Indian FM hails protests

Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid has hailed the Shahbagh protest as a ‘tremendous high’ in the democracy of Bangladesh.

“It’s always wonderful to see young people engage in any democratic process. They show their concern, their involvement, their aspiration... I applaud and I admire,” he said replying to a question at a joint press briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Khurshid dubbed the protests as the start of expression of dreams of the new generation that would “give you tremendous high about democracy”.

“It revives your strongest feelings and faith in democracy,” he said.

The Indian minister did not make any direct comment when an Indian journalist asked him and his Bangladeshi counterpart Dipu Moni about their views on slapping a ban on the Jamaat-e-Islami, a demand also being raised by the Shahbagh protestors.

Khurshid skirted the issue even as the journalist insisted for his comments saying the issue of ban on Jamaat was not just a domestic matter, but one relating to regional security and terrorism, which were linked with fundamentalist forces.

He said, “Youth of every country have their own respective dreams, and I hope part of their dreams also includes global dreams, but they do have their dreams. I think we must not only respect them, but applaud those dreams, too.”

He also lauded Bangladesh for its role in combating regional terrorism and said, “We acknowledge it and we express our gratitude and solidarity.”

Dipu Moni, however, said as the demand had been echoing through the country, “obviously as a people’s government and as a democratic government, this government will definitely take into consideration people’s demand”.

She said the Election Commission also had a role to play in this regard.

She told crowded journalists that religious parties were banned after the liberation war due to some political parties’ involvement with war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

But the ban was lifted after 1975 when the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated and the power was captured unconstitutionally by the usurpers.

India has already extended its support to the ongoing trial of war criminals.

The Shahbagh protests began Feb 5 soon after Jamaat leader Abdul Kader Molla was given life sentence that the protesting youths find ‘too little’.