Bangladeshis feel "an antipathy" for India & they hold it "squarely responsible" for their suffering in the last decade; Hindus in Bangladesh are safer and more secure than Muslims in India: Editor, Dhaka Tribune, Zafar Sobhan

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In an interview where his comments about India will come as surprise to many and may be deemed offensive by some, the Editor of the Bangladeshi newspaper, the Dhaka Tribune, says Bangladeshis feel “an antipathy” for India and they hold the country “squarely responsible for everything they have suffered in the past decade of increasingly autocratic Awami League misrule”. Zafar Sobhan says that, as a result, India today is viewed in Bangladesh in very similar terms to the way America was viewed in Iran in 1979 when the Shah was overthrown and fled the country.



In a 30-minute interview to Karan Thapar for the Wire, Mr. Sobhan explained that the “antipathy” Bangladeshis feel for India is a direct result of their perception that Indians – particularly officialdom and ministers – look down upon Bangladeshis and are patronizing and condescending in their attitude to them. He specifically cited the Home Minister’s use of the word “termites” to describe Bangladeshis and the fact that Bangladeshis are commonly referred to in the media as “infiltrators”. He said: “Bangladeshis understand very well the low opinion that many if not most Indians harbour about us.”



I am only giving you the main points made in this connection by Mr. Sobhan. Please see the interview for greater details. He speaks about this at some length.



Explaining why Bangladeshis hold India “squarely responsible” for their suffering over the last decade, Mr. Sobhan says: “The reason is simple: everyone knows … that it was India who propped up and supported the Hasina regime, batting for it internationally, being the first to recognize its bogus elections, soft-pedalling its dictatorial nature and defending it and protecting it at every turn.”



Mr. Sobhan says: “It doesn’t help that more than three weeks after her ouster, India appears to still be supporting Hasina and the Awami League and that it hasn’t at all come to terms with the catastrophe of its Bangladesh policy.” He adds that if Sheikh Hasina is formally granted asylum in India it will have a negative impact in Bangladesh adding, however, that it will not be a “deal-breaker”.



Mr. Sobhan says: “India will need to re-build the trust and confidence of the Bangladeshi people from scratch.” However, he also adds that the door is by no means closed. He says: “We recognize that India is a burgeoning world power and that good relations with the two countries are not just desirable but in fact indispensable … we also understand that the ties that bind our two countries are far greater than that which divides us.”



Again, I am only giving you the main broad points. There is a substantial discussion about all these issues which you must see by watching the interview yourself.



Mr. Sobhan also spoke about the nature and character of the Monsoon Revolution that has dramatically changed Bangladesh. Here he said two or three important things.



First, “The movement that toppled Sheikh Hasina is not an Islamist revolution. The students at the forefront of the movement are … democrats and they wish to see a truly democratic Bangladesh.”



Second, he said “Hindus are not in danger” adding: “The notion that Hindus were the subject of some kind of pogrom and that their targeting and dispossession was in fact an integral prong of the revolution is a fiction.”



In fact, he made one specific point comparing the treatment of minorities in Bangladesh to the treatment of minorities in India. He said: “Minorities in Bangladesh are much safer and more secure than in, say, India, just to pick a random country by way of comparison.”



Again, you must see the interview to fully understand these points.


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