Contours of Controversy

Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh has once again kicked up controversy, sparking a row after his gift presented to visiting Pakistan’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairperson, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, included a distorted map of Bangladesh, which includes Assam and other northeastern states as part of the country. The image of the gift, which was shared on Yunus’ official X account, shows a book titled “Art of Triumph: Bangladesh’s New Dawn” – which can be seen as an ode to the 2024 student movement, toppling the Sheikh Hasina government.

It may be recalled that earlier, on March 28, while in Beijing, Yunus had created another faux pas by saying that the seven northeast Indian states being landlocked, Dhaka was the only guardian of the ocean for this region. Such a statement seemed tactless on the face of it and had surprised many, not only in Bangladesh but also in the Chinese camps closely watching both the countries. This time again, meeting the Pakistani General, there was a similar act of indiscretion causing huge embarrassment to the general Bangladeshi populace, particularly to those nurturing the pro-liberation spirit, pro-India elements, seculars and liberals. Whether such a distorted map presented to the visiting Pakistani military strongman was an act by design or an inadvertent mistake, the former reason looks more probable given the political immaturity on part of Yunus as well as his complete lack of any diplomatic wisdom. This octogenarian head of the interim government has certainly ruffled the feathers of many, though it enhances the comfort level of Pakistan.

Meanwhile, pronounced anti-India sentiments seem to be gathering on the issue of Teesta waters in various quarters in Bangladesh, from the northern plains of Rangpur to the coastal campuses of Chittagong. Citizens and students seem steadfastly united to demand that the government begin work immediately, while China signals readiness to intercede amid allegations that India is not acceding to Bangladesh’s request for “resolving” the Teesta issue. People of the northern region have also urged the interim government to begin the project immediately to save the lives and livelihoods of the people and the biodiversity of the northern region. The project, designed to restore the Teesta’s flow, expand irrigation, and protect river-dependent communities from erosion and floods, has been stalled for years amid bureaucratic delays, funding constraints, and geopolitical tension with India.

Earlier last month, Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen had met the Bangladesh Foreign Secretary in Dhaka, reaffirming Beijing’s “strong interest” in the initiative. Yao had said a team of Chinese experts would visit Bangladesh in the coming months for an on-site assessment and confirmed that discussions were underway with the Economic Relations Division (ERD) regarding a USD 550 million loan to finance the project. Diplomatic sources said China had responded positively to Bangladesh’s request for funding the “Comprehensive Management and Restoration of Teesta River Project,” estimated at USD 750 million. The remaining amount would be met through domestic financing. The first phase is expected to begin in 2026 and finish by 2029. Hence, we can clearly see a Chinese interest in this significant development. Bangladesh experts also reckon that China’s expanding role in the Teesta basin carries geopolitical implications. The river lies close to India’s Siliguri Corridor, a narrow but vital passage to its northeastern states.

Further, student bodies have stepped up agitation when on October 20, students at the University of Chittagong formed a human chain in solidarity with Teesta communities, calling the project a matter of “justice and national responsibility.” On 22 October, thousands gathered at Rangpur under the banner of Sarbostorer Chhatra-Janata (Students and Citizens’ Alliance), demanding that work on the project begin before the election schedule is announced. General Secretary of the Teesta Bachao Nodi Bachao Andolon, Shafiar Rahman, told the media recently, “The Teesta Master Plan has already been delayed for far too long.”

Although no direct evidence is available as yet, knowledgeable sources strongly feel that such a string of protests is clearly the handiwork of Pakistan, which is hellbent upon impairing Indo-Bangladesh relations by opening an anti-India front surreptitiously towards the pursuit of its divisive policies to drive a wedge.

In another development, looking strikingly regressive, the Bangladesh government is believed to have approved a nearly month-long visit of controversial Islamic hate preacher Zakir Naik. During the tour, the acerbic intolerant is expected to travel across Bangladesh and deliver sermons. Bangladesh appears set to roll out the red carpet for the controversial Islamic preacher. The interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, is thought to have specifically endorsed the visit. Naik’s nationwide tour has been scheduled for November and comes a little over a year after he went on a month-long state visit to Pakistan. Naik, a proponent of the radical Salafi school in Sunni Islam, is wanted in India on money laundering and hate speech charges. Naik’s tour will begin on November 28, lasting till December 20. Under pressure from Islamic extremists and the resurgence of student bodies, Shibir, Jamaat, etc., Yunus remained a mute spectator to curb the threats. Naik’s visit will further indoctrinate the Islamic ultras who have time and again demonstrated religious intolerance by resorting to large-scale vandalism and desecration of temples, idols, and other worship sites of other faiths.

This visit is also expected to embolden further the fundamentalists and the terrorists, who have been practically in hibernation after the dastardly terror attack of July 1, 2016, at the Holey Artisan Bakery. In the eventuality of the surfacing of nasty religious fundamentalists exceeding all limits, it will certainly have security implications for India, which borders nearly 4,000 km plus touching India. The interim government needs to shed its parochialism and take a firm stand against the rise of fundamentalism to protect its own security interests as well as to stop any domino effect of Naik’s hateful rhetoric.

Views expressed are personal. The writer is a retired IPS officer, Adviser NatStrat and a former National Security Advisor in Mauritius