Concern for Northeast if Bangladesh becomes Pakistan !

The recent media briefing by ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi revealed a little about her return journey, but her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy made some stunning comments about the current status of Bangladesh under the Tarique Rahman-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government in Dhaka. Attending the event virtually from the United States, Joy claimed that his homeland was slowly turning into another Pakistan , where radical Islamist elements have been operating freely with the support of anti-Indian elements. Terming Bangladesh a failed state, Joy apprehended that the South Asian nation may emerge as a breeding ground for regional terrorism in the coming days. He also revealed that hundreds of convicted terrorists, arrested and imprisoned by the Hasina-led Awami League government, were recently released. Moreover, various foreign intelligence agencies, including Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, are running their activities in Bangladesh, and the next generation of global terrorists would surface from the Muslim-majority country of 180 million people unless the threat is addressed pragmatically, he asserted. Joy did not forget to acknowledge India’s continued support for his mother since Hasina left Dhaka on 5 August 2024 following a student-led massive mass uprising against her government. In her audio version, the Awami League supremo only repeated her determination to return home. The daughter of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman asserted that she would return irrespective of any hardship. Hasina, 78, who has been living in New Delhi as a self-imposed exile, opted to go back in December as it’s the month of victory (from Pakistani forces on 16 December 1971). But her return will not be an easy task as Hasina was already awarded a number of punishments, including a death sentence in absentia by the International Crimes Tribunal (of Bangladesh) for her crimes against humanity during the July-August uprising two years back, when 1,400 people were killed mostly by the security forces. Even her party was restricted from carrying out political activities and also contesting elections in the country. Hasina’s arch rival, Khaleda Zia-led BNP won the last general election on 12 February 2026 and her son Tarique Rahman became the new premier of Bangladesh. The Rahman government since the beginning pursued for Hasina’s repatriation to face the trials in Bangladesh through different channels under a 2013 extradition treaty between the two neighbours. Even when Prime Minister Tarique Rahman met with India’s high commissioner to Bangladesh (Dinesh Trivedi) on 10 August in Dhaka, Hasina’s early extradition issue was raised. More shockingly, Dhaka demanded to hand over the murders of young Bangladeshi activist Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, a prominent face of the anti-Hasina uprising, who has been arguably hiding in India. Bangladeshi agencies believe that soon after killing Hadi in Dhaka during December 2025, those culprits entered India to escape arrests in Bangladesh. New Delhi remains non-committal over Hasina’s extradition stating that the matter was under legal scrutiny. It’s understood that New Delhi would not insist that Hasina to leave India unless there is confirmation from the Bangladesh government that she would be treated duly under the legal provisions there. When Dhaka reacted sharply over the 5 August event, where Hasina was allowed to address the media, including some global news agencies from Indian soil, New Delhi clarified that Hasina's event was organized by an independent press club with no role of the local authorities. Asserting that India does not endorse any view expressed in the briefing, a foreign ministry spokesperson reiterated that Hasina and her party workers are restricted in engaging in any political activities in India targeting a sovereign nation. On a different diplomatic turf, Dhaka continues to maintain silence over PM Rahman’s visit to India for the next BRICS summit scheduled for September. New Delhi had already invited him separately as the current chair of BIMSTEC (a regional group comprising Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand) to attend the BRICS summit. But Rahman is seemingly under pressure from political clouts in Bangladesh to avoid the visit. As Bangladesh is surrounded by eastern Indian territories (leaving aside a few kilometer stretch with Myanmar and the Bay of Bengal), anything unpleasant that happens there may impact the international border areas (connecting West Bengal with 2,217 km, Assam with 262 km, Meghalaya 443 km, Tripura with 856 km, and Mizoram 318 km) quickly. The emergence of radial forces in Bangladesh soil may create serious security concerns for India, precisely the north-eastern region with over 60 million residents. Once banned Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami party has now consolidated its position even in their Jatiya Sansad (national assembly) with the second-highest number of elected representatives after the ruling BNP. The anti-India rhetoric of various Bangladeshi outfits, including Jamaat-e-Islami, needs to be addressed diplomatically and it would require New Delhi’s cordial relations with Dhaka. The latest development has definitely complicated the bilateral ties, if not deteriorated to a larger extent, between India and Bangladesh. The unabated influx of Bangladeshi migrants to Indian localities (Assam and Tripura being their first stops) remains a prolonged discomfort for New Delhi with no specific remedy. It’s now a matter of time when the moments of mutual understanding between the two countries (which adored a single identity till 1947) would prevail and continue forever. Also Read: Expecting Good Days for Print Media!