Bangladesh Army Chief, Waqar Uz-Zaman
Dhaka: Amidst the ongoing tensions with India, a big statement from the Army Chief of Bangladesh has come to light. Army Chief Walker-uz-Zaman said in a statement that Bangladesh has a very special relationship with India. Therefore his country can never go against India. During this, he described India as an important neighbor and said that Dhaka is dependent on New Delhi in many matters.
The Army Chief said that a large number of Bangladeshis also go to India for treatment and Dhaka also imports a lot of goods from there. Therefore, Bangladesh will not take any step which is against India’s strategic interests. India-Bangladesh have a relationship ranging from give and take to giving equal importance to mutual interests. There should be no discrimination in this. Therefore, Bangladesh will have to maintain equal relations with India. This is in the interest of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh calls Sheikh Hasina’s extradition a bilateral issue
Bangladesh has described the extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as a bilateral issue. Foreign Affairs Advisor Tauheed Hussain on Wednesday said the extradition of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is one of the many issues with India. While strong bilateral relations with the US, India and China are the priorities of the interim government. He said Hasina (77) has been living in India since August 5, when she left the country following massive student-led protests. His 16 year old government had fallen due to the student movement. The Bangladesh-based International Criminal Tribunal (ICT) has issued arrest warrants against Hasina and several former cabinet ministers, advisers and military and civilian officials for “crimes against humanity and genocide”.
What is Bangladesh’s stance on Rohingya?
Hussain, the de facto foreign minister in the interim government of Mohammad Yunus, a former diplomat and key adviser, said tackling the Rohingya crisis as well as maintaining strong bilateral ties with the US, India and China will be key priorities for Bangladesh in 2025. “Our priorities are to resolve the Rohingya crisis,” he said. The United States gives equal priority to maintaining relations with India and China because our various interests are deeply intertwined. The interim government has sent a diplomatic communication demanding Hasina’s extradition from India. Foreign Ministry officials here said that they are waiting for a response from India.
