We need to work together to improve this relationship, which is now at a low.”

Referring to the future of bilateral treaties with India, Prof Yunus said there are demands for a relook at certain treaties such as transit and the Adani power deal.

“Everybody is saying that it is needed. We will see what is on paper and, second, what is actually happening on the ground. I can’t answer it specifically. If there is any need to review, we will then raise questions about it,” he said.