Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday voiced his support for the interim leader of neighbouring Bangladesh who assumed power after the ouster of New Delhi’s authoritarian ally Sheikh Hasina.
The comments came after a phone call between Modi and Bangladeshi Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who heads the interim government set up after Hasina fled into exile in India.
Hasina’s fall has raised concerns in New Delhi, which has key investments and close security ties with its eastern neighbor.
Modi “reaffirmed India’s support for democratic, stable, peaceful and progressive Bangladesh,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Hasina’s 15-year rule saw widespread human rights abuses, including the mass detention and extrajudicial killings of her political opponents.
But Modi’s Hindu-nationalist government preferred Hasina over her rivals from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which it saw as closer to conservative Islamist groups.
In the immediate aftermath of Hasina’s fall, attacks on Hindus across Muslim-majority Bangladesh were reported. The security situation has since far improved. Hindus are the largest minority faith in Bangladesh and were considered a steadfast support base for Hasina’s party, the Awami League.
+ There are no comments
Add yours