UK Calls for UN-led Probe into B’desh Crisis; No Mention of Asylum to Hasina

LONDON:
The UK government called for a United Nations-led probe into the unrest that led to the resignation of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the UK wants to see a “peaceful and democratic future” for the South Asian country as Hasina resigned and fled Bangladesh on Monday.

However, there was no mention of the asylum for Hasina, which the former Bangladeshi Prime Minister is seeking.

“The last two weeks in Bangladesh have seen unprecedented levels of violence and tragic loss of life… All sides must work together to restore calm under a transitional government,” David Lammy said in a statement on Monday.

“The people of Bangladesh deserve a full and independent UN-led investigation into the events of the past few weeks,” the UK Foreign Secretary said, adding that his country wants to “see action taken to ensure Bangladesh a peaceful and democratic future.”

“The UK and Bangladesh have deep people-to-people links and shared Commonwealth values,” he added.

Notably, India will offer comprehensive logistical support as Hasina pursues asylum in the UK. Her stay in India is approved only temporarily, pending her relocation to the UK.

On Monday, Hasina landed at the Hindon Air Base in Ghaziabad, hours after resigning from the post, as thousands of protesters stormed and vandalised ‘Ganabhaban’ – the official residence of the Prime Minister in Dhaka.

It was reported that over 100 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured in the clashes that took place between police and the protesters on Sunday.

The student-led non-cooperation movement put immense pressure on Hasina’s government over the past few weeks.

The students had been protesting against a 30 per cent reservation in government jobs for relatives of freedom fighters who wrested independence for Bangladesh from Pakistan in a bloody civil war in 1971 in which, according to Dhaka officials, three million people were killed in the genocide by Pakistani troops and their supporters.