Bangladesh Sliding Towards ‘Pre-1971 Pakistan’, Yunus Is Jamaat Mouthpiece: Ex-Envoy

Former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Veena Sikri has warned that Bangladesh is witnessing a dangerous regression, marked by rising Islamist violence, political instability and systematic targeting of minorities. Speaking on Statecraft, Sikri alleged that the country is being pushed towards a “pre-1971 Pakistan-like situation”.

Sikri described the removal of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina as a “regime change operation”, claiming it was orchestrated by Pakistan, the United States and Islamist group Jamaat-e-Islami. According to her, the objective was to dismantle Bangladesh’s secular foundations and reinstall an ideological order resembling that which existed before the country’s independence in 1971.

The former envoy launched a scathing attack on interim Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, accusing him of acting as a “mouthpiece of Jamaat-e-Islami”. She said the Yunus administration has failed to rein in Islamist mobs and has remained silent amid repeated attacks on Hindu minorities.

Sikri specifically cited the lynching of Hindu worker Dipu Chandra Das as evidence of growing lawlessness and selective enforcement of law. She said the pattern of violence suggests tacit political backing rather than isolated criminal acts, raising serious concerns about minority safety in the country.

She also criticised Western diplomatic missions in Bangladesh, accusing them of adopting a partisan approach. Sikri singled out the German Embassy in Bangladesh for flying its national flag at half-mast following the killing of student activist Sharif Osman Hadi, while remaining silent on the lynching and persecution of minorities.

“This selective outrage exposes double standards,” Sikri said, arguing that Western governments and missions were legitimising Islamist narratives by ignoring sustained violence against Hindus and other minorities.

Her remarks come amid escalating unrest in Bangladesh, with repeated incidents of mob violence, attacks on cultural events and mounting international scrutiny over the interim government’s handling of law and order. Sikri warned that unless corrective steps are taken, Bangladesh risks losing the secular and democratic ideals on which it was founded.