'At Very Short Notice': Jaishankar Tells Rajya Sabha Sheikh Hasina Reached Out To India Amid Bangladesh Crisis

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar told Parliament on Tuesday that ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reached out to India for safe passage following her abrupt resignation in the wake of the political crisis in the country.

The minister’s statement came a day after Hasina landed at a military airfield at Hindon near Delhi after leaving Dhaka. Delivering a suo motu statement in the Rajya Sabha on the situation in Bangladesh, Jaishankar said that Hasina on Monday requested and received approval to travel to India at “very short notice”.

“On 5th August, demonstrators converged in Dhaka despite the curfew. Our understanding is that after a meeting with leaders of the security establishment, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina apparently made the decision to resign,” Jaishankar said in the Parliament. “At very short notice, she requested approval to come for the moment to India. We simultaneously received a request for flight clearance from Bangladesh authorities. She arrived yesterday evening in Delhi,” he added.

19,000 Indian nationals

Jaishankar informed the Parliament that the situation in Bangladesh is still evolving after Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman’s address where he spoke about assuming responsibility and constituting an interim government. “We are in close and continuous touch with the Indian community in Bangladesh through our diplomatic missions. There are an estimated 19,000 Indian nationals there, of which about 9,000 are students. The bulk of the students have already returned to India in the month of July on the advice of the High Commission,” he said.

“In terms of our diplomatic presence, in addition to the High Commission in Dhaka, we have Assistant High Commissions in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna and Sylhet. It is our expectation that the host government will provide the required security protection for these establishments. We look forward to their normal functioning once the situation stabilizes,” he added.

‘All-party meeting’

Responding to Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi while addressing an all-party meeting earlier today, Jaishankar said it was too early to say anything about foreign conspiracy. Jaishahkar, however, said, “It is too early to rule in or rule out anything, but a Pakistani diplomat did change his social media profile picture to support the agitation in Bangladesh.”

Jaishankar said Sheikh Hasina’s presence in India is a courtesy move while the central government is closely monitoring the situation in Bangladesh. About her arrival in India, Jaishankar told the all-party meeting that for now it is being ensured that Hasina settles down, recovers and feels comfortable enough to discuss her plans. “We want to give her space and time, she has come at short notice,” he said at the meeting, adding that there is no decision yet on where she will go next.

Over 100 people have been killed in the violence across Bangladesh as chaos reigned supreme hours after Sheikh Hasina resigned as prime minister and fled the country on Monday, reports said on Tuesday amid signs of return to normalcy. The situation in Dhaka was largely calm on Tuesday morning after a day of unrest and a night of tension. Buses and other public transport were on the streets and traders were opening shops.

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