A former White House official said that America has serious concerns about the increasing extremism in Bangladesh. He also said that the ousted former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina had controlled it well.
Lisa Curtis, former deputy assistant to US President-elect Donald Trump and served as Senior Director of the National Security Council for South and Central Asia from 2017 to 2021, said this.
He said on Thursday (November 14, 2024), ‘Bangladesh is at a critical juncture. There is a lot of hope from the efforts to oust Sheikh Hasina from power and reform the political system. People hope that the democratic process will become stronger.
“But there is also a lot of concern,” Curtis said in an interview with PTI. Some Islamic extremists have been released from jail. There have been some attacks on minorities, Hindus, Christians.
Curtis said, ‘We have seen the history of terrorism in Bangladesh. In 2016, Holi (Artisan) Bakery was attacked. This was a very serious incident. Some terrorists of ISIS (Islamic State) were present in Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina did a good job in controlling the extremist problem in Bangladesh.
He said that there is concern that these people will come back into the political scene, which will not be good for Bangladesh. He said, ‘This will not be helpful for the entire region, America or anyone. We are going through a critical period in Bangladesh. So even though it may not be Trump’s first priority, I think his team, his national security team, has to pay attention to what’s happening (there).
Curtis also said that the incoming administration should work together with India because India is also concerned about the future of Bangladesh and being its neighbour, it is affected the most.