Editor,
‘Those who cannot pay heed to the past are doomed to repeat it’- George Santayana. The compound raid at Sheikh Hasina’s palace brings history to life, as non-state actors and militant outfits increasingly incorporate Benghazi-style attacks into their playbook. Bangladesh’s unemployment problem and unstable socio-economic conditions have become intertwined with the venomous grip of religious fundamentalism.
At the backdrop of these events it is unknown and messages are confusing whether this chaos has been sponsored either by the Chinese or Pakistani deep state but the closeness of the ISI and DGFI cannot be overlooked. At this critical juncture, diplomatic channels should be opened to find out Indian interests and embassy staffers who are sandwiched at Dhaka and elsewhere in the country.
Several companies of Indian origin with a visible footprint have already suffered, including Adani Power, which penned a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) in 2017 for supplying 1,496 megawatts of power to Bangladesh. Levers of power at South Block should be calculated by understanding the porous borders of Assam, West Bengal, Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Tripura, which it shares.
A country known for its strong garment industry needs the world’s attention to bring political stability and control the backfire which it can cause. The book “Many Rivers, One Sea: Bangladesh and the Challenge of Islamist Militancy” by London based journalist Joseph Allchin reveals why this nation is caught between the devil and the deep sea and highlights the visibility of those scars.
Christopher Gatphoh,
Laitkor Rngi, Shillong-10
