During a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus strongly criticized India, saying last year’s mass uprising was not well-received by New Delhi, which has strained Dhaka-Delhi relations.
On Thursday (September 25), in a meeting with Sergio Gor, the U.S. Special Envoy for South and Central Asia, Dr. Yunus stated that Indian media spread false reports and propaganda, portraying the uprising as an Islamist movement.
He further alleged that bilateral tensions increased because India granted shelter to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. In his words: “India has sheltered Hasina, who is creating problems, and this has fueled tensions between the two countries.”
The Chief Adviser also emphasized the need to revive SAARC, blaming India’s political stance for rendering the regional bloc ineffective. At the same time, he noted that Bangladesh has shown interest in joining ASEAN.
It is worth mentioning that no SAARC summit has been held since 2014. The 2016 summit in Pakistan was canceled after India refused to attend following the Uri terror attack, leaving the bloc effectively dormant. India, instead, has prioritized BIMSTEC, through which Bangladesh has also engaged, including a recent meeting between Dr. Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.