External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited Dhaka to attend the funeral of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia and personally delivered Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s condolence letter to BNP leader and her son, Tarique Rahman. At a time when India–Bangladesh relations are under considerable strain, the visit was widely viewed as a diplomatic gesture aimed at easing tensions. With India already grappling with difficult relationships with China and Pakistan, New Delhi is keen to prevent Bangladesh from moving further in that direction.
Jaishankar’s outreach was seen as a constructive step, but it was effectively undercut within days by a controversy linked to cricket. Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was picked up by Shah Rukh Khan-owned Kolkata Knight Riders for ₹9.2 crore in the IPL auction. Importantly, franchises are allowed to bid only for players cleared and placed in the auction pool by the BCCI, leaving KKR with no procedural fault.
However, the timing of the selection coincided with reports of continued violence against Hindus in Bangladesh. In just 48 hours, two members of the community—Rana Pratap and Moni Chakraborty—were killed, triggering widespread anger in India. As public outrage grew, the focus shifted to Mustafizur Rahman’s inclusion in the IPL, particularly because KKR is owned by Shah Rukh Khan. Although the franchise also has co-owners Juhi Chawla and Jay Mehta, so-called Hindu nationalist groups singled out Khan for criticism. A BJP leader even labeled him a “traitor,” putting pressure on both the central government and the BCCI.
In a move that surprised many, the BCCI directed KKR to drop Mustafizur Rahman from the team. Once again, politics spilled over into sport, effectively undoing the goodwill generated by Jaishankar’s Dhaka visit. Meanwhile, the Muhammad Yunus-led government in Bangladesh seized the opportunity to fuel anti-India sentiment, further complicating an already fragile bilateral relationship.
Along with withdrawing their players from the IPL, they also decided that their team would not travel to India to play in the T20 World Cup. The ICC, whose chairman is Jay Shah, has been requested to hold Bangladesh’s matches in Sri Lanka, as their players feel unsafe in India. Cricket relations between the two countries have also been suspended. The broadcast of the IPL has also been banned in Bangladesh. India’s foreign policy has been heavily influenced by alleged Hindu nationalist organizations. Shashi Tharoor called this move “absurd and shameful.” Indeed, sometimes the Indian government’s foreign policy is incomprehensible. In their Asia Cup 2025 match against Pakistan, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav refused to shake hands with the Pakistani cricket captain.
The Indian team also refused to accept the trophy from Pakistani official Mohsin Naqvi. This was reportedly done in protest against the terrorist incident in Pahalgam. However, during his recent visit to Dhaka, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar extended his hand and shook hands with Pakistani Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. According to reports, our External Affairs Minister introduced himself to the Pakistani Speaker and had a cordial conversation. The question is, which action was correct? Suryakumar Yadav’s refusal to shake hands or Jaishankar’s handshake? Similarly, the question arises: what was the right course of action, Jaishankar’s visit to Dhaka or the withdrawal of Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL? Diplomacy should be flexible, but not ambiguous. As far as Bangladesh is concerned, it must be acknowledged that the attitude of Muhammad Yunus’s government is anti-India. He himself is not elected, but has somehow seized power. Denying his own history, he is working to strengthen relations with Pakistan.
Talks are underway regarding a military alliance with Pakistan. Pakistani soldiers and ISI officials are frequently visiting Dhaka. A China-Pakistan-Bangladesh anti-India bloc is emerging. As long as Sheikh Hasina was in power, she kept anti-India elements under control. Yunus is allowing them to run rampant. It was also our mistake that we relied solely on Sheikh Hasina and maintained limited contact with other political forces in Bangladesh. We put all our eggs in one basket. Now, Jaishankar has gone to Dhaka to improve relations with the BNP. The Amir of the fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami has also stated that the Indian ambassador met with him. Bangladesh’s elections are next month. It is surprising that the political party that fought for their independence, Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League, has been banned. Hasina was not a very democratic ruler. She also suppressed her opponents, but during her time, Bangladesh made significant progress. Trade with India increased by 600% between 2009 and 2024.
In 2023, the country recorded a growth rate of 6.1%, which is double that of Pakistan. Last year, it fell to around 3%. Between July and December 2024, 2.1 million jobs were lost in Bangladesh. Unable to handle the discontent on the streets, the Yunus government is trying to divert attention towards India. Anti-India sentiment has intensified since the murder of student leader Osman Hadi. The government there is claiming that the killers have fled to India. We don’t understand the anti-India sentiment there. After all, we also shed blood in their struggle for independence. We have made a significant contribution to their progress.
Former Foreign Secretary Nirupama Menon Rao wrote, “The nation that was born out of a struggle against genocide is now normalizing street violence and remaining silent on the violence against minorities… There is instability, fear, and bloodshed on the streets.” It is estimated that more than two thousand attacks have been carried out against Hindus since Sheikh Hasina’s exile. At the time of the country’s partition, Hindus constituted around 28% of the population, which had decreased to 7.95% according to the 2022 census. It is likely even lower now. We are witnessing ethnic cleansing there, similar to what happened in Pakistan, and India is helpless. William van Schendel, in his book on the history of Bangladesh, writes, “In India, there is a common perception that Bangladesh has not shown sufficient gratitude for India’s contribution to its liberation struggle. Conversely, in Bangladesh, the perception is that India intervened only for its own strategic interests.” As a result, distrust is at its peak on both sides. The Dhaka newspaper, The Daily Star, wrote, “A vacuum of mutual distrust has now been created. Bangladesh believes that New Delhi is harboring fugitive conspirators, while India believes that Bangladesh is sliding towards majoritarian anarchy.” It is true that the country is indeed sliding towards anarchy.
The Daily Star’s office was burned down by rioters. As the elections draw closer, the anarchic elements will become even more audacious. Bangladesh stands at a crossroads. There seems to be little possibility that Bangladesh will emerge as a peaceful democratic country after the elections. On the contrary, it will be very difficult to manage this country filled with hatred, violence, and anger. The competition among various international powers will further complicate the situation. It is the country’s misfortune that at this crucial moment, Muhammad Yunus, who came to power without an election, is the ruler. Yunus is an anti-India puppet. The situation has worsened during his time. Zafar Sobhan writes on the Bangladeshi website Counterpoint, “Simply put, minorities are far less secure today than they were under the previous government… There has been a massive increase in religious intolerance. This government has made very little effort to address it,” and India has watched all this happen.
We could neither forge a friendship nor engage in hostility. We did nothing concrete except issue statements. We couldn’t even prevent them from forming an alliance with China and Pakistan. During his visit to China last year, Yunus made the controversial statement that “the seven provinces of Northeast India are surrounded. They have no access to the sea. Only we Bangladeshis are the guardians of the sea. This opens up many possibilities. China’s economy can expand here.” This is an extremely mischievous statement. What was the need to go to China and talk about our seven provinces? And then he even invited China to expand there. Some of his advisors have even started dreaming of a ‘Greater Bangladesh’.
One of them even said that they could occupy our Northeast. The question is, how did they dare to be so audacious? We have surrounded Bangladesh on three sides; only the sea remains.
We consider ourselves a superpower. We can corner them whenever we want. We should have shown them a trailer by temporarily blockading their sea, but our policy is weak. We couldn’t become friends, nor could we even maintain a proper rivalry. Trump dragged the Venezuelan president out of his bedroom. When we took a big step, we simply removed Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL.
