Opportunity to mend relationship with B'desh, reckon Pak experts after Hasina's ouster

Angry protesters set Home Minister's residence on fire in Dhaka

Islamabad, Aug 5 - Keenly watching the ongoing 'chaos' in Bangladesh, many analysts in Pakistan see the current crisis in Dhaka as an 'opportunity' to regain lost ground.

As Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the country on Monday following weeks of violent student protests, an intense debate kicked off in Islamabad on the stand that Pakistan needs to take in the coming days.

"Sheikh Hasina was pro-India and anti-Pakistan. She was against Muslim organisations like Jamaat-e-Islami and others. She was also very aggressive in responding to the latest protests by the students and youth," said Aizaz Chaudhry, who served as the Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States.

"Hasina had taken a hardline stance as recent reports suggested that she had asked security forces to crush the protesters. This is not how a democracy works," added the diplomat.

Accusing Hasina of putting Bangladesh in the laps of India, Chaudhry admitted that the Bangladesh PM had become a cult figure over the years.

Some other experts saw the development as "bad news for India" and also "an opportunity for Pakistan" to mend its relationship with the new regime in Dhaka.

"Pakistan should see this as an opportunity. Sheikh Hasina was anti-Pakistan but the new government that will assume power will not follow in her footsteps. There could be an opening for Pakistan here to capitalise in terms of forming a new relationship through confidence-building measures," said senior political analyst Kamran Yousaf.

The next few days will be critical in terms of the political situation in Bangladesh, which many see as the second liberation of the country after its first successful and historical civil disobedience campaign during the 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan.

Hasina left Bangladesh on Monday after thousands of students called for a protest rally in Dhaka and vowed to take over the Prime Minister's house.

Sources said that Hasina wanted to record a message to the nation but was denied the opportunity with the Bangladesh army giving her only 45 minutes to leave the country after resigning from the top post.

--IANS