Bangladesh drifted to China Pakistan, revoking the ban on Jamat-Islam, what will Muhammad Yunus do to hurt India?

Muhammad Yunus and Narendra Modi (File Photo)

Political tremors continued throughout South Asia after the dramatic leadership change in Bangladesh last August, when mass protests were forced by student groups, civil society activists and radical Islamists to resign. Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohammed Yunus appeared, who was widely praised for his work in microcredit, who was appointed interim leader with high hopes for reform and solidarity.

But these early hopes are now at home and abroad, making people uneasy. Yunus’s obvious tolerance of Islamic power and a keen hub of foreign policies for China and Pakistan have raised concerns about Bangladesh’s internal cohesion and its regional alliances, especially its close ties to India’s history.

“Yunus seems reluctant to stand out among the growing number of Islamic fanatics,” wrote Sumit Ganguly, a foreign policy columnist and senior fellow at Stanford University. “At the same time, he is turning Bangladesh from India to China and Pakistan, which could destabilize the region twice.”

Under Hasina, the Islamic party Jamaat-e-Islami was banned for alleged inciting violence and its controversial role during the 1971 Liberation War, during which many of its leaders supported the Pakistani army. Hasina’s government pursued a secular agenda aimed at safeguarding minority rights and maintaining regional ties with India, especially in the face of the rise of religious nationalism.

Yunus, however, turned around, lifted the ban on Jamaat-e-Islami and adopted a noticeably soft tone. Since then, Islamic groups have entered public life, with examples of mob violence constantly targeting members of Hindu minorities and Ahmadiya Muslim sects. These developments have raised concerns about increased religious intolerance in Bangladesh.

The Yunus government’s failure to curb Islamic fanatics could exacerbate India-Muslim tensions and violence in northeast India with significant stable consequences for the entire region. In Bangladesh, the intolerance of religious intolerance will almost inevitably lead to more violence and the possibility that Hindus may fly to India, Sumit Ganguly wrote in his article.

Similarly, Yunus worked to re-adjust Bangladesh’s foreign policy. In a recent visit to Beijing, Yunus provided strategic access to the Bay of Bengal through Bangladesh, a move seen as potentially undermining India’s maritime security in the region.

“Bangladesh is the guardian of the ocean passage,” Yunus said in a speech shocking Indian diplomats. His proposal was proposed as China continues to expand its influence in South Asia, including major infrastructure investments in Sri Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan. Indian officials fear Bangladesh could fall into a similar “debt trap” that left Sri Lanka vulnerable after borrowing heavily into China. “Beijing’s growing presence in Dhaka poses a direct challenge to India’s strategic interests,” said a South Asian policy analyst in New Delhi.

India’s foreign policy institutions are now facing a critical moment. New Delhi has invested heavily in its relations with Bangladesh for decades, providing financial aid, infrastructure development and political support. However, observers noted that India often fails to maintain consistent engagement, allowing competitors like China to fill the vacuum.

“If India continues to operate as usual, it has the potential to lose its important partners,” said a senior Indian diplomat. “There is an urgent need for new diplomatic advocacy through trade concessions, investment and reaffirming security cooperation.” The evolving situation in Dhaka is more than just a domestic political shift. It has the potential to reshape regional dynamics throughout South Asia. For India, the bet cannot be higher.

Sumit Ganguly added: “If Bangladesh is affected by greater Islam and becomes a beach blackhead for Chinese interests. With the increasing political uncertainty in Dhaka and the intensification of regional competition, the coming months may prove in determining whether Bangladesh remains a cooperation bridge in South Asia – or becomes an unstable fault line.

(This story has not been edited by DNA staff and published from ANI except for the title.)