Bangladesh will pursue the extradition of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from India, said Chief Advisor of Interim Government of Bangladesh Muhammad Yunus.
Yunus, however, admitted that he had no objection to Sheikh Hasina’s party the Awami League contesting in elections, reports The Hindu.
In an exclusive interview with The Hindu at his residence in Dhaka, Yunus spelt out his vision for ties with India and plans for reform.
He defended his government’s record in 100 days since it was formed and called reports over the rise of radicalism and safety of the nation’s Hindus and other minorities “propaganda”, which has led to sharp criticism from India and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
On Hasina's stay in India becoming a possible cause for rifts between the two neighbouring nations, Yunus said her living there "for the time being, is not a problem at all."
"Talking to Bangladesh is the problem. She is talking to Bangladeshi people, and it is political. She is continuing her political activities, which is the problem," he said.
Yunus said Hasina was inviting people to come and stage demonstration in the streets of different cities and "telling them to hold pictures of [U.S. President-elect] Donald Trump [as shields], so that if the police stop them, they will say the Bangladesh government is against the US. This is interfering with the internal and external matters of another country."
Replying to asking why Bangladesh had not sought an extradition despite having a treaty on the issue between the two countries, he said, "I think there are legal steps which we are taking towards that, but we have not come to that stage yet."
When asked what would happen if India did not accept a treaty request, Yunus responded: "Are you saying India would violate the treaty? Yes, there are such clauses, but if the Indian government were to use them to keep [Hasina] there, that will not make a very happy relationship between us."
He uttered caution saying that although the interim government was short-lived, India's refusal would not be "forgiven by any government that comes after us."
Regarding AL contesting polls, he said it had already been announced.
"We didn't want to take decisions about the political party, and the BNP has done that, saying that all political parties must contest elections. So they already made the verdict, and we cannot defy the opinion of a major party of the country."
'Propaganda being spread'
Yunus said that he had talked to Indian PM Narendra Modi on the issue of Hindus as the Indian government's numerous statements were made expressing concern about how Hindus are being targeted in Bangladesh.
"In my first phone call with Prime Minister Modi [On 16 August], that's precisely what he said, that minorities are being treated badly in Bangladesh and so on. I told him, very clearly, that it's propaganda. After many reporters came here, there were somereports about some tensions, but not in the way that's been built up in the media," he said.
He focused that every single member of the cabinet was either a human rights activist who had suffered themselves, or an environmental activist, or a gender activist or other activist.
On latest figures released by human rights group Odhikar, which claimed 841 people were injured in political violence, and eight died in extra-judicial killings just in September, he said the people would judge what the government has done.
"Let people judge, and compare what this government has done, and what the other government has done. I'm not going to debate. We have ensured press freedom. There's no doubt about it."
While asked why the Yunus government had failed to persuade some others that it was a victim of propaganda, he said, "Maybe we don't have that kind of clout or money power to convince the world otherwise."
Trump may not have been well-informed, he said replying to query about Trump's comments on minorities in Bangladesh.
On bilateral ties
Yunus put stress that Saarc must go on.
Regarding India-Pakistan ties, he said, "It shouldn't be that the whole group disappears only because of one relationship between two countries. We can pass a resolution, suspend any India-Pakistan issues from the agenda, but we can't end Saarc."
On Bangladesh-India ties, he referred to the country as twins, adding, "Our dream is imagining a relationship like the European Union [with freedom of movement and trade]. That's the direction we want to go."
100 days of interim govt and elections
"We haven't got an A yet", said Chief Adviser Yunus evaluating his 100 days in office.
"I'll say it's A-plus because we inherited a shattered economy. All financial institutions and banking systems nearly collapsed. It was a crazy banking system."
He said things had improved, with foreign exchange reserves improving and inflation being tamed.
"Best of all, we have gotten a tremendous amount of global support— the international community is doing business with us, assuring us of further collaboration, opening the door for investments and so on," he said.
Regarding election issue, Yunus also said Bangladesh's Election Commission would be announced within the coming weeks.
"But they cannot hold an election until some other reforms happen- the Commission for constitutional reform will need to decide on whether we will have a bicameral parliament, whether Bangladesh will have proportional representation, terms and term limits and so on."
