Is Bangladesh’s foreign policy in for a big change. Bangladesh’s interim government has recalled five envoys, including the ambassador to neighbouring India, in a major diplomatic reshuffle, a foreign ministry official said on Thursday.
Major political changes in the South Asian nation ushered in the interim government led by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus after weeks of violent protests forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign on August 5 and flee to India.
The foreign ministry ordered envoys in Brussels, Canberra, Lisbon, New Delhi and the permanent mission to the United Nations in New York to immediately return to the capital, Dhaka, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
They were asked to hand over their responsibilities immediately and return, the official added, without elaborating.
The step follows the recall of Saida Muna Tasneem, the high commissioner, or ambassador, to Britain, who was similarly asked to return.
More than 700 people died as a result of the student-led movement that ousted Hasina, straining ties with India.
The two have a 4,000-km (2500-mile) border and maritime boundaries in the Bay of Bengal.
Minority groups in Bangladesh have made accusations of attacks on Hindus after the political changes, though the government says the violence was motivated by politics, not religion.
The change of Ambassadors is possibly to do away with current incumbents who are not in tune with the temporary dispensation in Dhaka. However, Bangladesh will require very seasoned diplomats to steer through a critical moment in its history, with the Prime Minister having to flee the country and reports of attacks on minorities.
Bangladesh will remain hugely dependent on foreign aid to kick start its economy, and require stable conditions within the country to be considered for major grants by other countries and global institutions.
Team BharatShakti
(With Inputs from Reuters)
