'Hasina's exit a carefully crafted coup'

Former high commissioner to Dhaka Veena Sikri says Pak aims to reverse events of '71 by discreetly backing B'desh

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THE interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, has come to power through a carefully orchestrated coup, says Veena Sikri, former India's high commissioner to Bangladesh. She tells Rajesh Kumar Thakur that Bangladesh currently has no constitutionally-valid government, and adds: "The caretaker of Bangladesh's interim government, Muhammad Yunus, has steered the country towards self-destruction. All of Yunus's decisions are effectively made by his advisor, Mahfuz Alam." Excerpts:

You had been India's high commissioner to Dhaka. How do you perceive the interim government in Bangladesh? Democracy has been dismantled through a carefully orchestrated coup against the Sheikh Hasina government. The interim government, propelled by anti-Hasina sentiment, is driving the nation into utter chaos and violence, particularly targeting Hindus and other minorities. Muhammad Yunus operates through his advisor and special assistant, Mahfuz Alam. The interim government is taking Bangladesh on a path that echoes Pakistan's anti-India rhetoric. Without elections, the country's future appears bleak. There is no constitutional provision for an interim government in Bangladesh. So, I refuse to call it a legitimate government. Instead, I label it a constitutionally-invalid regime.