'Yunus just a figurehead, sold out to...': Ex-foreign secretary's blistering attack as US NSA urges Dhaka to protect human rights

Former Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal on Tuesday hit out at Bangaldesh's interim head Muhammad Yunus, calling him just a "figurehead" who is "sold out to his Islamist advisers". Sibal was reacting to a readout of US NSA Jake Sullivan's call with Muhammad Yunus. As per the statement, both leaders expressed "their commitment to respecting and protecting the human rights of all people, regardless of religion." 

The former foreign secretary called it a "mild US disapproval of persecution of the Hindu minority". "Yunus will have more in mind the position the Trump administration takes on this question. He is just a figurehead, and not an honest one at that, one who is sold out to his Islamist advisers," he said in a tweet. 

On Monday too, when Dhaka issued a diplomatic note to New Delhi seeking extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Sibal attacked Yunus, saying the latter was indulging in political confrontation with India. "This will become a running issue bedeviling bilateral ties,” Sibal warned in a tweet. “The Yunus government feels emboldened by the support it is getting from those who supported the regime change in Bangladesh to confront India.”  

Sheikh Hasina has been in exile in India since August 5.

On Monday, Bangladesh's interim government announced that it had formally requested India to extradite Hasina. Touhid Hossain, the Foreign Affairs Adviser to the government, confirmed the development. “We have sent a note verbale (diplomatic message) to the Indian government saying that Bangladesh wants her back here for the judicial process,” Hossain said, addressing reporters in Dhaka.  

Sibal dismissed the move as purely political. “Bangladesh knows India won’t extradite Hasina,” he said, adding, “This is a political move. Political extradition is not covered by the India-Bangladesh extradition treaty.”  

Sibal also pointed to the broader implications of the interim government’s stance. Referring to Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s recent visit to Dhaka, he said, “This has happened after Misri’s conciliatory visit to Dhaka. The Islamists there are unreceptive and are bent on rolling back ties with India.”  

Author and strategic thinker Brahma Chellaney also hit out at Yunus. He said Yunus had no "constitutional legitimacy" or mandate and took power on the back of mob violence. "The Bangladesh Farce: A regime with no constitutional legitimacy or mandate that took power on the back of mob violence has sent a note verbale to India requesting the return of the deposed prime minister, who was packed off to India by the military before she could even resign," he said in a tweet.