EAM S Jaishankar chairs all-party meeting, briefs leaders about developments in Bangladesh

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday chaired an all-party meeting in Parliament and briefed the leaders about the ongoing developments in Bangladesh.

Jaishankar briefed the leaders on how the issue had panned out in Bangladesh and the prevailing situation in that country. He also spoke about how Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina had moved to India and how India would take care of the Bangladeshi leader, sources present at the all-party meeting said.

Jaishankar said that Sheikh Hasina is in India and the Indian government wants to give her time to let the Indian government know what her future course of action would be.

Taking to X, S Jaishankar stated, “Briefed an all-party meeting in Parliament today about the ongoing developments in Bangladesh. Appreciate the unanimous support and understanding that was extended”.

EAM @DrSJaishankar briefs all-party meeting in Parliament on the issue of #Bangladesh pic.twitter.com/NdLQDDAFFT

— DD News (@DDNewslive) August 6, 2024

During the meeting, Jaishankar told the leaders that the central government was in touch with the Bangladesh Army as well. He said that it is a prevailing situation and the government will take appropriate action at the right time, according to sources.

According to sources, the leaders in the party meeting were informed that there are 20,000 Indian nationals in the country. According to sources, so far 8,000 Indian nationals have come back. Jaishankar informed the meeting that the Indian government is in touch with Indian nationals and the High Commission there continues to operate.

The leaders were informed that the focus is on minorities and that they should be protected, sources from the all-party meeting said.

During the all-party meeting, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, asked about India’s long-term and short-term strategy. The government stated that this was a progressive situation and they would continue to analyse it. Rahul Gandhi also questioned the government on the possible involvement of a foreign hand. The central government said that all possible angles were being looked into.

Bangladesh is facing a fluid political situation with Sheikh Hasina resigning from her post in the wake of mounting protests. The protests, majorly by students demanding an end to a quota system for government jobs, took the shape of anti-government protests.

In Dhaka, the leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement have proposed an interim government led by Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus, in a bid to address Bangladesh’s ongoing challenges.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Hasina arrived in India on Monday evening after tendering her resignation. It is not clear if Sheikh Hasina will continue to stay in Delhi or move to another location later. (ANI)