Hasina’s shelter a major obstacle to Dhaka-Delhi ties: Ansarey

Sheltering former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina and allowing her to engage in political activities are making it harder to restore public trust in India, Ambassador Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey has said, calling on New Delhi to take clearer steps to rebuild ties with Bangladesh.

“India needs to make greater efforts to understand the aspirations of the people of Bangladesh and other neighbouring countries. Providing shelter to Sheikh Hasina and allowing her to carry out political activities makes restoring public trust more difficult,” he said.

Ansarey, a senior secretary-ranked ambassador attached to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made the remarks on Friday evening at the National Press Club in Washington, United States, during a discussion on Asanga Abeyagoonasekera’s new book, Winds of Change: Geopolitics at the Crossroads of South and Southeast Asia.

He said India needed to take more tangible steps to rebuild relations and engage with the “new Bangladesh”. Lasting friendship, he said, must be built with a country’s people rather than confined to a particular leader or political party.

Referring to Bangladesh’s return to democracy, Ansarey said the transition reflected people’s aspirations for freedom, dignity and accountable government.

He said the country had an opportunity under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s leadership to translate those aspirations into tangible change.

He added that people wanted their voices and expectations to be reflected in the way the state was governed.

Welcoming China’s cooperative approach towards Bangladesh, Ansarey said the country should use the partnership to promote development and create new opportunities for its people. He cited US President Donald Trump’s recent red-carpet reception for Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington as a sign of the importance of dialogue and cooperation.

Even major rival powers recognise the need for mutual understanding and cooperation, he said, adding that South Asian countries needed to adopt a similar approach.

“I support expanding friendship with both India and China. But such friendship must be based on equality, mutual respect and respect for sovereignty. Bangladesh must retain the freedom to make decisions in the interests of its own people,” he said.

Michael Kugelman, resident senior fellow for South Asia at the Atlantic Council; Jerome C Glenn, executive director, co-founder and chief executive of the Millennium Project; and author Asanga Abeyagoonasekera also addressed the discussion.

The event was moderated by Patty Morris, founder and chief executive of Global Foresight Strategies.

Journalists, diplomats and other guests attended the event, including Kathleen Kennedy, daughter of Robert F Kennedy, and Mark Schoeff Jr of the National Press Club.