US Denies Any Role In Bangladesh Crisis, “Monitoring” Attacks On Hindus

WASHINGTON, DC (ANI) – The United States has rejected the allegations of the government’s involvement in the Bangladesh crisis, including the protests in the country that led to the deaths of hundreds of people.

Refuting all the reports and rumors, the White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean Pierre, said in a media briefing on August 12, “So, we have had no involvement at all. Any, reports or rumors that the United States government was involved in these, in these events is simply, simply false. That is not true.”

Jean Pierre further stated that Bangladeshi people should determine the future of the Bangladeshi government.

“This is a choice for and by the Bangladeshi people. We believe that the Bangladeshi people should determine the future of the Bangladeshi government, and that’s where we stand. Any will certainly continue to say, and what I have said here is simply untrue,” Jean Pierre said.

Michael Kugelman, a US-based Foreign Policy expert, and Director of the South Asia Institute at The Wilson Center, refuted allegations of foreign interference behind the mass uprising that led to Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, stating he had not seen any “plausible evidence” to support these claims.

He noted that the Hasina government’s harsh crackdown on protesters escalated the movement. “My view has been very simple. I see this as a crisis that was driven by purely internal factors, by students who were unhappy about a particular issue, job quotas that they didn’t like, and they were worried about the government. Sheikh Hasina’s government cracked down very hard on the students and that then turned the movement into something much bigger. And this was simply driven by internal factors,” Kugelman said.

Kugelman dismissed allegations from Sheikh Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, who claimed foreign interference behind the protests, saying that the unrest was driven by “internal factors.”

“Now, you know, when there is a conspiracy theory that is rooted in issues of foreign influence, one cannot disprove such type of allegation. Also, at the same time, one cannot conclusively prove it. I think the onus is the responsibility to provide a plausible explanation for how it can be true. I am yet to hear that from Sheikh Hasina’s son, from anyone,” he added.

Meanwhile, speaking on the protests outside the White House against the recent attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, White House Press Secretary, Jean Pierre said that the US is going to continue monitoring the situation.

“When it comes to any type of human rights issue here, the President has been very consistent in speaking loud and clear in public and also privately and he will continue to do that. But I don’t have any specific engagement to speak to at this time,” she added.