The army chiefs of India and Bangladesh are in direct communication to ensure stability on the ground amid the latest flare-up in the neighbouring country, CNN-News18 has learnt.
Bangladesh Army chief General
Waker-Uz-Zaman has assured his Indian counterpart that all Indian assets in Bangladesh remain safe, underscoring Dhaka’s commitment to maintaining security despite heightened tensions.
Nationwide unrest and arson by protesters seeking justice for the assassination of anti-India radical leader Sharif Osman Hadi have worsened the situation in Bangladesh, which has been in the throes of instability since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government.
Hadi, a prominent figure of the July uprising, died at a hospital in Singapore on Thursday, a week after he was shot at by masked gunmen in Dhaka.
Since his death, the country has been swept by widespread violence. The offices of two leading dailies, Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, were set on fire by radical groups, while the office of the left-leaning Udichi Shilpigoshthi in Dhaka was also vandalised.
The relations between India and Bangladesh too have come under strain after the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus came to power. India has been expressing concerns over attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, in that country.
The development comes after India summoned Bangladesh’s High Commissioner in New Delhi, Muhammad Riaz Hamidullah, to issue a formal diplomatic protest over recent threats to the Indian High Commission in Dhaka and inflammatory anti-India statements by Bangladeshi political leaders.
The foreign ministry earlier said India expects the interim government in Bangladesh to ensure the safety of its missions and posts in that country in keeping with its diplomatic obligations. It also noted that New Delhi is in favour of peace and stability in Bangladesh.
Earlier, the Bangladesh foreign ministry had summoned Indian envoy to Dhaka, Pranay Verma, and conveyed its concern over former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s “incendiary” statements from Indian soil.
In its reaction, New Delhi asserted that it has never allowed its territory to be used for activities inimical to the interests of Bangladesh.
