The protection of the human rights of all Bangladeshi citizens, irrespective of religion, figured in a phone conversation between US National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan and interim government chief Muhammad Yunus against the backdrop of attacks on Bangladesh’s Hindu minority.
Sullivan, who spoke with Yunus on Monday evening, reiterated US backing for a stable and democratic Bangladesh, according to readout from the White House. “Both leaders expressed their commitment to respecting and protecting the human rights of all people, regardless of religion,” the readout said without giving details.
India and the US have expressed concern in recent months about reports of the targeting of Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh following the ouster of the government led by former premier Sheikh Hasina in August. Bangladesh’s caretaker administration has described these reports as exaggerated and Yunus has said he is committed to protecting the rights of all Hindus.
The White House readout said Sullivan thanked Yunus for his leadership of Bangladesh “during a challenging period”. Sullivan reiterated the US’s support for a prosperous, stable, and democratic Bangladesh, and offered the US’s “continued support in meeting the challenges Bangladesh faces”.
A statement issued by Yunus’s spokesperson on the phone conversation was completely silent on the issue of protecting the rights of Bangladeshi citizens. The statement said the two leaders discussed issues of mutual interest and Sullivan praised the progress made the Bangladesh in turning around the economy and initiating political, election and other reforms.
“Sullivan also thanked him for announcing the possible election dates, and he offered continued US support for the democratic process of the country,” the statement said, referring to Yunus’s remarks in a recent interview that the general election could be held in late 2025 or early 2026.
Yunus said he is expecting reports of six reform commissions by January 2025, and a “consensus-building process” will begin after that to prepare Bangladesh for reforms and elections, the statement added.
The two sides also discussed the development situation in Bangladesh and Yunus thanked the US for its support in overcoming “inherited problems”.
India-Bangladesh relations plummeted to a new low since the interim government led by Yunus assumed office, primarily over the targeting of Hindus and other minorities in the neighbouring country. The arrest of Bangladeshi monk Chinmoy Krishna Das in November on a charge of sedition, which triggered widespread protests in several Indian states, has emerged as a fresh irritant in the ties.
There were reports of attacks on Hindus and vandalisation of temples and businesses owned by the minority community in the power vacuum after Hasina stepped down. Unrest triggered by the arrest of monk Chinmoy Krishna Das led to more attacks on the community, especially in southern Bangladesh. The interim government has said it is committed to protecting minorities and 70 people were arrested in connection with 88 attacks in recent months.
Before his victory in the US presidential election, Donald Trump had targeted US President Joe Biden and vice president Kamala for purportedly not doing enough to prevent attacks on Bangladesh’s minorities. “I strongly condemn the barbaric violence against Hindus, Christians, and other minorities who are getting attacked and looted by mobs in Bangladesh, which remains in a total state of chaos,” Trump said in a post on X in October.
Following his election victory, however, Trump has been silent on this issue. More recently, Indian-American lawmaker Shri Thanedar raised the attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh said the time has come for the US Congress to act.
“The crowds of the majority have destroyed Hindu temples, Hindu deities and Hindus who are practising their religion in peace,” Thanedar said in the US House of Representatives on December 11. “The time has now come for the US Congress to act and the US government to act…every possible tool in our hands needs to be used to ensure that such atrocities in Bangladesh against Hindus stop right away.”
A day later, the White House said President Biden was monitoring the situation in Bangladesh and the US would hold the interim government in Dhaka accountable for ensuring the protection of religious and ethnic minorities.
“The security situation in Bangladesh has been difficult following the ouster of the former prime minister. And we have been working closely with the interim government to enhance the capability of their law enforcement and security services to deal with the challenge,” National Security Communications advisor John Kirby told a news conference.