Bangladesh interim leader assures Anwar minorities will be protected

Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus has assured Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim that the rights of all Bangladeshis, including minorities, will be protected.

Describing him as an “old friend”, Anwar said he telephoned Yunus to congratulate him on his recent appointment as the chief adviser for the interim government of Bangladesh.

“Yunus has long-standing good ties with Malaysia. Thus, I assured him that Malaysia stands ready to help and support the interim government in rebuilding and restoring peace and security in Bangladesh.

“I am very pleased that Yunus has given his assurances to protect the rights of all Bangladeshis including minorities,” he added in a Facebook post this morning.

Anwar said Yunus had also invited him on a short visit to Bangladesh as soon as possible to further strengthen the brotherly relationship between the two countries.

Attacks on Hindus

Yesterday, former DAP lawmaker Charles Santiago urged the prime minister to lend his voice to end the violence perpetrated against the Hindus in Bangladesh.

He said that Anwar has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to justice and defending those who are oppressed.

“Given that the prime minister has a leading role in the Islamic world, he should address the Muslim leaders in Bangladesh to exercise compassion and call for an end to the attacks,” he told Malaysiakini.

Charles also pointed out that numerous Hindu groups in Malaysia have expressed dissatisfaction with Anwar’s silence on this issue.

Similarly, another former DAP leader, P Ramasamy, also questioned the prime minister’s silence on the matter.

According to news reports, a school teacher was killed in the attacks which targeted residences, places of worship, and businesses of Hindus in Bangladesh.

The attacks followed the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

On Sunday, Bangladesh’s interim government vowed to “immediately sit with the representative bodies and other concerned groups to find ways to resolve such heinous attacks”.

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