International Desk: It has been almost three months since Sheikh Hasina came to India in a very dramatic situation after being removed from power in Bangladesh. But the surprising thing is that Sheikh Hasina has been given shelter in this country for the time being - the Indian government has not uttered a single word about her except to 'confirm' this.
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It means that till date there is no official statement from the Government of India about where or how Sheikh Hasina has been kept. Delhi has also avoided any questions about his immigration 'status' or on what basis he is in India.
In the last three months, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave a blunt answer to all questions about Sheikh Hasina, 'You know she had to come to this country temporarily at a very short notice. He is still like that.' Only once did the spokesperson say he had to move to India for 'security reasons'.
Responding to questions about Sheikh Hasina , spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal referred to her as the 'former prime minister' of Bangladesh several times. From which it is clear, even in the eyes of India, he is no longer the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. India's Foreign Minister S Jaishankar also said in the Parliament of the country on the afternoon of August 6 that Sheikh Hasina came to India 'apparently' by resigning as Prime Minister.
But even if he has resigned from the Prime Ministership, how he did it or the legitimacy of that process, the Indian government has not clarified their position even once.
Simply put, the Indian government has decided to maintain utmost secrecy in the entire matter surrounding Sheikh Hasina. And it has been successful in maintaining it for about three months.
Now the question is - why is it being done? Why is not a word being uttered about his presence in India?
It goes without saying that the decision to grant shelter to Sheikh Hasina in India, be it temporary or long-term, has been taken from the very highest level. And in today's age, it is not even possible to harbor such a high-profile person secretly - it was not even possible in India. It has been admitted to give him asylum at the first opportunity. But since then a kind of 'hard silence' has been maintained on the whole issue.
Bengali Tribune spoke to three former diplomats or foreign policy experts in Delhi to find answers to these questions. Their opinion on this matter is highlighted in their statement.
Pinakaranjan Chakraborty: He is the former High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh, former Head of the Protocol Department of the Ministry of External Affairs. He said, 'If you ask me why there is so much secrecy about Sheikh Hasina, the simple answer would be security.'
Sheikh Hasina is such a special guest for India, whose life and security cannot afford to risk so much. India not only sheltered him in his hour of danger, but also took responsibility for his protection – but this too must be remembered.
Now someone can ask, where is the risk of Sheikh Hasina's life in India? To answer this, there can be risks from many aspects. Who can guarantee that the members of the 'jihadi' groups in Bangladesh who have taken strict measures against them in the past will not take advantage of the situation to try to kill Sheikh Hasina? If Sheikh Hasina's 'location' is in the public domain, where is the guarantee that she will not go to her Dera and throw four bombs?
Especially a few days ago, we saw that Jasimuddin Rehmani, the head of Ansarullah Bangla team in Bangladesh, has now come out after getting bail. People of these groups will definitely feel encouraged by this. There is no telling what they will do in this situation. As a result, it is not difficult to understand the reason why India is sitting on Sheikh Hasina's position!
Shubhrakmal Dutta: Foreign policy expert Shubhrakmal Dutta is close to the ruling party BJP in India. He was telling Bengali Tribune, 'Look, why India does not want to say anything about Sheikh Hasina's stay in this country - I think there are several reasons.'
First of all, it is as clear as day that the US is behind the movement that led to the downfall of Sheikh Hasina's government. It is becoming more and more clear as the days go by. Now America is India's close diplomatic ally, strategic partner and together they are members of the Quad Alliance. And I am sure, behind the scenes talks are definitely going on between Delhi and Washington on the Bangladesh situation. India too must be looking for a formula to solve the crisis like them. Among them, the presidential election in that country is within a week, so there is a good chance of a change of power.
In this situation, it is natural that Delhi would not want to complicate the situation by making any public comments about Sheikh Hasina's movements or her position in India. Rather, they will wait and see where America's political course goes.
The second reason is certainly related to Sheikh Hasina's personal safety or security. India's policy is very clear in this regard, as long as he stays in this country or voluntarily goes to any third country, he will be treated as a guest with respect and maximum security. That is why he is kept in a very secret place with 'Z Plus Plus' or higher category security. No information about the movement of such VVIPs is ever disclosed, same is done here. So in my opinion, India's decision is 100% reasonable.
Vaswati Mukherjee: She is India's former top diplomat, former ambassador to the Netherlands and the European Union. He said, 'The main reason why India is not saying anything publicly about Sheikh Hasina is the double standard or duplicity of the Western countries, especially the United States.'
Why am I saying this? Because the whole world knows that America has entered Pakistan and killed Osama Bin Laden. But they want to point the finger at India and say that we want to kill the Khalistani leaders in their country! The substance of this complaint may not even be that much. But in the eyes of America, the standard of security is the same for themselves, and different for the rest of the world - it goes without saying!
Now since India has given shelter to Sheikh Hasina, let India handle her security! India is no longer under colonial rule, they have full power and right to make their own decisions.
Indian media has claimed Bengali as their own language
As a result, how much will be said about Sheikh Hasina's presence and how much will not be said is entirely India's jurisdiction. I have no doubt at least that India is taking that decision, diplomatically or strategically, considering all aspects, he added. Source: Banglatribune.