Awami League, former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s party, on Monday claimed the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government was being run according to “Pakistan’s prescription”.
“Bangladesh began to be run according to Pakistan’s prescription. A false hysteria of so-called anti-India sentiment was incited, and within that, a deliberate narrative was built to portray the independence achieved through the united struggle of Bengalis as merely an Indian conspiracy,” the Awami League media statement reads.
The Yunus-led interim government had banned the Awami League after Hasina’s ouster in August 2024.
The statement from the Awami League came in the backdrop of the recent visit of Pakistan’s foreign minister and deputy Prime Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar to Bangladesh. A bilateral meeting between Bangladesh and Pakistan took place after 13 years.
Bangladesh placed three conditions before Pakistan, including a formal apology from it for atrocities committed in 1971, repatriation of stranded Pakistanis and settlement of Bangladesh’s claim to its share of assets from pre-1971 Pakistan.
A source stated that although the two countries differed on these three issues, they agreed to advance bilateral ties, boost trade and participate jointly in global forums.
A source said that the Indian government has been keeping a close watch on recent developments in Bangladesh, particularly Dar’s visit. Multiple sources confirmed that the visits of Pakistani diplomats and officials have increased noticeably in Bangladesh recently.
Dar’s visit is also viewed in the context of the tri-nation meeting of Bangladesh, China and Pakistan, held in June in China’s Kunming.
The Awami League claimed that during his visit, Dar said Liberation War–related demands from Bangladesh were a “settled matter,” against which the interim government did not protest.
“Over the past year, the frequent presence of Pakistani diplomats at various levels and the political manoeuvres and mischief by Pakistani leaders and ministers regarding Bangladesh have become clearly visible,” said the media note.
“The illegal regime, which is destroying every essence of the Liberation War, made only a token gesture by asking Pakistan to apologise for the genocide of 1971. Yet, the Pakistani foreign minister arrogantly dismissed the issue as a ‘settled matter.’ But because this illegal, anti-Liberation and anti-national government did not even register the minimum protest, the entire matter has turned into a mockery,” it added.
A.F.M. Bahauddin Nasim, the joint general secretary of the Awami League, said: “Now it is evident Bangladesh is being run under Pakistan’s instructions, creating a threat for a friendly country like India. These developments will also promote terrorism from Bangladeshi soil. It was Sheikh Hasina who preserved the social and non-communal fabric of the country and prevented those terrorist forces (from growing).”
Recently, the Yunus-led interim government of Bangladesh urged the Narendra Modi government to stop “anti-Bangladesh activities” by the Awami League on Indian soil.
India’s external affairs ministry issued a strong rebuttal, asserting India does not permit political activities against other countries on its territory.
“The illegal Yunus government can ban our party and arrest lakhs of our party workers and leaders in false cases. But people of Bangladesh love and respect Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League,” added Nasim.