Can Trump Prevent Bangladesh From Becoming India's Geopolitical Nightmare?

Ties between India and Bangladesh have significantly strained following a violent uprising that overthrew then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from power before she was forced to flee to India.

After Hasina's ouster, minorities, particularly Hindus, in Bangladesh have been subject to some of the most gruesome acts of violence, including a number of alleged cases of sexual assault.

Persecution of Hindus by radical zealots and other minorities and reports of attacks on their places of worship, arrests of faith leaders, ransacking of their homes and businesses, and attempts to ban Hindu organisations like ISKCON, have raised concerns in the international community, India in particular, an award-winning Bangladeshi editor-in-chief and geopolitical analyst Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury told Sputnik India.

The journalist believes that the attacks on Hindus are part of a well-planned anti-Hindu propaganda that began a few months before Hasina's exit.

Months before Sheikh Hasina's ouster, radical forces in Bangladesh began a series of campaigns, including 'India Out' and anti-Hindu propaganda thus accusing India and Hindus of helping Hasina remain in power, Choudhury stated.

"Most importantly, Hasina did not take any steps in combating such activities, as she herself was already inclined towards Islamist forces, including Hefazat-e-Islam. What a confident Hasina did not realise, such a campaign by Islamists would ultimately result in her ouster," he added, pointing out to a hardline Bangladeshi Islamic advocacy group, featuring Muslim religious scholars, which was originally formed to oppose the Hasina government's move to grant equal property rights to women.

"Her ouster was plotted and implemented by the US Deep State through the open participation of Barack Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and George Soros. In September this year, when Muhammad Yunus visited the US to attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Clinton Global Initiatives arranged a huge reception for him, where Yunus publicly introduced his key accomplice Mahfuz Alam alias Mahfuz Abdullah as the 'mastermind' and said he had made 'meticulous' design to topple Hasina. Hearing this, Bill Clinton applauded," the relations analyst underlined.

Nonetheless, Choudhury believes that things could change for the good concerning the Bangladeshi minorities once US-elect president Donald Trump takes office, as he is expected to impose harsh measures against Yunus and his Islamist associates.

To Trump, for years, Yunus has been known as a 'Trump-hater'. Moreover, during Diwali, Trump published a tough-worded post on X, condemning barbaric atrocities on Hindus. It is now evident that the Yunus administration has not paid any value to Trump's statement, he highlighted.

For years, Trump has known Yunus as a 'Trump-hater,' and during Diwali, he published a strongly worded post on X condemning the barbaric atrocities against Hindus, he highlighted. It is now evident that the Yunus administration has given no regard to Trump's statement, Choudhury elaborated.

"Under such circumstances, Trump will be extremely tough on Muhammad Yunus. In this case, President Trump shall take several tough measures, including punitive tariffs on exports from Bangladesh and sanctions targeting several key figures in the Yunus administration, along with civil-military officers," the analyst expressed.

Interestingly, like Choudhury, Brahma Chellaney, a prominent figure in India's geopolitical circles, voiced support for Trump taking action against Islamist and jihadist elements in Bangladesh.

Additionally, he suggested that Trump's arrival in the Oval Office on January 20 could restore America's deteriorating ties with India.

"An unstable Bangladesh mired in violent Islamism has long been India's geopolitical nightmare. Trump needs to recognise that this is not conducive to US interests either. Such a shift could go some way toward restoring US's fraying relationship with India," Chellaney wrote on X.

Sputnik Opinion

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