INTERNATIONAL: Ex-Bangladesh General Launches Sharp Criticism at India
Sheikh Hasina’s dramatic exit on August 5, 2024, amid student-led fury over job quotas, left Bangladesh reeling and India in an awkward embrace.
The former premier, now exiled in New Delhi, faces a death sentence handed down just weeks ago for suppressing protests that claimed hundreds of lives.
What started as a domestic storm has spilled over, souring neighborly bonds built on decades of shared history.
Azmi’s Stark Ultimatum
At a Dhaka press meet on December 2, retired Brigadier General Abdullahil Amaan Azmi, son of Islamist firebrand Ghulam Azam, dropped a bombshell.
“Bangladesh won’t know true peace until India fractures into bits,” he declared, fingering New Delhi for allegedly fueling unrest in the Chittagong Hill Tracts decades back.
His words, laced with old grievances, landed like fresh shrapnel in already tense air.
Social Media Storm Ignites
Clips of Azmi’s rant exploded across Indian platforms overnight, drawing a torrent of fury from everyday users.
Hashtags like #UngratefulBangladesh trended as folks vented online, slamming the oversight of India’s pivotal 1971 role in birthing their nation from Pakistan’s grip.
“We bled for their freedom; this is the thanks?” One viral post fumed, capturing a swell of betrayed pride.
Lingering Scars on Minorities
Post-Hasina chaos saw a spike in assaults on Hindu communities, with temples torched and homes looted in a wave tied to perceived Awami League loyalties.
India has flagged these as targeted hits, urging Dhaka for safeguards amid reports of over 200 incidents since August 2024. Families huddle in fear, their plight a raw thread in the fraying fabric of trust.
Extradition Echoes Strain Further
Dhaka’s November 17 verdict on Hasina, plus calls to haul her back for trial, piles pressure on New Delhi’s doorstep.
Officials there cite legal hurdles, but the demand underscores a deeper grudge, with Yunus’s interim setup eyeing a clean break from her era.
Quiet diplomatic nudges hint at mending, yet rhetoric like Azmi’s fans the flames.
1971: A Shadow Over Gratitude
Indians point to the forgotten debt: troops who stormed borders and a war that cost 1,500 lives to secure Bangladesh’s dawn.
Azmi’s jab ignores that sacrifice, stirring memories of alliances forged in fire now flickering under Islamist echoes from his father’s Jamaat legacy. It’s a history lesson turned heartbreak for many.
Balancing Act for Both Shores
Amid the barbs, border envoys swap notes on trade and floods, insisting harmony’s the goal.
Recent national security advisor huddles touched on minority shields and stability pacts, a nod to pragmatism over pettiness.
But as elections loom in 2026, will cooler heads prevail, or does this rift run too deep?
Whispers of What Could Be
For families straddling the Padma, these spats hit home hardest, disrupting kin visits and market flows.
A thaw might rebuild bridges, but voices like Azmi’s warn of grudges that linger like monsoon mud.
In the end, peace demands more than words; it calls for owning the past to shape tomorrow.