Yunus Threatens India’s Security; Northeast Insurgency to Resurge in Bangladesh | Veena Sikri EXCL - video Dailymotion

Asianet News English

Former Indian High Commissioner Veena Sikri exposes the dangerous security risks posed by the Yunus interim government’s alleged support to Northeast insurgent groups trying to re-establish in Bangladesh. She also says that Sheikh Hasina upheld India’s security red lines. Watch to know what this means for India-Bangladesh relations and regional stability.&nbsp;

Transcript

00:00Yunus has been making several statements which are anti-India.

00:04For example, earlier he made a statement how the seven states of India are landlocked

00:09and Bangladesh is the only route to the ocean.

00:12Talk to me about the national security of India.

00:15How do you perceive it?

00:17Because Bangladesh is increasingly becoming pro-Pakistan, pro-China.

00:21I think definitely in one line it is an important security threat for India.

00:27Let me tell you very clearly that actually when I was there as High Commissioner,

00:33when Khaled Adiyah was Prime Minister, when Jamaat-e-Islami was a member of the government,

00:37our biggest problem with Bangladesh was this kind of security threat.

00:42For example, they were encouraging the activities of the Indian insurgent groups of Northeast India.

00:46They were encouraging them to come to Bangladesh, to set up their camps there, to train their people there.

00:51They were openly supporting them. There was absolutely no doubt about that.

00:54And when we took this up with them, they would say in ignorance,

00:58oh, we don't know, we're not doing it, you know, you are just repeating this again and again,

01:02it's not true, etc., etc.

01:04And again and again we showed to them, we even got, you know,

01:07indications or information about where a camp was.

01:11And when we told them about it, they would have the camp moved, you know,

01:14send the people away from that to another village.

01:16And then, no, no, there's nothing.

01:17When Sheikha Sina came to power in 2009, she decided that she is going to respect India's security red lines.

01:27And she said that there is no interest for Bangladesh, for the people of Bangladesh,

01:32no benefit for the people of Bangladesh to support anti-Indian activity from Bangladesh soil.

01:37So she decided that will not happen.

01:39She stopped all support for the insurgent groups.

01:41And we saw for 15 years, there was complete peace in the Northeast.

01:46You know, the insurgency dropped completely.

01:49Anud Chetia was in jail.

01:51Pareshbara was hiding in China.

01:53And all this.

01:53And for 15 years, Northeast India could focus on development and growth.

01:57And they did that.

01:58They had almost forgotten what it's like to have insurgent groups.

02:01But now, ever since this government has come to power, the UNIS regime,

02:06although our government on the first day said that we are prepared to continue the cooperation,

02:11between India and Bangladesh that had been established over the last 15 years.

02:16You want to continue all the projects.

02:17You want to continue all the trade and investment.

02:20But there was never a positive response from the Bangladesh interim regime.

02:25They started making more and more, you know, unwarranted statements, anti-Indian statements.

02:31You referred yourself to what Mohammed Zuna said in China, to the Chinese businessmen,

02:36saying, oh, yes, come to Bangladesh.

02:37We are the only ones who have access to Northeast.

02:39Now, all this shows, all this was really, and what is going on,

02:44is really an invitation to India's Northeast insurgent groups

02:49to come back to Bangladesh and re-establish their activities there.

02:52Now, they are really trying to, in any and every way,

02:57harm the security interests of India.

03:00The radicalization is in full steam.

03:02The Pakistan army is trying to embed themselves with the Bangladesh army.

03:06They are sending their brigadiers to be posted with various divisions.

03:10You know, we know that this is one of the things that were announced

03:13when Mohammed Yunus went to China was about developing or modernizing the Lal Muni Raat,

03:19which is the Second World War Air Force base, which the British had built in the north of Bangladesh,

03:24very close to Meghalaya and Assam.

03:28And they want to modernize it, 700 acres of land, places for stationing, 70 aircraft, all that.

03:36And, of course, these are great security concerns to India.

03:39And India has been talking to them about it, has been telling them about it.

03:43But, so far, there has not been a positive response.

03:46I do understand that the National Security Advisor of Bangladesh, Dr. Khalil Raman,

03:51is going to be in India very soon.

03:53Perhaps this will certainly be discussed at that time.

03:56And whether there is a response from the National Security Advisor, let us see.

Yunus Threatens India’s Security; Northeast Insurgency to Resurge in Bangladesh | Veena Sikri EXCL

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