Diplomatic Correspondent

The White House has rejected allegations that the US government influenced or interfered in the internal affairs of Bangladesh, which led former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee the country.

Addressing the media on Monday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “We have had no involvement at all. Any reports or rumours that the United States government was involved in these events are simply false. That is not true.”

She was responding to the media reports, citing Sheikh Hasina, where the ex-premier claimed that she could have stayed as the Prime Minister if she had given the sovereignty of Saint Martin’s Island and allowed the United States to dominate the Bay of Bengal.

However, Sheikh Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed, refuted that his mother ever gave such a statement. “The recent resignation statement attributed to my mother published in a newspaper is completely false and fabricated. I have just confirmed with her that she did not make any statement either before or since leaving Dhaka,” he stated in a post on X.

Jean-Pierre further said that the people of Bangladesh should determine the future of their government.

“This (electing their leader) is a choice for and by the Bangladeshi people. We believe that the Bangladeshi people should determine the future of their government, and that’s where we stand. Any allegations, certainly, we will continue to say, and I have said here, is simply not true,” she said.

On 8 August, an interim government in Bangladesh, headed by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus, was officially sworn in, with the primary objective of facilitating upcoming elections in the country.

This political shift follows a period of significant unrest, marked by widespread demonstrations and violence. The turmoil was sparked by student protests last month, initially against the quota system that reserved a large portion of government jobs for specific groups. However, the protests quickly escalated into a broader campaign calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Us Will Monitor Situation in Bangladesh

Meanwhile, Jean-Pierre said that the US will continue to monitor and observe the situation in Bangladesh, highlighting that President Joe Biden is “consistent in speaking loud and clear” on human rights issues.

On the protests outside the White House against the recent attacks on Hindus and minorities in Bangladesh, she said, “We are certainly going to continue monitoring the situation. I don’t have anything else to add beyond that. But, when it comes to any type of human rights issue, the president (Joe Biden) has been very consistent in speaking loud and clear in public and also privately, and he’ll continue to do that.”

In the past few days, hundreds of Hindu-Americans across various US cities have organised peaceful protest rallies, drawing attention to alleged human rights violations against the Hindu minority in Bangladesh. At a protest march in Atlanta on Sunday, Congressman Shawn Still called on the US State Department to take decisive action to safeguard the rights and well-being of minority communities in Bangladesh.