“Islamist footholds getting entrenched in Bangladesh, Tarique Rahman playing with fire: Ex-envoy”, Firstpost, 26 Sep 2026.
“In an exclusive interview, former diplomat Veena Sikri, who served as India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh between December 2003 and November 2006, discusses what she sees as Dhaka’s growing Islamist tilt following Sheikh Hasina’s ouster and departure from the country. In conversation with Firstpost, she argues that Bangladesh’s current political leadership is “playing with fire” by letting Jamaat-e-Islami and Pakistan dictate terms, says it has erred in rebuffing overtures from the Indian government, and warns that minorities in Bangladesh face an existential crisis.
The following are edited excerpts from the interview:
Q. How do you see the way things are going in Bangladesh right now? With Jamaat on the rise and Islamists having a free pass, do you think Bangladesh is moving towards becoming Pakistan 2.0?
A. The first thing that needs to be examined is the nature of the political transition that took place in Bangladesh in 2024. In my view, what happened was not simply a students’ uprising. It was a carefully planned and meticulously designed regime-change operation. Muhammad Yunus, who became chief adviser of the interim government, himself conceded that the movement was organised rather than spontaneous……..”
Read the full article at Firstpost.
